A special note to start off the Women’s Page this week.  All of us at Art of Strength and Punch Kettlebell Gym would like to Congratulate Katherine “Kat” Bellantoni for having competed in and winning back-to-back golf tournaments.  First up was the Sterling Farms Club Championships in Stamford, CT followed the next week by the Stamford Amateur Golf Championships. For those of you who’ve never met Kat, she’s the other side of Punch Kettlebell Gym Norwalk, managing everything from the day to day operations, marketing, client relations and just about anything else that goes into running a Punch Gym. In addition to all of that, as an AOS certified trainer, she’s even teaching her own classes. Congrats on a job well done Kat! 

 

 

 

“Cry in the dojo, laugh on the battlefield” - Samurai proverb.   

 

With hard practice, the contest, whatever it is, should be easier - but not always. I trained over and over for the strongman competition, and I was able to do every event to my satisfaction. Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready enough for the stress of the actual competition. The stress was a surprise. I wasn’t prepared for it, and it got the better of me.   

 

For example, I had trained repetitively with the log and felt comfortable and confident with it. It was to be my event. I could almost do it in my sleep. However, when my nerves hit in competition, I fumbled. Had I been doing something new that I hadn’t trained in, it would have been worse. Training has to do more than just developing one’s physical conditioning and muscle memory. We all have to prepare for stress, for real life.   

 

It’s been shown that performance under stress is directly related to heart rate. At a resting heart rate, an individual is not at his most alert or reactive. When the heart rate is increased and adrenaline is released, the individual then reacts more quickly and more sharply, at his peak. Athletes warm themselves up and try to excite themselves in order to increase performance. However, this surge cannot be sustained for long. Furthermore, if the heart rate continues to increase beyond a certain point, the ability to think and perform motor skills degrades, especially with unfamiliar things.(1)   

 

Therefore, to increase one’s capacity for stress, an expanding cardio capacity is essential, for which kettlebells are very effective. However, in addition, the goal of training is to lessen the loss of complex motor skills which comes with the ever increasing heart rate, the effect of stress. The idea is not just repetition and familiarity with a particular task. The more that one can make functional movements ingrained, the more one is prepared for life.   

 

I’ve been training young teenagers, and I’m amazed at how they don’t have to be taught the movements. They just do them naturally, innately. Adults, on the other hand, often lose their sense of movement and have to be retaught how to do things like squatting.   

 

AOS training can restore one’s ability to move easily and with control and balance. Continued training will only make such an ability more natural. This counters the degradation of motor skills under stress. In contrast, sitting in expensive gym machines won’t develop these skills. It’s artificial. Doing the inner and outer thigh machine won’t prepare one for anything, because the action is not natural or useful under stress.   

 

Functional control over one’s body determines how one carries oneself and how one reacts under stress. One can develop such control by working all the muscles in concert, using functional movements. With such training, control becomes habit. This is why, as clients become familiar with kettlebell training, they become converts to it. They can see that the movements are meaningful for them.   

 

In a breathing exercise to control stress, one inhales for four seconds, holds that breath for four seconds, and then exhales for four seconds. After pausing for four more seconds, the cycle is repeated at least three times. This immediately slows the heart rate and reduces the stress response. Mental activity and manual control will thus return.  

 

An advantage of AOS is that it uses movements from real life; developing these thus builds confidence for real life. That’s what I’ve learned from kettlebells and strongman - a lot more confidence from feeling stronger. This has an all-encompassing effect and includes the mental side of coping with stress.   

 

The mental aspects of training that prepare one for performance under stress are to be able to push oneself, to calm one’s nerves, and to believe in one’s possibilities. I didn’t have nearly enough of these at my competition. Instead, I was afraid to mess up in front of a crowd. My heart rate increased beyond an optimal performance level. I was fumbling, shaking, and unsure.   

 

My training had been effective, but I had not built up enough confidence. That confidence has to be the ultimate goal of any training. AOS is an ideal way to achieve it, because improvements are based upon something real and natural.   

 

The breathing exercise described above also is an excellent way to learn the needed control so that the heart rate doesn’t get out of hand.  I’ve been using this, and, mentally, I’ve been focusing on treating the next competition as just another training day.The trick is control.   

 

Kat exemplified this when she won two golf tournaments last week! For one thing, she used the breathing exercise.  She was able to focus on keeping her nerves steady, even as the second tournament was held in the rain.  Kat had the presence of mind to take a time-out when she needed it. She knew when to stop to think. In large part, she was able to do all this because of the mental control she has gained through strength training.  This was in addition to the power such training gave to her swing. The net result was a confidence that improved her performance under stress. That’s why after one particularly good shot she yelled out, “Yea, kettlebells!” for everyone to hear. Yea, Kat! 

 

Beyond any competition, AOS and strongman training have helped me to develop confidence and to generally improve my functioning under stress. In addition to physical conditioning, I’ve gained more control over how I handle stress.  Most of my clients might be surprised to know that for years as a trainer, I was very shy and would not even lead classes. Now, such classes are fun for me; they are how I express myself.   

 

Gaining such confidence and control is not a one-time thing deal or something that is achieved fully. It’s a process on which one keeps working. There is no finish line. There is only the path of struggle and achievement by which one can genuinely grow as a fully functional person.  

 

“Enjoy the journey.” - Anthony DiLuglio 

 

(1) Weller, Craig.  Combat Psychology and Sports Performance 

 

 

 

 

I’m writing this article on July 6th, just a few days after celebrating our Country’s independence. Amidst the celebrations, fireworks, cook outs…it hit me just how much has been sacrificed and continues to be sacrificed in order for us to be FREE. I thought about all the brave men and women putting their lives on the line at this very moment so that we can be “FREE”. I thought about our forefathers and the signing of the declaration of Independence, and I thought that we live in the greatest country on the planet! I’m not writing this to give you an American history lesson, but more to encourage you to acknowledge all the freedoms we exercise every day and sometimes take for granted: the freedom to worship, the right to free speech, the freedom to vote (and have it count!), the right to be a strong and powerful woman and share equality with men. And these are only a few!

 

Sure, Americans are struggling right now. We’re all feeling the stress and hardship of this recession. Unemployment rates are up, people are losing their jobs and losing their homes. Women - just like you, and just like me are unsure how they’re going to feed their families. We’re living in uncertain times and It sometimes feels like our Government has “got our backs”, while other times it feels like were being stabbed in the back. But even so, we still live in the Greatest country on the planet! We’ve got to stick together. Show your patriotism by spending your money in your local community. Support local, family owned businesses and local family owned farms. Get involved in local charities or causes that you have passion for. And please, please purchase items that are MADE IN THE USA.

 

The workout below is what we did on the 4th of July at Punch South Bend. Check it out and reflect on these words: Freedom, Patriotism, Honor, sacrifice…. 

 

 

I lost it Sunday. I had a Meltdown on the Road. Sunday’s run started off with me being excited, fired up, and ready to tackle 13 miles. This long run was going to be a milestone moment for me. After all, 13 miles is pretty much a half marathon and half the distance I’m training to finish in Chicago on October 11th. No problem. The furthest I’d run up to this point is 12 miles. What’s one more mile…….? 

 

This run was different from the first mile. It usually takes me a good 2-3 miles before my legs relax and I start to feel good running, So struggling during the first few miles is pretty normal for me. But this time, it felt different. My legs were so heavy I could barely pick up my feet. My feet were literally shuffling. I kept thinking to myself, “Put one foot in front of the other, Harris. Keep moving. This happens every time. You’ll feel better in a few miles”….This encouraging self talk quickly turned to self pity with each passing 1/2 mile as my legs continued to feel WORSE, not better. Now, I’m a pretty positive person and feel I can accomplish anything, even if I have to tough it out and fake it. But by mile 4, I was an emotional and physical wreck and the tears started flowing. Thank God my face was so sweaty that you couldn’t tell they were tears rolling down my cheeks. I lost it. My knees hurt, my shins hurt, my hamstrings felt crampy, and I had no idea how I was going to complete this run. Four miles down and only nine to go…and I felt awful. The bottom line is this: Yes, I completed the 13 miles. Every step was a struggle. It wasn’t pretty, but I got it done. Even though I felt like turning back, I sucked it up and finished the run. I hope I never again have a run this grueling. But chances are, I will. You see, the mark of a true athlete is training hard and giving your best performance REGARDLESS of how you feel. Being an athlete means sucking it up and finding the toughness within yourself to finish when you feel like quitting. Athletes never quit. 

 

In hindsight, I could go back and try to figure out what I did differently this week for my legs to be so trashed. What did I eat differently? Did I allow enough recovery time after tough kettlebell workouts? Did I get enough sleep?…I could analyze this all day and drive myself crazy trying to do everything right - OR, I could chalk it up to this: workouts are just like everything else in life: Your relationships, your marriage, your career, your finances… Sometimes you feel great about these things, sometimes it’s easy, and sometimes it’s fun. Other times, it’s such a struggle that you wonder if you’ll make it through. That’s life. That’s training. Sometimes it’s awesome and sometimes it just sucks. But remember, Athletes train hard and give 100% every single time - regardless of how they feel. And that goes for the road, the pool, the gym, the boardroom, and even the bedroom. Live like an athlete. Train like an athlete. Give it all: Blood, Sweat, and Tears.    

 

FIT TIP 

 

 

From Reebok, the Easy Tone Rush has been sweaping the gym and is Staci’s new favorite training shoe.  Here’s what Reebok is saying is just one of the benefits of wearing the Easy Tone Rush: 

 

Easy tone uses balance pods in the shoes to create natural instability, much like walking on a sandy beach, which encourages toning through increased muscle activation in 3 key areas of the leg

 

 

 

After a long run or a grueling kettlebell workout, sit in an ice bath! The rush of blood that is delivered to your muscles when submerged in such cold water pushes out all the lactic acid and other trash hanging out in the cells and promotes super speedy recovery. Simply fill up the tub with cold water and dump several bag of ice in. Try to stay in for at least 10 minutes. I definitely want your feedback after you try this! 

 

 

 

 

If the thought of Brussels Sprouts makes you queasy, then perhaps you’re going about them all wrong. This simple roasted Brussels Sprout recipe will have you reaching for these over any other veggie that happens to be offered. With fresh garlic and light seasoning, these crunchy treats will have you thinking you’re eating potato chips instead of Brussels Sprouts…you have no idea what you’re missing!

 

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the stem off the Brussels Sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil, coat evenly. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

 

Place the Brussels Sprouts cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes.

 

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, using tongs coat the Brussels Sprouts with the garlic. Place the baking sheet back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

 

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, the cut side of the Brussels Sprouts should be browned and crispy.