The Kettlebell Windmill: Strength and Stretch in Motion

There are many drills with kettlebells that not only are demanding, but also are very revealing or diagnostic in nature. The Windmill (WM) along with the Turkish Get Up (TGU), are two of such drills and on this short article I would like to highlight the Windmill. I will also share a little video showing my latest progress in this fabulous drill..

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Swimming Dragon: A Set for a Healthy Spine and Pliable Joints

Swimming Dragon is perhaps one of my favorite sets to keep my spine in a healthy condition. Not only is the vertebral column exercised, but the joints of the knees, ankles, hips, elbows, wrists and shoulders, along with the neck, receive a mild and invigorating workout.

Joint mobility and kettlebell training should always be practiced along side each other. This is particularly true for the older athletes whose joints are not as supple as they were in days gone by.

In this video, I share with you my current level of practice in this beautiful exercise.

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Squats and Deadlifts: add-ons for Tai Chi

Squats and deadlifts are considered closed kinetic chain (CKC) exercises. Meaning, that the force to overcome the load (barbell), is applied to an unmovable object (the ground) and not to the object being lifted. Open kinetic chain (OKC) exercises differ in that the force applied, moves the load, like in a bench press or bicep curl. In the following article, I will share some thoughts on the common ground these exercises share with tai chi and how, by applying principles of strength training, the tai chi practitioner can develop more muscular strength and endurance.

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