If you are starting to see more and more kettlebell posts and videos this month it is because this is Kettlebell month! I'm not sure who designated this as the month of the kettlebell, but I'm going to participate again this year. There are many challenges that people will present on total kettlebell work throughout the month with exercises like Turkish Get Ups, snatches, and many others. I would be happy to help someone design a challenge for their individual goals, but for simplicity purposes I have decided to program a 10,000 swing challenge for anyone who is interested.

Before I get into specifics on repetitions and days performed, I want to give a brief description of how to do a proper swing. Here is a three part description on how I view the swing.

Tension- the first dimension of the swing that I teach my clients is proper muscle tension at the two parts of the swing. The first part is the bottom of the swing. This is when the bell is back between your legs right before your hips power the bell forward. At this point you should be very conscious to have a straight torso, your abs contracted, and your shoulders pulled back for good posture. Having your torso lined up will allow you to "load" the hamstrings. This is an important dimension to the swing as the hamstrings and glutes(the butt muscles) will be responsible for firing the kettlebell forward. You want to feel a slight stretching of the hamstrings at the back of your swing, this is the "load". If you are not, then try to bend more at the hip and allow the bell to go back further without compromising your straight torso. The second aspect of tension is the top of your swing. At the top of the kettlebell swing your body should be completely straight including your knees, hips, and shoulders. With a proper swing the bell will almost float at shoulder height. You should be contracting your glutes and abs which will protect your lower back. Many clients I work with experience lower back pain and fatigue, but by using the right tensions you should mostly feel this in your hamstrings and glutes.

Flow- for anyone that has performed a kettlebell swing you probably understand the endurance that is required to do a high repetition swing workout. The swing is a continuous movement that can be chained together for high repetition sets, but you must have a good flow to complete this. The flow refers to the continuous movement of the bell and the connection of each repetition. You should be able to complete many repetitions without much variance in the repetitions. Some people can pick this up very quickly, but others struggle with the flow of the movement. The main problem that these people have is that they try to control the bell with their arms on the way up and down on the swing. This causes the back and shoulders to work too hard and fatigue quickly. To these people I usually utter the phrases, "Let your hips determine how high the bell goes" meaning don't lift with the shoulders, and "Let it drop" meaning don't control the bell on the way down with your arms. The bell should be free moving and its trajectory is determined on your explosiveness and your ability to relax between the two points of tension. 

Pop- one of the most beneficial points of kettlebell training is the development of hip explosiveness. A proper swing will be driven by the explosive extension of the hips, not the arms or back. The pop of the hips is what sends the bell into the air and starts your swing. You want to fire the hips forward once the bell has reached the bottom of the swing and your hamstrings have been loaded. Firing the hips too early will fatigue the back and shoulders. You know you are popping the bell correctly if it floats at the top of your swing. This is an important aspect in the swing. The bell should float, which requires a very straight body. If you are leaning back at the top of the swing then the bell will not float and will fatigue your back. It will be easier to master this portion of the swing when you have a good understanding of the previous two.

Well that "brief" description wasn't so brief- pretty typical of me- but I hope you have a better understanding of this powerful movement. The swing challenge is very simple, but not easy: Do 10,000 swings in one month. To complete this challenge you must set up a good plan to attack this number daily or every other day. Anything less than 3 days a week of swings will force you to spend over an hour swinging. I have laid out a few plans for people who don't have kettlebells at home and can only use them at their gym 3 or 4 times per week. Try to mix it up each workout instead of just doing the same sets, reps, and weight each day. You will see more of a benefit if can mix in high repetition/low weight and low repetition/high weight workouts to get to your final number. 

Warning: performing this challenge will cause the following side effects:

• fat loss
• stronger hips
• better cardiovascular endurance
• more shapely butt and hamstrings
• improved jumping
• stronger grip
• improved swing technique

If you need help putting together a plan then feel free to contact me and I can email you one of the schedules I have made or if you need someone to critique your technique then feel free to set up a session. Good luck!

*Below is a schedule that I am following for my month. I have a couple bells at home so this may not work for some people. Just email me and I will send you the 3, 4, or 5 times a week plan.*

This time of the year is a very busy time for anyone in the training business as so many new clients are trying to get in shape for the year. I am contacted frequently from people who are trying to develop a new training plan as their previous ones did not work very well. Most training programs fail because they lack good exercise selection, proper training frequency, and focus on improvement. Many people have trouble building their programs because they do not set a good foundation to their training around. Here is my system of building a training program.

Core exercises- a good way to figure out the main lifts or movements to base your training around is to ask yourself one simple question, "If you could pick ONLY ONE lift to perform each day, what would it be?" If you say dumbbell chest press, bicep curls, crunches or anything like that, then you can fully expect to achieve nothing. These are usually the people who contact me about fat burners and testosterone boosters because they are getting neither from their exercise program. Some good exercises to base your training around could include the following: squats, dead-lift, Turkish get ups, overhead pressing, cleans and snatches, carries, and possibly advanced bodyweight training(pistol squats, front levers, planches, etc). This will vary slightly with most people, but, regardless if you are a man or woman, you should be focusing on your major muscle groups. This will help build a solid foundation of muscle which will increase your resting metabolic rate and boost healthy hormone production. Be sure to pick the ones you are experienced with or ones that someone can help you with. 

Time- I have been in the business long enough to know that everyone has different schedules and can only commit certain time to the gym. This will greatly affect your schedule because if you only have 2 days to get to the gym, you better not be spending your time on the treadmill and doing "abs". If your time is limited then be sure to focus all your time on complex, multi-joint movements. If you have 7 days a week to workout then you can manipulate some days to work on feats of strength or some aesthetic work like your precious arms. Here are some examples of what I have going for some of my clients:
2 days- dead-lift/squat, Turkish get up and clean and press
3 days- dead-lift and snatches, squat and overhead press, Turkish get up and carries
4 days- dead-lift and rows, overhead and horizontal pressing, snatch/clean and carries, TGU
5 days- dead-lift, pressing, squats and core, snatch/clean and pulls, core and carries
This does not have to be exact, but the focus on full body strength has been working great with all of my clients. The repetitions will vary for each person depending on their goals. Most of my beginning clients will use a higher rep range to help build endurance and work on technique. My advanced clients work in lower repetitions with heavier weight.

Find your range- I am not one to write out one template for everyone to use because everyone has different goals. This does not mean you should skip dead-lift day and go for a run because you are trying to lean out more. This means the repetitions and style of lifting should be different. For example someone who is trying to build muscular size should focus more on building their 10 rep max and work in some high repetition training. Someone trying to be leaner and more athletic should work on heavier, lower rep training and focus on explosive lifting. This may sound backwards to most people, but heavy and explosive lifting burns more calories due to the recruitment of fast twitch muscle fibers which will result in burning excess fat. The group trying to bulk will work with higher repetitions because they want to focus on muscle breakdown and blood flow to the muscles. There is a reason most bodybuilders work in the 10 rep range. Figure out your rep ranges and apply them to the core lifts you have chosen and watch the results pour in. 

I would also recommend tracking your results in the form of a training book or with quality body fat testing. You have to be conscious if your program is workout after a few months so you can make changes if needed. The rest of your training session after your main lifts should be mostly filled with accessory movements to improve your core lifts, not with pointless exercises. Your core lifts will give you the results so stay focused on improving them. 

If you are having trouble figuring out your training schedule then feel free to reach out to one of us to help build your program. 

Training journals are a great way to track your progress (increase in weight, reps, etc.) to be a successful athlete. I have been using a journal to record my workouts since high school. By writing everything down I have learned what works best for me. I've also learned the difference between working out and training. I will dive into that subject in a later post.
 
I encourage anyone who is getting ready to prepare for some kind of competition (physique, strongman, Crossfit, Iron Man, etc.) to keep a journal. Not only will it keep you on track, it will also be a great reference to use when you decide to compete again. I have always observed that the athletes that do the best in their sport, are the most consistent, are less injured, and look the best record their training in a journal of some sort.

Below I am going to lay out my program I started in November. It has been more of process of preparation and elimination since I have not done a physique split in a long time.
My main goal has been to prepare my mind. These past months I have been visualizing my goals, keeping myself focused, keeping the eye on the prize. The elimination process has mostly been getting rid of the unnecessary exercises that I feel wont help me. No machines have been used (not against the use of machines), I have put my focus mostly in barbell, bodyweight, kettlebell movements. The training has been intense, took 1 week to deload through the holidays, other than that I have followed this split to the "T". 

Training Split (Nov-Jan) 
Monday- Chest, Biceps, Rear Deltoids
Tuesday- Hamstrings, Gluteus, Calves
Wednesday- Back, Triceps, Core
Thursday- Quadriceps, Conditioning
Friday- Shoulder (nothing heavy, mostly rehab exercises), Core
Saturday- Direct Arm Hypertrophy, Forearms 
Sunday-  Light conditioning, nothing taxing. I will either do light sprints, trail run or go to a dance class. (You read that right.... I dance.)


I really like this cycle of training! The rep ranges aren't very concrete, I am still experimenting with different kinds. 
Once I am done at the end of January, I will be posting up my new training cycle. Reps, tempo, intensity will be documented more. Also will be putting up my body fat%, lean muscle mass, pictures to see how my body responds to training. 

Recording in my journal is going to keep me focused, allowing me to see when I need to increase or decrease the intensity, when to wear my schmedium tank top, etc. 

I challenge you the reader to record your training, you don't have to share like I am doing here. Write your personal goals, keep notes that motivate you in that book, write whatever you want that is going to keep you motivated to improve everyday! Do this for 1 month and see the progress you have made! You have nothing to lose, everything to gain. 

If anyone has any questions on training, training programs, etc. Contact Ben and I! It is our passion to help out someone who is willing to make progress in their training. We can be reached on our Facebook page Solid Training. 

Until next time; Train Often, Train Strong!

John Bedel

You live and you learn...

I am not one to look back at my past, but today while looking at pictures of my first two bodybuilding competitions. It dawned on me that I was a skinny bitch! What was I thinking?!

I should have never thought about competing! 
I should have stayed in the gym!
I should have squatted more!
I should have ate 50 grams of protein instead of 30 grams post-workout!
I should have gently massaged my calves in between sets to increase blood flow and get more gainz!

As you can see that is a lot of should have. Maybe I should have done more what I listed above, maybe I should have even more. I should have, I should have. For 6 years those words went through my brain, everyday. I would look at my trophy and call myself a failure sometimes. For those 6 years I messed myself up big time both mentally and physically (will focus more in a later article). 

Mentally, I had an unhealthy relationship with food. Consuming so much I ended up at a weight of 265-270 pounds of unhealthy weight. My body fat was high, my hormones were messed up, I was depressed. I was a mess!

Physically I was strong, but not really. My joints hurt, really my whole body was hurting. The Michelin Man was more jacked than me. I was letting my physique go day by day. My training had no purpose, always stagnate. Slowly I was losing everything that I worked for. It did not help my mentality.

Those 6 years I learned the very hard way. Nothing lasts forever, especially if you stop working at it. 


I am happy to say that I have pushed myself out of that slump. I am living now!


I am at a job that I dreamed about when I was in high school, my co-workers are beyond supportive, my clients treat me like family. This past year and a half has helped me become a better person. I have a better understanding of nutrition now more than I ever did. I have put a lot of focus in that department of my job that I will be completing my Precision Nutrition Certification soon!


Physically, I look and feel better. Am I competition ready? No, but that is fine because I am healthy. My health has become very important to me and I like to live to teach what I know for a very long time. Being where I am at has paid off for me and my clients and that is awesome!


I lived and I learned, I am not done yet though. To become better and achieve my goals my life focus is to live more and learn more.

This post was a personal one, one that will allow you to understand what I have done, what I am to do, the real John Bedel. These will be few but there will be more in the future. 

 The goal of this journal is to record my workouts along with my thoughts on nutrition, training, mindset for a physique competitor. 
I will be competing this year. My training had started in November. Tomorrow I will talk to you about my training split, why I am doing it, and so forth.

I will leave you with this quote, “Don't allow your mind to tell your heart what to do. The mind gives up easily”. Paulo Coelho


John Bedel

Have you ever used lifting straps before? Chances are you have. With the upsurge of bodybuilding in the past half century, the priority of having a strong grip has dropped to new lows. In bodybuilding, complete muscle breakdown and isolation are imperative so guys with a weak grip were left with small back muscles and decreased power lifts (ie. Dead lift, shrugs, etc.). Instead of solving the problem at the cause, a weak grip, people turn to grip helpers such as straps and hooks. This may solve the short term problem of  weak lifts, but still does not solve the original cause of the problem. What happens when you’re in the real world and need to lift something that your back is strong enough to easily carry, but you don’t have the grip strength or straps to help? This is where grip training comes in. My method of grip training is broken down into 5 categories: crushing, pinching, holding, flexion/extension, and pronation/supination. Grip training is not just limited to muscles of the forearm, but also the hand.

Crushing is defined as squeezing an object to the max. This may be in the form of a hand grip- I recommend the heavy ones, a tennis ball, or bending nails. This mainly works out the muscles of the digits, palm, and thumb, but some muscles of the forearm are active in crushing, such as the flexor digitorums and some others. I recommend training these as heavy as you can and pushing yourself to move up. If you do not have access to heavy grippers then tennis balls and nail bending will work just as well.

Pinching is defined as holding an object with fingers straight. This is similar to crushing in that it works the muscles of the forearm and hand; however, more emphasis is placed on the forearms and muscles of the thumb due to the change in the fulcrum. This is best incorporated on the same day as crushing due to the similarities. This can be done with a block with weight attached or by simply placing two plates facing each other and pinching with an individual hand or both.

Holding is, put simply, grabbing a weight and not letting go. This is very easy to work out because it is active on almost all pulling lifts. To train this I recommend not using straps and forcing yourself to hold on tight. If you want to train this, but don’t feel like just standing there, then farmer’s walks are a great full body holding exercise. You can put more emphasis on your holding muscles by adding tools like Fat Gripz or using a towel around the handle. Here at Solid we also incorporate the use of holding multiple kettlebells and bag carrying. Try to mix it up and be creative.

Flexion/extension and pronation/supination are both exercises mainly involving the forearms. These are probably the only grip/forearm exercises that are seen in the gym, but rarely. To work flexion you can do wrist curls off the bench or do behind the back barbell wrist curls (can be worked in with holding). To work extension you can do wrist extension off the bench (holding the weight with forearm on bench, try to take your knuckles to your forearms). Finally to work pronation/supination(rotation) you can hold some dumbbells in a half curl and twist the weights. If a hammer bar is available then use it, you’ll feel the difference. These exercises can all be made more effective by wrapping a towel around the handle.

These lifts do not exhaust the body very much and will not affect your hormones or overall recovery so you can do them very frequently. It fits in well at the end of a pulling or arm workout. It is also easy to do while sitting around or driving if you have a hand gripper. Stop in Solid and see some of our other unorthodox grip workouts. 


Written by Ben Eisenmenger

If you have ever stopped into our gym or are a regular trainee here then you know the muscle group we focus on the most: the CORE. When we talk about core training we are not just talking about the rectus abdominus, abs to most people, but we are talking about all the muscles of the midsection and spine. This includes the rectus abdominus, the internal and external obliques, the transverse abdominus, the spinal erector group, multifidi, psoas major, quadratus lumborum, and more. These muscles are overlooked by many people who workout and will lead to problems such as back pains, poor spinal alignment, bad posture, hip and knee pains, weight gain in the midsection and other serious problems. These muscles are extremely important because they protect and support the spine and internal organs and, not to mention, help you look better!

This can be a lot to think of if you don't have the knowledge of anatomy like I do so we have broken it down into three categories: full body strength, core stabilization, and core movement. Almost all of our workouts include all three of these categories which has led to great strides in strength by many of our clients.

Full Body Strength- the core is used on almost all of your multi-joint movements, but some exercises will really require a strong core to execute the movement properly. This includes exercises like Turkish get ups, deadlifts, windmills, kettlebell anyhow, tire hits, and many more. These exercises combine a movement and stabilization of the core to keep the body in line. I would place the emphasis of the beginning of your workouts on these types of exercises.

Stabilization- despite most people’s belief, the core's main function is not to flex or crunch, but it is to stabilize your spine. The core muscles perfectly surround the spine and important internal organs and work in conjunction with each other to hold you in alignment. This should have high emphasis in your training. Try exercises like the plank, side plank, reverse plank, hip bridge holds, one arm carries, front levers, and much more. These are great to track your time to see that you are improving and can easily be done at home.

Movement- this is the most widely known way to work your core. This includes movements like crunching, sit ups, leg raises and other common movements. Most movements people do are only for the abdominals so be sure to add in rotational exercises to keep the obliques and back muscles strong. I prefer doing rotational exercises because you can practice minimizing your waistline which is harder to do with flexion exercises like crunching.

Now is a good time to start working on your core so when summer rolls around next year you can bust out your new, complete midsection. You will also notice your other movements getting stronger which will help you improve your whole physique.