What the Kettlebell is that?

Ok, this blog is way overdue and I'm not quite sure why. Certainly over the last 10 years, kettlebells have become a lot more recognised and acknowledged as a great tool in the fitness industry. Anyone that knows us or has come into contact with us will probably know that we are huge advocates of those great metallic lumps of iron. Why is that? Why are we constantly raving about them and why are they so great anyway? Well, I'm gonna give you a bit of a history lesson, this is something that we go more into detail with on our Kettlebell Instructor Course but it helps appreciate them a little better.

It is difficult to identify the true origin of kettlebells, although many of those who try to claim ownership include Romans, Greeks, Scots, Russians and Siberians. Having stood the test of time and been used for hundreds of years if not more, they have time and time again illustrated that they are something a whole lot more than a typical health and fitness fad.

The first recorded mention of them was in 1704 within a Russian dictionary. The Russian word for Kettlebells is "girya," and the men who lifted these weights were called "gireviks." Kettlebells gained recognition as a superb weight loss tool when they were featured in the fitness magazine Hercules in 1913. In the recent history of the Kettlebell, they have become increasingly popular within the United States thanks to a man named Pavel Tsatsouline. Tsatsouline is a globally recognised fitness author who made his name as a trainer for not only the United States armed forces but the Soviet Union forces as well. With US Forces seniors observing that their soldiers could not endure as long as their Russian counterparts within competitions, they began incorporating the kettlebell into their training routines. In 1985 a committee for the sport of Kettlebell lifting was created, and the first National Championship for Kettlebells was help in Russia in 1985 with its own set of rules and standards. Today, the Kettlebell is being introduced into the fitness routines of the public, as their benefits have proven them to be one of the most useful tools for building strength as well as a huge number of other benefits:

• Rapid weight loss
• Toning and strengthing of almost every muscle
• Muscular and cardiovascular endurance
• Supporting and improving posture
• Injury rehabilitation
• Sports specific performance

The list just goes on as they are such a dynamic and versatile piece of equipment. The fact that they can offer so much yet are relatively small (although sometimes heavy) means that they are not only suitable to the gym but good for home use as well as used within bootcamps or classes. Just like the picture above from our group in Leeds.

WARNING

They should come with a caveat though. Using them properly is critical. Despite them becoming more popular, the abundance of kettlebells out there is not matched with the underpinning knowledge or competency in safely and effectively using them. Just this week, Jenny popped into a gym and had a play with some kettlebells that they have for members to freely use. Not only were the members asking her for guidance but the personal trainers were blatantly taking tips from her techniques.

The associated movements with kettlebells split into 2 distinct types - swings and grinds. Because the swing patterns use momentum, they can be just as harmful as they are beneficial if done badly.

Don't let this put you off, the benefits far outweigh the potential risk and once you have got the basics, it becomes a great journey progressing your ability with them.

We're very soon posting a video on youtube that goes through all of the basic movements - worth looking out for.

Family First

It's my first blog after getting married and just having spent an incredible 3 weeks away with my now wife, Jenny and firstly I'd just like to say thank you for the most incredible break ever and I'm well excited about this brand new chapter of our lives together.

Having been away, as well as completely switching off from work, I've had a great opportunity to reflect on a few things and one being something that I am very fortunate with: the support of a family.

When it comes to getting fit and healthy, I think traditional routes of becoming a gym member, joining a weight loss class or going on a super new diet can typically be lonely journeys and having a family supporting you or better still joining you makes a huge difference. It's worth me pointing out at this point that when I say family, this of course includes relatives but your circles of friends too. All the people who are close and important to you are equally as valuable in this instance.

What I'm going to share with you are a few tips to successfully encourage them to either be supportive or even come and join you. This is coming from experience and I'm extremely fortunate in now having a huge family which is very supportive but I've very much experienced moments of seemingly harmless ridicule at home of doing something I believed in yet not everyone else in the room did.

1. Let them know that your journey is important to you and their support is even more important. We live in a very busy culture where we are constantly being sold new concepts and ideas. It seems so obvious and simple but reminding people how important they are and that their support will make a difference and will be very well received.
2. Don't try and immediately become the salesman. Lead by example and your actions will speak volumes. By showing them how much the renewed sense of confidence, energy and results are helping improve your life, they'll be dying to join in with you. Once they see how much fun your having too, that'll be the straw that breaks the camels back and they'll be itching to get involved.
3. Be encouraging and not forceful. Sharing a house with people who lead different styles of life, there are invariably occasions and situations where there are conflicts. This could be as simple as having different foods in the fridge or having different sleeping patterns. All you need to do again is clearly illustrate the benefits that you're enjoying and maybe a little soft encouragement explaining that they too could enjoy the great benefits.
4. Show eagerness to both teach and learn. Whilst on your journey, you'll be brimming with new ideas and just bursting at the edges to share this with your family. Don't get me wrong, people love to learn and they'll be keen to learn more but this can come with a caveat. People don't enjoy being permanently broadcast too! By also being eager to learn from them and listening more, it'll clearly show that their advice and opinions matter to you. It'll help you see things from their perspective and be able to empathise much better and improve the level of understanding you are having. A completely win win situation.

Hope this is useful and I'd love to hear any feedback on this. It is all very common sense stuff but I'm sure that we can all agree that for some reason, family life can be hectic and common sense can often be absent.

Primal Flow - Core Endurance & Flexibility

Part two of the primal flow programme. Try putting this one after Lower Endurance & Balance...

Awesome for abdominals, core, Flexibility, shoulder strength, functionality, weight loss......the list goes on

Primal Flow™ movement sequence- Lower endurance and balance

This is the first of the Primal patterns we are going to be giving away free.


The Primal Flow™ is a system created by creating chaos which provides all over free body conditioning.
No equipment is needed and the flow is for all fitness levels.

If you want to make the flow harder or easier just adjust the times to suit. More videos will follow so you can combine the various flows to create all over body workouts.

Please let us know if any of you would like a version to download or a phone/iphone friendly version so you can take your flows anywhere :)

While the cats away........STRETCHING

In the coming weeks and months we are going to be putting several new videos on our youtube channel ranging from simple stretch routines to some full exercise scenarios.
The first is just a taster but may be helpful if you need to run through some basic stretches to finish your workout.

If you have any comments regarding the videos please post them here or on youtube. We want to make them as easy to follow as possible so all feedback is good feedback.

We are also working to get some mobile friendly versions ;) so you can start surprise lunge people at work! or in the supermarket! Just don't get arrested!!! as we wont be held responsible




CreatingChaos Youtube Channel

Why indoor fitness and gyms just don't make sense

The funny thing about what gyms are nowadays and how they started out is that there is a real separation.

The first ever gym was designed as a project to look at social interaction and motivational impact of friends and family being mustered in one place and encouraged to engage and participate in activity. That was the sole intention of the very first gym. So, bearing that in mind, can we honestly say that the gyms of today share the same values and ethics?

Certainly not in my experience. A few observations of my own would be that:

• They are loud, most people have headphones in and often anti-social. Despite many gyms being packed at peak times, they can often be very lonely places which can cause increased levels of cortisol, increasing fat storage and decreasing the benefits of exercise
• Most gyms are clad with mirrors. The intention is clear, to help people montior and improve form and posture through movement. However, the result is that many people distort their own form to keep looking at what they're doing in the mirror which can't possibly assist their technique. In addition, mirrors often cause people to feel self conscious which can then result in the above mentioned release of cortisol.
• Gyms are filled with machines built by engineers, not biomechanical or physiological specialists. Most gym machines result in distorted patterns of the body as it is forced to work around levers, pulleys and devices which tend to isolate muscle groups. The body is a single unit and should be conditioned in that way. Not all machines are bad but generally speaking, resistance machines may produce that short term muscular fatigue and burn but long term, they can produce imbalanced function, weak core stability and poor muscular firing technique
• Gyms are another air-conditioned environment that we force ourselves into. You only need to look at the rising levels of asthma and respiratory disorders to understand that some habits of modern living are doing nothing for our breathing function. The body isn't designed as a creature that is bound by four walls yet we, as a civilisation are spending more time than ever indoors. When exercising, our immune function is more susceptible to infection with our defence barriers being lowered and re-conditioned air is horrible for carrying airborne infection and disease. This just doesn't add up does it. A good dose of fresh air cannot be over-praised for it's immediate benefits to the body, internal and external.
• Exercise should be fun - I'm taking a gamble on this one as I really don't frequent gyms - the only time I do is when we deliver our courses. However, I'm going to suggest that for many, the whole gym experience isn't that much fun. From my last visit, I visibly remember seeing people that looked sad, de-motivated or even aggresive in their approach to exercise. Come to think of it, it's no wonder why - with all the confusing messages within the health industry, the image focussed media and the constant re-invention of 'what's good and what's bad', their annoyance is understandable.

So, what's the solution - well, it is of course, get outside. Whether it's walking, jogging, climbing a hill or joining an outdoor exercise group, being outdoors will by far and away benefit your body in ways that far superceed being bound indoors.

Understanding Primal Flow

After more and more interest being taken with Primal Flow, I thought I'd write a little more about about what it is, how it came about and how it can benefit.

Looking back at my coaching career so far, even from the very first courses I attended, I remember always thinking that repeating the same movement over and over again can't be that good, however, in the early days, I really didn't know any better and so just went along with the trends that were and very much still are instructed. As my confidence and understanding of the body grew, I started to experiment more with different ways of challenging and conditioning the body.

When it comes to exercise, for me, there are a number of absolute musts with any exercise or pattern:

• It must be functional - if the movement doesn't serve a purpose then isn't doing the body, posture or alignment any favours
• It must be safe - understanding the internal workings of the core, inner stabilising units and outer global units ensures that all the movements work with the flow of the body and not against them
• It must be progressive and effective - challenging the body is the only way that exercise truly benefits, by knowing your level, ability and making the programme progressive, you can rest assured that your programme will be hugely effective
• It must be interesting - exercise should never be numb, mindless or a duty. Looking at primal man, exercise was purposeful, demanded thought and deliberation and always had an objective be it hunting, building or excaping danger.

Having been working on PF for a few years, many clients will have experienced numerous sequences and flows without knowing but now, the concept is completely formed and ready to take flight.
The benefits of this type of exercise can be shaped in pretty much any direction:

• Physiological - Strength, power, conditioning, endurance, balance, agility, alignment and flexibility
• Goal driven - weight loss, shape, reduce body fat, increase size, build shape or tone
• General wellness - Increase bone density, improve cardiovascular fitness, improve posture

The list goes on. The reason it is so effective is because it brings together all natural and instinctive movements of the body, organises them creating stability before mobility and then follows with gradual progression.

It isn't about using fancy and shiney machines but understanding your body. Machines generally speaking distort movement completely, deactivate the core and result in pain, injury and never ending discomfort. Think about it, most people can relate with a bicep curl which serves to isolate the bicep. Ok, fine, however, with over 600 hundred muscles in the body, how can you possibly achieve a balanced work out for all of them by isolating? You can't! Even if you did isolate every single one relative to their function within the body, the body doesn't operate through segmented function, it is a single unit and should be used that way.

Well, that should be enough to give you a brief understanding of the background. Our flows will be getting videod very soon so that you can watch them and have a play for yourself. Watch this space and sign up to this blog if you want to keep updated.

Phill

Check here to read what my clients think

Why morning fitness can change your life

It may not be something that you've tried before but doing some sort of exercise in the morning can have major positive impact on the whole of your life.

In my years of experience; both engaging in exercise and working with clients, companies, trainers and schools I've made some very interesting observations about exercise habits, routines that seem to last and intense binge exercising that wears people down.

Out of all that I've seen, people who exercise in the morning tend to become very well committed to staying healthy and mobile and it really does stand to reason. As primal creatures, waking up would normally be followed by a need to exercise. This may have been using the dawn to take an easier catch of prey for the next meal or it may have been actually avoiding being caught or stepping into conflict. Fight or flight!

Morning exercise not only accesses and switches on the entire physiology of the body, preparing it for a full day, but chemically stimulates release of hormones that activate the internal systems, initiating metabolism, digestion and the beloved feel-good hormones endorphines. Endorphines are a body produced chemical that act as a natural pain relief, dumbing down discomfort and heightening the sense of control, power and capacity.

So, doing this right at the start of the day sets the frame for the entire day ahead. It doesn't have to be intense, or particularly long in duration, yet an amount of exercise in the morning may be just the ticket to frame your day.

Train for Life

Having recently lost a very close friend who, despite his enormously challenging conditions from birth, had the most amazing attitude towards life, others and himself. It has really put me into reflection on certain things.

We all talk about needing a goal and as a trainer, it is often my role to get a specific target to aim and work towards, yet, actually, do we really need one? Is the gift of life not even to value, respect and consider with our behaviours and habits?

I'm not saying that getting rid of specific goals is a good idea. These are brilliant and absolutely help us focus, yet, constantly feeling like we need specific fitness targets to work towards can be very draining psychologically and almost de-motivating which is the complete polar opposite of why engaged in the first instance. Challenging yourself is essential, as human's, we hold an intrinsic requirement to develop and progress but this shouldn't solely be in the way of physical challenges.

Instead, looking at health and fitness as a gift, right and something that should be nurtured can help create a sustainable approach to keeping healthy.

Not everyone is born or blessed with good health but most of us have the choice of what we do with what we have. To me, the thought of exploring my own health, being confortable with it and using it to help others is all the focus I need to remember how lucky I am every single day and never become complacent with what I have.

Just a short one today

Phill

Why you should NEVER do sit-ups

It seems quite ironic discussing this as less than 4 years ago, I left the forces after 6 years of active service and sit ups were and still are an exercise of choice.

I'm really not sure why they are and it amazes me that they continue to be given by trainers as an exercise. Even more shockingly, I spoke to a chap this morning who mentioned that he joined a large corporate gym some time ago and was given a programme by a fitness trainer. After explaining that he had back pain, his trainer continued to give him sit ups and further awful patterns that put pressure on the lower back.

Last week I saw a very popular military style fitness company getting dozens of paying customers to do sit ups in a field. The exact scenario that a few years ago was familiar to me - but I wasn't paying for this and neither should you be.

Let's have a look at what a sit up is actually doing to your body and why it is no good.

1. The movement begins with lying down, legs bent and feet flat. The significance of this is that the hips aren't fully extended meaning that you cannot fully engage in abdominal range. Any fitness professional who understands anatomy will know this. Without engaging in full range, repetitious patterns will serve to shortern and imbalance the involved muscles.
2. Because the starting position is resting, there is no requirement for the inner unit of the core to stabilise the hips or spine. This means that the phasic muscles causing the movement will compensate for inner instability and be put under greater stress.
3. The movement required is forward flexion of the spine with the extended lever of the upper torso acting as the load. This puts an enormous amount of pressure on lumbar spine. Think about people who suffer back injury, how many people 'put their back out' whilst bending over? This is the exact same movement but with more direct gravitational pull directed onto the lumbar spine.
4. The sit up takes you into deep forward flexion of the spine and then returns to a lying position. Because hip flexion and forward spinal flexion are often concurrent patterns, there is muscular cross over in which areas are working and creating the movements. With the hips being flexed from the start and the hip flexor group being commonly dominant just as the upper abdominals are (rectus abdominus), these areas are most likely to innovate the pattern leaving the weaker, lower stomach (transverse abdominus) completely redundant. Over time and recurrence of this pattern, these muscles will distort posture, pull hip alignment into anterior tilt, pull shoulders forwards and leave high risk of low back injury.

So, what should replace this "ab" exercise? Here are some tips that will help you avoid this problem:

• Stick with compound patterns that use the whole body from standing or functional positions
• Avoid machines that require you to sit down or lie down
• Learn how to breathe abdominally during strength exercises (pilates or good strength coaches can help)
• Look to engage your inner and outer core during all strength exercises
• Come along to one of our sessions (http://www.outfit-uk.com/)

Not just back pain but abdominal herniation and herniated discs have been reported as resulting from sit ups. Remember, when it comes to weight loss, toning and conditioning your body, you cannot spot reduce weight. Good nutrition and seeing the body as a whole unit will be much more helpful to get the shape you want.

Phill

References:
http://www.coachr.org/outer.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/185016.php
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B83W8-4W20Y86-D&_user=10&_coverDate=02%2F28%2F2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1322336905&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=b61dccc4049d9b6381ed91a3e6f09d98