Fitness and Exercise Blog

I was what seemed like a thousand miles from nowhere in the middle of Afghanistan, during a major battle…

…with nothing but my M-4 carbine and a kettlebell to keep me company! It was the battle of Panjwaii (I’m sure I spelled that wrong) in the early fall of 2006, Kandahar Province, and I was an embedded trainer mentoring a commando unit of the Afghan Army. One NCO and I were at a defensive blocking position along with about 30 Afghan soldiers for weeks with nothing but our HMMWV, our rucksacks, some MREs…and my kettlebell.

Luckily, the expected Taliban hordes did not return to the area after being driven out by our brave Canadian allies, U.S. air power and a healthy dose of the U.S. Marine Corps! Since the enemy wasn’t going to provide the entertainment, I stayed occupied my using my kettlebell to stay in shape. I brought the 50lb kettlebell because I knew it was a great, portable, fitness device that I could have with me anywhere in the world (even if I endured odd looks as I lugged it around!)

Should you buy kettlebells for all your fitness needs? If you do, you will certainly get results However, the most important thing is that you take action and do something positive to change your current fitness levels. Whether you purchase kettlebells or not, the important thing is that you start and effective and high intensity fitness program now, to get results. Kettlebells do have a lot of advantages as they are very size efficient, great for cardio and endurance, as well as strength training and adaptable to literally hundreds of different exercises.

Kettlebells are much more cost-effective than dumb bells as you only really need to purchase one kettlebell to start with, not a whole kettlebell set. One kettlebell can last for a year plus, before you need another one. The single 50lb kettlebell I took to Afghanistan served as my complete gym for the entire deployment and I greatly improved my overall strength and conditioning with only this tool.

What excuses are standing between you and your weight loss or fitness goals? “I don’t have time, it’s my thyroid, I don’t know what to do, I can’t afford it.” In spite of any excuses, the buck stops with you and you alone are responsible for any positive change in your life. Working out can be fast if it is effective. An intense 10 minutes is plenty. A few sets of body weight exercises and some jump rope is a fast and effective workout and you don’t need anything except some floor space and motivation. A small dietary change like ditching the sweets can lead to significant weight loss.

Everyone can get in shape, lose weight and be healthy, there are no excuses. In my case, had the Taliban come rolling down the road, I had to be ready to fight them. You never know when life will throw challenges at you, should you find yourself in a crisis, your fitness level may mean the difference between life and death.

Perhaps the best book I’ve ever read on strength training was “Power To The People” by Pavel Tsatsouline. In it he details how to build extremely high levels of full body strength using only 2 exercises, 20 minutes a day and less than $150 in equipment (said “equipment” being a 300lb barbell set, look for sales or buy used.)

The best part is because this is low volume, heavy weight work you do not get very sore (after a short adaptation period, I don’t get sore at all) and don’t pack on much (if any) muscle. You just get crazy-strong. How does it work? Well, it has to do with adaptations in your central nervous system (CNS)…teaching your body to let you tap into more of the theoretical strength you already possess. It is like removing a block from under the gas pedal.

We all know that under extreme duress such as a life or death situation, we can tap into lots of extra strength not normally available to us.  This is because our central nervous system limits the amount of strength available to us under normal circumstances in order to protect our joints and muscle tissue.  In an emergency, our body decides the risk of a ligament, tendon or muscle tear is worth it to deal with the immediate situation.  The problem is, on a day to day basis, the amount of your theoretical strength your CNS lets you tap into is very conservative and only a fraction of what is available.

So, in order to tap into more of this strength, you have to let your CNS know that is what you want.  You do this by lifting heavy weights (with safe and stable form) for low repetitions.

The method is to pick a few multi-joint exercises (2-3) and do them 4-5 days per week. Do only 2 sets of 5 reps per exercise. Right now I just started this program again and I’m using the dead lift and the bench press. The dead lift is basically the king of full body strength exercises and utilizes about 80% of your muscles. The bench press pretty much covers the other 20%.  In the book, Pavel recommends a one arm standing barbell press which really works the grip and stabilizers.  This option also means you don’t even need a bench.

Never go to failure (this just teaches your nervous system to quit) and cycle the weights. So, over the course of 2-4 weeks, the weights will slowly increase so that your last workout is the toughest. Take a week off then start over again backing off the weights a bit and working up to a new personal best. The 1st set of 5 reps is heaviest; the second set should be about 10% lighter.

If you want to get strong and toned without adding bulk, this method is for you. If getting “yoked” (that means big) is your thing, using this method for a month will allow you to add more weights in your traditional bodybuilding routines leading to better gains.

Heavy weights, low reps (5 or less), low sets (1-3), give it a try.

I read a great book on body weight strength training this week called “Convict Conditioning.” Yes, that’s right, the routines were developed in prison where, contrary to popular belief, there isn’t that much access to weight equipment and none at all in the 1970′s when the author was first incarcerated.  I’m all about learning from wherever I can and I’ve been on a big body weight training only kick lately, so I didn’t let the title dissuade me.

There is an interesting section where the author observes that in his experience with training lots of people, he thinks training with body weight is helpful for fat loss because the mind and body know that in order to improve on the exercises, you need to be lighter.  This is especially true for pull-ups and handstand push ups, but also very helpful for simpler exercises like bodyweight only squats.  He thinks the subconscious helps to limit appetite and control weight in order to improve performance.

Of course, there are no studies backing this up, but it makes sense to me. The mind is very powerful and sets out to accomplish whatever goals we set for it.  If we tell ourselves we are losers…we will be.  If we think we are worth about $50K a year that is pretty much what we’ll make.  If we set out to improve our body weight only strength, our mind will help us accomplish that goal.  Things aren’t that simple of course…but I do know you will never accomplish anything you don’t believe in!

I’ll end with a great quote from “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, though it is a poem more about finance and life in general, I think it fits nicely:

I bargained with life for a penny

And life would pay no more,

However I begged at evening

When I counted my scanty store.

For Life is a just employer,

He gives you what you ask,

But once you have set the wages,

Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial’s hire,

Only to learn, dismayed,

That any wage I had asked of Life,

Life would have willingly paid.

What have you asked of Life?

-Brian