Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com For many people, the final frontier of their fitness is training their gait pattern. Today I want to continue to talk about that frontier, and go even beyond it, into seemingly esoteric directions (though as you’ll soon see, they’re very much grounded in real, actionable steps). I’m gonna talk a bit about what I consider the “fifth element” of fitness and one of the least-used keys in our quest for a...
Nov 23, 2022•5 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I'd be willing to bet evergreen dollars to shiny shekels that the Israelites were some pretty strong mofos after 40 years of wandering in the desert. Why? Because they practiced THIS movement pattern a whole helluva lot during that time. Tune in to find out....
Nov 22, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com One of the things I’ve found is that when it comes to crossing over into the next step in their training, one of the most common questions people will ask me is “How do I keep all the strength I built doing X, Y, and Z exercises when moving on to new ones?” Great question. And an easy one to answer. So easy, in fact, that I dive deep into it in this short episode. Listen and enjoy....
Nov 21, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com There are 3 major things you need to know about flexibility work for better, more youthful movement. I dive into them on this fine episode, which I am sure you're gonna love (you'd better, anyway)....
Nov 20, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com A gal named Kristen Mitchell — a busy mom with a full-time job — wrote to me a while back after finishing one of my free programs, The Anytime, Anywhere Bodyweight Strength Program . It’s an ambitious-but-sensible program I designed that uses only bodyweight exercises at various degrees of intensity with a laser-sharp focus on technique to build strength and fitness safely and surely while providing ...
Nov 19, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.AleksSalkin.com Are your workouts feeling stale, boring, and unproductive? These 3 tips might just help you kickstart your long-stalled strength once more....
Nov 18, 2022•5 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.AleksSalkin.com One of the best (and most ignored) ways of building seriously strong stems (i.e. legs) is through higher rep sets. This might come as a surprise to anyone who has had the idea hammered into their head that low reps are the only way to go, but the truth is quite the contrary. I dish on why (and how) in this fun-filled, jam-packed episode. Here are those videos for reference, too: * https://youtu.be/RF3CGxh...
Nov 17, 2022•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.AleksSalkin.com People are creatures of habit; we tend to find something we like and stick with it. As far as working out is concerned, kettlebells and bodyweight are a great example (and for good reason: they’ll deliver strength, fitness, mobility, and resilience gains for years to come and with relatively low occurrence of injuries provided you know what you’re doing). However, mixing things up CORRECTLY can be one of ...
Nov 16, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.AleksSalkin.com If you’ve been lifting kettlebells even for just a short period of time, there’s one thing you’ve no doubt noticed: overhead pressing is just cool . I still remember over 10 years ago when I first clean & pressed a 24 kg kettlebell over my head. It was a monumental occasion for me - and if you'd like more such monumental occasions, the tips in this episode just might help you build up your own militar...
Nov 15, 2022•8 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.AleksSalkin.com Kettlebells have a long history among old school strongmen, weightlifters, circus performers, special operators, and countless other tough-as-nails men and women. The reason why is simple: The kettlebell is one of the most versatile tools around for building strength in every nook and cranny of your body. Combine them with bodyweight movements and you’ve got yourself a system that can forge bold new stren...
Nov 14, 2022•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com In the world of kettlebell training, the undisputed king of lifts is the overhead press. In fact, in the “olden days”, long before the bench press was the apple of any gym rat’s eye, the clean and press was THE measure of upper body strength. Still is, as far as I’m concerned. However! There is another contender that at LEAST deserves consideration for the #2 spot. I dish on that in this episode (whi...
Nov 12, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com There are a few things people often tell me they want: 1) To get stronger with kettlebells and bodyweight exercises 2) To have a routine that fits their time budget (usually around 20–30 minutes 4–5 times per week) And let’s be honest, this is most of us. So how can we get at least closer to this goal when we have sub-optimal issues to deal with like our sleep, eating, etc? This episode will reveal 3...
Nov 11, 2022•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I’ve talked recently about several of the key things you need to turn your workouts from sucky to spectacular. Among them were things like training odd angles, getting generally strong before specifically strong, your exercise selection, etc. But just like how you need your vegetables in addition to your steak, you also need exercises you typically ignore or don’t excel at as much in order to get tru...
Nov 10, 2022•4 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Let’s talk about your workouts and how to make them less sucky (unless you’re getting the results you want, that is; in which case, keep up the good work). There are usually two primary culprits that lead to you having sucky workouts: 1) Too much variety 2) Not enough variety A paradox, you say? Not quite. As former senior kettlebell instructor Rob Lawrence has said: “I need specificity to get me str...
Nov 09, 2022•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com One of the most unsung ways of building strength is isometric strength and static strength, and one of the best ways to build it is with calisthenics training. In this episode I dish on exactly how to get that process kickstarted in no time flat.
Nov 08, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com A long time ago in a European country far, far away, I got a great testimonial from Fran Perez — a member of my Inner Circle (my monthly training newsletter). He had started a few issues prior and started making some really impressive gains in strength from the word “go”. I could go into more detail, of course, but I’ll let him tell you a little bit about the major leaps forward he made in his streng...
Nov 07, 2022•5 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Wanna clean up your clean? This video will show you how: https://youtu.be/Z6Mf8jMioE0
Nov 06, 2022•4 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com One of the things that strength trainees often overlook is the importance of building ‘all around’ strength. This is the type of strength you can use for what we might call “everyday carry”. You know the type: the strength that you can pull out of your back pocket and astound your friends with when you help someone move and you’re able to carry heavy pieces of furniture with little or no help, whisk ...
Nov 05, 2022•5 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com On the topic of bodyweight training for strength, there’s one axiom that I hold to be self-evident: “ In order to be bodyweight strong, you must be able to do pullups” However, there are 2 major problems that I hear from a great many people looking to get stronger with bodyweight training: “ I can’t do any pullups yet” Or: “ I can only do 1–2 pullups” Well, pardner, this episode will get you started ...
Nov 04, 2022•5 min
Nov 03, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com It’s no secret that kettlebells and bodyweight exercises go together like Batman and Robin, peanut butter and jelly, love and marriage, and just about any other “perfect pair” you can think of. The reasons? There are two: 1) Bodyweight exercises teach you to master your body movements through free space 2) Kettlebell exercises teach you how to move both quickly and slowly with an awkward external loa...
Nov 02, 2022•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I'm joined on this episode - his first podcast appearance ever - by Matthew Shoffner: a true calisthenics master and a real artist at the one-arm pullup. In this episode we discuss his origin story, how he got to be so freakishly strong, "the greatest sport of all time", and his journey to one-arm pullup greatness. You won't want to miss this one. Be sure to check out his incredible videos on his You...
Nov 01, 2022•54 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Someone once asked a famous strength coach “How can I improve my squat?” to which he answered “Squat.” Pretty straight forward. And make no mistake: if you want to get good at squatting, you’re going to have to squat. It’s just like any other movement — you need to practice it specifically in order to get any good at it. And because the squat is one of the greatest movements for full-body strength (n...
Oct 31, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I’m a big fan of gymnastics-style bodyweight strength training. And while most people view it as basically just insane feats of bodyweight strength, such as iron crosses on rings and planches and what have you, in reality those are only examples of the more high-level strength skills and are not representative of the entire system. Even at very basic levels, gymnastic strength training can help you b...
Oct 30, 2022•6 min
Let’s talk about your matchstick legs and how to muscle them up a bit, shall we? There are two things I am not a big believer in: 1) That Monday should remain International Chest Day 2) That your thighs have to be massive and chafing before you can claim to have reasonably good leg development. Now, as far as #2 goes, that also doesn’t mean that I think you should intentionally maintain twig legs. Far from it. You can have great and respectable leg development (not to mention strength and explos...
Oct 29, 2022•8 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com there are two big mistakes people make in bodyweight training: 1) They take too traditional of an approach and ignore various “unusual but effective” bodyweight drills 2) They avoid the “basic” drills in favor of flashy advanced stuff Both of them are ultimately going to short-change you when it comes to strength, muscle, and skill building, and both of them are a big reason why a lot of people quit ...
Oct 28, 2022•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I’m a big believer in gymnastics-style strength training for helping improve my own strength as well as my students’ strength. This is for a couple of reasons (3 to be precise) that I dive into in this episode, along with the top 4 gymnastics tactics for increased (and freakish) kettlebell strength.
Oct 27, 2022•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com This is a somewhat different (but still exciting) episode today. Today we cover a case study from Frances Moylan (who has been a guest on this show) about how she worked her way up to squatting 85% of her bodyweight - with kettlebells - for a whopping 25 total reps! Listen in and be amazed. And take good notes, too, because you might find some details that you'll be able to apply to your own training...
Oct 26, 2022•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Believe it or not, the old time weightlifters and strongmen have a LOT to teach us to help us overcome the various challenges and frustrations we face in our own fitness. Listen in to this episode and find out just a few such tips that you - yes, you - can start implementing right this very day to start seeing some undeniable gains in no time flat....
Oct 25, 2022•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com In this-here podcastI’ve compiled a few of my best tips and tricks for stacking strength on strength on strength in your kettlebell and bodyweight workouts. Many of these tips are old-school, tried-and-true strategies that have stood the test of time, while others are personal observations from my 12 years of personal training and 16+ years of working out myself. And here…we…GO!...
Oct 24, 2022•6 min
