What Lifelong Athleticism Looks Like

Can you imagine being 75 and competing in a national TV dance show?

I love this video, because it really represents what I think is possible for everyone. A life of movement and not letting your body slow you down. It’s what I want for myself, my friends, and my clients. It’s also the goal of Z-Health, which is why I so love the system and believe in what it can do for everyone.

You may not ever catch me on stage in a leotard, but this video should be inspiring for everyone.

Also posted in Wellness & Fitness, Z-Health & the Nervous System

New Web Site Look

Late, late, late Wednesday night we relaunched my web site with a brand new look. And I’m thrilled!

In case you are wondering, Fundamentals is my company name, and much of my approach to life — many times it’s about getting down to the basics, and I needed that component represented in my Move Well, Be Fit, Have Fun brand.

The redesign gave me a chance to make my site reflect how I work with my clients and run my classes — I very much consider myself a teacher and a resource. The quote that kicks off my Approach page is, “They call it coaching but it is teaching. You do not just tell them…you show them the reasons.” by Vince Lombardi.  … read more

Also posted in Goals, Kettlebells, Nutrition, Wellness & Fitness, Z-Health & the Nervous System

How a collarbone fixes a hip

Anyone who knows anything of my training history, knows that my left hip is NOT happy going in to external rotation; I have problems putting weight on it in rotation, even in neutral with abduction, etc.  I’ve spent years blaming it on my high heels and abdominal surgeries (or on a bad day, I just whine that I’m cursed).

I finally hit the point where I needed to figure out what the problem is, as it was affecting my ability to do the things I want to do (parkour, rock-bottom squats, pistols). I was in my gym playing with hip rotation on both hips, trying a few things. I started going back through my history. One of the first places to  … read more

Also posted in Z-Health & the Nervous System

5″ increase on my vertical jump

One of the lynchpins of the Z-Health system is assess/re-assess.  Because unless you are assessing, you are just guessing!  And remember, you can use just about anything you can objectively measure as your assessment protocol. Some things will work better than others, but really just about anything is fair game.

About a month ago, I was working on some vision training, and decided on that day to use my abysmally bad vertical as my assessment test. After about a half dozen drills, there was absolutely no change in my vertical. However, the trainer I was training with had a 3″ increase in her vertical — which just goes to show that the nervous system really is individual.

Fast forward to last night.  … read more

Also posted in Z-Health & the Nervous System

High school sports workshop

Last night I did a sports workshop for some high schoolers in the mentoring program I’m involved with. Super fun!

We did some R-Phase mobility, discussing the arthrokinetic reflex and why joint mobility is important. And, there is nothing like a few demos to prove your point!

All of the students in the room are on the varsity teams for ball sports, so we spent quite a bit of time on visual drills and hand/eye and hand/foot drills and letterball drills. Those were really eye-opening (no pun intended) for mentors and students alike. Everyone saw dramatic improvements in their skills, after just a few reps.

We did before and after tests of their vertical jump, and everyone had a definite improvement  … read more

Also posted in Z-Health & the Nervous System

How the body works cracks me up

This morning I was getting a training session in before I heading off for a private session with a client. Pressing was on the agenda, and a good lockout at the top is key to any good press.

I discovered this past spring that my right elbow does not lock out — at least not happily. It’s not terribly obvious to most people, but I can feel it and a highly-trained eye can see it. This morning I decided to take some extra time to work on my lockout, to see if I could find the key. Shoulder circles and camshafts in a ton of different directions revealed that I cannot maintain lockout with the arm overhead on shoulder circles (every  … read more

Also posted in Z-Health & the Nervous System

Moving further, faster…

Last time I wrote, I talked about wanting to find my limits. Last week I spent much of the week in CA in some amazing corporate strategy meetings. One evening I was chatting with one of my colleagues, and we got on this topic. For the first time in my life I’m actually anxious to see what exactly my body can do, and it’s now all in my head (for better or for worse). I’ve accomplished more in the past month than I generally do in a year.

Speaking of, I pressed the 20kg bell on Saturday. I hadn’t trained in almost a week, but just felt it was going to be my day. I started with a bit of Z  … read more

Also posted in Goals, Kettlebells, Z-Health & the Nervous System

More PRs

Another training session tonight. Since I’ve been back from 9S, I’ve been fairly diligent about getting in to my gym and working towards the goals I set at the certification.

Since getting back, I’ve been spending more time doing position-specific Z drills prior to my KB or bodyweight drills, band work for strengthening my ligaments, and paying a lot more attention to the 4Es of Efficiency. My training is a lot more focused, short and sweet, but considerably more effective.

I set three new PRs tonight.

I push-pressed the 20kg (44lb) bell for the first time. As I mentioned a few posts ago, I pressed a 40lb bell for the first time ever just over a week ago.
I snatched the 20kg (44lb) bell  … read more

Also posted in Goals, Kettlebells, Z-Health & the Nervous System

New press PR

Just finished the third day of the Z-Health Strength and Suppleness certification. WOW!  We spent a lot of time today “moving heavy stuff” and I pressed the 40lb kettlebell for the first time ever. All year I’ve been doing lots of reps with the 26, but haven’t even lifted the 40, except to clean around it. I lifted it pretty cleanly on the first try!

Great info this weekend!

Also posted in Kettlebells, Z-Health & the Nervous System

Teaching

My favorite part about both kettlebells and Z is the impact they can have in a short period of time. I’m a “what you have you done for me lately” sort of person, and know my clients are as well. I’m also a really good problem-solver, which I think is what I like so much about teaching KBs and Z. As a certified instructor in both, we are given a lot of great tools to help our clients perform optimally. Both involve movement decomposition to identify where something has gone awry, and provide techniques to correct.

I recently had a pre-teen come with his dad, and they both got some technique refinement. The young man’s snatch just wasn’t quite there, but  … read more

Also posted in Kettlebells