I injured my rotator cuff (shoulder) years ago in an accident and it flared up again over the summer while I was hitting the weights pretty hard.

I managed to maintain my strength while I was away on vacation with some basic bodyweight exercises and working round the injury, but I’ve been itching to get back into some proper training again.

As soon as I got back from my hols I had some remedial massage work done, the guy that fixes me up is excellent but could work for at an interrogation camp. He doesn’t mess around when it comes to giving a thorough massage.

Having someone stick their fingers underneath your shoulder blade into muscles and ligaments that have never been touched before isn’t my idea of fun, but 2 weeks later it’s feeling much better.

I felt surprisingly strong for my first day back and could have done much more , but stopped myself from doing too much too soon. Ill have to build up the volume and intensity gradually over the coming months.

I love training outside down at Bondi Beach, the weathers beginning to warm up and I’m looking forward to daylight savings so we can train later in the afternoon.

Here’s the workout;

5-minute dynamic warm up with shoulder exercises (for injury).

Chin ups 3 sets of 10 reps
Kettlebell clean and press 3 sets of 10

Chin ups (reverse grip) 3 sets of 10 reps
Kettlebell snatch 3 sets of 10

5 minute cool down and stretch.

It’s amazing how good you can feel after one good workout – I can’ wait to get back into full swing again.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit
Boot Camp and Personal Training

                        

Now that I’m back in Sydney we’re kicking off with two new boot camps to trim up before the Xmas holiday season.

The camps will run for 6 weeks and will be held at Rushcutters Bay and Queens Park (Centennial Parklands) starting next week, please click here for more info…

Boot Camp Fitness Sydney

6 weeks is a long time to be away and I definitely missed my surfing and kettlebell workouts, luckily I took my Olympic rings away with me so I managed to get some pretty good workouts in even when there were no gyms around.

I also trained with my brother in Spain for a few days, without having access to a gym for 5 weeks and only performing bodyweight leg exercises I think I may have overdone it on the squats.

There was no way I was going to get outdone by my brother and soon as I began training the competitiveness in me took over and the *10% rule (10% rule means you should only lift 10% more than in the previous week) went out the window.

Subsequently I could barely walk for 3 days, walking upstairs was painful and getting in and out of cars was nearly impossible, even after years of hard training it’s amazing how quickly the body can lose it.

Anyway I had my first kettlebell workout this morning since I got back to Sydney and even though it was tough it felt great to blow off the cobwebs and get back into some serious training.

There’s a different kind of mental toughness when training with Kettlbells where you really need to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and dig in.

Here is the workout I performed …

Warm – up
10 x bodyweight squats
10 x Olympic ring face pulls
10 x push ups
10 x KB swings (with a light weight)

Workout
2 x 12 KB clean and press
2 x 12 Wide grip Olympic ring chin ups
2 x 12 KB Russian twist
2 x 12 KB Front squats
2 x 12 KB single leg deadlift
2 x 120 second plank

Rest 45 seconds between exercises.

Warm down and stretch

Let me know how you get on.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit Personal Training
Personal Training Sydney
Boot Camp Fitness Sydney

P.S If you would like to learn more about Kettlebells we use them for personal training and in our boot camps, you can call me directly on 0422 936 963 or contact me through my website www.personaltrainersydney.com

                        

Over the past couple of years kettlebell strength training has become very popular in Australia, recently Ive received quite a few questions regarding the use of kettlebells, people want to know what the benefits are.(Note:You can either perform this exercise for time or reps).I have been using kettlebells myself for the past 2 years and training clients with them for the past 1 year and a half.I love them, virtually all my training takes place outdoors and kettlebells are a great way for me to train quickly and conveniently without the hassle of going to the gym or setting dumbells and weight plates – I literally open up the back of my truck and have an instant gym waiting for me.

So what are the benefits?

Well…firstly kettlebell training will certainly give you the biggest bang for your buck, it must be one of the most effective forms of training for achieving the most out of your workout in the shortest amount of time.

You see the great thing about kettlebell training is it works the body as one unit with killer exposive exercises, these workouts are great for fat burning, toning, mental toughness, flexibility, strength and muscle endurance.

On recent trip to Kangaroo Valley I filmed one of my workouts… here is one of of my favourite exercises – the high pull, clean, snatch and press.

It’s a combination lift working many muscles at once – great for a quick workout and makes a good finisher.

Give kettlebell training a try, I doubt you’ll be rushing back to the gym to stand in queue in a hurry!

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit Personal Training
www.dangerouslyfitpersonaltraining.com
www.personaltrainersydney.com
www.bootcampsydney.com.au