Category Archives: Shoulder Pain

Ageless Body Book Review

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By Sean

The Ageless Body eBook

If you you want explanations and big pictures of Andrea guiding you through key joint mobility, muscle flexibity and bodyweight and kettlebell strength and conditioning moves and a full 6 week “ramp up” and full strength and conditioning program right now, then you will find this information helpful.

Andrea has been a Senior/Master level instructor in the RKC for almost 10 years.  She’s CK-FMS, Z-Health and Pilates certified. Few trainers posses such a vast “tool box” of exercises and practical teaching ability and range that Andrea has.

The Ageless Body is a set of how to material, equipped with giant pictures, on joint mobility, flexibility and strength and conditioning movements plus a charted section on programming that shows you how to plug them in to your day to day existence.

One of the little perks of producing the Ageless Body Workshop with Andrea was that I got a sneak peak of this book early this summer and have been using it frequently as a resource for this project and my own practice.

Two Parts to this Review

For this review, I want to share the chapter breakdown with some brief commentary to give you an overview of the contents, plus fill it in with a few stories from the Ageless Body Workshop.

Lastly I’ll mention who I think it is for and who it isn’t for.

Chapter Breakdown of the Book

Chapter 1: Intro/How to Use the Book

Chapter 2: Medical Disclaimer

Chapter 3: Kettlebell Safety

Chapter 4: Prep Drills

- How to get a nuetral pelvis and spine

- Proper hip hinge

- Hip hinge strategies for different levels

- Hip flexor stretch for different levels

- T-spine rotation for different levels.

Chapter 5: Warm Up (Complete Joint Mobility Program that mobilizes the major and minor joints of the body in one to several different ways, depending on the joint).

Chapter 6: Main Kettlebell Exercises

- Deadlift for different levels and varieties, single and two legged, with trouble shooting,

- Varieties of kettlebell carries

- Varying degrees of the plank

- Kettlebell Swing,

- 4 Variations on the Kettlebell press,

- Progressions for goblet squat

- Different level variations for the Russian twist for spinal rotation and abdominal strength.

Chapter 7: The Get Up – Pictures and descriptions and break down for each part of the movement.

Chapter 8: Balance Drills – We don’t want any falls.  These are the drills Andrea teaches to keep your sense of balance.

Chapter 9: Cool Down Stretches (Andrea is a flexibility expert.  These are her 7 fundamental “go to” stretches)

-Hip Flexor Stretch

-Half Pigeon (Figure 4), Variations

-Quad Stretches, Variations

-Hamstring Stretch, Variations

-Runner’s Stretch

-More T-Spine Rotation

-Down Dog

Chapter 10: Advanced Kettlebell Exercises

-Clean

-Double Swing

-Double Clean

-Double Press

-Front Squat

-Goblet Squat with Curl

-Goblet Squat with front raise

-Snatch

Chapter 11: Planning Your Workouts

Chapter 12: Six Week Ramp Up & Six Week Program

Chapter 13: Strength Workout (6 Rounds)

Chapter 14: Cardio Workout (6 Rounds)

You can see that this is a comprehensive product.

Overview

The first 10 chapters show you how to do the moves (light descriptions + pictures), and chapters 11-14 show you how to plug them into to a weekly routine.

Andrea teaches to do prep drills and joint mobility before even touching a kettlebell.  Pavel teaches the same in Enter the Kettlebell!  Nothing new, it is a more effective way of getting the most of out of your kettlebell practice. Ageless Body gives you a full joint mobility program with movements from Pavel’s Super Joints, CK-FMS and Z-Health and and tips for neutralizing pelvis and spine to give a foundation for safe lifting.

The breakdown of main kettlebell exercises vs. advanced is very important for learning kettlebells the right way.

If you own the main exercises, the more advanced ones will be a lot easier.  Respect the order and perfect the beginner moves.

Andrea discusses this in this podcast.

Andrea breaks down all the exercises, like she does in the Kettlebell Boomer DVD to fit the level of the raw beginner/de-conditioned (unloaded hip hinge – no kettlebell) to more advanced (double kettlebell deadlift) to use an example for Andrea’s deadlift progression.  So you are sure to find the appropriate level for your practice.

Who Is This For?

The Ageless Body is ideal for beginners. Dan John, Masters Weightlifting Champ, author of Easy Strength, and Senior RKC says that he uses this program, which throws a slight wrench to the theory that this is only for beginners.  Coach says “this program makes me do what I know I need.” That should give any seasoned kettlebell practitioner serious pause.

If you’ve been doing kettlebells (or any strength program) for a long time and don’t do much flexibility or mobility training and you are getting stiff and achy, this will help you.  If you are into sports and are developing dysfunctional joints, this information will help.

At the Ageless Body workshop, we had two martial artists who were interested in kettlebells, but had hip and shoulder dysfunctions, respectively, that prohibited them from taking their KB practice where they wanted. Using many of the tools featured in this book, Andrea helped these gentlemen regain function in their hips and shoulders which cleared the way for a more productive kettlebell practice.

At the same time, I saw Andrea use these tools to teach kettlebells effectively to older trainees.

How does the same material help both tough as nails martial artists and your grandmother?  Because it starts at the beginning and doesn’t leave anything out.

I think RKCs and HKCs will benefit from this book because it gives a template for bringing de-conditioned clients back to strength and conditioning while (likely) teaching some new or perhaps neglected tools along the way.  It never hurts to hear a reminder on what works.  There were two attendees at the workshop who signed up because they thought this information would help them intelligently train for taking the RKC.  RKCs showed up to learn the tools to bring kettlebells to Boomer aged clients.

Who is this book NOT for?  

More advanced athletes who have a handle on their aches and pains and people looking for a lot of analysis in the subjects covered.  This it not a theoretical book, at all.  It is a “do this” book. People who already know how to program kettlebell workouts, flexibility and joint mobility and have a sizable tool box of Andrea’s “Three Pillars” of Strength, Flexibility and Mobility won’t need it.

Get Your Ageless Body Hardcover Book HERE

Get Your Ageless Body E-Book HERE

Convict Conditioning 2 Review

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By Sean Schniederjan RKC

I want to make an odd recommendation.  Yesterday I bought the sequel to a book I own.  Just like the first one, I read it cover to cover in one sitting (they’re both around 300 pages).

If you look at only appearances, a book called “Convict Conditioning” would have little to do with “The Ageless Body.”

But if you look at content, there is a substantial amount of overlap.

The author is Paul Wade, a man who has spent a considerable amount of his younger years in various California prisons.  He is obsessed with physical excellence and used his time to pick up information on transforming physiques for “survival strength.”

Survival in prison is different from the outside world, but the overall intent is the same: we need above average strength in order to survive and to carry our bodies into our older years.

The sequel has more than one anecdote about people using Coach Wade’s methods to rehab serious injuries and he tells of some old time hard men who were extremely strong and impressive looking into their golden years.

This material is ordered to longevity.

Because of his experiences, Wade prefers bodyweight training to lifting, kettlebells included.  He makes a pretty strong case in both books.  I will never give up my kettlebells though, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t and won’t put into practice Wade’s methods.

Bodyweight training is entrenched into the RKC.  Strength is strength.  Understanding key bodyweight concepts translates to stronger kettlebelling.  Andrea taught this over the weekend and Pavel teaches it at every RKC.

The first Convict Conditioning book is about progressing into Wade’s “Big Six” bodyweight exercises: Squats, Pushups, Leg Raises, Bridging, Pull Ups, and Handstand Pushups.  These are big, compound movements that utilize our biggest muscles.  No matter what your level, there is something in there for you.  The progressions start off super easy, ie wall pushups and standing vertical pull ups.  Wade makes the argument that these easier moves, if performed with the right form, have a healing effect on our joints and bodies. He goes more into this theme in the sequel.

Convict Conditioning 2 delves into Wade’s theories on joint health and flexibility.  He goes into coach mode as he uses pictures of different types of muscle stretching, passive and active, to teach how and more importantly when to use each.  He is a proponent of active muscle stretching, or as he sometimes calls it tension-flexion or supple strength.

I agree with Dan John.  The reason to get this book is Coach’s “trifecta” for fixing banged up athletes.  He tells some great stories (in my opinion Wade is a good story teller) in that section and then goes on to explain and teach the three moves that in his opinion offer the biggest bang for your rehabilitative buck.  Just like his strength philosophy, the trifecta is broken into the three categories of movement: posterior chain, anterior chain, and lateral chain. After reading through his progressions for each and how he came up with them, I could not help thinking that this guy is a mad scientist. An original thinker.

If you are into mutant strength, there is something for you as there is in the first.  He’ll teach you how to progress into two types of bodyweight flags for insane lateral chain strength.  Just like Convict Conditioning 1, the progressions are logical and simple to follow. Even if you aren’t interested in doing flags (there’s a picture of what a flag is on the book cover at the bottom of this review), then the easier movements from the progressions are beneficial and accessible. Coach explains how the movements from the first Convict Conditioning will strengthen your lateral chain but how the flag progressions take it to another level.

Another progression series he gives is on the question of how to develop grip strength using your body weight. This chapter is gold, because he goes through I believe nine grip maneuvers and the pros and cons of each. At the end he gives you what he considers the best exercise for giving you mitts of steel without lifting external weights. If you are into grip training you will like this chapter.

He also teaches progressions and theories for calf strength and how to balance out the opposing muscle, the tibia.  He gives the layout for how to use joint mobility and what works and doesn’t.

My favorite part of the book is the story of Wade’s devastating hip injury that he received in the 1982 San Quentin riot.  As you can imagine, the story itself is very intense.  It really drew me in.  He puts you in that prison yard on that day. Reading that section gave me goosebumps. He talks about the vulnerability he felt after the injury when hobbling on crutches past the prison gangs.

His obsession with knowledge of the body comes to light as he talks about how he poured over books from the prison library to learn how to heal what his doctor called a permanent hip injury.  He rightly felt he needed to heal himself – fast – to avoid getting labelled as weak or soft, which is obviously deadly when you are living in prison. He gives the methods he used to fully heal that same hip in six weeks, despite his doc’s warning that the effects would be permanent.  He says that since then he had no further issues with that hip and it is stronger than its ever been.  I don’t know how a book on training can get more intense, dramatic, and at the same time useful as this.

One more thing.  Paul Wade has a unique ability of explaining physiological and kinesiological concepts in very simple ways.  As an amateur, I really (really) appreciate that.

The only negative thought I had on my first reading was that the progressions are laid out in a less straight forward way.  The progressions are laid out at a kindergarten level in Convict Conditioning 1, and in Convict Conditioning 2 in a third grade level, so you have to think a little more.  I think the first book spoiled me little.  Wah!  I have to think a little and flip back a page or two.  As soon as I used that perspective it didn’t bother me as much.

The last part of the book deals with miscellaneous health topics such as drugs, alcohol (pruno anyone?), nutrition, dealing with injuries, to mind training.  The mind training comes from Wade’s unique perspective as someone who spent 20+ years behind bars and the “darkness” or isolation that comes with it.  Wade is from an older generation that had more common sense. Being behind bars for so long and removed from the outside world, seems to me, helped him preserve it. It serves him well in his writing and coaching.

As I read this and the first one, I wondered how this man went from being incarcerated and addicted to drugs to helping massive amounts of people get on the path to strength and health, and passionately so. There is a redemptive quality to this story that enhances all of the training information in its own inimitable way.

Paul Wade is a man obsessed with health, strength, and well being. He offers a perspective that few can. My real complaint is that we get this glimpse into what he has lived and his training methods, but we can’t train with him. How awesome would that be? For now we have his books and that ain’t bad.

If you are interested in well being: joint mobility, flexibility, and strength do not think twice about buying this book.  The information is so vast and at the same time dramatic and well told I felt like it worth far more than $39. As I read through it, gleaning something from every single paragraph I felt it would easily be worth 3 times what I invested and I know I’ll keep coming back to it for the rest of my life.

Get your digital copy of Convict Conditioning 2 Here:

Convict Conditioning 2 ebook

Convict Conditioning 2

If you haven’t picked up the first one, you should do that too (in regular or e-format):

Convict Conditioning 1

How to Program Mobility, Flexibility, and Kettlebell Strength and Cardio Work

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Andrea teaches that the three pillars of the Ageless Body are Mobility, Flexibility and Strength/Cardio.

The reason for this is pretty simple: we need to move well to lift well and not be in pain, we need muscle (because it deteriotes as we age), and we need a strong heart for obvious reasons.

Andrea’s system teaches correct mobility and flexibility to move well and eliminate or lessen back, shoulder, hip, and knee pain.  This gives the foundation for safe and effective kettlebell practice, which delivers strength and cardio depending on the application.

Some thoughts on the relation between mobility, flexibility and swinging a kettlebell are here

Andrea has a content rich DVD on all three of these things called the Kettlebell Boomer (soon to be retitled the Ageless Body).

The main reason we wanted to change the title is because what Andrea teaches to acheive an Ageless Body is universal, while ”Boomer” is not.  “Boomer” is restricted to one particular generation of people.

Senior RKC and Fulbrite Scholar Dan John uses this program because he points out “it makes me do what I know I need to do.”

This isn’t rocket science.  It is knowing what to do and then doing it.

In the DVD, Andrea shows you exactly what to do for optimal mobility and flexibility.  She teaches how to do kettlebells safely and effectively and then leads you through several strength and cardio workouts.

Some of the kettlebell moves taught are the Deadlift, Hardstyle Swing and Turkish Get Up and Bodyweight essentials like the plank.

Andrea scales all the exercises to whatever your level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

All of this information clocks in at nearly 3 hours.  Get Your Copy of the DVD here:

Andrea’s DVD on Flexibility, Mobility and Kettlebells

How to Program Flexibility, Mobility, and Kettlebell Practice

OK, now here is a question from DVD user Catherine from Pennsylvania. Catherine, first of all I agree with Andrea, nice job grabbing the bull by the horns, getting the DVD and USING it!  We can all learn from your example.

Here Catherine asks a great question on programming.  Below, Andrea gives a sample program of how to put mobility, flexibility, strength, and cardio into your weekly practice.  Set aside some time for your self and do it!  And enjoy the body transformation!

Catherine: Hi Andrea, I now have you KB Boomer DVD and am working through it. I’m 51 and 50+ pounds overweight. The closest RKC-FMS is over an hour away, but I plan on seeing him (once) in a month or two. Meanwhile – after the first time I worked through all of the instruction on the DVD, my glutes and lower back hurt (in a good way) for 3 days! After 3 days rest, I did the cardio session for the first time and I’ve been feeling the same muscles for two days now. I didn’t get through the 3rd round of swings. (Too winded). I was using a 12 kg kettlebell.

I plan on doing the warmup every day, and want to do kb work 3 days a week. I want to be able to do lighter movements (walking, elliptical) on other days without wrecking the muscle recuperation. How should I use the DVD?

Andrea: First of all I’d like to congratulate you for jumping in with both feet! It is a brave thing you’ve done, starting an intense exercise program without expert coaching and guidance. My Boomer DVD is the best way to start, but it still is an intense workout.

You don’t mention your fitness level or athletic background, so I’ll assume you are new to kettlebells and have not been exercising regularly.

I mention in the introduction (and there is much more detail into “ramping up” and programming in my upcoming book “The Ageless Body”), that you should spend the first few days going over and practicing the Prep exercises and Warm Up. Then start with the Instructional section and the basic drills. Once you have progressed through all the exercises, spending a couple of days on each, you will be ready to complete a full workout.

Because you didn’t ramp up your skills, technique and muscles you were extra sore after the first workout.

I also mention in the dvd, ALWAYS work at your own pace. Slow down, stop the DVD, switch to the beginner level if you had been following the intermediate etc.  Those are all ways to make sure you are training at a safe and appropriate level.

Once you are feeling good about the workouts, your weekly workout schedule should look something like this:

Day 1  (Warm Up) STRENGTH (Flexibility)
Day 2  Prep drills (Corrective), Warm up (Mobility), Stretching (Flexibility)
Day 3 (Warm Up) CARDIO (Flexibility)
Day 4 (Warm Up) Get UP, STRENGTH (Flexibility)
Day 5 Prep drills, Warm up, Get UP
Day 6  (Warm Up) STRENGTH and/or CARDIO (Flexibility)
Day 7  Rest

This is just a sample of how you can mix it up, notice you are giving your body a chance to rest on the prep and warm up days.

Remember you should ALWAYS do the warm up and cool down stretching. On your rest days just skip the actual workout, but use the warmup (mobility) and prep (corrective) and stretches (flexibility) to give your body an active rest.

Good luck and enjoy!!

To learn the right flexibility, mobility, and kettlebell moves from the Master RKC, grab your copy of Andrea’s DVD here:

Andrea’s Kettlebell, Flexibility and Mobility Program