The Kettlebell Swing - The Exercise to Make Better Baseball Players!

I am going to tell you about a baseball player workout that consist of one exercise! Thats right, I said one exercise. This baseball strength training workout consist of a single hard hitting lift that will make you a better player!

I am pleased to introduce to you the kettlebell swing, or double arm kettlebell swing to be exact. As you may know the kettlebell is an ancient strength and conditioning device that is reshaping the the way americans think about strength training. The base lift that is performed with the kettlebell is the double arm kettlebell swing. This particular lift is hugely beneficial and translates over to the game of baseball in terms of specific athletic strength more than anything you will ever try. It doesn't matter if you are looking for a baseball hitting workout or a baseball pitching workout, the kettlebell swing will improve those skills in both players.

The swing is performed by you taking the bell and swinging it back and forth from between your legs up to chest level. This is done by initiating the hip snap. The hip snap is performed by you fluently and constantly flexing and extending at both your hips and knees in order to create the necessary momentum to swing the kettlebell back and forth in an arc like motion. This is where you develop superior core strength and conditioning that is second to nothing! These traits are the "bread and butter" for baseball players to have significant bat speed and arm throwing power to be effective in this age old american sport.

Improve your baseball workout drills with this hard hitting exercise. I promise you won't be disappointed at the outcome of your training. Remember to train hard my friend, but always train smart.

To learn more about how to utilize your body, Kettlebells, and to achieve Mind Blowing fitness get your copy of My "Better Than Steroids Ebook" by clicking here: http://www.betterthansteroidsebook.com You will become one of my Free Elite Members if you make your "Better Than Steroids" purchase, but to just become one of my Elite Members and receive my free Newsletter just go to http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html.

Core Strength - 2 Exercises to Really Generate Some Strong Abs!

In order for you to develop a truly fit core and to build a solid slab of lean muscle mass then you have to break away from the old mindset of doing crunches. The fact is that in order to develop a rock hard set of washboard abs you must engage in exercises that extend and force your trunk to stabilize. Stabilization is the true function of the abdomen and rest of your core anyway.

1. Walkout Planks: This is a tremendous core strengthening and ab-blasting workout. Not only is it challenging for those muscles, but it is truly a systemically challenging exercise. To begin, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. From here simply crouch down to place your hands on the ground in front of you. Next, walk out on your hands until your body is extended into an upright push-up position. From here lower yourself down onto your forearms placing your body into a plank position. Next, come out of the plank position and back up into the upright push-up position. Now walk back on your hands until you are back where you started in an upright standing position. Repeat the process for each repetition.

2. Progressive Walkout Push-Ups: For this exercise you are definitely going to be on the right track to developing a set of six-pack abs or washboard stomach. To begin, simply stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Crouch down to place your hands on the ground and walk yourself out into an upright push-up position. Execute a normal push-up and walk back on your hands to return to your starting standing position. Simple enough, right? Well you are not done yet. Repeat the same process again, but the second time you walkout execute 2 push-ups before coming back to the standing position. For each repetition add another push-up to the mix! Try to do 10 of these and you will quickly see how your fitness level can rapidly improve.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at: http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

A Method to Strength!

Lets look at your strength. What areas of your personal program do you want to improve on in terms of your strength? For instance, do you want to increase one repetition maximum bench-press, the same with your squat, or perhaps you want to improve the number of push-ups that you can do. All of these are examples of strength and strength endurance!

If you want to improve any one particular thing it all has to do with manipulating the reps and the load. For example, lets say that you want to improve your one repetition maximum in the back-squat. For the sake of argument lets say that you can only do 150 pounds on the squat for a single rep. To get stronger you will want to get used to handling a slightly lighter load for about 3 to 5 reps.

So instead of going for broke with trying to lift the 150 lbs. then you simply lighten the load to around 125 or 130 lbs. to execute for 3 to 5 reps. Keep practicing with this weight until you can eventually do more reps. As you progress to being able to do 8 to 10 reps then increase the weight! Now go back to executing this new heavier load for 3 to 5 reps until you once again work up to 8 to 10 reps. You get where I'm going with this, right? By using this method to strength you will see your core strength, fitness, and overall power improve from manipulating the load!

Take the time to practice in order to get stronger. Remember that it isn't always about the weight as much as it is about proper technique. The simple movements and a sound technique can get you big strength gains!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

A Mission to Fitness - 2 Drills That Combine Both Intense Cardio and Serious Strength!

Imagine having the body of your dreams. What would you do? What you show it off to friends more often? Would you even show it off to total strangers more often? These are legitimate questions and I'm willing to bet you have asked them to yourself before. Remember that anything worth achieving takes some time and sacrifice. However, it doesn't require as much time and sacrifice as you would think. The key is to maintain consistency forever. This doesn't mean your results will take forever to obtain, but you have to have that mindset in order live the lifestyle to make your goals possible. Start by incorporating these 2 intense drills into your personal program.

1. Sandbag Hill Runs: For the following drill you will need to have 2 obvious things to make it work. You will need a hefty sandbag and a good hill to run up. To begin the drill simply start at the base of the hill. To make the hill runs challenging you will have to dictate your intensity based on the grade and distance of the hill, as well as, the weight of the sandbag. If you have a steady grade or incline of 10 to 20 degrees and at least a 50 lb sandbag then you will have yourself quite a workout. Just try to fairly gauge your intensity and make sure you stay strict on your rest time. This drill is great for building your core strength and cardiovascular fitness.

2. Dragging The Sandbag Uphill: For this drill you can certainly use the same hill. I would recommend a grassy hill for this particular exercise to preserve the quality of your sandbag. For this drill once again start at the base of the hill. This is certainly a drill that is great for developing quality leg strength and total conditioning. Grab one end of the bag and back pedal up the hill while dragging the bag in front of you. If the bag isn't long enough then you can always pay a visit to the local hardware store for some rope to tie around the bag to give yourself a little something extra to hold onto. Your strength and conditioning program will soar to all new heights with these two drills!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Sandbag Glory - 2 Great Drills You Can Implement With Sandbags For Great Core Strength!

Imagine training with simple movements that provide you with big results! This very style of training should be the way you workout in the first place in my opinion, however with the addition of a sandbag you can create an entire workout by utilizing the resistance of a simple piece of equipment. You can get sandbags online that are specifically made for training, or if you want to really be hardcore you can get the flood-stoppers from Home Depot! Either way you will get a heck of a workout.

1. The Clean: This is probably a familiar lift to you with equipment such as kettlebells, barbells, and dumbells. The lift is executed much in the same exact way with the sandbag. Cleaning the sandbag is a great way to develop your core strength and overall body power. To make this more enjoyable you can train with the bag outdoors. To clean the bag all you do is perform a normal squat and reach down to pick the bag up. Pick it up in a straight line from between your legs and catch it right at chest level. Once you complete the lift simply drop the bag and repeat the movement. The bags can come in a variety of weights. Start with a 50 lb bag and as you get better try to move up to a 70 lb.

2. The Clean And Throw: This lift is executed in the same exact fashion as the ordinary clean mentioned above. The only difference with this lift is that when you catch the bag at chest level you will want to perform a push press or jerk to explosively throw the bag vertically above your head. Don't be a knucklehead and try to catch it. Simply let it fall to the ground and repeat the lift again. This sandbag training is great for your core strength, fitness, and overall conditioning. You will be shocked at the result you can get from such a simple concept of training!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at: http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Push-Ups With Kettlebells - 2 Push-Up Drills That You Can Use With Kettlebells!

It is one thing to execute a traditional style push-up off of the ground, but its a whole other ball game to get it done off of a kettlebell! The following 2 drills are a great way to start in practicing to improve your push-up power and core strength. These challenging styles of push-ups will also drastically help you by giving you tremendous shoulder integrity.

1. The One Arm Handle Push-Up: This push-up is very challenging if you are a novice to the standard one-arm push-up, but it is a great way to develop tremendous upper body power and shoulder stability. To start, simply place the bell on the ground with the handle running longways or parallel to your body. Get into a proper one-arm upright push-up position. The trick here is to stabilize the bell so you don't lay it over on one side. Properly execute a controlled descent all the way down until your chest is even with the sphere of the bell and then push-up. This is a great way for you to develop that extra stability and power by using your kettlebell.

2. The Bell Up One Arm Push-Up: This drill is only for the advanced kettlebell man or woman. However, even explaining it to you is worth the entertainment. For this drill I would recommend doing it either in your yard or in your living room on the carpet. To begin this drill simply flip the bell upside down to where the handle is on the ground and running longways or parallel to your body. Yes, I did say flip the bell over to where the bell is up and the handle is down. From here you have to really stabilize the bell because you are balancing it off of its handle! Next, execute a single-arm push-up off of the bell while stabilizing it the entire time. You will have to already have a sufficient amount of core strength and upper-body power to pull this off, however you will also further improve your ability with this drill.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at: http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Training For True Strength!

If you want to obtain true strength then you have to practice to be stronger! Strength is about progression. This means that you have to gradually intensify and practice whatever feat of strength you want to improve on over time in order to obtain huge gains in strength. The key to getting stronger involves you being consistent, unrelenting, and progressive in your purpose and approach.

For instance, if you want to improve on the number of pull-ups that you can do then you need to practice doing pull-ups frequently. When I say frequently I mean throughout the day and everyday if possible. The key is to not train your muscle to absolute failure. You want to tension the muscle over time in order to get it conditioned for movement. Your fitness training program can be catered for you to obtain real muscular power and core strength by attempting whatever task you want with consistent practice and variation. If you are trying to get better at something like the pull-ups and master doing 10 or so with your own body-weight then practice doing 3 to 5 with added weight. Once you master the newly added weight and can do 10 or so reps then add more weight. You see the way I'm going with this, right?

Take the time to improve on your lift or task of choice. Make sure that you maintain the tension of your body by practicing often. This is what will get you to levels that will ultimately impress you once you implement this strategy over time!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at: http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

One Set of Dumbells, No Problem - 2 Exercises You Can Do With a Single Set of Dumbells!

The fact is that you can create an exceptional workout with only a single dumbell, but for the sake of this article I'm going to give you 2 great exercises that you can combine with both for a body-blasting workout! Since most dumbells have hex shaped heads on the ends I am going to assume that yours do to.

1. Man-Makers (aka. Push-Up Rows): This is an intense exercise that you can use with the dumbells to gain tremendous upper-body and core strength. Basically, you want to get into an upright push-up position holding yourself up by balancing on each dumbell. Next, you want to execute a push-up and then stabilize your body while doing a row with one of the bells while you balance yourself with the other one on the ground. From here just execute another push-up and do the same thing on the other side.

2. Squat Curls: This a fantastic movement that challenges many muscles at one time. It involves a lot of mobility therefore giving you a tremendous conditioning effect, as well as, the benefit from the resistance. To start, just stand with your feet about shoulder width distance apart. You should be holding the dumbells by your sides. Next, execute a squat and simultaneously curl the dumbells up in front of your body. You will find that by curling the weight in front the natural motion will force your hips and rear to sit back forcing you into a deeper squat. This is hugely beneficial! This dumbell fitness program will speed up your progress to gain core strength and lose excess body-fat.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Push-Ups - 2 Evil Styles to Create Great Upper-Body and Core Strength!

Push-ups are an age-old exercise that we have probably practiced since we were kids. Its amazing to me how many of us lose the ability to execute this same movement later into adulthood. The good news is that as an adult when we practice our bodies generally respond very well.

1. Elevate The Feet: Once you master the traditional style push-ups a great way to intensify the drill for harder hitting results is to simply elevate your feet. This will distribute more of your body-weight to your arms making the exercise significantly more difficult. You can gain a great deal more upper-body power and core strength by doing this. Its important to feel out how hard you want to make it by adjusting your feet to the desired height.

2. Stability Ball Push-Ups: This one is certainly going to get your attention and will hit you hard in the stomach! That's right, I said in the stomach. Get a stability ball and put your hands on the ball. You want to grip the ball sort of to the sides almost like squeezing it, but not too much that you lose your hold. Next, make sure you maintain the integrity of your body alignment. Even though your body is elevated by the ball you must make sure that you still keep it straight from your shoulders to your heels. Lower yourself in a controlled manner and touch the middle of your chest to the ball before coming back up. You will experience great tension in your abs and will develop tremendous upper-body strength and stability with this drill.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Partner Fitness! 2 Simple Exercises to Perform With a Partner Using Their Body-Weight

I am a huge proponent of body-weight exercise. If you use logic we execute normal day to day and athletic feats with bodily movements standing on our own 2 feet. We never do anything with significant resistance either seated or lying down like many machines tend to function in a gym. So it makes perfect sense to do most of our training on our feet and with our own weight, right?

1. Resisted Partner Runs: This exercise can be performed a number of different ways, but I am going to discuss the most basic. You first want to make sure that you have a partner or friend of approximately the same size and ability as you. You also want to do this on straight and level ground. You and your partner must next pick a role. There has to be a "pusher" and a "resister." The pusher and resister stand facing one another with the pusher placing their hands on the shoulders of the resister. Next the exercise is executed by the pusher either walking forcefully or running pushing the resister backwards. The resister, of course, doesn't just allow the pusher to freely move them back, they resist.

2. Body-Chain Push-Ups: This is a very challenging exercise that is tremendous for stability, core strength, balance, and upper-body strength. Depending on the parties involved this exercise can be performed by many people at once. It is a simple concept that is cruel and challenging to execute. To do this you want to get into a straight line with everyone that is involved and everyone is to get into an upright push-up position. Now here is the catch. The feet of the person in front of you will be placed on your shoulders instead of the ground. Your feet will be placed on the shoulders of the participant behind you and so on. Everyone has to execute the desired number of push-ups together. This is true strength with nothing but body-weight exercise.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Youth Exercise - 2 Great Exercises For Your Kids to Practice!

Once again, I want to address the importance of kids and exercise. I want to especially focus on youth strength training. Many parents hear the words "strength training" and freak out thinking that it means "weight-lifting." There is a big difference. Strength training involves the participant learning how to manipulate different types of resistance by developing the muscular coordination and force to do so. These 2 exercises are a great for your kid to practice.

1. Push-Ups: This is a great exercise for pretty much anyone. It promotes upper-body strength, balance, coordination, and power, all without the use of any equipment. All you need is the proper instruction and your child can practice the movement pretty much everyday of the week. It is vital that they are taught the correct technique before practicing this age-old movement. Also, they need to be shown how to properly progress to doing the push-up if they are incapable of properly executing one immediately.

2. Body Planks: This is also a great exercise for the general public, but is fantastic for teaching a kid how to develop fantastic core strength and stability. This is a constant tension building movement that is also a great way to supplement the push-up exercise. This is a timed event. Once they are shown the proper way to get into the plank position then they can do timed sets. As they improve time can be lengthened appropriately.

Again I would strongly suggest that you seek professional instruction before getting your child involved in any youth strength training program. This is a great start to keep your child clear of obesity and other rampant youth health issues.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Balance - 2 Benefits to Gain From Balance Training

There are many different ways to train the body in stability and balance. You have probably heard about it and even have probably seen a bit of a stability and core-type workout. The following 2 steps will explain some of the obvious and maybe not so obvious benefits of this type of training.

Benefit 1: (Muscle and Joint-Strength) This is absolutely true when utilizing a stability ball, bosu-ball, and balance boards. Whenever you stand on any single one of these particular devices your muscles automatically start to react and stabilize the body for control and train you to have a sense of self in space. This is a unique method to train the muscles in a different way compared to other traditional forms of weight-training. This also gives the joints added strength and stability reducing the risk of injury and is also hugely beneficial in the recovery and rehabilitation of an injury.

Benefit 2: (Core Strength) When standing on an unstable surface the core muscles automatically engage in order to correct you from losing your balance. You will see this immediately when standing on any of these surfaces with nothing more than your own body-weight. Plus these movements can obviously be enhanced to do more difficult tasks other than just standing to intensify the overall work of the muscles that are involved in these exercises. More time spent trying to master the balancing act will lead to a stronger body than you ever realized. You will also see that it will greatly supplement the other areas of your strength and conditioning program!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Animal Walks - An Easy Concept and a Creative Killer Workout!

What are animal walks? Well, its certainly a more difficult way for people to move around rather than just walking around on our own two feet. Animal walks are just what they sound like. You can get a heck of a workout simply getting on the ground and moving around in as many creative ways as you can come up with.

To start, for some people its hard enough to walk in the normal erect human way for any reasonable distance. So if you want to get in shape and really get creative with developing a top-notch strength and conditioning program without the need for equipment then animal walks are the perfect way to go. All you have to do to start is to simply get down on all fours and walk around. You can create many different variations of these by shifting more of your weight to your arms by keeping your legs completely straight (aka bear crawls). You can also do 3 limb walks and body slides. These can generally be done on just about any surface depending on what kind of walking or sliding drills you plan on doing. For instance, if you are going to do slides you need a relatively slick level surface. You simply get on your stomach outstretch your arms and pull your body forward for the slides. However, if you want to make your bear crawls harder try doing them walking down hill. You quickly see how easily these can be manipulated to be super intense drills.

Animal crawls, slides, and walking variations are all tremendous for developing core strength, cardiovascular conditioning, and great mobility. These walks provide a rigorous and unique type of stress to the body in order for it to adapt to a harsh physical environment. Once again, the importance of being able to handle your own body-weight is the true way to develop the most elite level of fitness!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Kettlebells - 2 Tremendous Strength Exercises For the Avid Golfer!

If you are a golfer that has a decent game then its about to get better. You have probably read some of my other material and realize that the kettlebell is a great tool to train military personnel, athletes, and regular people that have a hard attitude for working out. Its also a great tool even for golfers. The following 2 exercises will increase your flexibility in your hips and shoulders and increase your leg power and core strength!

Exercise 1: (The Double-Arm Kettlebell Swing) This is pretty much the staple of all kettlebell lifts. It involves swinging the bell from between your legs up to chest-level with your body fully extended at the top of the movement. You get double fiexion and extension of the hips and knees working the glutes, hips, low back, and mid-back. The arc of the bell swinging from between your legs up to your chest in front of your body also constantly challenges your abdominals, lats, delts, traps, and certainly grip strength. All are highly activated when trying to out-drive Tiger Woods.

Exercise 2: (The One-Arm Turkish Getup) This lift is highly dynamic and challenges the body for further balance, stability(especially shoulder stability), core strength, and core flexibility. This lift starts by you lying on the floor with the bell in one arm fully extended perpendicular to the floor throughout the lift. From the floor the object is to stand up through a series of learned steps until you are on your feet. The bell stays above your head throughout the movement. There is a lot of movement required with the upper-body and side-bending of the trunk in order to execute the lift. Because of these intense movements with the trunk it promotes outstanding flexibility, strength, and range of motion which is where your BOMBING drives will benefit.

Both of these lifts are great for turning your golf game into something worth buying a new set of clubs over. Learn and execute these flawlessly!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.htmlI'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Your Body - The Real Weight Room!

I would say that your own body is the best weight-room or gym around. It amazes me that most people don't get the concept of progression. Time and time again I see people that can bench-press a pretty good amount of weight but lack the ability to execute one correct form push-up. Their logic is backwards.

I would like to start by saying that if you are not capable of performing some basic body-weight exercises such as push-ups, squats, and planks then you have no business adding an additional load to the body like the act of lifting weights! You see these are all forms of resistance. Whether you are lifting your own body-weight or you are throwing weights around in the gym you are simply adding resistance to the muscle causing it to tense up. This tensing up or tension is what builds strength. You have to progress in order to gain optimal function and overall development of strength.

When you engage in such exercise that involve your own body-weight such as push-ups you will find that they can be pretty challenging. You can get a heck of a workout by participating in this age-old movement and others that are like it with just your own resistance. My opinion is that if you cannot execute these movements by using your own resistance effectively then you lack development in your stabilizing muscles and overall core strength.

Make sure that you understand how to progress in a fitness and exercise program before you start. Always have a plan before blindly throwing yourself into something hoping that it will all just automatically happen. Learn and practice these movements flawlessly and then move on to more difficult and challenging workouts.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

The Kettlebell Snatch - 2 Huge Benefits of This Superior Lift!

You have probably realized by now that the kettlebell is about 95% of my client and personal strength program. It is a device that is superior to the rest in terms of overall strength, human performance, and lean muscle development.

To start, you are probably familiar with the kettlebell swing. The double-arm swing is challenging and the single-arm is even more challenging. Here I want to talk about the overhead snatch. You know that the snatch is an olympic lift and its singular form is similar, but varied when executed with the bell. For the purpose of this article I will be addressing the overall benefits of the single-arm overhead snatch with the bell.

First of all, when participating in a high intensity snatch it is a tremendous lift that can be utilized for explosive vertical power. Generating enough force to execute this overhead lift with a heavy bell not only adds tremendous shoulder stability, but incorporates many muscles of the core and hips to generate amazing vertical force. This is beneficial because it stimulates the nervous system to allow muscles to contract more forcefully. This immediately builds total-body power and resiliency! It hardens and toughens the body to withstand outside forces such as being able to take a hit and reducing the risk of injury.

Secondly, if you think that the double and single-arm swings are intense wait until you attempt this monster lift. Again you can engage in heavier bells to develop total power or a slightly lighter bell to build amazing conditioning. You see here the benefit of shoulder stability is still huge, but even by executing this lift with a lighter bell you will still generate cardiovascular conditioning that is unlike anything that you have ever experienced. The overall benefit is a win-win situation whether you are a regular Joe or a super athlete!

If you ask me, anyone that includes the kettlebell into their strength program isn't such an "average Joe!" Execute the overhead snatch frequently and flawlessly! Instantly engage in HARD BODY CONSTRUCTION!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.htmlI'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

The Push-Up - 2 Steps For a Beginner to Execute a Single Push-Up!

So you want to learn how to execute a perfect push-up. There are many ways to skin a cat. However, the following instructions are my way to skin the cat! There is no need to attempt a push-up unless you can do it correctly. The following series of instructions will assume that you are incapable of executing a push-up at all, or that you are incapable of executing one correctly.

Step 1: Your strength has to be built up enough for you to hold your body in a proper upright push-up position before you can attempt anything. This requires a sufficient amount of core strength and body alignment before progressing any further. So here you need to get into position. Get your body in the upright position with your arms fully extended and your hands at shoulder width distance. Your hands should be placed to where they align to lay directly under your armpits directly upon descent. Your body should always be straight and rigid from the shoulders to the heels. Now all you do is practice holding yourself in the upright position. Try for a minute and then progress to 2 minutes and so on.

Step 2: Once you are able to firmly hold your body for a sufficient 2-3 minutes then we'll attempt a modified push-up. Start this by staggering your body weight by placing your hands up on a bench. This distributes more weight on your feet and less on your upper-body. Even though your body is slanted still maintain your rigidity as you descend and touch your chest to the bench before coming up. As you get better at this then move to a height that is lower until you eventually go full range push-ups off of the floor! You should practice often and not worry about moving on to a harder push-up until you have confidently executed each step.

Remember, old habits die hard! So kill them! Practice these flawlessly, often, and hard then we'll move on to one-arm drills.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Vertical Jump - 2 Simple Steps to Increase Your Vertical Jump!

I want to start by trying to get your attention really fast. What if I told you that I could guarantee that you could increase your athletic strength to increase your vertical jump by almost 2-3 inches in just 3 weeks? Not only can it be done, but the 2-3 inches is the low end of the guarantee. I have seen others jump as much as 4 or 5 inches in the same time. As I explain in the steps to follow pay close attention to what I am trying to teach you. Understand that what I am talking about is obtainable if practiced flawlessly, consistently, and frequently. Note that everyone has varying levels of athletic ability and each drill can be modified from low intensity to high intensity depending on the individual level of the athlete.

Step 1: To begin, the vertical jump is a well-known measuring stick for athletic performance. It is a measure of core strength and leg power. Because it is a measure of these two physical tasks these are the two areas that have to be focused on in an attempt at increasing one's vertical jump. "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger!" Well after you attempt these simple, but gruesome drills you will completely understand that old saying. First you must include a variation of plyometrics.

Plyometrics involve specific exercises that stimulate the body's nervous system and cause the muscles to stretch and shorten by contracting in rapid succession. Some good examples of plyometrics involve bounding over hurdles, box jumps, single leg bounds, and squat jumps. The plyometric exercises that I want to recommend involves a series of box jumps and squat jumps. Depending on your level or ability you can start with box jumps with a height range from 12 inches all the way to 24 inches.

If you don't own these they can be easily constructed with plywood. The most effective progression can be multiple boxes starting at the lowest height of 12 inches and increasing every 6 inches to the highest box at 24 inches. From here you can structure your box jumps however you like, but be sure to obtain a volume of repetitions that total 80! This is an average of 20 repetition jumps at each box height. When you jump from the ground to the box you should be executing a perfect squat jump. You should be landing on the box each jump with your feet at about shoulder width distance and absorbing your landing each time by making contact with the box heal to toe. To intensify this drill you can execute the jumps by adding some kind of resistance. Holding a pair of dumbells is an excellent way to do this. Note that for optimal results these should be practiced at least 3 times per week.

Step 2: The next area to target is going to be the development of core strength. One way to do this simply in the comfort of your home or in your front yard is by doing planks. Planks involve lying prone (or face down) on the ground with only your elbows and toes (or balls of your feet) touching the ground. Your body should be perfectly straight and rigid like a plank or bridge. This is a static hold and you can start by minimally doing each set for 1 minute! Friends these are intense. You should do these on the days you do your plyometrics. You should also complete 3 sets of 1 minute in week one. Each week you should increase a minute working up to 3 minutes per plank for 3 sets in the third week!

These two steps will undoubtedly improve your conditioning and vertical jumping power. Remember that this is only a basic home drill and is merely a taste of the main course. Further modifications to this and other areas of your program can drastically improve your overall athletic performance.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com. To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html. I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!