Prehab/Rehab for the Shoulder

4 04 2012

The shoulder joint is probably the second only to the knee in terms of athletic injuries.

It is certainly problematic for martial artists, our main clientèle. We have many “older” athletes training with us who suffer a legacy of a bench press obsessed teen years.

For many of us the issues are simply overuse. Many time our pectorals are simply overused, overtrained or simply over tight. This then leads to the shoulders rounding forwards, the scapula winging out and the counter muscles in the upper back becoming weak and essentially lazy.
Sometimes the problem is the upper traps being over active which switches of the lower traps which are partly responsible for stabilising the scapula.

And then there’s the more severe injuries that we see. In the Judo and BJJ the guys get bent and twisted into positions that are designed to injure. If these locks (submissions) are applied a little to hard, too fast or too often and if you don’t tap out in time you run the gauntlet of injury. After all these locks were originally designed, not for sport, but for disabling a person intent on causing harm.

Omoplata - all sorts of nasty if you don't tap in time

Omoplata - all sorts of nasty if you don't tap in time

So what do we do?

Not training is simply not an option.

The first thing is obviously dropping in on Dan, our resident sports therapy, acupuncturist and Muay Thai exponent.

After that, we implement some rehabilitation drills. The exact drills will depend on your individual injury, the ones selected in this presentation are big bang drills, they hit the most common problems head on.

Starting out with YTL positions. You’ll see I’m doing these free standing, but you may lie on a bench.
Next we take out a band and repeat the same positions but with added resistance. It is important to move with control, so don’t use too heavy a band. I find a pause at the end of the movement really helps.
With the unloaded drills go to fatigue with each one. With the band you can play around a little, heavier bands with low reps for strengthening the rotator cuff and stabilising the shoulder, or a lighter band for higher reps for flushing the joint.
The last section is simple band pulls, to the front and behind the head. These are fantastic and I recommend them to everyone. If you work in an office keep a band in your top drawer and do these at intervals through the day.

With these I like to go at pace for reps. Vary the angle at which you pull, when you find on that is a little harder than the others, stick with it. For me personally I start at eye level and pull down to the chest.

Regardless of which drill your working, always ensure that the shoulder blades (scapula) and pulled back and down, the spine is long and the chest elevated. This should be monitored and checked on each and every rep. If the shoulders aren’t set, there’s no point in completing the rep.

Have a look at the video, sorry about the quality there must have been some dodgy setting on the camera, but you can see the each exercise.

I have a history of shoulder issues going back, I believe, to an injury in my teens. These are my go to drills and have also helped many of my guys keep pushing forwards. Do them regularly and you may never experience the debilitating pain, if you’re already damaged relax all your pressing and concentrate on these instead.
For all else, there’s Dan.
You’ll get him on 086 046 4641 or Email: info@wildgeesema.com


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Categories : Personal Training Dublin

Instantly boost your punching power

30 03 2012

Yesterday I was in conversation with one of my conditioning guys. He’s a Kenpo practitioner and as he’d arrived early asked if he could hang a bag for a while.

Of course I approved and off he went to get in some extra practice.

After a few minutes I went in and had a look. I love watching my guys working on stuff, just the fact that they come in and mess around before training puts a smile on my face, Podge was playing with the indian clubs and monkey bars, Darrin was working on his handstand push up, Kev was being “Hardcore” and Phil was practising a combination on the bag.

After a few minutes I went over to give Phil a hand, he was putting effort into his strikes but wasn’t getting the return, the body-mechanics weren’t quite there.
So we discussed, tried again, discussed, tried each time improving. Then I told him to relax his shoulders.

This caused some concern. Relax the shoulders? Yes, relax the shoulders.
“Imagine, if you will,” I said, “performing a kettlebell jerk with tense shoulders.”
He did and, then looked me and said, “Oh, Yeah!”
He then hit the bag with about 50% more force than he had done only minutes before.

You see, you don’t punch with the shoulders, they only come in at the end of theMove like a Whip for power movement. A punch comes from the big muscles of the body. The throw a right hand first the right claves extend the ankle, the quads extend the knee, the hammies and Glutes extend the hip, your bodyweight is shifting forwards into your left leg. The lats and abdominals tighten to stiffen the torso and stabilise the shoulder and finally the arm shoots forwards.
As each joint unfolds it adds speed and force to the movement. The closest analogy you will get is that of a whip cracking, the wave starts at the handle but gains momentum as it travels down the whip ultimately breaking the sound barrier at the tip.

This cannot be achieved via high tension training. Ok so we have to develop the strength of the body and high tension work is great start point, but too much of it will cause us to become slow in our general or sports specific practice. This is where more relaxed, faster movements need to be applied in out strength & conditioning work.

The single best lift for any fighter, at least in my opinion, is the single kettlebell clean & jerk.
It is the closest lift I’ve come across for throwing a punch.

Other talk about angled barbell pressing and band work, but both of these options are anchored at one end, the kettle is free to move and fight back.
While the technique may be a little technical to learn (details on this at the end of the post) it is well worth it. Once you have it and are lifting a decent weight, you will notice the effect on your striking.
Utilise the lift across a variety of reps with a variety of weights, then hit the bags. You’ll see an immediate change in power output.

Here’s a video I made a while ago showing the 1KB clean & jerk with a 44kg. I slowed a section down so you can really see the technique and notice that just as in a punch, the arm and shoulder only take part at the end of the lift.

Now, you can’t learn properly from a video.

You can learn this lift properly from me or Steve Cotter on the following dates:

Levels 3 & 4 Kettlebell Lifting Workshop – 15th April
Level 3 – 10am-12noon: Loaded Mobility, Snatch, Jerk
Level 4 – 12.15 – 2(ish)pm: Double Kettlebell Training & Long Cycle
€35/workshop or €60 for both, pdf manuals included.

Steve Cotter CKT Levels 1 & 2 – 2-4 June 2012
Steve’s last Irish CKT event was back in 2009, the course was Level 1 only and it was an intense learning experience. This next one will be better again.
For more details click here 

Regards

Dave
www.wg-fit.com


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Categories : Kettlebell lifting Dublin, martial arts

Some words from a fellow fit-pro

30 03 2012

I don’t ask for testimonials, it’s not my way. But this came in via facebook as part of a larger discussion and I think it has a wider message than “my coach is oh so great”.
It comes from one of my girls, a woman who’s been in the fitness industry for years, so when she speaks out on it her words have weight.

Over to you Linda:

  • I come from a fitness instruction background and worked for over 10 years in commercial gyms.
    Since joining Wild Geese and training with Dave, my whole approach to training has completely changed and if I were still an instructor my approach to instructing would be very different too.

    Looking back now I view the commercial gym environment as dangerously ‘toxic’ particularly for women. I know in WG if I asked questions such as ‘how many calories will I burn off in a Kettlebell class’ ‘where are the 4kg Kettlebells?’ or ‘can someone measure my body fat’? I’d get a polite response but I wouldn’t last a week in there unless I changed my approach.
    That’s exactly what I had to do.

    Now I view training as a means of getting better at something, I want to master the clean and jerk (man that’s a technical beast), I want to be able to do one-armed push-ups, I want to get 10 pull ups before the end of 2012, I could go on and on.
    It’s all about gaining, gaining strength, gaining confidence, gaining new abilities.

    Now I train to gain not to lose.

    So that in a nutshell is why I respect Daves opinion and those he is connected with and want to tap into your opinions on what is happening in Ireland today in terms of promoting physical activity. You guys represent and promote a healthier psychological approach to training/physical activity etc…I still work in the industry, at consultancy level, and from time to time end up in conversations with people that are directly or indirectly involved in the promotion of physical activity at policy level. It’s nice to have a little army of opinions standing with me when I find myself in these positions. Especially as I think the views of people in the world of Kettlebell, martial arts etc… are under represented, if represented at all, around the tables where policies are being developed.

You can read the whole of Linda’s comment and join in on our discussion regarding fitness for schools and young people by following this link to Facebook. I don’t know if you’ll be able to see it without adding me as a friend, but please take the time to look through, read the article and leave a comment.

https://www.facebook.com/WGMA.Dave/posts/294663617270487?

Regards

Dave 


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Categories : Personal Training Dublin

Gizmo, Steve Cotter and the Humble Kettlebell

26 03 2012

GizmoRecently I have been likening the kettlebell swing to shooting an arrow from a bow.
I’m not entirely sure when I came up with this but ever since it’s become a very effective teaching tool.
Just last weekend while teaching a seminar at Dolan Fitness in Tullamore, as soon as I made the analogy heads started nodding.

So lets share the story.

The swing is very often taught very badly. People who rely on YouTube  for their education often find themselves watching terrible tutorials that they trust because they have a “name” attached. To name names: Jillian Michaels, Reebok and Crossfit. These guys are responsible for a lot of misinformation.

Pop goes the lumbar, thanks Jillian

The swing is supposed to be just that, a swinging action, the bell travels in an arc from between the leg to the front of the body. This means you must hinge at the hips.
If, like many you are squatting as opposed to hinging, then you are not swinging efficiently. And kettlebell lifting is ALL about efficiency. To be fair, I can’t think of any reason why I would wish to train myself to be anything other than efficient.

Part of this efficiency is in utilising the little tricks hidden within out physiology.
We have a thing called the stretch shortening cycle, better known as the stretch reflex. And like all reflexes it triggers a far stronger response than we could consciously call into action.
If we perform a proper swing then we can activate the stretch reflex through the whole back side of the body.
By focussing on the backswing, pushing the bell through the legs we will pike the body, hinging at the hip. The position we get into is very close to a standing hamstring stretch, which is no bad thing.

The back of the swing, note the hip hinge loading the hammies

The bell accelerating back putting us into a stretch is exactly what helps us fire it forwards again. Stretched muscles can only do one thing, contract. And contract they will, it is the job of the stretch reflex to contract a muscle if it is aggressively lengthened or it approaches what is perceived to be its maximal length. A reflexive contraction is much more powerful than a conscious contraction. Of course we consciously swing the bell, but we add the stretch reflex as a kind of turbo boost.

The whole thing puts me in mind of shooting an arrow from a bow. The first thing we need to do is draw the bow, moving the arrow backwards, stretching the bow and bowstring building up the potential energy. When the bow is fully stretched we release the string. The recoil of the bow propels the arrow forwards, once the arrow breaks contact with the string it continues it’s flight even though we are exerting no more force on it.
This is exactly how we swing the kettle. We swing it through the legs stretching out our posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, back), as we reach the stretch we bounce of the stretch reflex and propel the kettle back along the same path, as the body comes straight we are no longer exerting any force onto the bell yet it continues to travel, if we let go it would fly forwards, we don’t so it arcs upwards.

If we were working at the top of the swing, this wouldn't be possible

If you find your thighs burning, then your probably squatting rather than hinging. If you’re not sure, then have a look at this little tip that genuine Kettlebell instructor, Steve Cotter posted up a while ago. You’ll notice that unlike the “Guru’s” Mr Cotter credits the info in the video to another kettlebell expert. This is what Steve does, he goes around the world learning from the best, then he brings that information to us, the unsuspecting public. Watch this:

Now if you want to learn  more about the real art of Kettlebell Lifting, what Steve Cotter has referred to as “the martial art of strength training” then you have the opportunity, he will be in Dublin again this July to run the Certified Trainer course, details of which can be found here.

Regards
Dave


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How to Rock a Home Workout

21 03 2012

Pistol Squat

Making the most of a rare sunny day in Dublin

I was asked a good question yesterday. It was one of those moments I always mean to have a voice recorder handy for but never do, because it was an important question with a big answer.
I’ve a feeling that now, 24hrs later, I’m not going to do it justice in writing.

However, here goes:

Q: “Why is it so much harder to train at home, I can’t seem to lift nearly as heavy as when I’m in here (wild geese)?”

Ok, that was paraphrased somewhat but the conversation was with a pair of women that train with me, and train hard. Over the last week though they’ve both had various commitments and have been forced to get their workouts done at home as they simply couldn’t get to me.
Fortunately both are well prepared, have their own kettles and notes on what to do.

The problem was different for both of them. One struggled to stay the course and get the reps done while the other simply struggled with a weight that she can usually handle while in the gym.

Neither of these issues are uncommon, so lets see if we can provide an answer.

A: There is no one simple answer, after all both girls have different symptoms. But we can generalise and cover most of the issue. Lets break into sections:

  1. Mental Preparation
    When you are scheduled to come into WG to train, it takes forethought.
    This starts many hours before you arrive at the gym, maybe even the day before. The first stage of this is remembering the Mental preparationappointment, this then triggers you to get your workout gear ready and have it somewhere you won’t forget it when you leave for work in the morning.
    You’re probably aware that you need a good dinner, a good nights sleep, plenty of fluids. You know that the workout will be tough and that too much coffee and biscuits through the day will leave you listless in the gym, and Dave doesn’t like that, so you drink water and eat cleanly.
    You know that you must be out of the office by a certain time to make it into the gym ready to go, you may even be relishing the opportunity to release that pent up office stress when you get there.
    Essentially you’ve spent the entire day planning to have a good workout, this may be subconscious or it may be conscious, either way, you’ve been doing it.
    By the time you actually step on the floor and get moving, you’re more than adequately prepared, mentally at least.Now compare that to most people’s home workout. You may have been in the house all day already, especially if you work from home. or you may have just arrived home from meetings/conferences etc. Either way, you’re entering a “comfort environment” and I guarantee, as soon as that arse hits the sofa it will form an almost unbreakable bond.
    The trick I find with home workouts is to get outside. If you have a yard, a balcony, a garage whatever, just get out of the “comfort environment”.
    This change of scenery can (should) be scheduled, so you know that at X-O’clock you get your gear on and get out the back to train. you should also have a plan made out well in advance, so you know what you will be doing. For my online clients this is done for them, but for the occasional home trainee you need to think ahead.
    All this will keep the though process as close to what it would if you were coming into me as possible. You’ll lay out your gear in the morning and have the plan beside it, you’ll have a predetermined time that you will go and change, pick up the plan and anything else you need and you’ll step outside and simply go for it.
  2. Distractions
    I already mentioned that your home is a “comfort environment”. You have deliberately set it up as such. You have a comfy chair set just the way you like it, the kitchen is fully stocked, just over there. The TV is sat proudly in the corner with its little remotes on the arm of your favourite chair. There’s no one breathing down your neck to get stuff done. It is your home, your place of refuge against the chaos of the outside world.
    Compare that to the gym, especially somewhere like WG.
    We are set up as a “training environment”. There is absolutely no mistaking this, you can smell it as soon as you enter. There’s music thumping out, there’s people moving around, hitting bags, practising rolls, lifting kettles or performing calisthenics.
    There are photographs of us training along the walls as you enter, just past the training certifications. There isn’t much comfortable in the gym.So in your home you must try to replicate a training environment. This means turning off the TV, the Computer and the phone. It means clearing away anything that may distract you, this means any coffee cups or kids toys that are lying around, it may mean rolling up the rug or putting down your training mat. Or it simply means stepping outside. Then fire up the stereo or put on your iPod with your favourite training tunes. I recommend building a play-list especially for this time, all high octane tracks that get you fired up.
    Once this is done you should have a distraction free environment. You can now get to work.
    One more thing – if you’re just in from a work day, DO NOT sit down or put the TV on, get changed straight away and crack on with it. TV & Sofa can wait, they make a powerful and dangerous couple and once you give in to them it’s very hard to escape.
  3. Lack of Motivation
    This is the biggest downfall of all. You can overcome any distraction if you are motivated. And for this you may need tools.
    If you’re a procrastinator, get a stopwatch/countdown timer. If I’m not there to shout at you, use a

    Need motivation? Click Here

    42 personal stories of motivation, click here to download 'em

    machine that will beep at you. If you train alone a timer is your best friend.
    If you struggle to build the intensity to push hard by yourself, then you need to workout why. Why can you do it when I’m glaring at you but not on your own?
    You need to work out you “why.” Why do I want to lift this? Why is this important to me?
    Once you know the why, then the How is easy, just get on with it.Either way, keep a training journal and note down everything that happens in your workout. note the weight, the reps, the sets, the rest periods, the music playing, the time of day, the weather, the location, how you felt before/during/after.
    It doesn’t need to be an essay, bullet points are fine. Over time you can look back over these notes and see what you need to create your training environment as well as the points that seem to hold you back.
    Maybe certain songs get you pumped for lifting heavy while others leave you weak and unmotivated. Maybe you train better at a certain time of day. Do certain weather conditions suit (I work best in inclement weather, I set a PR on the kettlebell snatch one day in my back yard during a hail storm and gusting wind!)

This is by no means an exclusive list, these are general suggestions. Each of us have our own personal lazy demon that we must battle. But battle we must.
Training at home is great, everyone should be able to do it, many’s the time that life will throw a curve ball at you and you simply can’t get to the gym, so having the tools at your disposal in the home are vital.

Now, shut the computer down and get on with it!

Regards

Dave
www.wg-fit.com


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A Summer of Kettlebell Lifting

16 03 2012

2012 is looking like the year of the Irish Kettlebell.

Just look at whats going on:

25th March:
Kettlebell Lifting and Conditioning Training for Sports
I’ll be at Dolan Fitness, Tullamore to present a workshop looking at the use of Kettlebells and other “non conventional” methods to build an unstoppable athlete. This is particularly relevant to the Combat Athlete but anyone involved in sports will benefit.
This is a steal at €20 for around three hours. All I ask is you come armed with an open mind and lots of questions.
To book contact Kieran through info@dolanfitness.com

15th April:
Kettlebell Lifting Levels 3 & 4

Kettlebell Lifting

You’ve been asking so here it is, the Levels 3 & 4 from my kettlebell lifting syllabus.
Level 3 covers the Snatch and Jerk in minute detail, Level 4 covers Double Kettlebell Lifting including the Long Cycle event.
If you plan on taking part in this years competitions, these workshops represent your opportunity to brush up on technique.
If you are simply a kettlebell enthusiast looking to take your training to the next level, then you’ll enjoy these workshops.
The key to all my Kettlebell workshops is attention to detail, we don’t cover many techniques but we go deep into each lift that we look at. And you get all the info emailed to you in a PDF reference manual at the end of the day.
Workshops cost €35 each or €60 for both.
Level 3 runs 10am-12pm, Level 4 runs 12.15pm – 2(ish)pm
Bring an enquiring mind!

20th May:
AIKLF Cup of Ireland – Open Kettlebell Competition
Mick Kelly and his guys in Wexford are holding both the Biathlon and Long Cycle events under Vasilly Ginko’s AIKLF, one of the first organisations to introduce kettlebell sport to Ireland back in 2007/8.
Mick is a great athlete and a gentleman so this’ll be a great event.
For details and to register CLICK HERE

2nd – 4th June:
Certified Kettlebell Teacher Levels 1 & 2 with Steve Cotter
Steve Cotter Dublin 2012If you’re into Kettlebells or even if you just follow this website, you’ll be well aware of who Steve Cotter is. He’s one of the men who created the original RKC course, he’s become one of the worlds most in demand kettlebell coaches, he’s the man who goes to all the world’s real experts to learn so you don’t have to.
There is no other certification course like this. Even the last certification course we held here in 2009 won’t be as good as this next one. Why?
Because I’ve had Steve here each year since then and each time he has updated information. To train with Steve is to be at the cutting edge, not just in lifting Kettlebells but also in a wider, more holistic methods of fitness training.
Here’s a teaser of a few things you will see:

For booking details CLICK HERE for Level 1 and HERE for Level 2

25th August:
Irish Kettlebell Sports Championships
The boys from Kilkenny are running their annual event, but this time it promises to be bigger and better than ever before.
The lads are without a doubt the top lifters in Ireland, Eddie was recently declared the absolute winner in the UK open. They represent the European Girevoy Sport Association (EGSA) with is fast becoming Europe’s largest Kettlebell Sport organisation.
If you register for this event you’ll be lifting alongside some top class lifters from Europe as well as our homegrown athletes.
More details will be announced HERE soon
The Kilkenny boys also run regular workshops, if you’re around the neighbourhood be sure to drop in.

15 -16 September:
Mike Mahler Kettlebell  Seminars
Mark Bunce from D8 Fitness is bringing over Mike Mahler for two days of Kettlebell Lifting.
I’ve been a follower of Mikes work for the best part of 10 years and I have to say, he is excellent. If you want to build size and strength and the Kettlebell is your weapon of choice, this is the workshop to attend. Mike has a unique standpoint on the use of Kettlebells in training and also on how to balance the bodies’ hormones for a fuller life.
CLICK HERE for details.

It’s great to see real instruction of the use of the kettlebell and also the growth of the sport here in Ireland. Anyone who attends any of the above events will receive a level of instruction unrivalled by any of the “commercial” kettlebell courses and certification currently available in Ireland and even the UK.
Make sure to click through some of the links above, but above else, get swinging!

Regards

Dave
www.wg-fit.com 


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Beat the Crab Bucket

12 03 2012

I love what I do for a living, so much so I hate calling it a job.
The problem with this is, when I do have a bit of a bad day, if I am looking to have a bit of a moan and feel sorry for myself, no one takes me seriously.

Back when I did work for a living, back when I was in the hotel trade and then the security industry, all the guys were in the same boat, we all had the same complaints and we all supported each other. If one of us was down, someone in the team would pick him up.
These days no one believes it when I have a bad day, especially as a central part of my job is to inject enthusiasm and energy into the room.

Fortunately we have facebook, where it seems every person I’m connected to is posting inspirational quotes and images every two minutes. Where they get these from I’ve no idea and quite frankly, most of them are complete bullsh1t.
This one though stopped me and made me think for a while:

The day I saw this I was getting over a stomach bug and wasn’t feeling the best, I’d old injuries playing up, I’d had a long few days covering classes for my other instructors and was generally feeling sorry for myself.
So what should I do?

“Encourage others”

The next class came in and I gave them a banging session, they worked, they learned, they left beaming. I felt awesome.

Today, I want you to do the same thing.

The world is full of negativity, it’s easy to be pulled into it. There is a phrase for this, it’s “crab bucket”
It comes from the fishermen watching the crabs they’d just brought in. The crabs would all be clambering to get out of the bucket, but as soon as one of them gets near the lip, as soon as one of them almost makes it the rest pull him back in. Everyone makes a lot of effort trying to escape while at the same time pulling everyone else back. Crab Bucket.
Wouldn’t it be better if they just worked together, the one who gets to the lip reaches back and pulls someone else up, then the two of them help a third?

This is what the Master means when he says “Encourage others”

I know that if you’re reading this you’re already above average. I know that if you’re a regular at Wild Geese you have more motivation then 99% of the people you see every day.
You are the crab that got out of the bucket. Now reach down and help another one out.

Maybe point them in the direction of the Motivation eBook (simply click on the image to download)

Need motivation? Click Here

Click here for 62 pages of unadulterated motivation

Or maybe you can bring them with you to training.
If you do, and they stay for a while, I’ll give you their first monthly payment.

If they don’t, well at least you tried. Maybe you sowed a seed that will grow in time, maybe they’ll turn round in a few weeks time and ask you about preparing for a half marathon or where to buy themselves a kettle.
Either way, you’ll have encouraged someone to take the step and you’ll have beat the crab bucket.

Take charge of life, then help others do the same.

Regards

Dave
www.wg-fit.com


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