Home → Aggressive Strength Magazine → Issue 168-7-23-09 

Aggressive Strength Magazine

1. Mike Mahler Hormone Optimization Lecture  

 Check out the following lecture that I just did on optimizing hormones. Topics discussed: 

• Why stress management skills are critical for hormone optimization 

• Why hormone optimization starts in your brain 

• The importance of eating organic food and why it is even more critical if you eat meat. 

• Why Insulin is the #1 hormone to optimize regardless of what your goals are 

• Why you should have long stretches in between each meal 

• Why real hormone optimization is essentially lifestyle optimization 

• Why focusing on one hormone is a big mistake 

• What adrenaline exercise is and why it must be balanced with restoration exercise 

• The connection between doing the job you love and creating an optimal hormone environment 

• What supplement works for sex hormone receptor uptake and for increasing insulin sensitivity 

• Why hormones need to be optimal for long term fat loss and muscle gain 

	Listen to the Replay Here:
	Part 1:    Download MP3 Part 2:    Download MP3

Special thanks to Ryan Magin for being a great host on the call. Ryan is a Pro BMX racer for Elitefts.com, lifecaster, internet marketer. Check out his website at www.ryanmagin.com 

 

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2. Recommended Non Profit Organization Of The Month: The Voice For Animals 

One of my favorite non profit organizations is the Voice For Animals based in Los Angeles, CA. The founder Melya Kaplan is a great lady and a good friend of mine. Whenever I look for an organization to fund I always look at the personal actions of the founder. A while back Melya was driving home in Santa Monica and saw a man abusing his dog. The man was pounding away at the dog and no one was doing anything about it. Melya immediately pulled over and with all of her force pushed the man out of the way and rescued the dog. Keep in mind that Melya is not a big lady and has no martial arts training. Clearly, it was a courageous move on her part that could have gone very bad. Yet her first instinct was the safety of the animal. The dog she rescued named Lucy needed extensive surgery. Melya was able to raise all of the funds necessary through her organization to pay for Lucy's rehabilitation. Melya then went on to find Lucy a great home. This is what I like about Melya and what makes her and her great organization special. When you donate money to her organization you can rest assured that it is going to helps animals not to pay for some exotic vacation on your dime 

Check out this great youtube on the great work that the organization is doing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZLwimgNZUg&eurl=http%3A//

Please do what you can to help an animal in need. The rewards of being an animal guardian are too numerous to cover. Adopt an animal from your local shelter and support great organizations such as The Voice For Animals that work tirelessly to help animals in need find suitable homes. For more info, go to http://vftafoundation.org

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3. Use Quadracarn To Increase Androgen Receptor Uptake And Insulin Sensitivity! Two things you need to maximize muscle building and fat loss 

Bonus: Receive a free copy of my optimizing hormone e-book with your order 

Get a free copy of my e-book on hormone optimization with your order 

I want you to get the best results possible so when you order Quadracarn from me you will get a free copy of my hormone optimization e-book. This is not the free ebook that I have away a few years ago. This is the ebook that comes with my Collision Course DVD set. Thus, far that was the only way to get the ebook. Now you will get it with your order of Quadracarn. However, only if you purchase Quadracarn from me. You can also ask me questions about quadracarn if you purchase it from me. However, if you purchase it from another retailer then please do not disrespect me by expecting me to answer your questions. I provide great service to my customers and will not let anyone take advantage of my time. 

Ready To Order? Click here

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4. Power talk with top strength coach and American record holder in the one-arm kettlebell snatch Andrew Durniat 

 

Andrew is a C.S.C.S and the owner of Optimal Performance Training. Andrew is an international kettlebell competitor and current American record holder for the single arm snatch (147 reps, 32kg). He is known for his combining Kettlebell lifting with the Olympic and Power lifts to create the ultimate in athletic potential.

His training has led him to be able to perform many famous strength feats and compete in ultra-endurance events.  Andrew has served as an assistant lacrosse coach at the College of Wooster and was an All-American Defenseman in lacrosse at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Andrew is a regular instructor for world champion Valery Federenko's AKC certification course. He is another in the trenches instructor that has a great deal of experience as an athlete, as a trainer, and is very well researched. 

When you meet Andrew in person and see his abilities in action as well as his outstanding instruction, you know that he is destined for great things as a trainer and as a strength athlete. Not only does Andrew compete in kettlebell sport competitions, he competes in strongman competitions and does very well at both. While he is well versed in kettlebell training for sport, Andrew also uses a variety of kettlebell exercises with his clients such as Renegade Rows, Turkish-get-ups, and kettlebell squat thrusts. He is an opened minded trainer that is always looking for methods to improve his own training and that of his clients.

Tell us about your athletic background. How did you get into strength and conditioning?

I grew up playing ice hockey and added then lacrosse when I reached high school. I continued to play lacrosse in college at Ohio Wesleyan University where I was an All-American defenseman. In my youth, my closest friends were always a year or two older than me and when they started to lift weights in high school I join them as a junior high kid. I was always trying to be as strong as my best friends older brother, he was four years older and a lineman on the football team. I didn’t understand why there should be a difference in our strengths; we did everything else together why can’t we be the same strength? And so began my obsession with getting stronger.

How did you get into training others?

I began helping other teammates train in high school during the off-season. That carried over into college when I organized off-season sprint workouts for the lacrosse team. I didn’t realize trainings potential as a profession until I was at the College of Wooster working as assistant lacrosse coach.

When and why did you get into kettlebell training?

I came to kettlebells in 2005 because I was looking for a better way to train myself. I had always done the Muscle & Fitness bodybuilding workouts, thinking that was the way to get strong. It had served me well enough but I knew there had to be a better way. Kettlebells lead me to a better way of strength training.

 

Do you think kettlebell training is a fit for everyone or is there a particular type of trainee that will get the most benefit?

Kettlebells have a place in everybody’s training regimen. However, they need to be integrated wisely. You need to have well-established goals first and then program the kettlebells to achieve your goals. I see a lot of people that use the kettlebell and think that it will solve everything.

There is a debate on the merits of various applications of kettlebell training. Some argue that the sole purpose of the kettlebell is for work capacity and that kettlebells are made for jerks and snatches. Others argue that kettlebells work great as a weight training implement. What is your take?

It can be used for both of those applications. A lot will depend on your overall strength level and what is your individual goal. The 1000 lbs. squatter is not going to use a 24kg kettlebell for general weight training. Nor is a four-minute mile runner going to use a 24kg for work capacity. Two opposite ends of the spectrum but both can use the same 24kg bell for different performance applications.

Do kettlebells work well when combined with other training implements or should the trainee focus solely on kettlebell training?

Kettlebells can definitely be combined with other training implements (barbells, DBs, clubbells, strongman, etc.) Again, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, you must evaluate what your goals are and then build your training routine from there.

What are you using kettlebells for with your own training and what are your current training goals?

I am using kettlebells to train for Kettlebell Sport. My current goals are to perform 80+ jerks and 150+ snatches in competition. I am combining this training with a powerlifting program (5/3/1) for my top end strength.

 

The Kettlebell Sport is becoming very popular and many trainees want to dive in and compete. How would you recommend they get started with training for kettlebell sport competitions?

First, consult a qualified kettlebell sport coach, someone who has been to meets and either competed or worked with other kettlebell sport athletes. They will instruct you on the technical aspects of the lifts and will make sure you do them correctly. A big part of competition is the lockout and being efficient. An effective coach can help you obtain the proficiency needed for competition.

You are a big fan of the competition style kettlebells. Please explain why they are your preference?

The competition bells make it possible for your lifting technique to stay the same regardless of weight, much like a barbell. When doing barbell deadlifts, the height or diameter of the bar do not change just because you add weight. The same is true with the competition bells. They are just more professional for someone looking to train with kettlebells.

What are some common mistakes that people make with kettlebell training?

A common mistake is not training for your individual objective. I see a lot of people training with the bells that is not conducive to their training goals. The kettlebell is a great tool that can be used in a lot of ways. I believe our workshop is going to filter through a lot of the confusion on how and when to use the bells for each individuals intended need.

Should beginner focus on unilateral kettlebell work or can they start with double kettlebell training?

I believe a beginner should focus on unilateral work at first. It limits the amount of information the brain needs to handle while new motor engrams are developed for the new technique. Once proficiency is demonstrated with unilateral work then a second kettlebell can be introduced.

Louie Simmons is famous for his conjugate method for powerlifting. For those, not familiar instead of working on the primary lifts as the focal point (bench press, squat, deadlift) they instead do similar lifts and rotate them often. As a result they can push each exercise hard and then switch to another one before they burn out. Do you think there is any benefit in applying this principle to kettlebell sport training? In other words, instead of just working on the actual comp lifts exclusively (Jerk, clean and jerk, snatch) rotate in other kettlebell exercises and similar exercises with other implements all-together.

Absolutely, doing the competition lifts are needed, but I find myself and others obtaining tremendous gains by doing the assistance exercises; swings, 1-arm heavy jerks, rack holds, overhead holds, pressing, front squats. I have also seen a great carryover from performing the Olympic lifts. I find the assistance exercises allow the lifter to focus in on a small portion on the main lift that maybe a weakness for the individual. Be bringing that weakness up in strength, the main lift also benefits, and often it benefits a great deal.

 

You compete in strongman events. How has kettlebell training carried over to strongman training?

Kettlebell training has taught me pacing. Most strongman events are for 60-90 seconds, most reps wins. Working with the bells has taught me to be the most efficient with my time. Likewise, the bells put a tremendous workload on the posterior chain and strongman is all about being able to pick up objects and place them on a high table or overhead. Now don’t think that just lifting kettlebells will make you a great strongman, but it definitely helps your strength endurance. I don’t always start competitions as the strongest individual, but I always finish the day as the strongest individual and that is because of my kettlebell training.

You are going to be doing a section on kettlebell juggling and kettlebell stunt lifts at the Age of quarrel courses in the fall. What are the benefits of such training? Is it only for hardcore trainees or can the average trainee benefit as well?

Juggling is for everyone because it is fun and relaxing. It removes the stress from lifting because we do not juggle for reps or time. Juggling is very much playtime and a great way to cool down or have an easier day. Juggling also allows us to explore different body movement patterns and teaches us to move fluidly with the kettlebell. Very much how the martial arts teach you to use your opponent’s body movements against him/her to your advantage.

Kettlebell stunt lifts are more for the hardcore trainer looking to impress the crowd. I am a performing strongman for various events and the stunts lifts I perform will leave you scratching your head. Some can be dangerous; I recently tore a vein out of my hand performing at a show. It required 9 stitches and 2 months to heal. These lifts are for advanced trainees and not to be taken lightly.

Thanks Andrew and looking forward to working with you in the fall

For more information on Andrew's training system, visit his blog at: http://optraining.blogspot.com

 

 

The Kettlebell Training In The Age Of Quarrel 3-day Workshop

Time to demolish training confusion and show the abundant uses of the versatile kettlebell! 

Bonus #1: Get a free DVD set of the course when you attend to ensure maximum retention

Bonus #2: Attend this three day course for the price of a two day course (you will not have to sell your car to afford to attend) 

Bonus #3:  Click here

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5. What do movies, stupid women and my awesome client Amy all have in common? CARBS!

By Jen Heath 

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6.  The Five Best Exercises You Aren’t Doing!

By Josh Henkin 

I am one of those people, yes, one of those that often says that 80% of the results will come from 20% of the exercises. In essence, focusing on the most productive exercises means that your programs will be most effective. However, that also means there is an additional select group of movements that we often ignore that are amazingly powerful!

Many of these lesser used exercises do a great deal to “fill in the holes” left by focusing just on the more common compound exercises. It is true, that if you focus just on the “big lifts” that you will have holes in your training program. Why? Every exercise has a negative and a positive, in most of our popular exercises the positives so greatly outweigh the negatives that is why they remain the focus to our routines. However, this does mean there are downsides to only exclusively using the standard movements.

The other reason we have to implement new exercises is that our lifestyle dictates that we build huge imbalances every day of our lives. Even those of us in the fitness industry  often spend a great deal of time sitting or just standing. Moving in different patterns all day is something very rare for those that are not elite athletes. In fact, the short concentrated workouts are often the only moving that most people get in their entire day!

What imbalances? We have to address specific muscles being dominant as well as our bodies often have range of motion restrictions in key areas such as the shoulder and hip. Plus, let’s be honest, most of us spend most of our workouts on things we like and we are good at and ignore the exercises we also NEED!

1.  Jungle Gym Suspended Lunge

I am absolutely shocked how strong of a movement this was at first! It quickly became a favorite of mine for numerous reasons, in fact, I often have people perform this drill more than squats! The suspended lunge is a phenomenal way to develop dynamic flexibility through the hip flexors which releases a great deal of pressure on the low back and gives the hips the freedom to be explosive on movements such as cleans, snatches , and swings.

Because the suspended lunge makes you go backwards than the standard lunge that goes forwards, it becomes more of a lower body pulling movement than it does a quad dominant exercise. Often many people can get their glutes and hamstrings to fire without discomfort or domination of the low back.

Lastly, the suspended lunge challenges lateral stability which greatly activates the often dormant lower leg and glute medius muscles that are so critical in both injury prevention as well as performance enhancement.

2.  TNT Band X Walks

Not necessarily a new exercise, still most people ignore its value. Standing on the band and crossing the arms, one tries to step laterally and purely use the glute muscles and no quads! This is to activate the lazy glute medius muscle that is asleep because of our lack of activity and range of motion restrictions.

The glute medius is responsible for stabilizing the pelvis and when it “woken up” can greatly enhance performance in any base strength lift. Simply performed as a warm-up prior to your core lifts it will quickly show how we all have small issues that can be BIG problems in progressing in our workouts.

3.  Sandbag Rotational Deadlift

It is pretty well talked about that “movement, not muscles” should be trained. Yet, when I examine many training programs the movements become quickly very redundant. Still we don’t want to use movements just for the sake of doing something different. One can have variety and purpose at the same time. The rotational deadlift is a great example of this.

I tend to prefer the sandbag because of its shape and the fact we are able to use a wide variety of loads. The rotational deadlift can almost be seen as a unilateral lift because we are loading one side of the body and transitioning to the other. So, one side has to produce the force while the other absorbs and redirects the weight back. This results in a high level of stimulation through one hip at a time.

The obliques and other rotary muscles are trained in this drill resulting in a greater reduction in injury occurrence for the low back. The easiest way to hurt the low back is during rotation and flexion, which the rotational deadlift teaches to one to do properly and safely.

In more advanced phases, I teach the pivoting motion that enhances movement efficiency. Now when we bring the weight from one side of the body to the other people can really reinforce the force being produced into the ground that causes the rotation. This is very specific to most sporting activities such as punching, kicking, throwing, and cutting.

.  The Kettlebell Get-up Sit-up

Often we use drills to teach the body valuable lessons about movement. The kettlebell get-up sit-up is a great example. This drill tests whether or not one is “connected” in a proper way to inhibit certain muscles that are often dominant (the hip flexors) and properly stabilize with the posterior muscles (hamstrings and glutes).

Adding leverage with the kettlebell one can quickly adjust this exercise to be very difficult or add assistance depending upon where the arm is placed over the body. While laying on the back digging into the heels with straight legs, one tries to sit-up with the kettlebell locked above the head. If the feet rise off the ground it means the lifter can not engage the posterior muscles to turn off the hip flexors and focus more on the abdominals. This gives important feedback on possible muscle imbalances of the lifter.

The get-up sit-up helps also build flexibility through the often locked up thoracic spine. Most shoulder problems are a result of poor thoracic mobility, not necessarily shoulder problems. If the thoracic spine can’t move, neither can the shoulders.

5.  TNT Resisted Kettlebell Swings

Those that have worked in bands in general know they work! One reason is that they change the typical strength curve. This “jacks up” the nervous system and often makes lifting standard weights actually easier. The TNT band resisted swings is no different.

By using the TNT belt and strapping the band from behind, the kettlebell gets a great deal more acceleration. More speed results in more force, this means you develop more power without having to increase the weight of the kettlebell. In fact, many often feel looser in the hips because of the eccentric acceleration that the bands cause wakes up the hamstrings and glutes far more!

If you want to instantly improve your swing this is a great method. It also teaches one to sit back on the heels as it is virtually impossible to get on the toes with the bands.

Josh Henkin, CSCS is creator of Sandbag Fitness Systems and the Ultimate Sandbag. His sandbag program has been one of the most sought out programs in the fitness and sports performance industry. He can be reached at jsandbags@hotmail.com

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7. Kettlebell Buyer's Guide 

Determine Which Kettlebell Is The Best Fit For You

 

               VS          

 

Click here for more information

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9. Buyer’s Guide to Aggressive Strength Kettlebell DVDs

 

Q: I'm a beginner at kettlebell training--which DVD should I get?

 Start with my Level 1 Beginner Kettlebell Workshop. This DVD covers all the basic exercises and in great detail.  Level 1 Beginner Kettlebell Workshop also comes with a The Aggressive Strength Kettlebell Workshop Manual, an e-book loaded with photos, exercise descriptions, along with effective training programs for attaining your goals. With this package, you'll learn which exercises to do--and which program works for you--so you can get started safely and effectively.

Will I need two kettlebells to follow the Level 1 Beginner Kettlebell Workshop DVD?

There are plenty of single-arm exercises in the Level 1 Beginner Kettlebell Workshop, so this DVD is a good fit if you only have a single kettlebell.  Even so, do yourself a favor and start incorporating double-kettlebell drills into your program.  Double KB training is superior to single KBs for many reasons, chiefly, double KB training will improve your one-arm KB skills-- but not the other way around.

Level 1 Beginner Kettlebell Workshop DVD

"Just have to say EXCELLENT DVD.  I've been using kettlebells for a few years now but the breakdown you did on the exercises really helped improve my form just on the first workout.  The point about how to properly rack the bells and not kill your forearms was so simple. I would instinctively do it on single arm kettlebell exercises but failed to do it on double bell exercises and couldn't figure out what I was doing differently. Again, excellent DVD.  I'll have to watch it a few more times to really catch all the details."--Alex Bailey 

If you are new to kettlebells or want to master the basics this is the DVD for you. 

Q: I'm purchasing the Level 1 Beginner Kettlebell Workshop DVD but I'm wondering if there's another good beginner DVD as well?

 Beginners who are serious about making the best gains in kettlebell training should pick up The Boys Are Back In Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD. This DVD set features in all-star cast of  fitness experts sharing invaluable advice and tips.  In addition to dramatically improving your kettlebell skills, you'll learn about joint mobility for pain-free movement, kettlebell sport/competition training, specialized breathing techniques for optimal sports performance, and what it means to optimize the secondary sex hormones--and why it's so important to your health. There's nothing on the market like--or even close to--this incredible, comprehensive and unique DVD set.  Don’t be intimidated!  The information presented on The Boys Are Back In Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD is far-reaching but still appropriate and beneficial for every beginner.

 **Bonus:  Purchase both DVD’s together and I offer a special discounted price. See side panel 

I've been training with my kettlebells for several months and I'm feeling confident with the Press, Swing, Clean and Snatch.  Now, I'd like to add some variety to my training, which DVD should I buy?

Click here for more information

 

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10. Aggressive Strength Equipment Recommendations

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12. Aggressive Strength Magazine Archives 

http://www.mikemahler.com/newsletter

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Until next time.

Live Life Aggressively!

Feel free to email me with your comments and feedback at mahler25@yahoo.com

Mike Mahler

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