The History Behind The Kettlebell
This blog was written by Randi Spence. She is a senior college basketball player studying physical therapy. She has a very good knowledge of the human body and has graciously written several blogs that will be posted in the coming weeks….
Vodka at night, Pickle juice in the morning to cure the hangover. Then throwing some kettlebells around between this hangover and the next one. A Russian’s day well spent. The ‘kettlebell’ is a cast iron weight in the shape of a basketball with a suitcase handle attached. It is an old Russian toy.
Soviet science discovered what many have known for generations: repetition kettlebell lifting is one of the best tools for full body physical fitness development. Voropayev (1983) tested two groups of subjects in pull-ups, standing broad jump, 100 meter sprint and a 1k run. The control group followed a typical physical training program emphasizing the above exercises. The experimental group lifted kettlebells. In spite of the lack of practice on the tested drills, the kettlebell group still showed better scores at every exercise.
Exercising with the kettlebell can help melt fat away. If you are overweight, you will lose weight, and if you are already skinny you will get build lean muscle. The Russian kettlebell is a powerful tool for fixing your body composition, whichever way is needed. Kettlebells can be dangerous. Living here in Orange County you need to make sure you are working with a fitness instructor who is knowledgeable with kettlebells. Phil Gephart is certified in kettlebells. And, like I said before, because they are so versatile, he uses them with almost all of his clients. The exercise selection and intensity depends on the clients goals.
“Kettlebells are like weightlifting times ten,” stated Olympic Silver Medalist in Greco-Roman Wrestling Dennis Koslowski, D.C., RKC.
Written by: Randi Spence
Kettlebells, Anyone?!?!
http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/kettlebells012010.pdf
Golf, anyone???
Hi everyone! I hope February has been a great month for you so far. Dr. John DeWitt has graciously offered up another great post for this blog. Since he works with a lot of golfers he thought golf correction would be a great topic for this post.
If you are a golfer or know a golfer, read on, pass it along and enjoy!!!
Improving your golf game by addressing 4 common problems
By Dr. John DeWitt DC
Golf Injury Certified, Advanced Sports Nutrition Specialist
“Coming over the Top”
How many golfers do you know that top the ball? This problem is often believed to be caused by not keeping the head down during the swing. What causes the head to lift prematurely? It may be an anxious golfer eager to see his shot or it may be something else. Adductors muscles in the legs are activated during the transition of weight transfer from the top of the backswing to the start of the downswing. These help pull the hips through while the upper body follows behind. Tight adductors will cause the golfer to be unable to pull his hips through and force the swing around prematurely which results in “topping the ball”.
“The Slice”
One of the most common problems in golf is the slice. Golf Pros often point out that the back foot should be perpendicular to the plane line of the ball. An “open stance” causes the club head to stay open on contact leading to the shot going right of target. Sometimes golfers aren’t able to comfortably keep their foot in the correct orientation due to tight external hip rotators.
“Narrow Swing Arc”
Almost all golfers want more power and distance in their drives. They mistakenly believe that swinging harder at the ball will achieve this. The actual power of a golf swing comes from the physics of it. This involves lever arms and swing arcs. A golfer with a wide swing arc doesn’t have to swing hard because of the longer lever involved. A nice smooth stroke with the proper arc width will actually cause the club head to move at a higher velocity than a “muscled” swing with less accuracy. Narrow swing arcs are most commonly caused by shoulder tightness leading to the forward elbow bending which narrows the swing arc. The four muscles of the rotator cuff (Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Subscapularis) must all be working in conjunction with each other for a wide swing arc to be possible.
“Inconsistent Spine Angle”
The angle of the spine at address should remain constant throughout the stroke. Lack of flexibility will cause this to be impossible. The spine itself must be flexible to allow the rotation, extension and flexion necessary to maintain the spine angle. Even the muscles of the lower leg (calves and soleus) must be flexible in order to allow the spine angle to remain constant.
How Are Your Lifestyle & Dietary Habits??
Hello all! For this post I am pleased to have a “guest blogger”. Dr. John DeWitt is a licensed chiropractor, golf injury certified through Titliest Performance Institute, is a specialist in advanced sports nutrition and practices AWESOMENESS on a daily basis!!
(That last part was added for effect, although it’s true!)
He is a former professional football player and runs his chiropractic services out of Next Level Wellness in Irvine, California. If you would like to reach him further, you can call him there at 949-263-9003.
We will hear from John on several occasions in the coming months. For his first blog, John has something for everyone. All of us can (and should) take away at least one of these lifestyle changes. So without any further ado, Dr. John DeWitt…
10 Lifestyle and Dietary Changes Necessary for
OPTIMAL HEALTH
By Dr. John DeWitt DC
Golf Injury Certified, Advanced Sports Nutrition Specialist
Diet and exercise are two words that often cause people to roll their eyes or look the other way. The following are a few tips that can help you reach optimal health without starving or spending all your time at the gym.
- Take your lunch to work. This allows you to have some control over how much fat you are eating. You can also throw in some fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Don’t eat out so much. This not only adds up financially, but the cooking techniques often used in restaurants utilize the wrong types of fats.
- Exercise for life. Try walking for 20 to 30 minutes three or four days a week. At the very least, park further away from the grocery store or mall so that you have to walk more.
- Limit the amount of alcohol you consume and stop smoking. Moderation is the rule and it definitely applies in this case. Abuse of either of these interferes with your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from your food.
- Go Organic. Organic foods have lower levels of toxic materials such as lead and pesticides.
- Try raw foods. Cooking or canning destroys much of the nutrients in foods. Eating it like nature intended is almost always better for you. The only exception is canned tomatoes due to their high levels of lycopene which helps prevent prostate cancer.
- Hydrate! The common caffeinated beverages such as coffee, soft drinks and “energy drinks” dehydrate the body which hinders all body processes. Eight to ten 8oz glasses of water should be consumed daily at the very least. One study found that drinking a single cup of coffee required 22 glasses of water to neutralize the acid!
- Write down your goals and read them daily. This helps you stay on track with where you want to be. Use these goals to assist in deciding what you want to eat. Will the doughnut or the oatmeal help you reach your goals faster?
- Give yourself quiet time. Having a moment, even it’s only 5 minutes to just breathe deeply and center yourself can help you reach optimal health.
- Get enough sleep. Sleep is the time for your brain to relax and regroup. Don’t drink any sugary or caffeinated drinks after 2PM. This will allow your body to find its natural sleep pattern.
Some Truths about Carbohydrates…
Want to help avoid low back pain and strengthen your abs??
One of the most difficult/easy exercises (at least I call it that) involves the transverse abdominis. The TVA is critical in balance/stability as it is the main stabilizer of the lumbar spine.
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent, feet flat, totally relaxed. There should be some space between your lower back and the floor (go ahead and reach under, see for yourself!) If you’re very overweight you might not feel this “gap” so much. Now simply press your low back flat against the floor. Your abs should contract (like you’re bracing to take a punch) and your hips should “tuck” underneath you (anterior pelvic tilt). Some of my female clients have said this resembles kegle exercises. Here you are using your TVA.
People in Orange County LOVE the beach! And they love having that “six-pack” to show off at the beach. The transverse abdomnis is NOT the muscles that comprise the “six-pack”. (Gotcha! Ha-Ha)
Once you have your back flat against the floor (slide just your fingertips under your low back as reference), lift your heels off the ground an inch and slowly extend your legs to fully extended KEEPING YOUR BACK FLAT ON THE FLOOR. You might only be able to go partly out before your low back leaves the floor. If this is the case, that’s as far as you can physically go at this point. Practice one leg at a time or increase the height of your legs if you want to use both legs until you can fully extend with both legs 1 inch off of the floor.
But once your back leaves the ground there is no need to continue extending the legs as the TVA cannot properly support the movement. The key is to keep your back flat on the floor.
After saying all that I don’t think it is critical to isolate the TVA all the time. If you’re doing squats, deadlifts and other key exercises on a regular basis your TVA is doing it’s job as a lumbar spine stabilizer while the arms and legs are moving.
Get Motivated!
About 2 hours ago I was reminded of the story of David & Goliath. No, this isn’t going to be a religion class at all, but a great story on motivation; er, uh..at least I thought it was. Many of you know the story of David & Goliath-this little teenage boy defeats in battle, and kills, an older, experienced soldier who is almost ten feet tall. Nowadays they use the moniker in sports a lot to describe a contest between two supposedly uneven opponents, “a real ‘David & Goliath’ matchup”.
Discussion time…
Check out my page on facebook, click on the discussion board and give me your opinion!
Does aerobic exercise or weight training suppress my appetite more??
I read an article recently that was news to me and I thought I would pass it on. It has to deal with working out and the affect it has on your appetite. It focuses on two hormones for the study, GHRELIN & PEPTIDE YY.
4th of July
I just wanted to write a quick post and say how proud I am to be an American and how much I enjoy Independence Day. What a great day to celebrate the freedoms we have. We are so blessed with everything we have in this country. It really is America, the beautiful. So everyone, enjoy your day. Don’t worry so much about the calories and eat a hot dog and a hamburger, drink a cold beverage and celebrate America.
