How To Squat

Nov 27,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

Squatting is very difficult for many people simply because they lack the necessary range of motion to move down into their hips. If you have an anterior pelvic tilt, your tight quads and hip flexors will likely overpower your under active glutes and hamstrings and cause your hips to shift back, not down. This will be accompanied by forward lean of the torso and turn the movement into a bend. Bending is fine when done properly, but there are some circumstances where a squat is the safest and most efficient movement. Find out why the squat is so important and how to perfect the movement in this video.

Lessons Training as We Get Older

Training as You Get Older Part III

Nov 15,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

In my years of training clients I have been in a unique position to observe things in people’s posture and movement that many people would never think about. I have pointed out to people postural deviations that they knew they had, but never realized the cause or connected that their back pain was due to the tightness in their hips.

Lessons Training as We Get Older

Training as You Get Older Part II

Nov 6,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

Postural deviations aren’t unique to older people, and just because you are advancing in years doesn’t mean you have bad posture. However, what is commonly the case is that any postural deviations that are apparent become more problematic and pronounced. I also think that as you get older, things like fixing your posture rank higher in your goals than when you are younger and trying to take on the world.

Lessons Training as We Get Older

Training as You Get Older Part I

Oct 30,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

Training people that have experienced signs of aging is one of the most rewarding things for most fitness professionals.

Making your body become more youthful in your fifties and beyond when everyone around you is watching theirs deteriorate is empowering and motivating to everyone else. Your heath is extremely patient, and will respond and reward you for your efforts at any point in life.

Lessons Training as We Get Older

Power Technique Training Part II

Oct 23,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

When it comes to achieving the results you want, you will need to use the right weight in your kettlebell training. For most people, the biggest limiting factor here is their nervous system getting accustomed to the weight and movement. It usually takes a few sets of a given move before your body is able to recruit all of the available muscle to do the job and relax the muscles that don’t need to be tense.

Avoiding Blisters and Calluses from Kettlebell Training

Oct 21,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

Many people think that blistered hands and bruised wrists are just a part of kettlebell training, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Developing proper technique with your hands and throughout the various movements can go a long way to minimizing or eliminating this problem, as well as balancing the exercises you are perfroming in your training.

Lessons

The Kettlebell Keg Toss

Oct 2,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

If you have ever watched the worlds strongest man, or even Scottish highland games, you have probably seen this move. In fact, throwing things that are heavy is something that has been practiced in many ways throughout time, in almost every culture. The shot put is in the Olympic games still today.

This overhead kettlebell toss is a lot more challenging than it looks but if you can swing a bell and lift overhead safely then you can probably do the overhead toss. If you have any neck or back injuries, I would avoid this one and even if you are strong and healthy, start light and work your way up in weight carefully.

There is something great about putting 100% exertion into a weight, something that we rarely do in normal weight lifting. The power used in the overhead toss is limited only by your body and mind, not by the move itself. You will need flexibility in the hip flexors, as you will be in a posterior pelvic tilt at the moment you release the bell. This will allow you to lean your upper body backward without extending the spine. The abdomen stays tight as the weight goes overhead.

This exercise will make your heart rate go through the roof, especially if you run quickly to the bell for the next toss. Your legs will get heavy and fatigued after just a few throws of a heavy bell, as they put everything into powering the weight.

As I mention in the video, this is a great exercise to do in competition with a friend especially if you have a field or park with lots of space. The toss I am demonstrating can be done for height or distance, depending on your surroundings. If you have something to throw the bell over it can be a very fun challenge.

Stay tight in your abdomen and follow smart progressions with this one, and make sure you are fully warmed up before you begin. I also make a habit of filling in any holes I make in a public park so no one steps in one and sprains an ankle while running or playing sports. Also, make sure your path is completely clear when you throw the bell so no one gets hurt!

Watch the video to see how it is done and have fun with this exercise! It adds a level of challenge and fun that we don’t often get from our weight lifting practice.

Have fun,

Peter Hirsh

Kettlebells in Slow Motion

Sep 3,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

This is a video on the three primary kettlebell movements in slow motion. I have always used slow motion to demonstrate the power phase movements to my clients and also had many requests for it from subscribers as well. I will show you a few different angles so that you can see how they should look.

Kettlebell Swing Lessons

Perfecting the Kettlebell Swing

Jun 18,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

The kettlebell swing is the primary reason that kettlebells are known to be one of the most effective workout tools around. I would argue that the most effective workout tool is your own body, after that, the kettlebell. The swing is the best exercise with the best tool you can find, needless to say, it is important and will provide massive results. However, with all of that said, I would estimate that most people are doing their swings wrong. When I say wrong, I mean either inefficiently or unsafely, and often times both. If they are only inefficient, yet unlikely to injure you unto themselves, this still may be a sign of potential injury down the road. The kettlebell swing is about developing better motor patterns for everyday lifting, this helps diminish synergistic dominance. Synergistic dominance is where the “helper” muscle in any given movement ends up doing more work than the primary mover. This happens for many reasons, often because of a sedentary lifestyle causing tightness in the hips and shoulders that throw other areas out of whack.

Lessons

Common Question: How Do I Spot Train?

Jun 11,2015 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

Hello and welcome to Kettlebell Movement!

Many people ask me how to get rid of fat in a certain area of their body, under the impression that training a muscle burns fat in that specific area. While it is possible to notice better muscle tone from training one muscle at a time, it won’t help you burn fat around the muscle being trained. The specific areas that your body stores fat are based upon hormones and genetics. If weight loss is your goal, eating right and exercising using high energy output exercises are your best bet. For some people, removing hormones from foods, pharmaceuticals or supplements may also be beneficial. If you are using the birth control pill, eating soy, or consuming meats injected with steroids you may want to eliminate these things to see how they have been effecting you. These can make your body store fat in places that it wouldn’t normally want to as well as make it tough to lose.

Category : Lessons