I've been an advocate of low carb dieting for years, and I'm glad to see that doctors are finally starting to catch up and realize the dangers of sugar consumtion (especially fructose) and all the problems that came about with the "low fat" craze. This is a fantastic video debunking many nutritional myths and addressing the toxicity in regards to fructose consumption. Not only does fructose make you fat...but it makes you sick too!

Happy Easter to All! Here are some lazy swings!

I call these "lazy" swings because that's what my girlfriend tells me I'm being when I start swinging or snatching like this. And indeed they are a bit "lazier" than Hardstyle swings, but there are a few unique benefits to working your swings and snatches like this on occasion for some specialized variety. First off you will notice that these swings are more relaxed and far less rigid than a Hardstyle swing, part of this is due to the altered posture and biomechanics and partly because I'm only exerting as little effort as I need to to get the bell up. I am relying more so on the muscle spindles "elastic recoil" that GS athletes often take advantage of rather than trying to purposely exert as much force as possible with every rep. If you listen carefully you may also hear that I have switched my breathing from biomechanical (in on eccentric or downswing/out on concentric or upswing) to anatomical (out on eccentric/in on concentric). Swinging in this lazy style obviously conserves a lot of energy and I often will spend 5 - 10 minutes doing consecutive swings and swing variations in this style just to warm up before I move onto my Hardstyle work.

So this "lazy" swing shares some similarities with a GS style swing as well as a Hardstyle swing, so you could almost call it a hybrid...or even a Prius swing :P...meh... You'll notice that I still maintain a fairly neutral spine, although I don't worry to much if I start swinging with some flexio(rounded back) with these swings because like I said you are going to still get that elastic recoil response so the chance of hurting your back is slim ( unless you have weak extensors or start out with this swinging way to heavy of a bell). I find that this style of swing is fantastic for really working and strengthening your lower back muscles such as your extensors, while dynamically stretching them at the same time. For me, this lazy style of swing has always been rather therapeutic.

But the real beauty of this swings comes with the timing. Swinging in a more relaxed manner like this can really help give you the feel of learning to catch and decelerate the bell with your hips, as you follow the trajectory of the bell as closely as possible on the eccentric, cushioning it with your posterior chain as it enters the backswing. This should like your hamstrings,butt, and lower back are a single rubber-band like unit and act to cushion the fall of the bell as it comes down and then redirect it back up. Learning to use this elastic recoil recoil to reduce and redirect force is a critical skill for all athletes to learn. Once you have the feeling for this with the lazy swings, it should be no problem implementing it into your hardstyle swings with the over-speed eccentric.

Lazy Power to You!

I love getting emails from all of my followers, and I always do my best to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. But unfortunately it takes me longer than i'd like it to sometimes, but I'm only human and do the best that I can to answer everybody as quickly as possible. And it is because of this that the idea struck me to post a question and answer blog every week or so for all of you inquire whatever it is you wish!

Feel free to ask me anything you want about training, nutrition, lifestyle, or even my favorite animal (elephant...just to get that one out of the way). Just keep it cool like the Fonz would! Post all questions in the comment section

Since the launch of my kettlebell complex/metabolic conditioning eBook, I have been swarmed with questions on technique. It's been a long time coming, but I've finally put together a rather in-depth tutorial for the hardstyle kettlebell snatch.

The hardstyle kettlebell snatch (along with the clean) have by far the steepest learning curve of just about any kettlebell technique. This has been reaffirmed to me again and again, as I have taught hundreds of people how to snatch a kettlebell. So its not a surpris that I've talked to many "kettlebell instructors" who actually avoid teaching the snatch all together, especially in group formats, due to the complexity and difficulty of the movement and the frustration that their clients may experience when struggling with the technique. But that is a failure on their part as an instructor. Walk into any one of my intermediate to advanced kettlebell classes and you can be sure that each and everyone of my participants has superb snatch technique.

Thus, I have created the first part of "The Nincompoops Guide to Hardstyle Kettlebell Snatch MasterY". Now don't take offense to the title, as I would never assume that anybody who trains with kettlebells to be a dimwit (quite the contrary), but I have found that through simplifying the technique and progressions enough that even the most birdbrained individual could comprehend it is the best way to go for everyone. After all, an indicator of a good and competent instructor/coach is their ability to take even the most complex concepts and break them down into simpler components; making it approachable and comprehensible to everyone.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the first installment of "The Nincompoops Guide to Hardstyle Kettlebell Snatch Mastery".

Oh, and show some love or post any questions you have in the comment section :)

Thank you to all who have purchased my Metabolic Conditioning eBook, I have gotten tons of incredibly positive feedback. Everyone seems to have a different favorite complex so it was difficult for me to decide on which one to make a follow along video for. But after long debate I decided to bite the bullet (pun intended?) and go with the longest complex in my eBook, appropriately entitled "Gimme a Bullet to Bite On" (you'll quickly found out why I named it this :) ... ).

Let's Get Right Down To It:

Pick a bell - ( I suggest men opt for anywhere between a 16 to 20kg kettlebell and women anywhere between an 8 to 12kg bell)

Perform one minute of the following exercises on both sides (or in both directions in regards to clockwise and counterclockwise movements such as the around the body pass and halo). Do not put hte bell down between exercises. There is no rest for the entirety of this complex! But obviously if you can't maintain proper form, put the bell down and rest until you feel you can continue safely.

Around the body pass
Halo
One arm swing
High pull
Snatch
One arm long cycle clean and jerk
Windmill
Reverse Lunge
Turkish Get up
Snatch

So, without further ado, I present to you what I believe to be the feeling of an eternity spent in hell manifested into being via a one hell of a saucy, 20 minute kettlebell complex.

Don't have a copy of my "Power of Complexes:Metabolic Conditioning for Superior Athleticism and Conditioning eBook yet? You can get yours here or at my store page!

In this installment, I will reveal to you the secrets behind how to be a sexy, elusive, and bad-ass Double 0 Agent.

Now look, being an irresistible secret operative isn't for everyone. Let's face it; the mortality rate of such agents is typically too high. So, whats the point of living the exotic, fast-paced, balls-to-the-wall lifestyle of a government spy if you wind up dead before you get to enjoy any of it?

Well I come bearing good news! I'm here to teach you how to live the part of James Bond, minus the whole getting shot in the face part! Sounds like a sure win-win to me.

License to Look Good Naked

A secret agent must be able-bodied, there are no exceptions to this rule. Now I don't know where James Bond (specifically the Daniel Craig version) found the time between saving the world and seducing scantily clad women to hit the gym 5-6 times a week, but he certainly knew the importance of being physically fit.

Let’s face it. Bond wouldn’t have had nearly as much success that he did (especially with the ladies) if he was packing his Walter PPK beneath his beer gut. The truth is, it’s easier to extract information from people when they are attracted to you. Bond knew the importance of this, and is exactly why he kept himself in tiptop shape. He never needed to know any fancy extraction techniques with those naughty ladies; all he ever had to do was get them alone, fix them a drink, take his shirt of, and voila! Instant access to a wealth of information that only a sexy henchwoman would know!

So what’s his secret? Obviously Bond didn’t have the time to drive down to the local Gold’s Gym 5-6 days a week, although that’s what Daniel Craig’s physique might have you believe. What Bond did was get his workouts in however he could. Often on the go and crunched for time, a 00-agent needs the total package of strength and conditioning in the least amount of time possible….get ready for it…because here comes a shameless product plug!

That’s right! James Bond himself was a huge advocate of metabolic conditioning, and his weapon of choice was non-other than the Russian Kettlebell.  Believe it or not, he used a tool from one of the regimes that he combated and hated the most, but that’s because Mr. Bond is a smart dude. He knew that as far as bang for your buck strength and conditioning routines go, metcon via kettlebell complexes yield the quickest and most effective results. Any spy needs to stay both lean and strong, and short super-intense metcon style workouts hack off body fat, fortify mental toughness, amplify physical resilience, and tack on lean muscle in the least amount of time possible. For more on metabolic conditioning, check out my new eBook entitled "The Power of Complexes: Metabolic Conditioning for Superior Athleticism and Conditioning"

But just as Bond was never a “one woman man”, he was never committed to just a single piece of workout equipment either.  Aside from his trusty cast iron 20kg kettlebell that he hauled from country to country, Bonds other favorite tool to up his levels of strength and conditioning was a weighted vest. Bet you could have guessed that one. Such a simple and effective tool, how could any secret operative leave home without one?

Why the slow concentric push up?

Because the concentric or positive portion of a movement is what produces the most lactic acid. And the production of lactate leads to drastic increases in natural growth hormone. So while the eccentric portion is popular amongst bodybuilders because that is where the most muscle damage occurs, secret operatives are not bodybuilders! Secret operatives need to be strong, not necessarily big, so we will focus more on the concentric portion of the movement.

A staple of any Bond fitness regimen is to perform all exercises in a circuit fashion. There are a couple reasons for this.

1. Short rest intervals lead to an even greater production of lactate, which in turn leads to an even greater release of growth hormone. That being said, shortening rest intervals also ensures that you keep the system working as a whole which leads to a profound metabolic response.

2. Circuit training is best when it is kept short and intense. Performing circuit/metcon style workouts will save you a lot of time in the gym. This way, "not having enough time" is no longer an acceptable excuse to not get an effective workout in.

Your first mission, should you choose to accept it, is to perform the following:

3 rounds of the following weighted vest exercises. For the first round, perform each exercise for 30 seconds. Rest as little as possible, then run through the circuit again, but this time perform each exercise for 45 seconds. On your last time through, up the working time to one minute for each exercise.

This simple circuit is great even if you don't have a weighted vest, but if you do then you are in for a rude awakening.

Aside form being sinewy and strong, the work of a secret agent requires them to be mobile and flexible as well.

This is why I have comprised a few more weighted vest circuits that promote both strength and flexibility.

Enter the weighted vest bear crawl; just because you never know when you may be crawling around on all fours as a secret agent. This low butt version of the bear crawl is a fantastic quadrupedal movement that helps to develop hip mobility and shoulder strength.
You will superset these with walking staggered push ups.

This mission's far from over yet. Still think you have what it takes to be 00 status?

Next up comes what I like to call a leverage push up...or maybe I should called it a de-levered push up, because you are actually decreasing the leverage in order to make this movement more difficult. You do this by pushing your chest over your hands with each and every rep (see the video below). Again you will perform these back to back with walking lunges (another great locomotive movement that dynamically stretches your hip flexors while leaving your quads burning).

Being conditioned and looking good naked is only going to get you half way to being a secret operative. On top of that, you need to be strong. Quite strong indeed. Remember that when skill sets are equal; the stronger and smarter competitor will always win. And while you may be pretty good at kicking ass, you won't always be the most technical or proficient fighter. So often you will have to rely on your wits and brute strength to emerge victorious.

Again, without access to a gym, we have to make do with what we got. So far, what we got are kettlebells, weighted vests, and our own bodyweight. Perfect.

Pulling strength is crucial for preventing what otherwise would be certain death. I don't have enough fingers or toes to count the number of times I've seen Bond hanging off a ledge. And the fact is that if Bond wasn't constantly greasing his pull up groove as much as he did, he'd have met his maker a long, long time ago.

Bodyweight pull ups are great. But let's up the ante. Throw on your weighted vest and start working the following pull up variations into your routine.

When Bond pulls, he also pushes. For upper body pushing strength, let's opt for the double clean and press with 2x24kg kettlebells. Oh, and lets keep that weighted vest on too :)

We got our vertical pull, our vertical push, and our hip dominant movement(double clean). So what we need now is a solid knee/quad dominant movement and some core work to round off our 00-agent strength routine.

So what better than the almighty pistol squat! The ultimate bodyweight leg-strengthening exercise. But wait, if you can already bang out 10 reps or so of bodyweight pistol squats then its time to put that weighted vest back on.

A spy can't always rely on body armor. This is why we are going to build some natural body armor, through the means of weighted vest ab roll-outs. Now I see a lot of people doing this exercise with a neutral spine or even an arch in their lumbar, but this is really the one time that I encourage people to round their back! Your abs are heavily responsible for lumbar flexion, so in order to really work  your abs most effectively with this one be sure to maintain a mild amount of flexion in your back and a semi-hollowed out position.

There you have it. The secrets to looking and performing like a 00-agent, without the worries and stresses put upon you with being obligated to save the world.

As for the whole how to drive a super schweet car part...well let's just say I'm still trying to figure that one out myself.


- Pat Flynn

• Metcon FTW!

The wait is finally over!

The final version of my metabolic conditioning eBook entitled: The Power of COmplexes: Metabolic Conditioning for Superior Athleticism and Conditioning is born!

This eBook is the digital manifestation of how to transform your body into physical excellence in the least amount of time possible. Nothing compares to metabolic conditioning when it comes to effective fat loss methods; especially in the realm of complexes.



Who Will Benefit From This eBook?

• Anybody who wants to lose maximum fat while retaining maximum muscle
• Anybody who wants to take their levels of strength and conditioning beyond that of a Kryptonian
• Athletes of any persuasion who want to improve their endurance, explosiveness, and poise under pressure/mental toughness

Who Will Not Benefit From This eBook?

• Beginners - this is not an eBook for the de-conditioned or those completely new to working out/training! This is an advanced and incredibly challenging form of physical exercise designed to take you to the next and ultimate level...not the first level.
• Kettlebell Newbs - This is not an instructional eBook to teach you basic, intermediate, or advanced kettlebell techniques. This eBook instead teaches you how to use the kettlebell to get maximum results in minimum time. If you are new to kettlebells, I highly recommend you check out my Introduction to Kettlebell and Barbell Strength Training eBook
  
  

The Final Version of this eBook Includes:

• 13 Single Kettlebell Complexes - Like This One!
  

• 8 Sample Workouts guaranteed to hack off body fat, drastically improve your endurance, build lean muscle and stress-proof strength, increase your flexibility and mobility, and leave you on your knees, drenched in your own sweat.

If you are ready to take your physique, conditioning, and athleticism to the ultimate level, then get your copy HERE - price is $14.99