The windmill is an advanced kettlebell move that combines shoulder stabilization, thoracic rotation, and hip/ hamstring mobilization. Mastering this exercise improvesmotor control, flexibility, coordination and mid-line stabilization. It will also improve your overhead strength.The following breakdown provides instructions, starting from the feet up, to learn the windmill…

This is why listening to our bodies is so important.  Things might feel okay or maybe it’s just a little pain everyday until one day you notice you can’t move. You have stiffness and pain in all the time, and even basic movements feel difficult.

Some view these troubles as inevitable as we age, when in reality proper movement pattern training can alleviate them altogether. It is so important to focus on training movement patterns and the body as a unit.

The beauty of the Farmer’s Walk lies in its simplicity. Pick up something heavy and walk.  Set it down and repeat.  It is so simple that I think it sometimes gets over looked as one of the best exercises that we can do to strengthen our body.  There are many ways to program this powerful exercise but the easiest way is to start with two dumbbells of equal weight and to walk for 25 to 50 feet and work up from there…  

Core development is essential to life.  It takes a strong core to support our body as we move throughout our day or to perform in sport.  There are often movement difficulties and risk of injury when the muscles along the spine are weak.  Our core is our center and the foundation from which our limbs can move.  It is more than just having 6 pack abs.  The major muscles are pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae, and the diaphragm.  That’s a lot and that is not even all of them!  

Being able to plank for an hour and do 100 sit ups in 10 minutes does not necessarily mean you have a strong core.  I grew up with sit ups being my go to exercise and when I found out it was actually doing more damage than good, I was shocked. Crunches and sit ups require flexion of the spine.  For many of us, this type of training leads to sore lower backs and bad posture…

In my second year of college I did a presentation on visualization.  At the time this was a foreign concept to me and I found it extremely difficult to do. This was such foreign concept to me that  after sitting down from my presentation, my friend told me the whole time I pronounced the word wrong.  

The definition of visualization is the formation of a mental image of something.  So how does this apply to exercise?  Seeing is believing when it comes to getting results and breaking through plateaus. There are some practices we can do sitting back in our recliner without having to lift a finger.  For example, you can practice your handstand, your golf swing, or prepare to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro…

What is your Why? 

It is the Why behind the What.  The consultation and assessment process is vital to program going forward to align training and programming with personal goals.  Do you know why you do the exercises you do whether you are on your own or with a personal trainer? 

Breath is essential to life.  It is the first thing we do when we are born and the last thing we do before we die. In between that time we breathe and many times unaware.  Learning to breathe consciously is the fourth limb of yoga.  Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to the brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of calmness.  Breathing techniques help you feel connected to your body and quiets your mind…