Renegade

I want to take the time here to dedicate a little post to my students.  To my pupils.  To my warriors.  The group of people that I have been tutoring just over 2 months now in Kettlebell Training has advanced so far and so well that I have created an Advanced Kettlebell Class at the gym and I now have a seperate time to train others that are not on their level just yet.

I have students right now that want me to train them to compete within the next 2 years in kettlebell lifting.  I have students that have given up their time spent on the treadmills and elipticals and have dedicated that time to training with kettlebells.  I have students that left the first class feeling destroyed physically and mentally…and came back the next week desiring more.  THAT is the real reason to teach…to coach…to want to be involved.

If you are not a trainer/teacher/coach/lover of what you do….then you will not understand this last little piece to this post, but it is truly the most important.  The feeling that you get when one of your people “get’s it”…is easily one of the most rewarding feelings you can get in this industry.  My “Team KB” has made me proud to be a trainer/a teacher/a mentor/and a friend.

It’s amazing how you feel….when THEY feel it. For any trainers/coaches that read this article, you’ll be able to understand what I mean right off the bat. Since my Kettlebell classes in Northeast PA have begun to really take off, I have noticed such a drastic and intense change in my pupils that it’s undeniable. I even have some female clients that have begun training kettlebell specific most of the time and want me to prepare them to compete within the next 1.5 years!!

The reason for my writing this, and for you reading…is simply to share the joy that passes through me when I know that my clients are happy, healthy, and have reached a new pinnacle in their training. The fact that I helped them get there and that they are screaming and pleading for more even after they feel they’re going to vomit…Now that is a TRUE “priceless” commercial right there.

As promised, here is my article on the see-saw press. Great trunk exercise that I’ll be incorporating into my own regime again. To do this exercise, you need two kettlebells. Hoist/clean them to shoulder level. We’ll start with the right side to make it easier to describe. Press the kettlebell up as you tilt to the left. Make sure you do not move forward or back but to the left side. As you lower the right kettlebell back to its original position, begin to raise the left kettlebell and tilt to your right side. Make sure to use a manageable weight when starting this exercise. Do this exercise after your focus lifts for 4 sets of 6 reps a piece. Fairly simple and basic exercise to do that will pay dividends in your development. Next time, we will cover the bent press, one of my all time favorite lifts that the old time strongmen used to do as well. Until next time.

I was contacted by a major pharma company here in Cambridge to replace their former yoga instructor. Seems like he turned too “moon-ey” and lost touch with the engineers and scientists of the company. I’ve heard this happening before, somehow yoga instructors think they need to educate their classes on “enlightenment” and “spirituality”. I had different ideas on how to conduct a fitness class when I went in for my interview.

I quickly explained that I did not offer incense and candles or enlightenment, but I did know how to deliver results that would get these folks to think twice about what being fit really means. This resonated very strongly, and I was even able to propose a separate boot camp class for employees. Renegade Training gives trainers a vast array of options, and results are proven! I’m looking forward to growing this into other corporate classes, so stay tuned!

Getting fit requires dedication, discipline and hard work. It is not going to happen overnight and will not happen without exercise and the proper caloric consumption of healthy foods. The more active an individual is and the better one eats, intake of little or no sugars, sodium, manufactured foods, etc., the sooner results will occur. What many individuals fail to understand is consumption of unhealthy foods will only thwart exercise efforts as eating is a huge percentage of the equation when attempting to lose body fat and weight. Hidden sugars, fats, sodium and alcoholic drinks can easily add several pounds to one’s figure even when exercising.

I recommend to clients, whose goals are body fat and weight loss, to consume proper foods and exercise regularly in order to witness results. Obtaining results will aid in continued motivation while an overall feeling of increased energy and vitality will do the same.

We are a society used to immediate gratification. If we do not get immediate results we become frustrated and quickly lose sight of long term goals. However, becoming fit and healthy will take time. Health and wellness is a lifelong journey.

Don’t become frustrated if goals are not immediate, instead be proud you’ve began the journey to health. For continued motivation contact Jennifer Calderone at jcfitnessfirst@gmail.com.

Hordon Health

Protein

I get asked many times over and over the questions, what type of food is a protein and what is better organic vs. non-organic.  Many people make eating too complicated, when it is very easy.

My simple response to the question, what type of food is a protein, would be anything that has eyes provides a high quality protein.  These eyes proteins consist of beef, pork, fish(any kind), chicken, turkey, eggs, and milk.  Another great source of protein can come from plants.  These protein items consist of nuts and beans.  Eating a variety of protein from the eyes and plants is a great way to have balance.

As far as organic vs. non-organic, organic is the best if it is truly organic, but there is nothing wrong with non-organic foods.  People are finding that the restriction on organic foods are not closely monitored and that there are no nutritional differences between the two.  You can not go wrong eating organic or n0n-organic.

Lastly, do not make eating complex.  At every meal have a fist full of protein from the eye or plant source.  Remember KISS (Keep It Stupid Simple).  See my next post on how much protein to eat.

Ronald Lelko

Power 101

Over the years I have met some great mountain bikers in the state of Connecticut.  After the rides, many if not all of these fellow bikers ask me how I got so explosive on the bike.  They are amazed at my acceleration in flats, powering through technical sections and the power at which I climb.  My return question to them, “What kind of strength program do they perform?”  Many of the bikers did not work out with weights or the ones that did were performing the wrong exercises or protocol.

When taking a look at riding a bike you are pushing and pulling with each and every pedal stroke.  You are also perform this pushing and pulling with one leg doing the pushing while the other leg is doing the pulling.  With that being said, within your training program you should have a steady diet of single leg movements.

Check back for part 2, where I will show you how to do lunges for pedal power and destroy your competition.

The Beast

Ronald Lelko

Clients, athletes, society and nutrition experts make eating right to complex. KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid!  I try to convey this message to all of my clients and athletes.  Eating right is very simple!

The first thing you have to do is take all of the processed foods out of your diet.  A good rule of thumb to live by is anything that can be stored longer then a week or more without going bad can be considered a processed food.  When doing your grocery shopping stick to the outside of the food store, all of the processed foods are in the inside aisles.

Next time you go food shopping take a closer look at all of the food items on the outside of the store.  Many, if not all, of these foods are from the earth and will go bad after a week. Because of the short shelf life of these foods you should go grocery shopping one or more times per week.  These natural foods are the ones that you should be eating and come from an organic source if possible.

Look for Eating 101 part 2: Protein.

Ronald Lelko

Linear vs. Agility

In a recent interview I was asked, “what is important for a Wide Receiver, straight linear speed or agility?”  Many players and coaches are stuck on forty times (linear speed) and feel this is the most important factor to being good wide receiver.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  If you take a look at the game of football it is not played in lanes, rather it is played with players accelerating, decelerating, and changing direction (agility) as fast as possible.  With that being stated, is vital that wide receivers work on their agility, their ability to accelerate and decelerate coming in and out of their break points.

After performing the same exercises for a period of time the body adapts and the exercises become easy making them less effective. It is pertinent at this point to change the exercises in some way by increasing the weight or by doing different exercises. I witness this everyday as I see the same individuals performing the same machine based exercises or partaking in the same group classes and note they are not experiencing results. While I certainly don’t want to discourage individuals from exercising, in order to get results, exercise should be varied. Not only does this offer more benefit but a lot more fun.

Yet, teaching an old dog new tricks” has proven to be my greatest challenge as of late. It seems some individuals are content with the same routine because of the ease with which they can perform the exercises and the fact they don’t work up a sweat. They simply do not want to work hard or push themselves out of their comfort zone. Why even waste the time slowly grazing on the treadmill reading or putting only minimal effort into an exercise? If there are no physical obstacles holding one back then there is no reason why the effort put fourth is not 100%. Don’t settle for the same old routine, break free, and achieve results.

Contact jcfitnessfirst@gmail.com

Jennifer Calderone
Hordon Health
Nutfit @ Dedham Strength & Fitness