Rick and the gang will be at the Australian Fitness Expo in Syndey this weekend and will be looking forward to seeing you there.
There will be a range of products available for sale, all at 10-30% off and without shipping costs AND anyone who attends will receive $121 worth of training advice for free - so it’s definitely worth stopping by!
There will also be new products available for demonstration, including the Torsonator and the Powerstation, and stage demonstrations each day so you can see the equipment in action.
To find Australian Kettlebells at the Australian Fitness Expo go to:
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre
Darling Drive Hall 3
Darling Harbour
Sydney
You will find Rick and the rest of the crew at Stand G-27
Girevoy sport is the sport of Kettlebell lifting. It involves three of the major Kettlebell lifts - the jerk, snatch and long cycle clean and jerk - performed for ten minutes at a time.
Girevoy sport requires exceptional strength and endurance; it is not for the faint of heart!
However, Girevoy sport is also a sport that anyone can excel at with consistency and hard work. I’m proof of that. I’m not a natural athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but with some hard work and steady training I can now do things I never would have thought possible.
In fact, if you join the Melbourne Girevoy Sport Club you will have the opportunity to be on the first Australian Girevoy Sport Team and could represent Australia on an international level.
To register your interest in the Melbourne Girevoy Sport Club or to get more information please email me at info@kettlebells.com.au or call 1300 85 40 50
Elite Sports Performance (ESP) is a specialised consulting group for athletes, catering for everthing from professional elite sporting teams to the junior development clubs trying to bridge the gap and play at the elite level.
ESP boast an impressive clientele, including Collingwood Football Club, Melbourne Storm NRL Rugby Team and the Malaysian Institute of Sport Olympic Track Cycling Team.
Using a sound scientific foundation for their training methods, ESP’s methods include:
Maximal effort and dynamic effort training
Methods to enhance the ability to perform repeated work efforts
Pre and post exercise supplementatiom protocols for optimal recovery
Altering the strength curve with contrast methods to increase maximal strength, power and force
The Australian Kettlebell Workshops are a fantastic way to learn about the fundamentals of kettlebell training or finely tune your technique. We have kettlebell workshops running in Perth and Melbourne throughout April and May.
Many of us have been lifting kettlebells and not doing too badly, but haven’t had a true expert go over our technique with a fine tooth comb. Kettlebells are relatively new to Australia and as a result there isn’t the pool of knowledge that exists for more well-established equipment.
So we’re providing workshops run by highly experienced kettlebell lifters who can ensure you maximise your training results by training properly.
For more information on the workshops and their dates check out the site.
Few words can sufficiently describe the splendour our new prograde kettlebells, however one that comes close is ‘breathtaking’.
The new progrades share with their predecessors the same time-tested ergonomic design, but have a couple of added features that truly make them the Kings of Kettlebells.
First, they now come in a range of eye-catching colours with the 16s, 24s and 32s painted in the traditional Russian competition colours.
The new progrades also come with a raw steel handle. The latest handles are unbelievably smooth, far better than you’d ever manage to get them if you stripped them by hand. They are very kind on your hands and serious kettlebell lifters know that makes all the difference. No more days off training while you wait for your torn hands to heal!
Andrew Lock is not only an exceptional physiotherapist, he is also an accomplised powerlifter. Furthermore, Andrew uses equipment such as kettlebells, power bands and power clubs as rehab tools with great success.
Andrew came in to pick up a couple of 56kg kettlebells (Behemoths as we like to call them) and upon seeing them remarked “that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen”. He’s our kinda guy.
Andrew has a wealth of knowledge and a great deal of experience in working with atheletes and he’s very kindly offered to put this knowledge and experience to good use by moderating the rehab forum.
Andrew is an amazing resource and we’re very lucky to have him, so make good use of him and get your rehab issues up on the rehab forum.
The vast majority of us could do with a bit of help with our deadlift. Wouldn’t it be great if someone would share with you those tricky little secrects to improving your deadlift?
Well, our friends from Elite Sports Performance are planning to do just that - unlock the secrets to optimally training the deadlift for size, strength and power gains.
Elite Sports Performance will be holding a dead lift seminar on March 28th at their Footscray gym.
Cost for this “hands on” event is only $50 and you’ll be taken through the following;
Technique and setup (conventional and sumo stance)
Training overview on building the deadlift
Speed and Max effort training
Overload techniques
Weak point training
Optimal prehab/rehab interventions
If your deadlift isn’t all that it could or needs to be then these boys will be able to set you on the right track. Be sure to act quickly because there are limited spots available.
To find out more and reserve your spot call Chucky on 0402 733 030 or email di01@hotmail.com
Rick and I have named Mark Elliot the Australian Kettlebeller of 2008.
Mark has used kettlebells to get back into shape after leaving the army.
Most impressive is Mark’s passion for kettlebells and fitness. He has started a fitness revolution in his home town of Leeton, getting up to 60 people a week attending his kettlebell training classes.
If you live near by don’t hesitate to contact Mark. He is an AKI and certainly knows his stuff.
Sick of the gym? Not getting stronger? Never fear I have 5 different training techniques that in 5 weeks can break you out of your training rut.
They are; greater mobility, grip strength, improved stability, core strength and a great strength builder called ”Grease The Groove”!
Mobility
To ensure joint safety and maximise the body’s ability to lift, the major joints of the body need to be taken through a full range of motion. Gym warm ups commonly fail to address the 3 essential elements needed for a successful strength. Dynamic stretching for more efficient movements, exciting the nervous system for greater lifts, also the specific encouragement of circulation to joints and connective tissue. The particular sequence below is one such example;
Divebomber Pushup
Walking Lunge with a Twist
Alligator Crawl
Fire Hydrant
The Egytian
Grip Strength
Grip strength is one of the most neglected aspects of training yet one of the simplest to improve. By consistantly improving your grip strength you improve shoulder health and stability by recruiting more muscle fibers in the rotator cuff . A stronger grip will enable greater tricep activation which will assist any pressing movements. The improved ability to grip creates the capacity for heavy lifting, allowing you to tap into greater levels of strength.Some exercises that can really help are;
Captains of Crush grippers
Thick Bar training
Farmers Walk
Eagles Loop
Rope Chins
Stability
We have to find new ways to challenge your nervous system, so lets get unstable. By putting the body off balance you must must use more muscles to successfully complete the exercise. Examples of getting unstable are:
One legged deadlift
One leg squat (pistol)
Suitcase deadlift
One arm overhead press
One arm push ups
Core Strength
Want to improve your core strength? Stop doing crunches and sit-ups! These exercises are low intensity and don’t translate into a stronger mid section. Traditional ab exercises train the body for non specific muscle endurance - where what’s required is a strong and functional core that can stabilise the body through all activity.
To achieve a stronger core the body must be worked through many ranges of motion. Some great core stengh traning exercise are:
Hanging leg raises
Power wheel roll out
Torsonator twist
Windmill
Deadlift
Grease The Groove
Strength is a skill. Like all skills this must be practised regularly to see improvement. Greasing the groove is a technique that can be applied to most forms of strength training. Instead of working with maximum effort weights two or three times a week, choose lighter loads (approximately 80% of maximum load) and perform the particular lifts more regularly throughout the day. I.e. execute a certain lift on the hour every hour for a minimum of three times per day but no more than eight times.
In the coming weeks I’ll expand on these concepts and put together a series of videos and training programmes
Our resident movie stars Chris and James take you through a killer at home workout. It only takes about two minutes but Chris said this was tough. The Power Vest added a new dimension and increased the intensity. If you’re feeling really game you could repeat for 2-5 rounds. Make sure you don’t over do it!
