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Burn with Kearns: The 7 Elements of Fitness – Kevin Kearns
by Kevin Kearns, contributing writer, fitness and exercise
The 7 elements of success… and why you need them in your daily programming, and how they can affect your overall health over 40
I love working out! I have been doing it for 40 years now! Holy crap! That’s like 2 lifetimes. Over the years my philosophies and styles have changed. They also continue to change as I have been a personal fitness coach, performance coach and corporate wellness consultant for 30 years now. I have worked with some of the best UFC athletes in the world. Ten years ago, I was working with 15 MMA athletes. I have worked with actors like Kevin James, sports stars like Glen “Big Baby” Davis from the Celtics, Rasi Dowling from the Patriots, and numerous college and high school athletes. The flip side of that is I also worked with other people in my age bracket (40 and up, to 88 years old) that are just looking to stay healthy, feel better, look better, lose some weight, get more mobile, more flexible, lower their BP or cholesterol, get off meds, and feel good about themselves again, inside and out. They also want to do in the most effective, efficient, and safest way possible. I have worked with business tycoons and blue collar people in that age range, and they all want the same results.
Now, I mentioned the early part about my work with MMA athletes, and other athletes in general. The reason I mentioned that is years ago when I became involved, and switch my whole thinking to functional strength training, my whole world changed. I no longer thought about isolation and made the connection with integration.
How the body works together as a unit, versus individual muscle groups – which you figured I would know coming from a martial arts background, which is my first love for 40 years now. When I’m throwing a jab or a cross, my body does not care how much I curl. When I’m throwing a Thai round house kick my body does not care how much I leg press. When I inside control in BJJ my body does not care how much I bench press either. As I have been saying for years, bench pressing is great when you have a refrigerator packed on your chest). Functional strength training is all about movement, strength you can use, and strengthening you from your toenails to fingernails.
I remember the great bodybuilder Frank Zane at a seminar years ago in Boston when I was in my 20’s and he was north of 45. Someone asked him, “How do you train daily, Mr. Zane?” He answered, “Whatever does not hurt that day I train.” With a smile. I thought back then that was crazy. When I was 20, I was thinking I’m going to be 40 tomorrow and I don’t want to live like that.
I was exposed to functional strength training in 1998 with JC Santana, Mike Clark, Vern Gambeta, Mike Boyle, and Grey Cook. I was fascinated. I completely left the bodybuilding world for this. There were some growing pains in the beginning, like are my legs going to shrink if I don’t squat and leg press?” How will I work my abs without crunches,” and etc. I had to make a full paradigm shift into this world. Well, I did, and it paid off as well, as I’m now 54 and feel better than ever. One of the key concepts I learned from these coaches was the 5 elements of fitness and how they play a role in everyday life, sports and activities. How they happen all the time and we don’t even think about it. We take them for granted. Hell, even getting in and out of your car and going to the grocery store, they happen all the time.
What are they ?
1. Push
2. Pull
3. Level Change
4. Rotation
5. Locomotion
That being said, as I have grown wiser and always believe in my martial arts roots “I’m always a beginner no matter the color of my belt.” You can always learn more daily. I have added 2 more elements to my Burn With Kearns system.
6. Balance
7. Static strength
Push
Now let’s take a look at each one, shall we? Whether you are a football lineman or an 85 year old lady going to the grocery store, you need to have push muscles. Correct? Yes, the same muscles you use to push that blocker off, are the same she uses to push her carriage.
Some of the best motions for push
Push-ups of all kinds.
Bench presses off a stability ball
Turkish get ups
Straight punches like jab and cross
For starters
Pull
Ok so whether you are a long shore man or a collegiate rower we need our pulling muscles to perform. The same muscles a long shore man uses to pull ropes in are the same for a rower.
Some of the best motions
pull ups of all grips
inverted pull ups
medicine ball wood choppers
Muay Thai clinch work
Band rows
Bent Over DB rows
for starters
Level Change
So, a pro basketball player has to change levels to make a dunk while a father has to squat down to pick up his kid. Pretty much the same muscles involved in the same motion. Of course, there are plenty of other exercises as well.
Squats
One legged dead lift
KB snatches
Med ball big circles
Band Poling
Bosu Sprawls
Rotation
Here’s where many fitness plans and programming fall short in my 30 years of coaching. There is no rotation involved which means you are not activating your core effectively, working in the 3rd human plane of motion (transverse where most injuries happen) and not really strengthening your internal weightlifting belt (your transverse ado minus).
The baseball player needs to make a full swing to go for a home run. Same as the weekend warrior playing golf with his buddies to get out of the house and drink some beers on the weekend. They both need rotation.
Here’s some exercises for that plane of motion
Medicine ball Russian twists
Abdominal bicycles
Medicine ball diagonal chops
Band rotations
One arm KB snatches
Locomotion
Here’s a real good one that most gyms don’t do. We all need to be able to move off the line quicker. You don’t squat out of the way of a car, do you ? Of course not, you lunge! It’s the same for the football receiver as it is the dad playing softball on the weekends or hockey. You need to obtain some explosive endurance in your full body.
Here are some great exercises
Agility ladder drills upper and lower body
Lunges
Kali footwork drills
Boxing footwork drills
Rebounding exercises
Balance
B A L A N C E – we all need and as we get older, we all need it big time. Generally, when an athlete runs out of gas, their balance goes out the window. Unfortunately, as we get older that’s one of things that goes first, and we all notice. Clients will say “ My balance sucks!” “Or that’s all about balance”, “that’s not a real exercise and not needed.” Hmm, I say. Well, your balance was better when you were a kid because you were playing all the time and needed balance for everything. Whether it was riding your bike, playing hopscotch, or playing a sport, you needed balance and worked on it daily. But unfortunately, as we all become old farts, we sit on our asses more, work too much, watch TV too much and don’t incorporate any type of balance work until we obtain, and injury and our PT tells us to.
So, whether you are Tom Brady pro quarterback, or a dad or mom on the weekend skating or skiing with your kids, you need balance.
Some great exercises
one legged reached
one legged dead lifts
stability ball push ups
one legged dumbbell rows
one legged squats
Muay Thai round house kicks
to name a few
Static strength
The ability to hold a position for an extended period of time, without early fatigue. So, whether its standing in line at Starbucks or planting in your garden, you are going to need static strength. The same strength a college goalie might need or MMA grappler, you are going to need it as well to . Whether it’s doing yard work, carrying your clubs 18 holes in the heat, playing catcher for your local softball league, you are going to need this concept.
Some great exercises
Bridge pose in yoga
Chair pose in yoga
Clinch holding in Muay Thai
Push up holds bottom or top of motion
Split squat holds
Stability ball split legged squeezes.
So, you see as we get older and wiser, we need to take a good look at our objectives and goals. Do you want to just look better? Or feel better, as well? Do you have to deadlift 600lbs and what’s that doing to your spine? Or are you content with doing 50 one-legged push-ups off the stability ball?
The next time you design your own program make sure you activate all these elements. You’ll feel better, burn more calories, and get a better workout. (I promise) – Coach Kearns
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Both of Coach Kearns’ books may be purchased on www.Amazon.com. For more information about Coach Kevin Kearns, including scheduling speaking engagements and classes (both online and in person), please contact him at 508-404-8503 or [email protected].
Author of “There’s Light In The Tunnel” How to Survive and Thrive with Depression – “Always Picked Last“ A guide to navigating bullies on Amazon and Audible
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Coach Kevin Kearns has been coaching in the world of fitness, nutrition, and tactical self defense for over 3 decades. As the former conditioning coach to 15 UFC Pro Fighters, and ranked in the Top 5 in the UFC , he is no stranger to the the importance of proper nutrition and proper mindset programming. He has long advocated to all his clients – athletes or the general population – about the importance of programming mind, body and spirit.
Coach Kevin Kearns BS FMS CPT – Former conditioning coach to 15 UFC Pros Ranked in Top 5 by the UFC Personal Fitness Coach, Author, Columnist, Motivational Speaker, Corporate Wellness Consultant, Youth Wellness Program Provider, Certification Specialist, Personal Self Defense, and Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics Specialist Www.BurnWithKearns.com.