An amazing exercise for the back and upper body is the inverted row. I’ve started doing these recently, just a few slow reps at a time using my at-home ballet barre (a sturdy table or a sturdy broom across 2 kitchen chairs would work too) and it’s been helping to open up my upper body… Read More Inverted Rows
A look at where I‘m at with my Strength goals for 2019 right now. Once-a-week Kettlebell workouts have been happening regularly, but not on days when I am not home, so less than once a week. I have added slomo Deadlifts (with the 24KG kettlebell) to the mix to work on my Swing technique. Turkish Get-Up: I… Read More Spring Recalibration – Strength
A short recap of this Sunday’s workout: Rope skipping 200 regular jumps (2 x 100 jumps) 100 one-legged jumps (50 LR) 50 high jumps (knees up) Kettlebell Practise Simple & Sinister warmup (8kg) 5 Slomo Deadlifts (20kg) 2 x 10 KB Swings (16kg) 2 x 10 KB Swings (20kg) 2 x TGU (8kg LR) 2 x… Read More Weekly KettleBells
This weekend we had a slightly different workout day than our ‘regular’ jump-rope-and-kettlebell routine. We took part in a yearly local TaeKwondo forms tournament, preceded by a group warmup and a deeply educative self-defense workshop. The warmup contained some very interesting (and entertaining!) partner exercises, for instance situp-high-fives/tens followed by a backward roll, then getting… Read More Korean Cardio
How you breathe – it changes everything. This was one of the most profound lessons we learned from our coaches at today‘s MartialArts4Children charity workshops. How you move, what (and how much!) you feel, your speed and accuracy of reaction, your mood, your flexibility, your (inner and outer) strength, all is connected to your breath. We… Read More The Power of Breath
Working towards specific goals (like surviving our Taekwondo black belt test!) is teaching me that everything builds in layers. Growth – Gaining strength, refining motor skills, deepening understanding, increasing ranges of motion, learning a new language, gaining maturity.. it all works iteratively. We learn in layers. Bit by bit. Rock upon rock. There can be leaps,… Read More Layers of Strength
A short recap of the last workout/strength practise session of the month – in this case also our Taekwondo belt test preparation workout. This February has been action-packed, with lots of dance events (and thus plenty loaded carries!), but not as much time taken on Sundays for focused strength work. Nevertheless, we managed to squeeze in 2… Read More Strength for February
Strength training (or any training) is, in a way, like mending clothes. Or mending Taekwondo Doboks, in today’s instance. Things become stronger where they are repaired. Our bodies (and thus also minds!) work the same. If there is a pressure/demand put upon it, we adapt. When we lift a weight, we become stronger. When we… Read More Mending for Strength
Incredible how much (inner and outer) strength can be generated automagically when it comes to caring for and protecting the ones we love. We dare to speak up, we dare to take action, we dare to take a stand. A great creative power is unleashed when we are able to do or share/create for something… Read More The Power of Love
No Kettlebell training for me this weekend, but instead I practised different variations of the Loaded Carry while on my teaching trip to Denmark. What is it? A simple, yet powerful strengthening (and posture/alignment) exercise: You carry a Thing. Or several things. Preferably on the heavy side. Like, for instance, a set of dance bags filled… Read More The Loaded Carry