Kettlebell training provides a great core workout that requires a balanced approach. Mike outlines five areas that should be focused on for balanced development. These are the:

Press – includes exercises such as the kettlebell military press or floor press.
Row – includes exercises such as the kettlebell bent-over row.
Squat – includes exercises such as the double kettlebell front squat and the one-legged squat.
Lower Body Pull – includes exercises such as the double swing and double snatch.
Core – includes exercises such as the Turkish get-up and windmill, a favorite among women.

Female athletes can get started with kettlebell training and expect a full body workout with the following exercises:

One-arm Kettlebell Swing
Kettlebell One-legged Deadlift
One-arm Kettlebell Clean
Kettlebell Windmill
Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up

You can find kettlebell photos and descriptions of these exercises on Mike Mahler’s site.

To get started with kettlebell training, order your pair of kettlebells today!

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The Five C’s of Fitness are:

1. Clarity of Vision – setting time-based goals.

Cory recommends at least the following three goals:

• Participating in a fitness-oriented activity such as a 5K run or triathlon;

• Setting a goal to reach an idea pant or dress size; and

• Attending a social event where others can see your progress such as a school reunion, wedding or graduation.

Once you create your goals, post them in high visibility areas such as your car, at work or in your bathroom.

2. Commitment – visualize the accomplishment of your goals.

3. Consistency – make fitness a priority in your life. Find a workout partner so that you can stick to your program. Research shows that you are four times more likely to succeed with a fitness plan if you work out with someone else.

4. Confidence – break negative patterns and behaviors. Cory recommends making a collage of everything that motivates you and putting it in a place to remind you of your goals and that you can achieve them.

5. Control – take control of your plan from within by asking yourself what you eat, where you eat, why you eat, when you eat, and how you eat. Then focus on eating five to six healthy meals a day every two and one half to three hours.

With the right mindset, you can then focus on your exercise plan. To get fit, you should:

• Engage in at least 20 minutes of cardio exercise a minimum of two to three times a week. Treadmills, elliptical machines or stair climbers are great at the gym. You can use exercise videos to workout at home.

• Strength training should be performed at least two to three times a week on non-consecutive days. You want to perform one set of 12 to 25 reps of an exercise for each muscle group. You should rest 15 to 30 seconds before moving to the next exercise.

Resources:

For nutrition tips and information, read Body for Life or visit http://nutritiondata.com.

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Noting that it takes about six weeks to build an athlete’s fitness level, athletes should participate in strength and conditioning for 45 minutes at least two times per week during preseason. Kathleen recommends body weight exercises to get started such as bridges, plank holds and push-ups. After the initial week or two, athletes can add bands, dumbbells (5-8 lbs for youth and 10-20 pounds for high school athletes) and medicine balls (2-4 lbs for youth and 6-10 lbs for high school athletes) to their routine.

Some basketball specific strength and conditioning exercises include:

• lunges
• jump squats
• push-ups
• dead lifts
• the shoulder press

Research shows that women are two to eight times more common than men to rupture their ACL. In fact, one out of 50 women will rupture their ACL. ACL injuries can be minimized by hip and hamstring strengthening through exercises such as lunges and squats.

Other noted injuries common among female athletes are ankle sprains or breaks and shoulder injuries.

Strength and Conditioning resources:

• StrengthCoach.com
• PerformBetter.com
• Brian Grasso’s Complete Athlete Development System

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1. Pediatric Sports Injuries On The Rise
2. The Importance of Nutrition for Female Athletes
3. Kettlebell Training for Strength & Conditioning

Callers are welcome to join the conversation during the show by calling (724) 444-7444 and entering Call ID: 20843. The live, Internet talk-radio show will stream from the host page at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/20843. An archive of the cast will be available at the same link immediately following the show or listeners can subscribe to the archives via the RSS feed located on the host page.

Update: 06/17/08

Due to technical difficulties with TalkShoe, the show was rescheduled today at 12pm on BlogTalkRadio. To listen, visit: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/IntenzAthletix/2008/06/17/Diamonds-In-The-Ruff.

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