Strength Through Females Eyes and 6 Week Strength Program

I had the honor of writing for Pavel Tsastouline's StrongFirst blog about what it takes to be a strong female.  How strong does a woman need to be to be considered "strong"?   Click on the image below and it will take you directly to the article.   "Masters" women which we refer to ages 50 and older, I will be providing some strength baselines in the comments. I really enjoyed writing this.  Hope you enjoy it! 

Continue reading here



p.s. For ongoing strength and conditioning classes and programs you can access any where  in the world visit Lauren's Playground

Todays Workout - What A Drag

Find yourself a hill and set out a course of approximately 20m. Perform 10 Sandbag Thrusters at the bottom of the hill, drag your sandbag to the top of the hill anyway that you can and perform 10 Sandbag Cleans at the top.

Aim to complete as many rounds as you can in 15 minutes.

Men should aim for a 40kg sandbag; women aim for 20kg.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Sandbag Centurion

A simple sandbag endurance session today - so you'll want a moderately heavy bag.

100 Sandbag Cleans
100 Sandbag Push Press
100 Sandbag Back Squats

Complete in any order you choose, as fast as you can.

Men aim for a 30kg sandbag; women aim for 15kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Sandbag Workshop Hits The UK!

Did you hear the good news? I'm running a Sandbag Training Masterclass in the new year! This one is based in the UK but I hope to add a few more during 2013 - principally in the US, Australia and Asia. If you have any suggestions for venues and/or locations then I'd love to hear them (contact me). 

Anyone who attends will be sure to learn lots, get some expert tuition, work hard and have fun! And you'll also be automatically inducted into the Sandbag Fitness Hall Of Awesomeness.

Full details here

Red Lentil Vegetable Soup (Stew)

This warming comfort soup is very simple to make.  This red lentil with roasted red pepper soup was inspired by my talented friend Allison.  It does take time, since the lentils and veggies need to simmer and need to be stirred.  I make this at night after my kids are in bed while talking to a friend or listening to music.  You can really get a lot done while making this soup.  Make it on an evening where you can hang around the kitchen.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Red Lentils (Washed and separated)

1 Zucchini Chopped

4-5 Carrots Chopped

3-4 Garlic Cloves Chopped

Chopped Green Onions 1-2

4 Cups Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

2-3 Cups Organic Low Sodium Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 tsp of Turmeric

Himalayan Pink Salt to taste

Add Cilantro to taste

Directions:

Heat up deep pan or pot on medium with 1 Tbs of Olive Oil.  Stir the soaked Red Lentils in olive oil and quickly add the Vegetable Broth and cover.  Take it to a boil stirring frequently so the lentils don't burn.  Once it boils take it down to a simmer.  Simmer for about 20-30 minutes.  Lentils should be soft.

Next add all the chopped vegetables and bring up the temperature while stirring for a few minutes.  Return to a simmer and cover. Add the spices after half hour of simmering.  I enjoy my veggies very soft.  Now it's time to add 2-3 cups of the Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup.  If you love the taste go ahead and add the whole thing. Stir well!  One of these days I'll make a fresh base.  If you want to make your own Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, then more power to you!  

Let it simmer for another hour if you like it super soft and stir it and check on it periodically. 

Garnish with cilantro and season to taste

EASIER WAY (no veggie version)

Hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!  

Must Have Training Kit For 2013

Do You Have Any Fitness Goals For 2013?

"Fail to plan and you plan to fail"

Sensible words for anyone who is trying to improve their health and fitness for the long term. While I'm always keen to say that the real key is to work smart, hard and consistently - a few purchases here and there can really help. In this newsletter I've written my list of essential Sandbag Fitness training kit to make sure that you smash any and all goals that you have for the forthcoming year!

Train hard!

Matt

Number 1 on the Sandbag Fitness kit list has to be The Complete Guide To Sandbag Training - 188 pages of straightforward sandbag training info, exercise descriptions with images and over half a year of programmes!

Now available in Paperback, eBook (pdf and ePub) and Kindle. And you can currently get the Paperback for 50% off until the 21st December!

Click here to get the Paperback

Click here to get the eBook

Click here to get the Kindle version

If you're still following the sandbag workouts with a homemade sandbag then it might be time to upgrade to one of Brute Force Sandbags excellent products. The Heavy Hitter is my personal favourite:

• It loads to 90kg/200lbs
• It's just the right shape for load carries and bear hugs
• It is handleless so it really develops your grip
• It's practically indestructible

Click here to check out the Heavy Hitter

If you're serious about tracking your progress (you should be) and you want a great timer that will easily cope with all of the workout options at Sandbag Fitness then you need a Gymboss. Affordable and portable, this is simply the best timer out there.

Click here to check out Gymboss timers

Do you need some additional coaching?

Training for a particular goal or event?

I offer coaching services for those who have serious goals or those that need to get the very best results in a shorter period of time. If you can't train with me in person then I also offer Exercise Video Analysis and Online Coaching - both highly effective options.

Click here to get Online Coaching

Click here for Exercise Video Analysis

Click here to book Personal Training Sessions with me

Interested in MMA or other combat/contact sports?

Sandbag Training For MMA & Combat Sports is my 194 page guide to get the very best from sandbag training to improve your strength, speed, power, endurance and agility. It explains, in detail, how to perform over 60 sandbag exercises and includes a full range of training programmes to get you in fighting shape.


Click here to get your copy

My Gift To You

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

I started Sandbag Fitness back in 2010 as a way of documenting my training and helping others to improve their heath and fitness. Nothing has changed and I still do it for the reward that comes from seeing others achieve their goals.

You can email me anytime you want with questions, feedback or even just to say hi. I personally answer all emails. Say hi to Matt

Check out a range of free articles here

Get involved in the conversation on Facebook


I hope you have a great holiday, wherever you are and whatever you're doing. 

Matt

Train Like A Man, But EAT Like A WOMAN!

Update: Since writing this article I've had an influx of emails from women confessing to me their struggles relating to these females highlighted in this article.   I took a chance writing this article and have definitely received some rebuttals with no scientific backup.  Dr. Berardi, from Precision Nutrition, has shared this article on his main Facebook page for the females considering some sort of fasting approach to health to give it a second thought.  He's worked with over 10,000 women and has had lots of success and continues to experiment on himself and keeps diligent records of what works and what generally does not work.  To have someone of his caliber along with Dr. Krista  Here is a study he found backing this article up.  New study he found here plus a 60 minute lecture he just did on Intermittent Fasting  here.

Sharing the untold stories of Intermittent Fasting (IF) and other dietary fads. This article is exclusively written for Breaking Muscle. It was an honor to write this and hopefully help women all over the world.  Special thanks to all the wonderful females that helped make this possible for me to write.  

Ladies, we have made some amazing strides in a short amount of time. We�ve moved from pink weights to swinging kettlebells almost as heavy or heavier than we are. Women of all types and ages have taken the leap from weak to strong. Congratulations ladies, we did it! We are still doing it! 

Lauren Brooks

More women are embracing strength as a necessary part of their training. We are clearly not afraid to be strong. The movement of females lifting heavier, while still keeping their feminity, realizing they can feel better without looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger is spreading like wildfire. It was uncommon years ago to see females, much less new moms, swinging around heavy weights or doing pull-ups while smiling at their new baby. It has been an honor to be an integral part of the female movement towards kettlebells, which opened the flood gates to strength and the mastering of pull-ups, dead lifts, and so much more. But have we taken it too far? We train like men and pound for pound some of us are even stronger than men. The question is: are we supposed to eat like men too? 

Ladies... CONTINUE READING HERE