She has been so impressed not just by the kettlebell but the other opportunities it has presented for her (a new love for deadlifting and the satisfaction of training amongst people who think a little bit more about their training) that she wrote an article about her experience.

Laura Ivill - trainee at All Well Centre and also ISLondon

 Laura came along to the IKFF Certified Kettlebell Certification in London and spoke with some of the students and Steve Cotter for a bit of background. Following on from that Laura also came along to IS London and enjoyed a good flowing bodyweight, kettlebell and tyre slamming session.

tyre and sledgehammer induction

Glenn has designed a great strength and conditioning programme at his studio in central London which we will be linking into with the 2009 programme at Balance Performance Physiotherapy.

This weekend Glenn is running a Kettlebell Seminar , he knows exactly what he is doing and if you need a good introduction to kettlebells it will be worth getting in touch with him.

You wouldn't think it to look at me, but I can lift nearly two tonnes. OK, so it's in 12kg bursts over 40 minutes, but it all counts. The 12kg weight in question is a kettlebell. It's essentially a cannonball with a handle, which you swing repeatedly and lift overhead, working all the key muscle groups in the body at the same time.

Fans include Jennifer Lopez, Penélope Cruz and Jennifer Aniston, with kettlebell classes now available at many gyms nationwide. Sales of the bells have increased by 30 per cent every year in the two years that they have been available at London Kettlebells, a strength and fitness company. Another sign that the bells, which hail from tsarist Russia, are here to stay, is the accreditation this autumn, for the first time, of 41 trainers in the UK by the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation (IKFF).

for the full article go to the Times Online website:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article5207260.ece

Wanderlei Silva does some Industrial Strength training!

All the characteristics and components of what we do are in this video.  The difference I see between his and most peoples training is some serious metabolic intensity and a healthy dose of practicing mental toughness.

1. Hypoxic training - sure.  I've done twenty minute interval runs just breathing through my nostrils - deep joy and pain.
2. bodyweight circuits, stair running, burpees etc - sure. Ive done similar with full military kit.
3. bear crawls with a bungee cord attached - yes, have seen more than a few sets done in Balance's movement, agility and conditioning studio. Not recently though, have to get back on with those.
4. clean and press with a barbell  for reps - kettlebell clean and jerks/press are a better choice for any MMA fighter - I'll tell him next time he comes to Clapham SW4.
5. high intensity metabolloxed training - yes.
6. pool conditioning workout - good stuff. Again a Royal Marine Commando recruits least favourite 75 minutes of the day, at least until he graduates to getting down onto the assault course.
7. getting my head punched repeatedly without a head guard? not since I moved away from Northampton when I was 18. Wont be re-introducing that drill this side of Christmas!
8. training whilst wearing a snorkel and having my nose taped shut.. that makes a lot of sense but...that is seriously Industrial Strength and absolutely right for a professional with his aspitrations to be so extreme!

Click link for the full 10 minute UFC All Access video on you tube

Sunday November 16th.

9.30am-12 midday

Whats in store

• A good dose of joint mobility

• kettlebells for prolonged sets

• flowing bodyweight moves

• and banging the truck tyre again no doubt!

G-Trainer UK has found a home at Balance

f you are interested in how technology can sometimes be useful to strength and conditioning you need to look at Alter-G and their G-trainer.

 The G-trainer Pro treadmill has now found it s way to  Europe, and London's largest team of sports injury, back pain, movement, strength and conditioning professionals.

Balance is very excited to announce the arrival of the G-trainer to London, UK.

With its applications for:

• orthopaedic and medical rehabilitation,
• sports injury recovery
• back pain
• strength, conditioning and running specific athletic performance

the G-trainer presents amazing opportunities to all of Balance's clients.

Balance is at the forefront of a first wave of facilities in Europe that has recognised the opportunities offered by this "anti-gravity" treadmill.

At present there are only 6 other organisations who have invested in this ground breaking technology including:

AC Milan and Manchester United

Paula Radcliffe has her own G-trainer at her French Pyrenees training home in Fort Romeu (thanks Raph).

For more detail and until our new website goes live visit
www.g-trainerUK.blogspot.com  and see how it will fit into Balance Performance Physiotherapy and Balance Health and Fitness services.

Balance is all about offering opportunities to all so everyone on the Balance team is particularly excited at the opportunities this is going to offer.

The obvious benefit with any "unweighting" equipment is in orthopaedic rehabilitation, sports injury recovery and back pain where reducing the effect of gravity unloads the joints and reduces stress to the soft tissues. It manages this without impeding normal running gait.

Less obvious is in the benefit to strength and conditioning training, running and other athletic performance. People are confused because "how can there be any benefit if my weight is reduced? Doesn't that make everthing much easier?".

Its actually because you can reduce the effect of one parameter (gravity) that you can increase others, namely:

• volume/distance
• speed

If you are a tech head the link at the foot of the page will explain how it all works.

And it does work! We have done considerable research on who is using it, for what applications, and the results they have achieved. The people using it include athletes of the highest calibre, including 2 of European footballs elite teams, and also NBA, NFL and Nike professional runners.

Once we tried it out in New York at the Special Hospital for Rehabilitation we were absolutely convinced we had to get one to London.

Keep posted to learn how you can get to benefit from this piece of kit.

www.Alter-G.com/alterg/bd.aspx

Courtesy of the American Kettlebell Club www.americankettlebellclub.com World Champion Ivan Denisov attempts to break his own Jerk record by doing 169 reps at the AKC Classic in Las Vegas, May 2008.

This is something to aspire to....watch the technique, observe the fatigue and how it is controlled, see how every opportunity to relax under the load and tension is taken.

We had a great strength and power endurance session in Dartford today.

Everyone contributed with exercise suggestions so all I had to do was get my shot put out of the car. The collective came up with two circuits of push, pull, legs and trunk work.

Phill Ireland took us through a thorough dynamic warm up and then I went through the all important Joint Mobility.

Strength and Power Endurance Circuit - bodyweight , kettlebell swings and throws , heavy and short rope drills, tyre flips, power wheel, shot put, medicine ball.

Time for Sunday Lunch......thanks to everyone who came along, Neal and Mark who made the journey from London, and to those who brought their toys. Darryl the Rope Man,  Adam who donated a tyre (now being used at Balance Performance Physiotherapy), Mark and Phill who provided  some kettlebells.

Next Industrial Strength Session is on August 24th, 9.30am on Wandsworth Common. Hope to see some new faces there and looking forward to a return trip to Dartford.

Alvaro Romano played around with his brazilian ju jitsu, yoga and intuition and came up with the the Ginastica Natural method. You may see many familiar elements and say this is that, and that is this. (Yes Scott Sonnon has intu-flow too)The real point is to just take a look, have a go and see where you can go with it and what you can bring to it.

thanks to Michael Rook for putting this video forward to me.

If you want to bring some of your own toys please feel free.

• Date: Sunday, August 17th 2008
• Time: 10am-12 midday
• Location: Acacia Hall, High Street, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1DJ. 
• Meet at the top car park overlooking the tennis courts.
• Cost: TBC but no more than £3.

Those connected with Industrial Strength will know our enthusiasm for Russian Kettlebells and that we see them as an essential component of an athlete's well rounded physical training programme (strength and conditioning if your prefer) and the first choice when it comes to external resistance.

Some people seem to use kettlebells as the one and only component of their fitness regime whilst others are promoting them as the answer to all our health and fitness problems. What's more disturbing is that the people who promote this belief in the popular press (particularly the Evening Standard, Metro, London Paper etc) and in the high street gym chains are starting to successfully persuade uk gym members to try out kettlebells.

Whilst this seems great all I hear from clients who are members at places like Virgin Active and even a client of mine who trains at a track frequented by EIS (English Insitute of Sport) Strength and Conditioning coaches, is that what they are doing with kettlebells is not what they are doing with us at Balance and at Industrial Strength.

Its also not what is being promoted by the IKFF or the likes of the American Kettlebell Club (where the video above was  sourced via). No high reps, power and strength endurance, no biomechanical efficiency, no energy management, no movement economy.

On the high street there doesnt
dont seem to have much of a clue as to why they are using them or where the kettlebells strength lies.