Strock Fitness

The force to get a kettlebell up should come from a ballistic (think more powerful than just explosive) hip-hinge. With your feet rooted to the floor, keeping the weight centered *mid-foot* (mid-foot as in between the heel and ball of the foot).

The queue "Drive through the heels" is often used to keep the heels down and maintain balance over the mid-foot. Don't mistake that queue for indicating your weight should be centered on the heel. Grip the floor with your feet (use and train those often under-worked muscles on the bottom of your feet to grab onto and grip the floor). And rapidly explode at the hip.

Your arms should only be guiding the kettlebell on its path, not pulling it up. NOTE: this does not mean upper body engagement and posture isn't important. Lats and mid-back should be engaged to protect the shoulders and keep them in the proper location.

If you struggle with this, try paying attention to the rhythm of the kettlebell swinging. And time it with the ballistic hip hinge. When you get the rhythm and explosiveness down, you should be able to swing one handed. Or alternate hands each swing, as the kettlebell is about to peak (⚠️be aware of your surroundings, and be cautious, this will work your grip more⚠️ Don't do single arm, or alternating arm kettlebell swings if people— or anything you can damage —are in front of you ⚠️).

Reaching shoulder height to head height is the target for a Kettlebell Swing. Reaching over-head during a swing makes it an "American Kettlebell Swing."

If you're susceptible to impingement syndrome (one study suggests about 50% of the population is susceptible to shoulder impingement syndrome, regardless of whether they've experienced an impingement yet) then American Kettlebell Swings can exacerbate an impingement or cause one. While a standard kettlebell swing will avoid the issue (because the arm doesn't get high enough to cause the issue —pinch tissue between the humorous bone and the acromion process).

Do your shoulders feel a bit unstable? Especially when you hang from a pull-up bar? Have you been doing external and internal rotator cuff exercises, and while they may have helped, you still feel instability in the shoulder when doing exercises like pull-ups? Or maybe you avoid pull-ups completely, because of the instability. Adding the exercises I list below to your shoulder warm-up can help with shoulder stability.

So why might you still be unstable in the shoulders after strengthening the rotator cuff?

The rotator cuff muscles, which sit on your shoulder blade (scapula), are part of a system that stabilize the shoulder joint. But they are not the only part. What's often overlooked are the muscles that stabilize the shoulder blade, acting as the foundation of shoulder stability.

Adding the following exercises to your rotator cuff exercise routine can make a great warm-up routine on shoulder day or back day.

TIP: start with light weight, high reps; focus on muscle activation for the first few weeks before working on strength.

EXERCISES:

1) Scapular Retraction
On a seated or standing row machine; hands about shoulder width apart or a bit wider; with the arms straight "retract" or pull your shoulders back and together; pretend someone has their fingers between your shoulder blades and you're trying to squeeze them with your shoulder blades; squeeze for a couple of seconds once you've retracted completely; then slowly and in a controlled manor allow your shoulder blades to glide apart and forward; then repeat; make sure arms stay straight the whole time so other muscles don't get recruited to take over.

Continued in the comments...

Squats are probably the most important exercise you should be doing. Squats are necessary for import life functions like sitting on a toilet. But before you take a stab at weighted squats, make sure you've mastered squatting withOUT any weights.

I've heard many trainers and lifters explain that the knees should not pass over the front of the toes. This is not true. In fact, with proper glute activation, ankle flexibility, and ankle strength, as the glutes engage and hold the torso up-right in a forward leaning position, muscles in the ankle (i.e. tibialis anterior) should engage to pull the knees forward to center your body's gravity.
Inability to squat with torso and tibia/fibia in this parallel pattern could mean: 1) weak hip muscles (such as the glutes); 2) poor flexibility in the ankles (does it feel easier to do squats with your heels up on weight plates?); 3) weak ankles; 4) or any combination of the previous.

An exception to this is if you have body proportions that differ from the average person (i.e. longer femur or longer torso). If you'd like me to run you through a free assessment to see how your squat form is or you want to train with me, and you live in the Sacramento area, use my website to contact me. 👍😆 @ 24 Hour Fitness - Roseville, CA

Does your workout make you feel better or worse? I don't just mean better stamina and more energy. Do you have less aches and pains because of your workout? Or is your workout causing more aches and pains? Is your workout leaving you exhausted? Or is it actually boosting your energy and helping you get on with your day?
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It's that time of year when people are joining the gym and looking for trainers. It's important to find a trainer that will make you feel and move better a year from now, than you do now. As your Corrective Exercise Specialist I'm the trainer that will do that for you. At the age of 41 I don't have any of aches and pains. I feel better now than I did in my 20's. In fact, you'll often find me playing on a playground with my son. If you do, you'll notice I jump down from the top like I was 7 again. It's because how I train. I have more joint stability now than I did in my 20's. Heck, even as a teen I had a few knee aches from running. That's something I don't get anymore. NO surgeries... It's all in how I workout and address muscle imbalances.
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This January is my 15 year anniversary of being a personal trainer. I'm not one of those trainers that's a contractor by day and trainer by night. This is my career. I was a Master Trainer at 24 Hour Fitness, where I trained for 6 years. And since 2006 I've had my training studio in Loomis. Visit my website and check out what some of my clients have said about me.
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I'm located next to Lorenzo's.
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By appointment only.
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What’s a “stitch in the side”? If you’ve ever experienced a “stitch in the side,” you are not alone. Among runners, for example, nearly 70% have reported the pain according to research conducted in 2013.

http://www.active.com/parenting-and-family/articles/8-family-friendly-holiday-fitness-tips?stop_mobi=yes

8 Family-Friendly Holiday Fitness Tips Create a new family tradition this holiday season with these holiday fitness tips.

Cool... A sports drink that helps your body maintain the proper pH :)

Ideally your body should be at a pH of 7.4 (slightly alkaline). But because of the foods we intake (processed foods, sugary foods and drinks, acidic foods) and stress our pH often lies on the acidic side (below 7). And sports drinks usually add to the acidity of your system.

Phenoh, Inc. The world's first alkaline sports drink! Made with all organic ingredients and natural minerals to promote health and improve performance!

Never forget!

3 Reasons You're Stuck With Chicken Legs:

http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/3-reasons-youre-stuck-with-chicken-legs

Did You Know?

Not only is watermelon a sweet, fiber-filled and hydrating fruit, its functional benefits have been expand to include reducing muscle soreness. Watermelon is one of the few foods naturally rich in L-citrulline, a nonprotein amino acid with antioxidant properties. According to a recently published study, athletes who consumed watermelon juice prior to exercise had reduced muscle soreness.

http://1.usa.gov/13w0ImQ

5-Year-Old Golf Phenom Check out this video of Connor Nething golfing his way to 1st place at the Awbery Glen Junior Golf Tournament. Connor is a completely normal 5 year old, when he's at home he's playing with his Ninja Turtles and running around like crazy but when he steps onto a golf course, he's not a normal 5 year…