When I was searching for this week's collection I had to double check to see if the RKC had taken over the fitness world.  I don't think I have seen this many kettlebell articles out at one time since Pavel swam the pond to bring over the first 32k... 

...chained to his waist,

...blindfolded,

...covered in bait chum to attract sharks.

Yes, that Pavel!

I bet you can't predict the theme of the week. 

Wrong!

Lateral Hip Shifts 🙂

Hot Off The Press

Kettlebells Explained - A Guide To The Most Versatile Movements - Ken Whetham  (Elite FTS)

If you are still looking for an article on hip shifts, scroll down :).  It's there!

Kettlebells are making a comeback right here on Fit Friday.  They lost their luster for a bit in the fitness community but we are bringing them back. 

The kettlebell, I believe, is a must have in my gym.  Certain exercises (ie: swings, bottoms up, etc...) are just performed better with bells.    

This is a good primer video on some of the kettlebell basics.  The article does a great job distilling the info with bullet points, pictures, and video.  Perfect for my ADD brain.  

New to the game or seasoned vet I bet you find a cue or two you can start implementing on Monday.  

2KB Front Squat - A Simple Exercise That Is Anything But - Tony Gentilcore

​Need a little break from heavy lifting but still want a great training effect?

Need to challenge your large group trainees but don't have that many freakin' barbells?  

Enter the 2KB Front Squat.  

Straight from Tony: "It’s un-paralleled with how it helps people learn to appreciate FULL-body tension!"

The 2KB Front Squat can be a humbling experience. 

Drop it like a squat!

Why You Should Consider Adding Kettlebell Carries To Your Training - Dorian Vermeir (StrongFirst)

Do your client's ever carry anything in life or are they like mine and always take the moving sidewalk at the airport?  

I mean, let's be real, moving sidewalk. COME ON! How lazy is our society getting?  The airport should flip 'em around and make it a resisted sidewalk, now that would be cool.  Or, at least require people to sprint so they could get some overspeed training.  

But carries are awesome too and are a mainstay in the programming at my gym.  Dorian is super thorough in this article and gives us a ton of different ways to do carry a heavy object. Check it out!

4 Steps to Coaching a Better and Safer Kettlebell Swing - Andrew Read (PTDC)

This article is all about swinging.  Not that kind of swinging!  Get your mind out of the gutter.  This is FIT Friday not the other F.  

The swing from an outsiders perspective looks scary.  And, when most people do it without any proper coaching it IS scary.  I can almost hear your spine crying.   Stu McGill is covering his face in shame at your swing right now.   

When prescribed to the right person, progressed correctly, and performed correctly the swing is a phenomenal exercise. 

In addition to this great article, which has videos by the way, I did a little digging on the swing.  What I wanted to find was some research on forces on the spine during the swing.

Check out the research abstract HERE. 

And don't forget the article too!

Lateral Hip Shift During Squats: Whats Going On And What To Do About It - Dean Somerset

I assessed a 17 year old athlete the other day that had a strong right hip shift. Then after the assessment I started compiling articles for Fit Friday and BAM Dean writes an article just for me.  It's meant to be I guess.  

This might rock your world a bit if you are in the everything needs to be symmetrical camp.  As always, Dean does a great job explaining slowly and thoroughly for us mere mortals.  

Definitely a must read!

Fit Pro Unusual but Essential Tool 

The mighty PVC Pipe

Uses:
Teach Neutral Spine
Teach Hip Hinge (3 points of contact - head, upper back, tailbone)
Teach Bird Dog & Plank (3 points of contact)
Shoulder Mobilizer - Pec Mobilizations (I would switch his feet to account for the anterior spiral line of fascia)  and Dislocations
Teach OH Squat
Make your soft tissue cry with a sadistic homemade roller (goodbye foam roller, hello 3-6 inch pipe)
or try this DIY version

Pick it up at your local hardware store or maybe your cousin is a plumber like mine and you can just grab some of his scraps.  Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed another edition! Fitness love you, see you next week!

-Trevor

Brought to you by the dudes behind Coach Catalyst, a coach's dream software.