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Adding Variety to Your Conditioning with Kettlebells

Kettlebell for conditioning Resistance bands, medicine balls, and balance balls are all tools most of us are familiar with for changing up your conditioning program.  Now you can add one more to the mix – Kettlebells. Kettlebells are best described as a weighted ball with a handle. They are unique in the sense that kettlebells engage multiple muscles at a time.

Mary Lee Tracy, coach of numerous National Team members and Olympic gymnasts Amanda Border, Jaycie Phelps and Morgan White, uses Kettlebells in the conditioning of her gymnasts. At the most recent USA Gymnastics Congress she demonstrated a variety of Kettlebell exercises and drills. In this GymSmarts Gymnastics Minute video, Mary Lee shows how her gymnasts use Kettlebell training to improve their standing salto techniques.

How do you get started with Kettlebells and using them to add variety to your own or your athletes’ training? Kettleworx offers a series of video workouts that will give you a good foundation to work with. Start with the 5 lb. Kettlebell – especially for your youth athletes – and build from there. The KettleWorx Essentials video series includes 3 20-minute workout DVDs – the Core, Cardio and Resistance workouts, plus the 10 Min. Fast Abs workouts and 10. Min. Fast Fat Burn Workouts. Each of the 20 minute videos contain 6 different workouts (meant to be used over 6 weeks) and the 10 min. fast burn workouts have 3 different workouts per DVD. The Fast Abs workout is my favorite (although I really like all of them).

The KettleWorx workouts are a great way to keep your athletes’ workouts varied, interesting and more fun.

Buy KettleWorx Kettlebells

October 18, 2009 3 Comments

Kickboxing – Fun and Fitness Combined

By Alyssa Dietris

kickboxing for cross training If you are looking for a power packed workout that works on cardio and toning at the same time, kickboxing may be for you. A study released by the ACE, American Council on Exercise, stated that kickboxing can burn anywhere from 350 to 450 calories in an hour. It has also been proven to relieve stress, and help build confidence. It also helps to improve balance, flexibility, endurance, and coordination.

One form of kickboxing that has recently become popular is Cardio Kickboxing. This is usually taught in a class. This type of kickboxing does not involve physical contact with others. It is a combination of controlled punches and kicks usually performed to upbeat music. Some of the popular moves used in these classes are; the side kick, the front kick, and the roundhouse kick. Most of these classes start with a 10-15 minute warm-up, followed by a 30 minute kickboxing session, and ending with a 5 minute cool down and 10 minutes of stretching.

Things to Remember

Know your fitness level. This class may be a little challenging for a beginner, so do not try to rush. When you are starting out, concentrate on learning to perform all of the moves properly. You may also need to work on building your endurance; these classes are power packed and require a lot of energy. Do not be afraid to stop for a moment if you feel the need.

Do not overdo it.

If you push yourself too far too fast, you may end up with an injury. Allow yourself to be a beginner until you feel comfortable enough to move up.

Dress comfortably.

Loose, comfortable clothes that allow your arms and legs to move, work best. You want to avoid being too constricted because you will be moving in all directions very quickly.

Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after class.

The great thing about kickboxing is that once you learn the moves, you can do them at home to your favorite music, and still have an amazing workout.

About the Author:
Alyssa is passionate about combining the aspects of sports and fitness into one. She feels that if you keep your workouts fresh and fun you will continue to work out. If you are looking for an intense home work out that has been used to train professional athletes she suggests trying out the Insanity Workout by Shaun T, or the P90X Workout

July 30, 2009 Leave a Comment

Kids Bowl Free This Summer

kids bowl free Summer vacation is right around the corner and participating bowling centers across the US are offering a special Kids Bowl Free promotion beginning this month. Through the KidsBowlFree program, kids can bowl 2 games free each every day this summer. They do have to pay for their shoe rental and grownups can join in the fun for a very nominal fee of less than $25 for the summer.

Our local bowling alley participated in the Spring Break version of this promotion. The kids each invited one friend and it made for a fun outing. It allowed the kids to be active, be social and even brought out the competitive spirit in a few of them.

Check the KidsBowlFree website for complete details and to find a participating Bowling Alley near you!

sports girls play

May 18, 2009 Leave a Comment

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