On the Road 
Anthony shares a home cooked meal
Traveling training
Anthony's 15 minute hotel drill
Strength in Motion
Questions answered

 I’ve been doing a lot of traveling these past 2 weeks so I’m sending this in from the road.  We were guests at the most recent NFBA event in Connecticut and followed that up quickly with the opening of our 10th gym, Punch Kettlebell Gym Farhills (New Jersey) and now I’m sitting here in Nashville Tennessee, the guest of The Tennessee Titans.  As you know they’ve been followers of Art of Strength for some time now and fly me out there every chance they get to put their athletes through some of the Art of Strength workouts.  Many of you I’m sure have heard that the Tennessee Titans are still undefeated and they’ve asked me to join them for their Monday Night game against the Indianapolis Colts as a special guest on the sidelines.  It’s a huge honor for me to even get the chance at training them and I must say I’m completely flattered and humbled to be invited on the sidelines to watch the game.  Recently “NFL Total Access” ran a story on the Titans’ success and attributed their good fortune this season to the newly implemented kettlebell training regimen they added this year.  Again – I’m very honored and humbled to be a part of all this.  As fun and excited as all this traveling can be I can’t help but think of home and everything I am missing.  My sister Staci has promised me my favorite soup, Escarole and Bean, on my return.  I got to thinking about how warm and inviting a nice home cooked meal could be so I thought I’d include the recipe for this soup.  With a nice piece of fresh homemade bread (still warm from the oven) this soup is a must have on any autumn or winter’s day.  Perhaps it will become a favorite for all of you as well…maybe it will welcome you home from a long trip like will me.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 pound escarole, chopped
• Salt
• 4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (1-ounce) piece Parmesan
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the escarole and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Add the chicken broth, beans, and Parmesan cheese. Cover and simmer until the beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the soup into 6 bowls. Drizzle 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil over each.

As I mentioned before I’ve been on the road for much of October which has left me with little if any time to train - at least under optimal conditions.  I’ve been spoiled for a while, having complete access to my gym whenever I want or need it.  Save a few days out of the month while traveling with perform better or heading out to a pro team I’m usually able to take advantage of that luxury.  But with the recent boom in kettlebell popularity as well as the expansion of Punch Kettlebell Gym I find myself sitting in more and more airplanes living out of even more hotel rooms with less and less brakes in between.  With so little time to myself I’ve devised a workout perfect for me and I’m certain perfect for any weary traveler.  As you probably guessed I never travel without my bulldog kettlebell, so much of this workout will require a kettlebell though you could adapt it to a dumbbell that you’d find at most hotel fitness rooms.  So here it my traveling special:
Warm up - Turkish Get-ups (1-minute each side)
I love the Turkish get-up as a warm, I can think of few routines that put your body through every plain of motion in such a short time.  I almost always warm up with a Turkish Get-up and find that many people overlook this exercise because they find it too difficult or simply don’t find the benefit of performing it.  And nothing gets my body moving and stretched out after long flights and unfamiliar hotel beds quite like the Turkish Get-up
2 handed Swings (1 minute)
1 handed Swings (30 seconds each side)
Hand-2-Hand Swings (1 minute)
I love swings for their simplicity in execution yet complexity in deliverance and payoff.  The two handed swing is one of the most beneficial exercises you can do.  If I don’t do a TGu for a warm-up I will most certainly rely on the swing to get me started.  Hitting your hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors, the swing’s benefits are felt far beyond the core.  I dare anyone to do a minute of swings and not feel it in their lungs.  In a hotel type scenario it’s a great way to get metabolic without having to rely on the hotel training room.
Dead Cleans (1 minute each side)
Dead cleans are great for getting deep into your hamstrings and glutes.  Starting with kettlebell behind your heals drive the bell up to the clean position.  At the top reverse and place it back down behind your heals, the farther back you place the bell the more hamstrings and glutes get recruited into the exercise. 
Long cycle clean and press (1 minute each side)
I add the this routine in there mostly for the aerobic effect.  Following the dead clean with a long cycle clean with little to no rest in-between spikes your heart rate considerable.  The press is there to open up my upper body, even though it’s a shoulder dominate exercise, when done properly you’ll not only stretch your shoulders but also your chest, lats and traps.  Something you’ll appreciate for the next exercise.
High Pulls (1 minute each side)
Next to swings and alternating cleans I think high-pulls are one of the most cardio intense routines we can do for ourselves.  Not as simple in execution as the swing yet not as difficult as the alternating clean this exercise which falls just short of the snatch in appearance yields a great benefit in overall body conditioning.  I do this exercise near the end of the workout because of its relative explosiveness and after long days of traveling or sleeping in unfamiliar beds the last thing I want to do is something as explosive as this without my body being properly warmed up.  Skipping this exercise to me isn’t an option as it’s benefits are just too great to overlook.
Windmills (1 minute each side)
I love the stretch I feel when I hit a real deep windmill, that is, getting really low so that I can palm the floor with my free hand.  I love holding that position and the feeling I get in my obliques and lats as they hold the load of the kettlebell – it’s very much a yoga like pose and I find myself deriving a cathartic like release from performing it.
Get up Sit ups (1 minute each side)  
The Get-up sit Up is done by lying on your back with a kettlebell raised above you (as if you just performed a chest press) now execute a sit-up this time concentrate on “punching” the kettlebell to the ceiling.  The finished position will have you seated upright with the kettlebell raised above you as if you’ve just performed a press.  This exercise can be done with two kettlebells at the same time or even a barbell (which is one of my favorite alternatives to the single kettlebell version).  For ease of traveling I usually only travel with one bulldog so I almost always perform this routine with the single kettlebell get-up sit-up alternating between my left and right hand (1 minute intervals)

As you can tell this routine is more about flexibility and metabolic training than it is strength conditioning.  For me staying flexible and open goes a long way to making traveling much more palatable and manageable.  I don’t care how young and fit you are, traveling week to week is enough to put knots in even the most conditioned athlete.  Which is why I love this routine, everything is designed to keep me, and you, open and flexible.  It’s a quick 15 minute routine that I will usually only do once a day in my hotel room, if I feel the need or have some extra time I’ll go through it a second time.  Varying the rest time between exercises will make it more or less metabolic, to gain the maximum amount from the workout and the time that it’s performed in I usually don’t allow myself a rest so it becomes almost 15 minutes of straight work.

here it is again without all the explanation:

Warm up - Turkish Get-ups (1-minute each side)
2 handed Swings (1 minute)
1 handed Swings (30 seconds each side)
Hand-2-Hand Swings (1 minute)
Dead Cleans (1 minute each side)
Long cycle clean and press (1 minute each side)
High Pulls (1 minute each side)
Windmills (1 minute each side)
Get up Sit ups (1 minute each side)  

With the recent release of Strength in Motion I’ve been fielding many emails on what point in one’s training should they start incorporating SIM into their workout.  Strength in Motion was meant to be a progression from the ETK workbook and the Providence DVD workouts.  For a long time I avoided creating a new workbook simply because I didn’t feel the time was right for a new training log as in-depth as the ETK workbook, but with the boom in popularity of kettlebells and the subsequent onslaught of kettlebell “instructors” and their “workouts” I found it not only necessary but imperative that I release another workbook base workout aimed at guiding someone through their entire base of training.  Let me add in that the SIM workout isn’t developed nor should it be implemented in a way that finds the user relying solely on it for their training.  It was developed in such a way that the user is required to take time away from it and utilize some of the other workouts that we’ve put together.  One that is perfect because of its near direct contrast is Resolution, this combination of routines is one that I recommend to all the SIM users that I talk to.  The process is simple, spend 3-4 weeks on SIM followed by 1-2 weeks on resolution.  As far as where SIM falls in your training regiment; it shouldn’t be tackled until you’ve at least gone through and feel comfortable with both ETK workbook and the Providence DVD.  As I said before SIM was always meant to be a progression from these two workouts.

 Anthony,
 Thank you so much for the kettlebell pendant.  I wear it with pride and when someone asks what that is on my neck I can tell them about kettlebells and the dvd!  I have now lost over 23 pounds, gone down 5 pants sizes,  and feel great!the great thing is I haven't dieted the entire time.  I owe it all to my kettlebell and your workout dvd!!!!!  I feel that I have my life back!
Every day more of my coworkers join us after work to work out to your dvd!!! It is great to see our numbers grow!!!
Thanks again!
Suzanne Prickett