Eagle Scout Health Fair

The local Boy Scout troop invited me to set up a booth at their health fair this past weekend. It was held at a nearby church, not an overly big venue but I was happy to do it anyway. There were probably another 17-18 exhibitors ranging from massage therapy to martial arts. I decided to hold a kettlebell lifting contest and give away t-shirts, stickers and wristbands as prizes.

Besides one older gentlemen, the Scouts were the only ones to participate in the contest... and let me tell you, those kids cleaned me out! The rules were simple: press the kettlebell overhead as many times as possible and 50 reps won you a t-shirt. Everybody who tried got a sticker. They were allowed one hand switch and could push press or jerk the bell (no way I was going to try and explain the jerk to them though). I think most of the troop left with a Be-More Training shirt on. It was nice to see them excited about kettlebell lifting.

I put on a couple demonstrations as well. First I did a 150 rep jerk set with the 24kg... 75 reps per hand. After I had a while to catch my breath I showed them my "card trick" where I turn 1 deck of cards into 2. They were all pretty impressed with that. I also bent a couple nails and turned them on to the Captains of Crush grippers as well as a few other grip toys. The grip feats had the entire room surrounding my booth, exhibitors and attendees alike.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I would be shifting my training focus to something other than strongman competitions, well that's what I was referring to, is the performing side of strongman.

Showcasing my talents for those kids reminded me just how fun it is putting on strength shows. It's a different environment than when you are competing. When doing a strongman show, you are an entertainer, a performer. The opportunity to inspire people is much greater in this arena. You are not competing against anyone, not even really competing against yourself, you are just showing someone this cool thing you can do. Like a magic trick, only harder to do. :)


So that's what my training has been looking like lately. I'm back into grip training with a purpose (other than the obvious, stronger hands)!

Anyway, I hit a quick grip workout this morning and this is what it looked like...

Inch Dumbbell attempts - this consists of many failed attempts, some 2 hand pick ups released and held with one hand, and several holds with 1 finger on the bell to stop the rotation

Pony thumb trainer - 2 sets of as many reps as possible with each hand (note to self: left hand is considerably stronger on this exercise)

Grippers - 2 sets of 5 with a filed #2

Grade 5 bolt attempt - I've bent one of these before, a long time ago, but it was not to be today. I gave it all I had, off and on for a good 10 minutes. All I can say is that I got some good wrist isometrics from it.

One more set of Pony thumb trainer immediately followed by Inch DB rows with straps. The rows are as much for back strength as they are for breaking the mental barrier of lifting the Inch with one hand. I believe actually seeing myself lift it, with straps or otherwise, will eventually help me lift it. (Incidentally, I had a dream that I lifted it just last night. Go figure.)

Formulator wrist curls, 15lbs x 11.5 reps (the .5 means a failed attempt)

Portable wrist roller - 60 seconds

Finger Extension

I've been tinkering with ways to train finger extension for about 8 years now. I've come up with several methods and even a few product ideas that I thought showed some potential.

Pictured to the right is a design I came up with in 2001. It's an idea I had in an effort to try to train finger extension. Try to look at the concept instead of my artistic capabilities. :)

Finger extension is all but forgotten about when it comes to training the hands. Think about everything we do in daily life that involves gripping, squeezing, holding, carrying, etc. - all finger flexion movements. Never do we have to open our hand against resistance.

Muscular balance is important in all parts of the body and the hands are no different. Finger extension is often the missing link even in serious grip training. Your grip can only be so strong if your extension is weak. Opposing muscle groups are often the limiting factor in any lift. Few people realize this or take it seriously.

There is the old method of opening and closing your hand inside a bucket of sand, or opening your hand on the inside of a jar. Company's like Iron Mind have developed products like the Outer Loops™ and Expand-Your-Hand Bands™ to assist in your finger extension efforts. Then of course, there is good old manual resistance - finger tip to finger tip.

I just recently learned of this device (or "grip toy" as I call them) where you can train finger extension and finger flexion with the same piece of equipment without any kind of adjustment whatsoever. It's called the Handmaster Plus™

This is a great invention! I thought that this was the best thing since sliced bread and hand grippers. I thought so highly of this product that it basically put my idea of producing something similar out of my head. Somebody had thought of a better design and put it on the market already!

But let me back up and say that I haven't actually used this product yet. I've been meaning to order one but I just haven't gotten around to it. The funny thing is, I probably won't now that I've stumbled onto something better.

Like almost everything else in the fitness industry, there is usually a very simple exercise that beats out all of the gimmicks and fancy equipment. There is usually one basic exercise, performed with one basic piece of equipment, that will develop a muscle or a movement better than anything else. I found that exercise and that piece of equipment...

Thera-Band® Exercise Bands













Like I said - simple equipment for a basic exercise. You can get a piece of Thera-Band from any physical therapist's office. All you need is about 24". Just wrap it around your fist and extend your fingers against it. For more resistance, pull the band tighter. You can also change the angle in which you hold the band to focus on a specific position of the hand/fingers. Use it for wrist extension (an equally important and perhaps just as neglected movement of the lower arm), dynamic thumb exercises and even finger abduction (spreading of the fingers). The possibilities are as vast as your imagination!













I like to train these movements with the Thera-Band with high reps - 20 or more. That's entirely personal perference though. You can pull the band so tight that you can barely eek out a 1RM if you want. Though I have found that the hands respond better to high repetitions. Call it targeting the slow twitch fibers, muscle pump or whatever you like, it just seems you get a better workout.













I'm not staking claim to be the first one who ever thought of using a Thera-Band to do these exercises, it just kinda dawned on me one day and I figured I would write about it. If you know of any other unique exercises performed with a Thera-Band, please post them up. I'd also be interested in hearing how you train finger extension and other rare hand/finger movements.

Kettlebell Training & Technique

I just got back from Juniata and what a great clinic this year was! I can't say enough about coach Smith or the event he puts on. We had some awesome presentations and some very exciting hands-on sessions. Job well done to all of the speakers!

My presentation was everything I had hoped it would be. I was scheduled for Friday morning at 10am in the large lecture hall. The large hall has about 6 times the seating capacity as the upstairs hall, which I was assigned to last year. I was hoping to get the large hall this time because I wanted as many people in attendance as possible. I got my wish. I would estimate that there were nearly 100 people in the audience - the largest group I've ever spoken to for an hour or more, and by far the most pleasurable speaking engagement I've had as well. I've never felt more comfortable in front of such a large group.

As I mentioned before, my presentation was titled "Kettlebell Training & Technique". I am in a rather unique position being that I am certified as both an American Kettlebell Club coach and a Russian Kettlebell instructor. These two organizations have conflicting philosophies when it comes to kettlebell training. Unfortunately, this has created a division in a very small community of people who are passionate about kettlebell training. This division is not without it's trash talk either. You have people on both sides of the fence who poo-poo the other organization/style. This is stupid. Not only is it short sighted to say there is only one way to lift a kettlebell but badmouthing of any kind does nothing good for your image or the organization you represent. I would suggest these overzealous few (and it is only a few) spend more time on the lifting platform and less time on the internet. What's interesting is that I've never heard a derogatory statement come out of either of Pavel or Valery. Take another lesson from your coach, fellas.

I stay out of it. And I tried to make my presentation as unbiased as possible, offering only the facts of each style of training. I gave credit where credit was due and the only opinions I presented were how to best implement kettlebells into a comprehensive training program. We must not forget, the kettlebell is only one tool in our proverbial toolbox. You use different tools for different jobs. But I digress...

My presentation was very well received and I think I struck the right balance with the whole style debate. I spoke to both RKC and AKC instructors that were in attendance and they were all very supportive of my lecture. In fact, I got a lot of compliments from everyone I spoke with afterwards.

The hands-on session went well too. A rain storm rolled through just long enough to inconvenience us and put us under a tent but that didn't stop everyone from practicing their clean & jerks or hitting the 100 rep swing test. It was a good time and I got some good training in between my demonstrations, the Diesel Crew's strongman session and Mike Rankin (of Drexel University) session on clubbell training.

Of course, when you put a bunch of strength coaches, trainers and athletes together it is never a dull night. It wasn't 2 hours later before we were back at the dorm rooms drinking beer, tearing decks of cards and swinging kettlebells. Partying with such people is worth the 3.5 hour trip to Huntingdon, PA itself. It's nice to sit in the lecture hall with a pen & pad taking notes but it's another thing to sit at the bar and pick the brain of the coach next to you.

Unfortunately I couldn't stick around for Saturday's presentations and I headed home early. Whenever I pass through York, PA I try to make it a point to stop by York Barbell and the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame. The museum is worth a look if you have never been. You might just stumble into the IPA World Powerlifting Championships like I did. I stopped in to watch a few of the lifters but the real treat was getting to talk with some of the guys working the event. I learned a couple grip exercises, got a lesson in Meridian Stretching, played with some more clubbells and talked some Iron Game history. The visit to York was the perfect way to top off the weekend!

Actually, I take that back... coming home and having my daughter smile at me was the perfect way to top off the weekend.

If anyone would like a copy of the presentation, I have decided to offer it for $9.99. It is a fair price considering the people in attendance had to pay for the clinic. I have put some work in this presentation and it is worth it. Email me at bemoretraining@gmail.com if interested.

Pennsylvania State Strength & Conditioning Clinic

I'm giving a presentation at Juniata college this weekend for the PA State strength & conditioning clinic. I haven't had much time to blog because I work best under pressure, which is another way of saying I waited until the last minute to put together my slide show. Needless to say, that's kept me occupied for the last couple weeks. :)

The title of my presentation is "Kettlebell Training & Technique". I'm also doing a hands-on session under the same title later that afternoon. Obviously, training & technique are going to be a large portion of the lecture but being that most in attendance will probably be collegiate level strength coaches, there will be a need to discuss program design & implementation.

Coach Doug Smith puts on one of the best clinics I've ever been to. Two full days of well organized, quality presentations, and both presenters and those in attendance are treated very well. Cost of admission includes 5 meals, 2 nights room & board and 2.0 CEU's. There's usually a care package that includes vitamin supplements, annual clinic t-shirts and a sweet notebook. You can't beat that!

In other news: I got a glimpse of the new http://www.bemoretraining.com/ website and it's looking better than I could have ever imagined! I'm excited. The release date is scheduled for July 9th... stay tuned!

Maryland Strongest Man 2008

This year was a hot one! 97 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. By noon there were few places to hide from the sun... but hey, it's a strongman contest, what do you expect?!

I just happened to reread a contest write up I did a few years ago. I'm going to spare the specific event drama and just say it was another insanely heavy contest put on by Graham Bartholomew. 820lb yoke walk, 330 an arm farmers walk and 750+lb tire flip to name a few. Yeah. Heavy. A typical Maryland show.

However, this year was special as I was to present an award to Graham and his wife Lorraine for all the hard work they do putting on these shows. It's not just the contests but the after-parties, the training sessions, the coaching (Graham is the closest thing I've ever seen to a "strongman coach"), the friendship and for never being allowed to leave without a gatorade and something to eat. We wanted to recognize Graham and Lorraine for the good peoples that they are. A single email generated over $200 of immediate response and the donation request was only for $10 or $20 to a handful of people. People either caught wind of it or those that received the email felt compelled to forward to others. We got so much more than we asked for, we upgraded the awards (shown below) and bought $100 worth of gift card.



We embarrassed him good and plenty :)~ If anyone has pictures of the actual "awards ceremony" please forward them to me.

As for the actual contest, I felt good going into it. I hadn't been training for it (more on that later) but I was where I needed to be mentally and physically. I weighed in lighter than normal at 245lb and put up a consistent performance with the last two contests I did (the Mid Atlantic in March and last years Maryland) so I was happy with the results. I placed 4th to three guys that were/are legitimately stronger than me. Simple as that.

As for my training, I think I have to come to terms with that I'm not as interested in competitive strongman as I once was. Don't get me wrong, it's still a lot of fun and I'll probably still do contests here and there but its hard to make time to train events. Event days involve going to someones house (often times Graham's or Camp Hill, PA - both an hour or more away) and spending several hours with a crew training events... it's great, but when it comes down to playing with the boys or playing with a baby girl who calls me "daddy", the little one is going to get more of my attention. (she hasn't actually said "daddy" yet, it's more like "bob-bob").

The other thing is, I've kinda got my eyes set on a different prize when it comes to my training. But that's another story for another day.

No Go on the Pros

I spoke with coach Rogucki on Monday, he has all the help he needs for now. It's time to make more moves as far as the immediate future of Be-More Training is concerned.

On the agenda next week is house hunting. I'm thinking a small studio store front or a slightly larger warehouse with plenty of room for lifting. It doesn't have to be pretty, just convenient and open.

It also looks as if I have found my new web designer.

Go Studio or Go Pro?

I was this close to signing a 3 year lease on a place for my gym when the Baltimore Raven's released Brian Billick. Fortunately, some unfortunate circumstances took place before I put my name to the dotted line which caused me to rethink the direction of my business. At this point in my life, I think a studio, with appointment only clientèle is the best thing for me right now.

Back to the Raven's...

I sent my resume to coach Bob Rogucki when he took over the strength & conditioning program for the team couple months ago. A couple weeks went by and I didn't hear back from him and it wasn't until I saw this Baltimore Raven's using kettlebells that I decided to make a follow up call.

Coach Rogucki, who has been a coach in the NFL for almost as long as I have been alive, said that he received my resume he only wished he had gotten it sooner, he already had 2 guys working under him. He told me he'd like to sit down and talk with me but there really wasn't any point at this time as he had no positions available. He told me to call him back in June though because he might have something then.

So, that's what I'm waiting for. If the pro ranks call, I have to take the opportunity. If not, then I'll proceed with my plans for a studio.