Guide to Sleep

Read the following article and answer the following questions:

1) Name three benefits that sleep gives you.
2) What will kill you first, sleep deprivation or starvation?
3) What does getting enough sleep do to our hormone levels?
4) When does our immune system "kick in" and do the most work?
5) When do you go to sleep at night?
6) How many hours of sleep do you get a night on average?

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sleep/#axzz2IvunuVrj

The Definitive Guide to Sleep

Sleep Awareness Week (as sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation) technically ended March 13^th, but somehow I’m guessing there are just as many sleep deprived folks milling about this week as there were a few days ago – just like our good reader Monday. Maybe a few of us feel better adjusted to the time change these days, but probably just as many stayed up late to watch the NCAA games this weekend. Or maybe it was a late St. Paddy’s Day party. Somehow it’s always somethin’, isn’t it?

Even if we’re good and diligent and never sacrifice sleep for entertainment purposes, life too often pokes holes in our most worthy intentions. Babies wake up in the middle of the night. Flights leave early. Deadlines, projects and bills keep us up later than we’d planned. Maybe we even burn the midnight oil to get a jump on the next morning’s tasks! Nighttime too often becomes a default slush fund for the day’s chores. Still others of us might deliberately stay up to bask (however groggily) in what seems like the only time we have to ourselves. The house is quiet, the kids/partner are asleep. The world is hushed, and the deep solitude is too much to resist.

But there’s always a price…. The next morning has us clutching our pillows in fervent denial. Cruel, callous and relentless as it is, the alarm tolls for thee and you’re suddenly reeling in regret. However much you enjoyed or appreciated the previous night’s extension, you now see the error of your ways. Your bed is suddenly the most wonderful, restful place in the world, and you couldn’t possibly tear yourself away. Snooze button it is.

When the necessities of life (or an incredible bracket-busting game) strike, it’s good to keep ye olde 80/20 Primal Principle in mind. Nonetheless, let’s give shut eye its due. I’ve done Definitive Guides on all manner of Primal priorities. It was high time, I thought, we offer the same deference to our non-waking Primal efforts.

The “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” overachiever mindset assumes our bodies aren’t doing anything useful when we’re buried beneath the covers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sleep is an incredibly active time for our bodies and brains when we undergo all manner of growth and repair processes through a dynamic biochemical orchestration. When we know the facts on sleep, we’re more likely to give it our full respect – and wholehearted Primal commitment. Let’s begin….

What’s Sleep Done For Me Lately?

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.  ~Irish Proverb

Sleep is key, essential, absolutely downright necessary for our basic physiological operations – with special support for neurological performance, endocrine balance, immune system functioning, and musculoskeletal growth and repair. For one, you wouldn’t be half the man or woman you are without the physiological feats sleep achieves. I mean that both literally and figuratively, since sleep spurs the release of human growth hormone (HGH), an essential player in cellular regeneration.

Before you stay up for your favorite late night host, consider the fact that a solid night of shut eye bears all kinds of gifts. A full night of sleep will enhance your memory performance and creative problem solving skills the next day, not to mention make you a better person to be around by helping you see the positive in your interactions. Oh, but there’s more of course. A good night’s sleep will further boost your athletic performance, including speed, accuracy, mood and overall energy.

Then there’s your immune system. Hate getting sick? How about cutting your risk for the common cold and other basic illnesses? Your immune system is, in fact, most active during sleep. (So, that’s why the flu leaves you in a coma-like state…) To boot, adequate sleep makes you more resilient to daily stress, which supports your immune functioning that much more.

Finally, there’s the big picture. Solid, consistent sleep over the long-term has been linked to self-reported “successful” aging.

The Ugly World of Sleep Deprivation

Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds.  ~JoJo Jensen, Dirt Farmer Wisdom

Now consider the flip side. Believe it or not, you’ll die of sleep deprivation before you will starvation. Of course few people ever venture that far into the insomniatic tunnel, but the fact underscores the damage done when we skimp on sleep. When you pull that all-nighter or drag yourself through multiple months of newborn-induced sleep deprivation, you feel like crap because, well, you’re body is legitimately struggling. Every system suffers in some regard. Make no mistake: even a single hour of missed sleep takes its toll, as the research on daylight savings time shows. If you continue down the path of scarcity, you build up what experts call a sleep debt – one that the body tries desperately to repay.

In the short term, you find a full spectrum of unsavory impacts. On the cognitive side, you sacrifice all manner of memory abilities, including short-term and working memory. Over time, even long-term memory and the generation of nerve cells are impaired. Of little surprise is the impact on emotional mood and well-being. Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase the risk for conditions like depression and exacerbate pre-existing psychological illnesses. However, even a single night of sleeplessness can throw our emotional regulatory abilities out the window. Sleeplessness causes our emotional selves to revert to their more primitive roots, effectively shutting down the reasonable prefrontal cortex and putting the primally defensive amygdala in the driver’s seat. One study even linked sleep deprivation with a corresponding increase in people’s dissatisfaction with their primary relationships. (An important bit of perspective to cranky new parents…) Finally, the physical self pays a price of course. A single night of sleep loss increases systemic inflammation, and (as I shared Monday) impairs the body’s ability to handle the kind of moderate oxidative stress we deal with every day.

When you graduate to the extended – however “minor” – levels of sleep deprivation, you’ll enjoy the above experiences (magnified of course), all the while putting significant strain on many of your body’s systems, including your neurological and cardiovascular systems. One study found that skipped sleep led to a shrinking brain. Bye, bye gray matter! The heart and kidneys also take a beating as does yourblood pressure. You, in fact, put yourself at continually increased risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases, including obesity and diabetes. The logical extension of this pattern? Numerous studies link partial sleep deprivation/disruption and increased mortality risk!

Not All Sleep Is Created Equal

“An hour before midnight is worth 2 after.” ~Sleep Proverb

Although it might feel like it some days, it’s not an instantaneous plunge into cataleptic nothingness. Sleep fills a progressive spectrum of sorts. The process and pattern of sleep reveals the complex, dynamic experience it is. We likely all recall the REM and non-REM designations gestured to in our middle school health classes. The picture is a little more complicated than that, but those categories represent the bones of it. Essentially, the body moves through three stages of non-REM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) sleep that are called N1, N2 and N3, proceeding eventually to REM sleep (typically with a N1, N2, N3, N2, REM pattern) and then back again through numerous cycles throughout the night.

Phase N1 represents the initial switch in brain wave frequency. It’s the stage in which you feel like you’re mostly under but can still see the light above the water. It characterizes most surreptitious office naps that people think no one will notice – until your head slips off the hand that was holding it up. (Hmmm…forgot about that N1 relaxation of muscle tone, I guess.) Most notably, it’s the stage in which you scare the crap out of yourself and your spouse with those annoying sudden jerks. From there, N2 takes you down enough that any residual awareness of your environment is gone. Finally, N3 takes you into deep, slow wave sleep. Those of you who walk or talk in your sleep tend to begin performing now.

If you recall from your textbooks, REM sleep hosts most of our dreaming, particularly those memorable bits in the early morning that confound us for hours throughout the day. Although muscle tone was progressively relaxed in non-REM sleep, it’s generally non-existent in the REM stage.

REM sleep constitutes about a quarter of the typical adult’s sleep. The N2 stage of non-REM sleep makes up an additional half. The remaining quarter is split between the initial N1 stage and the deep sleep of N3. We experience most of our deep sleep early on in the night – hence the instructive proverb about going to bed early.

What moves us to sleep in the first place, however, is our circadian rhythm, the physiological clock responsible for putting in motion temperature changes and hormonal releases associated with sleep and waking. As we approach sleep, our body reaches its highest concentration of adenosine, a sleep promoting neurotransmitter. Simultaneously, the body begins to kick out melatonin and begins reducing our core temperature, which will hit its lowest point in the second half of our normal sleep schedule – around the time when melatonin will incidentally be at its highest. Our best sleep, not surprisingly, results from staying on consistent course with our natural circadian rhythm and – if we nap – not napping too late in the day. Speaking of which…

Closed for Siesta

There is more refreshment and stimulation in a nap, even of the briefest, than in all the alcohol ever distilled.  ~Edward Lucas

I’m a big believer in naps, and I consider them one of the most useful (and pleasurable) of the PB sensible vices. Research supports the benefit of inducing the relaxation response each day, and one study showed that even the anticipation of a nap can lower your blood pressure. Following a truly bad night, naps can help us recharge our cognitive and physical stores. Longer naptimes following sleepless nights tend to include more REM sleep for better restoration. Although some “authorities” might balk at the healthiness of daily napping, I think long-time tradition (as well as the natural circadian rhythm) shoots that one down sufficiently. Problems can arise when naps signify symptoms for an otherwise unhealthy lifestyle or when they become a consistent, necessary stand-in for good sleep quality and adequate hours each night. Nonetheless, for those with young babies or swing/night shift jobs, sometimes the best Primal choice we can make is doing the best we can with the reality in front of us. Naps can be part of that effort.

Our Need for Sleep

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don’t have one.  ~Leo J. Burke

Of course the need for sleep varies by individual. Though most of us fall into the pot of the seven-eight hour average, others of us genuinely can’t get by without nine or ten. A few lucky ones among us hit our optimum with only six or so hours of shut eye. (These folks are honest to goodness mutants, as science has confirmed.)

However, the majority of our sleep differentiation is determined by age. Babies, no surprises here, need the most (however patchy it is), while adults require the least. The notion that older adults need less sleep is actually hogwash. Although sleep patterns become more fragmented as we age, we still need the same good old average. Sleep still fosters critical hormonal secretion (like growth hormone) necessary for healthy aging. One study in particular linked solid sleep with higher levels of testosterone in older men.

Children, however, are especially susceptible to the ravages of sleep deprivation. Sleep is essential for babies to learn and retain new information. Sleep deficits have been long been linked to an increased risk of ADHD, depression and behavioral problems in children.

Getting Some Good Primal Sleep

There is no hope for a civilization which starts each day to the sound of an alarm clock. ~Author Unknown

In Grok’s world, of course, there were no alarms, no clocks, no trains to catch or appointments to make. Likewise, there were no lamps or computers, T.V.s, smart phones and all the other technological gadgetry that tests our circadian rhythm and tempts us to stay up instead of hit the sheets. Although Grok and his tribe didn’t turn in the second the sun fell below the horizon, they undoubtedly slid into a hunkered down, lower key mode. On a typical night, the darkness – even with a central fire or bright moon – would’ve been enough to impose a quieter sense of consciousness. The stars, the flames would’ve been enough to inspire calm, maybe meditative stillness if not sleep. What would our experience of night be – how rested and composed might we feel – if we spent ten to twelve hours in relative darkness?

Although I suspect most of us have at least several hours to trudge through before we can call it a night, maybe some of you are already planning a clandestine nap this afternoon. (There’s always our Primally approved plan for selling your boss on the siesta idea….) Looking forward to sleep is the first step to taking back bedtime, I’d say. Not only is it an essential investment for your health, it’s one of life’s best luxuries. You wake up looking better and feeling like a million bucks. How much better can it get? Now take the money you’ll save on extra coffee and buy yourself a nice set of sheets or the pillow you’ve always wanted.

In the meantime, be sure to check out our past tips for a great night’s rest!

How Light Affects Our Sleep

10 Ways to Get an Extra Hour of Sleep

The Primal Blueprint for Busy People – Part 1: Sleep and Stress

5 Tips to Get a Great Night’s Sleep Tonight

Getting Over an Afternoon Slump

When it Comes to Sleep, Average is Best

10 Sleep Tips to Get Your Zzzzss

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sleep/#ixzz2IvvfDkAc

The Turkish Get-up (TGU)

Please read the following article and answer the questions (in complete sentences) in your notebook:

1) What does "packing your shoulder" mean?

2) What are six benefits of the TGU?

3) Should you start heavy or light when beginning to learn the TGU?

4) Why does the author coach is athletes to hold each position for a "2 count"?

5) Where should you keep your eyes during the majority of this exercise?

http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/turkish-get-ups-step-by-step/

Turkish Get-Ups Step-by-Step

One of my goals of late is to really dial in and focus on the quality of my movement, and that of my athletes.  And one of the exercises that I’ve really tried to develop within my coaching and teaching repertoire is the Turkish get-up.

The Turkish Get-up is a fantastic exercise, and while I have espoused some of its benefits before, I think it’s important to recap a few of those here.

In this one simple drill you get a whole host of fantastic benefits, such as:

• Core strength and stability
• T-spine mobility
• Hip mobility
• Hip extension (glute) strength
• Gleno-humeral (shoulder) stability
• Body awareness and proprioception
• Etc.

However, one of the biggest issues I see is when people have no clue how to coach or execute the exercise.  A while back, I actually had a gentleman who came to me and thought the only goal was to stand up from the ground while keeping the ‘bell overhead.

Instead of going through all the requisite motions, he actually just did an explosive crunch into a deep squat, and then stood up!

And while that’s impressive, that’s not exactly how it should be done 

Today, I’m going to take you step-by-step through how I coach the Turkish Get-up.  At each point I’m going to give you the following:

• The name of the step/position. This isn’t RKC speak, this is what I use with clients/athletes to help them remember all the various positions of the lift.
• Pictures from the front and/or side.
• Specific coaching cues. Again, these may or may not be RKC specific, but it’s what I’ve found works well with my clients and athletes.

And finally, before we get started, I want to make a few general comments about the lift and my write-up:

• Technically, Lance (my model) should have been looking at the kettlebell from the starting point, up until the split-stance/half-kneeling position.
• DO NOT go out and try this Day 1 with a heavy kettlebell. Work through the positions/steps with body weight first, or even with a shoe on your fist (aka the Extreme Naked Get-up by Brett Jones).
• Please take the time to really feel this lift out.  I often tell my clients to pause for a 2 count at each position, as if they’re getting their picture taken at a photo shoot.  Beginners are notorious for blowing through this lift, and not really milking all of its benefits.  When in doubt, slow it down!
• The seasoned veterans who come across this may not jive 100% with the pictures, how I coach the lift, etc.  Keep in mind; my goal isn’t to refine perfection here.  Rather, the goal is to get more people performing Turkish Get-ups in a safe and effective manner.  I will reference some places where you can learn the finer details at the end of the post.

So without any further ado, let’s get into this!

Step #1 – Starting Position

In the starting position, think about “packing” your shoulder/shoulder blade down and back.  We’ll assume you’re holding the weight in your right hand, as that’s how we’ve demonstrated it throughout this progression.

If you’re holding the weight in your right hand, your right knee should be flexed with your heel back near your buttocks, and your left leg should be slightly abducted (away from your body) with your leg straight.  I will often cue people to “lengthen” through their heel to get their core turned-on. This is the starting position.

Step #2 – To the Elbow

The first motion is a crunch to get up to your left elbow.  Dan John uses the term “punch and crunch,” and I sure haven’t come up with anything better!

So you’re going to crunch and punch, but also drive through your right heel as well.  If you combine this with lengthening through your left heel, it will be much easier to keep your left leg straight and fairly flat on the ground.

One key with the crunch is to think of leading with your t-spine or chest. You don’t want your chest caved over.  Instead, think about really exaggerating keeping the chest up and out (good thoracic spine extension).

Step #3 – To the Hand

There isn’t too much to think about in this transition.  You’re simply shifting your weight from your left elbow to your left hand.  Focus on keeping the right shoulder packed and tight to the body, and keeping your chest up and out.

Step #4 – High Post

This is where the TGU really gets fun, and its “corrective” benefits really start to shine through.

From the “on the hand” position, you’re going to actively drive through your right heel into a high bridge.  The key here is getting hip extension, versus lumbar spine extension.  Keeping your chest up and out from the onset of the lift should help here.  Think about squeezing that right cheek hard to get those hips up!

I often cue my clients/athletes to really hold this position for a 2 count, to milk the benefits of this position.  Beyond just the hip extension/glute strength, you’re also getting some fantastic shoulder stabilizing benefits on the left-hand side as well.

Step #5 – Sweep the Leg

If you’re a child of the 80′s, you remember this quote:

“Sweep the Leg, Johnny.”

Unfortunately, lame movie references are the only thing I can remember at this portion of the lift.  From the high post position, think about sweeping your left leg back to a point where your left knee is on the ground underneath your body.

One of the issue you’ll often see here is a loss of lumbar neutral.  If your client has poor hip mobility, they may not be able to maintain a neutral spine, which could cause issues over time.

Cue them to keep their chest up and out and their lower back flat whenever possible.  It may also help to have them think about “lengthening” their spine.

Step #6 – Up Tall

From the previous position, this is another smooth transition.  All you’re going to do is subtly rotate your left lower leg so it’s straight and in-line with your body, and straighten your torso so you’re up tall.

Once you’re in the “tall” position, this is an opportune time to check everything else:  chest up, long spine, shoulder packed, etc.

As I mentioned previously, your eyes should be on the kettlebell throughout most of the lift.  This is the first time where you’ll take your eyes from being focused on the kettlebell, to focused straight ahead.

Step #7 – Stand-up

Congratulations!  Once you’ve hit this point you’re exactly halfway through one repetition!

All kidding aside, from the half-kneeling position you were just in, you’re simply going to perform a split-squat to stand up to the top position.  I’ve heard arguments about exactly how people want this done, but I like to err on the side of simplicity here.  Stay tall, drive through your heel, and stand-up to a point where your feet are next to each other.

Step #8 – Reverse Lunge

From the top position, it’s time to work our way back down.

Take an exaggerated step backwards with your left leg, lowering under control until your left knee is on the ground.  Focus on staying tall and tight through your midsection, and keeping your shoulder packed throughout.

Step #9 – Windshield Wiper and Hip Hinge

Once you’re set-up in the half-kneeling position, it’s time to start winding the lift up.  Begin by finding the bell with your eyes, and doing the “windshield wiper” motion with your left lower leg to get it back into position.

From here, I want you to think about lengthening your spine and actively driving into your right hip.  If you do this correctly you should be able to maintain a fairly neutral spine, and get a killer stretch in your right hip as well.

Step #10 – Sweep the Leg

More Karate Kid references come into play here as well.

On the transition back, we don’t tend to focus on the high bridge as much.  Sure, it’s a great component of the lift, but it’s a little bit more awkward getting into the right position this time around.

Instead, I’ll often integrate a lower “high bridge” at the same time I’m sweeping the leg through.  This portion of the lift is a little bit more athletic verus robotic, in my opinion.

Step #11 – To the Hand #2

You’re in the home stretch now!  From the previous transitional position with the hips extended and legs straight, simply drop your hips back down to the ground.

At this point, though, don’t just flop to the ground!  Keep your right shoulder backed, t-spine extended, etc.

Step #12 – To the Elbow

Virtually identical to the point above – stay under control!  Right shoulder packed, t-spine extended, etc.  Control and own this last portion of the lift.

Step #13 – Start/Finish

Woo-hoo!  Congrats on performing ONE perfect Turkish get-up.

More on the Turkish Get-up

As I mentioned throughout this piece, I can’t possibly cover all the details of this intricate lift in a blog post.

If you’re interested in really taking your technique and performance to the next level, I would highly recommend either picking up a copy of Gray Cook and Brett Jones’ “Kalos Sthenos” DVD and manual, or actually attending an RKC/HKC event.  The book/DVD can show you tons of cool tips and tricks, while the live event will get you hands-on coaching, which we all know is invaluable.

Summary

As you can see, there’s a lot to this lift.  I hope the instruction I’ve provided above will help you improve and refine your technique.

As well, if you enjoyed this post, please take a moment to Retweet it, Share it on Facebook, or simply e-mail it to a friend or family member who might enjoy it.

That’s it for today.  Enough reading – get out and perform some TGU’s, will ya?

Stay strong

MR

The Metabolic Swing

On a separate piece of paper, write down the following questions. 

1) What is the definition of a squat movement?
2) What is the definition of a hinge movement?
3) What is patterning?
4) What is grinding?... no laughing here!
5) What is the "pedal" and what is the "brake" in terms of the kettlebell swing?
6) What does "metabolic" mean?

The Metabolic Swing

by Dan John – 2/15/2011

Next Page | Pages 1 2

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_metabolic_swing

The Unknown Movement Pattern

I'm going to tell you about the single most powerful movement pattern you can perform. Sadly, most people have no concept of how to do it.

It's the hinge.

What's the hinge? It's a basic human body movement that few athletes and bodybuilders bother to train. It's the tackle and the check in hockey. It's that dynamic hip snap involved in the kettlebell swing, the snatch, and the clean. It's also the vertical jump and the standing long jump.

It's not a squatty, slow move, but rather a dynamic snap. The truth is, the hinge, in its own right, is more "powerful" than the squat.

The Explosive Snap

The hinge is simply achieved by pushing the butt back.

Think about it: your upper body isn't sitting on top of your legs like a shack on stilts. Rather your body is "slung" between the legs. Here's the issue: most people, at first, will excessively bend the knees. You need minimal knee bend. Here's the formula:

Squat: Maximal knee bend and maximal hip bend

Hinge: Minimal knee bend and maximal hip bend

The benefits of a powerful hinge?

1.  Just learning to do the move correctly can open up your hamstring flexibility.

2.  Doing it slowly with a massive load will impress your friends for generations.

3.  Learning to have symmetry in the movement can jumpstart your injury-free career.

4.  Doing it fast? It's a one-stop shop to fat loss, power, and improved athletic ability!

Swings: A Metabolic Hit

Swings are the top of the food chain in hinge movements. They're also the most underappreciated exercise in life, sport, and your gym. In fact, if all I could do for an athlete is teach him a proper swing and encourage some form of deadlift, I'd be making a huge impact.

The metabolic hit of a correct set of swings is going to be shocking. It's one of the best conditioning exercises I know. And according to a new study coming out of the University of Wisconsin, the kettlebell snatch – which is quite similar, metabolically speaking – is "equivalent to running a six-minute mile pace" and "burns as many calories as cross-country skiing up hill at a fast pace."

So what's the best way to perform a swing? First, you pattern, then you grind, and finally, you swing!

Patterning: The Wall Drill

"Patterning" – learning and engraining the hinge movement correctly – is important. That might sound odd because the hinge is such a natural human movement. But, when load is added many people cheat themselves by not pushing the butt back and trying to use the quads as the focus.

So, first we pattern using the wall drill:

1.  Stand next to a wall facing away. Hinge so your butt touches the wall. Step about six inches from the wall and repeat the butt touch.

2.  Now, simply move an inch or two more and repeat. Keep doing this: touch the wall and scoot out a little more.

When you feel your hamstrings burning and shaking, you have it right. Like a bow and arrow, those strings can deliver an unbelievable amount of power.

Grinding

After patterning, I work on grinding. Grinding is simply slow strength moves that can work wonders for your patterning while delivering a lot of metabolic work and improving your strength.

Using either a heavy sandbag, a kettlebell, or a weight plate, hug the weight to your chest. I suggest keeping the weight over your sternum and upper abs. (Think of the waiter's bow exercise, only with the weight held a little lower.) Now, repeat the hinge movement.

I usually do a set of five, then repeat the wall drill.

This movement, which I'm now calling the Bulgarian Goat Belly Swing, is an excellent way to slow down the hinge and teach the keys to the more dynamic work: pressurized breathing, the correct feeling of the swing hip, and the abdominal tightness that insures stability.

Symmetry

Before I move on to the million-dollar move, I always take a few minutes to check symmetry.

I use a mirror and a single kettlebell. Hold the 'bell in one hand and practice the hinge feeling. Again, if you have to re-pattern the hinge with the wall drill and some Bulgarian Goat Belly Swings, that's fine.

I look for the "CSZ" line. That's the "chin, sternum and zipper" line: all three should remain in a single vertical line. Holding a kettlebell in one hand like you would a suitcase, do several hinges.

I'm a big fan of single-arm moves, but this one really helps you tie down the "opposite side." If you see yourself pulling "off line," re-pattern the first two drills.

The Perfect Swing

If I had to pick one move that will burn fat, loosen the hips and legs, and raise the buttocks to an eye-pleasing height, it would be the swing.

The swing can be taught horrifically. One TV expert came out with a DVD on kettlebells and the swing technique is immoral. The swing is a simple move to watch, but a little more complex to learn. 

Michael Perry, a Russian Kettlebell Certified instructor, offers an excellent summary which I'll borrow from below:

Start with a symmetrical stance and bend the knees slightly. This knee bend shouldn't change much throughout the movement.

Find the crease at your hips, put your hands in that crease, stick your butt behind you, and feel your hands fall into that crease. Make sure your spine is neutral while sticking your butt back. Breathe in and fill your diaphragm. This is the bottom of the swing.

Place your forearms on your inner thigh/top of quad with a straight arm. Push your arms into your legs and envision yourself holding two sheets of paper underneath your armpits. Keep your armpits tight and arms close to the ribcage. This is how to stay connected at the bottom of the swing.

Bring your hips forward quickly, keep the arms tight to the ribcage, but allow the kettlebell to float to the 3 or 9 o'clock position. Snap your hips and clench your glutes while shortening the distance from your ribcage to your pelvis. This is you bracing at the top of the swing.

Exhale but stay tight at the top of the swing. Keep your hands on the kettlebell to control it, but don't hold on too tight.

I also like the gas pedal/brake analogy:

Hip-snap and pop the glutes = gas pedal

Tighten the lats and brace the abdomen = brakes

Make sure that you don't use too much gas or too much brakes; balance them out to make the drive nice.

Okay, ready for some sore glutes and hammies? Here are some favorite workouts using the swing.

The X-Swings-Per-Day Method

Set a rep goal. It might be as little as 75 swings performed three days per week.

I made a goal of 250 swings per day in January and everybody asked me about my diet.  It was awful and I ate and drank too much. But I started looking pretty good from the 250 swings. Yes, swings work that well.

So, one simple route is to come up with a number: 75 swings is excellent for beginners. Break it into bite-size sets like 20 or 25.

I Go/You Go

If it's true that we need to teach our hearts to climb up and recover quickly (i.e. waving the heart rate), well, here's my contribution. This is my best swing workout.

The rep scheme 5-10-15-15-10-5. Get a partner and alternate sets. That's sixty reps, and the rest period is only a few seconds between sets. Although you can do this up to five rounds, try one or two first, then make plans.

30/30

Another rep scheme, 30/30, also works well. Thirty seconds of swings, followed by thirty seconds of rest, is a marvelous way to get a lot of work into a short period of time.

If all you have is ten minutes, try 30/30. Toss in a set of farmers walks and you've taken care of business.

As Good As It Gets

The hip-hinge is as good as it gets for the human body in terms of performance. Take the time to learn the basics and make this a big gun in your training arsenal!