Here's What You'll Learn:
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The FREE 30 day free kettlebell snatch and swing challenge (You should join this!).
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Which is best for lifting... barefoot or flat shoes?
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Are you planning on a long hike, here's how to physically prep.
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A behind the scenes look into my meal prep Sundays.
Free 30 Day Kettlebell Challenge
What if in 30 days you could:
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Have a considerably stronger butt... more stable shoulders... and a tighter core?
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Increase exercise cardio endurance... a lot?
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And level up your kettlebell skills... maybe become a true kettlebellista!?!
Then complete the 30 Day Kettlebell Challenge .
Check out the post for all the details, including video demonstrations and how to complete the challenge... day by day.
Should You Lift Barefoot?
It's a very popular question.
For 90% of strength based workouts... barefoot is by far the best option.
Even compared to wearing the flat shoes.
form tip
It's possible you might have tight ankles and lifting bear foot might not always feel better.
If this is the case... use a:
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Foam wedge
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5 or 10 pound plates
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A small book
... to help elevate your heels and give you more range of motion.
This is especially helpful with squats and lunges where you need more ankle mobility.
But you must make sure you're working on your ankle mobility or you'll never improve.
4 Major Reasons Barefoot Is Better
First:
You're able to feel the ground and how your weight is distributed across your foot.
In shoes... the foam cradles your foot making it unstable and you lose the ability to feel where your weight is.
Some shoes are better than others... but no shoe will ever compare to your barefoot.
Second:
Nearly all shoes are slightly tilted up in the toe. And even if they're not like some weight lifting shoes... they cram your toes together.
The more you workout barefoot the more you'll notice your toes:
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Gripping the ground...
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Spreading out for balance...
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Flinging more for explosive power...
Third:
Similar to reason one... but more specifically... shoes make it easier for your feet to care inward. Pronate.
This messes up your knee position and mechanics for any lift on your feet.
When you're barefoot you can activate your arches and this almost automatically aligns your knees correctly... your hips... and up the chain.
Try Going Barefoot... Experiment
I'm been training clients for well over a decade and every time I make a client take off their shoes...
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Their form gets better...
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Their balance improves...
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Their strength improves because of the form and balance...
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And they tend to ditch their shoes whenever they get the chance.
Barefoot Can Be Dangerous Through...
I personally do a lot of MetCon workouts which means I'm incorporating lots of different exercises into a single session.
I'll wear my Reebok Nanos for mental release and physical safety.
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Jump Rope (at least when you're doing lots of reps)
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Step Ups/Box Jumps... until you get good with your feet.
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Burpees... when you go lots of reps... your toes get blisters like crazy.
Also... I'm a fan or shoes when:
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Running...
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Lifting heavy kettlebells... you don't want to drop a weight on your feet...
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Agility exercises like shuffles and ladders... again your toes get blisters.
Tips For Long Hikes
Even though I don't hike as often as I'd like, it's one of my favorite ways to live my fitness.
When a listener asked for tips on how to prepare for a long hike, I was stoked!
Here's a quick rundown.
Get On Your Feet
No matter if it's a flat hike or you're in the mountains... you'll be on your feet the entire time.
So spend a lot of time on your feet. Go for walks, runs, weighted walks... with a pack on.
Aim to get at least 75% - of the distance - of what you think you'll be hiking.
Do Some Squats
Inclines hurt your lungs, declines hurt your knees and quads... big time.
Prepare by focusing on quad heavy workouts which can include:
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Squats and squat pulses...
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Sled pushes and pulls...
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Lunges and lunge jumps...
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Lots of step ups for mimicking hiking up...
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The step up machine is a great tool...
Invest in Good Shoes and Socks
Wool socks are amazing. Marino wool keeps your feel warm... even if your feel get wet.
Good shoes are vital.
Solomon makes great hiking shoes... and my favorites are La Sportiva but they are hard to find.
Pack Lots of Food
Nutrition is one of the hardest things to get right for long hikes.
You need enough food but you don't want to bring too much and weigh yourself down.
Carbs are your friend. But have some good protein to like jerky and nuts.
Also get a Life Straw . Water is incredibly heavy and you can easily run out... a LifeStraw will help because you can drink almost anything through this thing.
Sunday Prep: Recipes & Time Management
On PSER on Instagram, you've seen my Sunday meal prep stories.
I spend a lot of time cooking on the weekends for friends and family and experimenting with recipe development for Plan Smart Eat Real .
Based on that, I these two questions a lot...
Where do I get recipes from?
How long does it take me to cook everything?
I create most of my recipes myself (with inspiration of course).
I get inspiration from:
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Instagram account
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Pinterest
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Restaurants...
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Cooking shows...
I take an idea I like and experiment. Trust me I make some nasty recipes almost weekly through my experiments.
I've never been good at following a recipe or rules for that matter.
Here are some of my favorite inspiration sources:
Cooking takes up most of my weekends.
I typically prepare 8-9 different meals with multiple servings of each.
On Saturday, I knock out all of my baking.
That includes muffins and fresh bread/rolls/bagels that pair with meals.
On Sunday, I go to the start at 7:30 am and start cooking by 9am.
Generally, I finish around 3:30pm.
I break for about 15 minutes for lunch and power through until it's all done!
All in all, it's about a 10-12 hour weekend commitment.
It's a long day but I love it... at least I'm still loving it.
That's this week's FWW Podcast!
Have a question you want on a future episode?
Contact me or DM me!
