Halloween Workout

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Hope you enjoy this workout as much as we did!

Go through the each exercise and do 1 rep.  Lateral Jumps  are an exception and will be 40 reps each time through.  Rest with a 4 Figure stretch or hip flexor stretch.  Then start again and do 2 reps for each exercise.  All the way until you finish 7 reps for each exercises.

FINISH the workout with 20 second of 100% all out work, to 10 seconds of rest for 2-3 rounds.  Grab a light bell for this! If you don't have Ropes, do 2 Handed Swings or Jump Squats instead!  Enjoy!!!

The Complete Guide To Sandbag Training In Paperback!

After a few weeks of edits and re-designs The Complete Guide To Sandbag Training is finally out in paperback!

I've had so many requests for this (especially from those of you that don't have Kindles or other e-readers) that I think you'll be happy with the result. It'll be launching pretty much everywhere over the next few weeks but you can pick up copies right now at Amazon:

Check it out at Amazon.com

Check it out at Amazon.co.uk

Here are some screenshots from the re-designed interior:

I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review or a like at Amazon.

Train hard!

Matt

Conditioning With Rings DVD is Here

I had the honor of working with the amazing Frankie Addelia in his brand new Ring DVD.  I highly suggest you add some ring training to your program if you aren't already doing so.  Many of these exercises can also be done using a TRX.  This DVD is very user friendly and perfect for all ages!

Conditioning With Rings Complete System DVD

 Conditioning With Rings Complete System DVD

Why Kettlebells are Perfect For Mommies (Especially the New Ones)

Here is an oldie but goodie.  I wrote this for Liftkettlebells.com several years ago.  Thought it was time to bring to attention on my blog.  More and more new moms are continuing to use this tried and true method.  You can of proof over on our inspiration page. I'm living proof as well! I've had 2 C-sections and my babies were huge!

Kettlebells for women with children

Why Kettlebells are Perfect for Mommies

(Especially the New Ones)

Whether you just had a baby or have been enjoying motherhood for many years, we all have something in common. We put our children first and tend to neglect ourselves. The biggest complaints I hear from moms are, �I can�t seem to get the fat off my midsection,� �I just don�t have two hours a day to spend in the gym.�

Well, I�m here to give you some wonderful news.  You don�t have to spend hours in the gym to get rid of the fat that you accumulated during your pregnancies. You can start by training with kettlebells which takes no time at all.  Here are some of the reasons why kettlebell training is perfect for a mom.

Kettlebells kill two birds with one stone
With kettlebell exercises you are able to get your heart....

Read the rest of the article HERE

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chunk Bread (Gluten Free, Low Sugar)

After making a delicious pumpkin bread yesterday that went very quickly, I decided it was time to start experimenting.  I had some dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe's and a very ripe banana.  I use the last bit of honey I had from yesterdays Pumpkin bread, but had some organic raw Agave that needed to be used.  I knew this would be a different bread.  Within one hour of mixing and crushing a chocolate bar, I had probably the most delicious bread, other than my apple cinnamon bread.  Kids like this even better.

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chunk Bread (Gluten Free, Low Sugar)

Ingredients:

2 Cups Almond Flour from HoneyVille

1 Very ripe Banana Smashed

1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree

1 small bar of Dark Chocolate Bar 72% Crushed and broken (or 1/4 cup of Dark Choc chips)

2 Jumbo or Extra Large Organic Free Range Eggs

2 Tbs of Organic Raw Agave (if you like very sweet bread add more)

2 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tsp of Cinnamon

3/4 tsp Baking Soda

Directions:  Mix dry ingredients, except for chocolate pieces in a separate bowl. Mix wet ingredients plus the Chocolate pieces.   Then combine dry and wet in a large mixer bowl and blend or stir very well.   Place in a loaf tin.  Bake at 350 for 45-50  minutes.  This one stuck to my tin so you may want to spray non stick spay on yours.  It should come out very moist and taste awesome!   Let me know how it goes!!

Todays Workout - The Unbearable Trifecta

100 Sandbag Bear Hug Squats
100 Sandbag Clean and Press
100 Sandbag High Pulls

Complete in any order, in any combination, as fast as possible.

Men aim for a 40kg sandbag; women aim for 25kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

No Guilt Pumpkin Bread (Low Sugar, Gluten Free, Grain Free)

Now that Fall is here I get in the baking mood.  Especially when it comes to using Pumpkin. After all who doesn't like Pumpkin?  This was the first time attempting Pumpkin Bread. I've made pumpkin muffins before, but this was different since I only had a limited amount of ingredients.  It's one of the lowest sugar and high protein pumpkin breads I think I could make without actually adding protein.  I don't like to cook with protein powders.  Almond flour is packed with protein, fiber, and good fats.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Organic Pumpkin Puree
2 cups Almond Flour
1/4 cup Honey
2 Large Organic Free Range Eggs
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:  Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately very well.  I recommend using a mixer to blend all the ingredients together nicely.  It will be a thicker batter.  Put in a loaf tin.  Bake at 350 for 30-40  minutes.  I took mine out at 40 minutes.  I personally like my breads very moist so I think it could have come out 5 minutes earlier.  I will make these again soon and take it out earlier or add an extra egg.  I also may add 1 Tbs of Coconut Oil and see what happens. I love to experiment!  Either way, the pumpkin bread is a hit and the fact that the entire loaf has half the honey than most recipes call for, is awesome.   I love being able to get away with less sweetener!  The healthier the better!

I'm always open for suggestions.  If you make this let me know how yours turns out.  If you love sweet breads, then make sure to add more honey or use Agave instead.  You can also check out my new pumpkin banana chocolate chunk bread.

Enjoy!

Monday Funtime Kettlebell

This is a fun ladder circuit we did for the first 10-15 minutes of class after we warmed up.
More detailed directions are all below the video.  This is not a follow along.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did for our class.  In case you are wondering what we did after we did quite a few pull-ups, snatches, roll-outs, crawling, jump squats, and other FUN ways to start a Monday.  People were laughing.  At the end of our workout after I was tired I had fun with Della's daughter.  Photo below!

Here is the workout

1. 
Start with your less strong side.
1 Push-up
1 Clean
1 Front Squat
1 Back Lunge
5 One Arm Swings

Stronger side (other side)
1 Push-up
1 Clean
1 Front Squat
1 Back Lunge
5 One Arm Swings

2.

Start with your less strong side.

2 Push-ups

2 Cleans

2 Front Squats

2 Back Lunges

5 One Arm Swings

Stronger side (other side)

2 Push-ups

1 Clean

1 Front Squat

1 Back Lunge

5 One Arm Swings

Take a quick break for a hip flexor stretch or hip circles

Next do this for 3 reps, then 4 reps, finally finish at 5 reps.  Let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

This is me just messing around.  She's a STRONG kid that does pull-ups and crazy things.  Most kids can't hold on to themselves this long.  Don't try this at home.  She's a freak of nature, in a GOOD WAY!!

Katie's Kettlebell Workout

Katie Dawers, instructor at On The Edge Fitness in Encinitas, designed this great class I had to share with you all. The beauty of this workout is all the strength exercises stay between the rep ranges of 1-5.  The high intensity exercises are higher reps of 6-8.  At On The Edge Fitness we all agree anything over 5 or 6 reps starts getting in the high rep category. 

I will explain the workout below since it may be hard to decipher from this photo.  Not that there is anything wrong with Katie's handwriting.  It's definitely better than mine.  :-)  Personally I used the 16kg's for the Double Presses and two 28kg's for the Single Leg Deadlifts for the workout.  I also used between the 28 and 32kg for the Squats depending on how I felt for that round.  I completed the 5 pull-ups for each round instead of doing 1 arm rows.  High Pulls I used the 18kg and the 20kg.  Swings I used the 32-40kg and the snatches I stuck with the 18kg. 

Directions:  Go through the entire list of exercises.  Refer to the photo to see how many of each exercise you will do. IGNORE the number written on the right of the exercise.  That was me tallying up how many TOTAL reps I did for the entire class.  

1 rep of Double Presses

2 reps each side of Single Leg Dead Lifts 

3 reps of Squats

(you get the picture.)

Your reps look like this. Refer to the photo to see how many of each exercise you will do. 

First Round 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 (8 being 1 arm snatches. That's 8 on EACH side)

Second Round 1,2,3,4,5,6,7  You end at the swings

Third Round 1,2,3,4,5,6 You end up doing 6 high pulls on EACH side

Keep going through until you are at 1.  

Then if you have anything left or time left, put yourself through a 4-8 min Tabata drill of ropes or light swings!  Enjoy!!

Mini Healthy Egg Bites (For Kids and Big Kids)

First of all my kids won't stop asking me to make these.  They devoured them in minutes!  These mini egg bites or egg muffins were inspired from my friend Allison who found this on Pinterest.  Of course I immediately went to her board and had to repin it.  Allison is a mom of 2, almost 3 kids, who I truly admire.  She always has the coolest ideas from anything to recipes, costumes, to home organization.  As a working mom of 2 kids myself, I truly don't know how she does it all!  

Originally I wanted to use the large muffin tins that these are designed for.  However, due to our home flooding a few weeks ago, I currently don't have a kitchen.  Our kitchen supplies were quickly packed in boxes and it's hiding in one of the 40 boxes that were packed by the emergency flood workers.  The only muffin tins I could find were my mini muffin tins.  The positive side of using mini muffin tins is they take just 10 minutes to bake and they truly are bite size.  The not so positive side is they are gone in 5 minutes!!  My kids couldn't get enough of them!  You can make these egg bites many different ways.  I experimented by only using one of our muffin tins.  Next time I'll fill both up and add grilled onions, chives, and mushrooms. For the kids I wanted to keep it simple.  

Time to Prepare: 6 Minutes

Time to Cook: 10 - 12 Minutes

INGREDIENTS: 

3 Extra Large Organic Free Range Eggs

6 Tbs Almond Flour

Small Handful of chopped Arugula or chopped cooked broccoli (optional) (Any topping you desire.  Keep it small since they really are very small)

2-3 Tbs of Grass Fed Chedder Cheese 

Directions: 

Spray the muffin tin with nonstick Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Beat eggs together,  then add the Almond Flour.  Beat again.  Then sprinkle the cheese and veggie mixture in and mix well.   You can add the cheese last and sprinkle on top if you prefer.  

Pour in each mini muffin tin 3/4 of the way.  They will bubble and rise past the top in the oven, but will flatten out  once you take it out.    Let cool for 5-10 minutes.  Spoon them out and serve. 

Hope you like these super cute mini egg bites as much my kids and I did.  

64 Year Old Diabetic to Healthy in Just 4 months

64 Year old diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes now off all meds and loses 37 pounds 

"...I have lost 37 pounds. My glucose level has dropped from 137 to 104 (range 65-110). Cholesterol fell from 217 down to 164 (range: 120-200), LDL-Cholesterol went from 133 to 104.8 (50-130) and triglycerides came in at 213 and went down to 96. (Range: 36-165.) (Today is 10/18/12 - not quite 4 months since the "D" date.) I take no medicine as I prefer a holistic approach and believe that my success is due to my new eating plan and Lauren Brooks' kettlebells DVD."


Here is Rachel's Incredible Story:

Before being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in June 2012, my son kept asking me to use kettlebells. To appease him, I bought a 5 pound one and later a 10 pound one - and they sat on the shelf. Always athletic, I continued with the Step that I've used for the past 20 years. I would lose four or five pounds only to regain it. Then came the frightening diabetes news and so many thoughts crossed my mind. My son told me this was no time to hit the snooze button and I had to get into gear.

I started on a low carb diet and got the kettlebells off the shelf and started using them 5 times a week. I bought two other kettlebell DVD's, one for beginners that ended up with her doing jumping jacks (*.*). The other one has three people using the kettlebells with the lead gal perpetually smiling and saying something like no cardio is lardo. No breaks, no pausing, too severe for me. I told my son that I wasn't happy with the ones I bought and he suggested I look at the kettlebell queen, Lauren Brooks, on You Tube. I liked what I saw and bought The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells DVD and am I ever glad I did.

I like Lauren's soft approach and thorough explanations of what we're about to do and why. I feel like I'm engaged when I'm working out to her DVD as there are messages on the DVD and a timer and Ms. Brooks tells us how long a particular work out will be and how long a break we will have. A rest and water break!!! There's a great idea! It gives me a moment to cool down and get ready for the next segment.

I'm 64 years old and in spite of my athletic abilities when I was younger, I've never had strong arms. Imagine my surprise when one day at the dinner table, for fun, I made a "Popeye" muscle - and I actually had a lump there - a good size one. I don't think any one would want to see me in a dark alley!

I had no idea that you use 400 calories for a 20 minute workout. Lauren's DVD has a warm up and a 12 minute work out along with a 40 minute one. I keep up with them both and now have a 15 and 20 pound kettlebell that I use. I cannot believe my strength and stamina. Lauren's DVD includes a mountain climbing exercise that I used to just sit out or swing the kettlebells. One day I thought, oh, what the heck, I'll give it a try. And I can do it!!! Again, never had strength in my arms, never able to do pushups and here I am on the back nine of my life and I'm doing it!

Since that June day, I have lost 37 pounds. My glucose level has dropped from 137 to 104 (range 65-110). Cholesterol fell from 217 down to 164 (range: 120-200), LDL-Cholesterol went from 133 to 104.8 (50-130) and triglycerides came in at 213 and went down to 96. (Range: 36-165.) (Today is 10/18/12 - not quite 4 months since the "D" date.) I take no medicine as I prefer a holistic approach and believe that my success is due to my new eating plan and Lauren Brooks' kettlebells DVD.

I am amazed at the mobility I have - and I have no more back aches!!! I'm sold on these kettle bells and glad my son 'introduced' me to her wonderful work. I love her sensible and down-to-earth approach. I am going to purchase whatever else this 'kettlebell queen' has produced. I'm sold - give it a try. The only thing you have to lose is weight.

Kettlebell Class with a Double Kettlebell Complex

The secret is out!  You finally get to see my horrible hand writing.  Is it an excuse that I'm a lefty and hardly use my hand to write anymore?  Probably not!  Anyhow, this is a workout that my class and I did yesterday.  Directions below. 

We warmed up with alternating light Turkish Get Up for a total of 3 on each side, with some Down Dog, Up dog, and walk outs. 

Part A. Take two heavy bells you can Suitcase Deadlift for at least 5 times, then carry it for about 15-20 seconds. Then a tall kneeling press for 3-5 reps per side (squeeze those glutes)

Total 3-4 Rounds

Part B.  Perform 5-8 stiff one arm rows.  Pelvis is drawn to ribcage, just like the top of the swing.  You are SLOWLY descending on the one arm rows keeping your lats engage as long as possible. 

Single Leg Squats can be done on a bench, using a TRX, or just straight Pistol if you can do 5 on each side that is what is suggested.  Only PERFECT reps please!

Part C.  Just as my beautiful handwriting says.  You must use the same bells for all the exercises in the complex, UNLESS you have 8kg's.  If you do the Renegade Rows you must use at least 12kg's, then you can quickly switch.  Follow the rep scheme as you and your partner pace each other.  It's only 12 reps all together when you are done with everything. 

Part D.  I took my class through a fun circuit with Ropes, TRX core work, and some other explosive body weight drills TABATA style.  It was an advanced group so we definitely did more than I'd recommend the general fitness population to do.  

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!  Stay tuned for more workouts that I'll be sharing.  We have many more as well and will continue to post. You can view them up on the tab above that says Free Kettlebell Workouts. 

Ladder Fun (Kettlebell Workout)

Here is a workout we did at On The Edge Fitness the other day.  It's probably one of my favorite workouts so far.  Warm up with light Turkish Get Ups or/and Joint Mobility

I posted this last month over at the On The Edge Fitness Facebook page, but thought I'd make it easier to find and put it on under the kettlebell workouts label of my blog.

Directions:

A. Begin by doing 8 reps for each exercise in this section. Then do a hip flexor stretch and begin back at 7 reps, until you make it down to 1.  If you are just starting begin at 5 or 6 reps.   Pace yourself and take breaks as needed.  It's not a race.

B. Go through each exercise for this section and perform 5-6 reps each.  Rest and repeat for 3 rounds.  Make sure you are challenging yourself since the reps are low.

C. Cool down on your own

D.   ENJOY and let me know how you do!

We've Been Nominated For An Award!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I (and Sandbag Fitness) have been nominated for Best Kept Secret in this years WEGO Health Activist Awards!

I certainly don't run this blog for the promise of awards but it's great to know that people appreciate some of the effort that goes in. If you think that more people should know about Sandbag Fitness then I'd love it if you could cast a vote too:

Many thanks.

Matt

Train hard!

The Last 5 - 10 Pounds

 This article is written just for people struggling with losing the last five to ten pounds.  To view it where it's published and has a nice size font go to the F3 Nutrition article page here or click on the photo.

Todays Workout - Sandbag Strength

5 Heavy Sandbag Bear Hug Squats
Max Sandbag Overhead Press

Rest for 2 - 4 minutes and repeat for a total of 5 rounds.

5 Heavy Sandbag Shoulder Get Ups
Max Pull Ups

Rest for 2 - 4 minutes and repeat for a total of 5 rounds.

Aim for the heaviest sandbag you can handle for the required reps.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Gettin' It Done

20 Sandbag Cleans
20 Sandbag Thrusters
20 Sandbag Shoulders

Repeat for a total of 5 rounds.

Men aim for a 50kg sandbag; women aim for 25kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!