Tomorrow is the big day!

That's right, folks...we're moving all the way up to Rancho Cordova tomorrow! It's a lot closer to my school and Jordie will be working down the street and around the corner. Now all I have to do is find a job up there so I don't have to commute an hour and a half every day anymore...

The move will be nice because it's one of the most functional workouts you could ask for. When it comes to strength, endurance, and overall work capacity it's a killer.

Another great tool for building those three, plus conditioning (basically anaerobic cardio) and joint stabilization, is the kettlebell. Originally from Russia, this tool has become commonplace in the Strength & Conditioning world ever since Pavel Tsatsouline (Dragon Door) brought it over from the Old Country.

                                                      (Photo courtesy of Fast Fit Studio)

The most foundational movements are:
The Swing
The Clean & Jerk
The Snatch
(tutorials for all three coming soon!)

A few more advanced movements are:
The Turkish Getup
The Windmill
The Bottoms-Up Press
(tutorials for these ones and others will come soon also)

A great Kettlebell conditioning workout is as follows:
5 rounds, 60 second rest between rounds
10 Burpees
5 One-handed Kettlebell swings (once finished with one side, switch to the other)
5 Kettlebell Clean & Jerk
5 Kettlebell Snatch

Finisher:
10 Turkish Getups (5 one each side, alternating)

I apologize for the lack of detail at the moment. Never fear though! More articles and tutorials are on their way!

Limitless SC Is Now Affiliated With Ring Training!

Gymnastic rings are such an amazing fitness tool. This website has some of the highest-quality rings I've ever used. There will be a banner up as soon as they finish creating them. Until then, here is my link:

Ringtraining.com

Grow Up and Play!

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
- George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwright)

There couldn't be a more fitting line. There is much controversy right now regarding adults and play. For generations play has been considered the child's domain. Adults don't have time to play. We're too busy trying to complete our never-ending to-do list. We don't even have time to stop and smell the roses (which is actually quite the pleasant experience)Imagination is supposed to be taken over by maturity, and when it isn't, its possessors are considered infirm or delusional. Everything has rules, and competition is the only valid form of play. While competitive play (read: sports) has its merits, it is a little beyond the scope of this article. I'll have to dedicate an article to it in the future. For now, we will focus on free-form play.

What is free-form play? It's anything, really. It's chasing your dog or little one around the yard. It's a game of leapfrog. It's seeing who can climb that huge tree the fastest. It's anything spontaneous and active. It's simple (because we have to make everything complicated nowadays). It's also a huge stress reliever. Most importantly, it's FUN.

What is it not? Free-form play is not bound by rules. It isn't bound to certain age groups. It isn't time-bound. And it most certainly is not bound to a video game system. This may also be called "play" but is not. There is no imagination involved (the game designers did the imagining for you), and there is no activity beyond that of the thumbs. (Not saying occasional video game playing is a bad thing...it's just not healthy to play for hours upon hours every week)

What are the benefits? Play is not only a great physical activity, but it can also have incredible mental benefits as well. It can stir up some creativity. As already mentioned, it can relieve stress. It can rekindle a connection with the outdoors (I recently experienced this on a long bike ride to clear my head. I was incredibly stressed from work and school). Being in the sun provides a vitamin D boost (more on vitamin D in a future article). It improves mood, not only from stress relief and extra vitamin D, but also from connecting with play partners and completely freeing the mind of stress and other thoughts that clutter our conscious and subconscious all day long.

How does one play? Free-form play is called such because there are no rules, there is no structure, no boundaries. Get outside, find something you like doing (for me, it's biking, hiking, and climbing), and do it! And most importantly: HAVE FUN! It really couldn't get any simpler.

Wee bit of an update

So, I haven't written an article in a while. Life has been hectic lately with school and work and getting ready for the move...all that fun stuff.

But fear not! Articles will be coming soon!

Anyway, the real update is this:

1. I completed my first personal training module! I got the highest grade in the class at a 94.2%! Now I'm in Essential Sciences (a.k.a. Anatomy) and Ethics with a little bit of a Corrective primer thrown in. Be prepared for a bit of corrective/rehab-related information =]

2. I'm moving! In just about 11 days! My fiancee and I will be moving up to Rancho Cordova to be closer to our schools. This will hopefully also give me some more free time to write my articles and connect with my readers (and hopefully help to stimulate readership growth).

Anyway, stay tuned! Good info will be coming soon!