Ok, I'm totally guilty of using this title for click bait, but if you clicked on it then, ohla! It worked. :)

Seriously though, whether your goal is performance based or fat loss motivated, the deadlift is one of the best all around compound movements you can add in to your training. 

If you've read my about me page or seen any of my social media posts, you'll know that I'm a hyoouuuuuuge fan of the deadlift. And I'll be totally honest, I love it because it came naturally to me. Which is why I openly boycott the bench press in my training, where I have yet to hit triple digits. 

This lift itself can feel very intimidating, especially when you see someone like this guy lifting 500 plus pounds. If you're not a bald-headed muscular dude, it can be hard to see yourself doing the same kind of lift.

So where do you start?

Well, first thing's first, shave your head. 

Kidding. I mean unless you want to. Then that's cool.

Second of all, start with a PVC pipe or broom handle of some sort. And then do this:

What are we doing here besides finding an additional use for a broom handle and/or light saber? We're introducing the hip hinge pattern, which basically means sitting back with minimal bending of the knee and then snapping forward, which is engaging the entire posterior chain. (Posterior chain is a fancy term for using all of the big muscles groups on the back of the body; hamstrings, glutes and lower back). 

The key to the deadlift is maintaining a neutral spine throughout the movement, but you have to have a context of what that looks like. I'll have a client do the above exercise for five or six reps before moving on to the actual deadlift itself. The key coaching cue for the exercise above is to maintain contact with the stick at the butt, upper back, and head. Initiate the movement by sitting back with your butt. Imagine someone has a rope tied to your waist and is pulling back. 

But what if I have back pain?

Chances are you have back pain because your glutes are weak and your hamstrings are tight. As Dean Somerset says "deadlifts train the spine to remain stable while exposed to stupidly high shear forces, thus making you Superman." I'd say Captain America, but tomato tomato.

As a side note, I'm always a little mystified when people say they don't want to deadlift or squat because they are afraid of injury, or their knees hurt or whatever. Every time you bend down to pick up a child, or air conditioner or bag of groceries, you are, in fact, dead lifting weight off of the ground. And every time you sit down on a chair, your bed, the toilet or your niece's "Frozen" big wheel cycle, you're squatting. Both the deadlift and the squat are patterns from your activities of daily living. Anywho, mini-rant over. 

Kettle bell deadlift

Almost everyone begins with the kettle bell deadlift, and I like this variation for a couple of reasons.

First of all, the kettle bells are more available than a trap bar. Second of all, the weight selection starts fairly light. This is a movement you don't want to load up until you have the technique down. Third of all, most gyms have a selection of kettle bells.

Key coaching cues:

1. Elevate the surface where you rest the kettle bell. In the video below I'm using a couple of plates. Use a step or whatever flat surface you have available to raise the surface a few inches, otherwise you'll find yourself squatting the movement, which is what we DON'T want.

2. Think of closing a door behind you with your butt - I heard this on a podcast somewhere and it works. Instead of just bending down to pick up the kettle bell, slide your butt back to close that door and grab the kettle bell.

3. Try to bend the handle of the kettle bell - Pretend your Superman and you're trying to actually bend the handle of kettle bell. Think of splitting a piece of wood in half with your bare hands. This engages the lats (that area under your arm pits and back).

4. Push your feet into the floor - Do it!

5. Squeeze your glutes at the top. Like trying to crack a walnut. You're welcome for that image. :-)

I haven't spent a ton of time encouraging comments below, but if you have any questions about exercises like these, or general nutrition questions, please post them below. 

Give this deadlift variation a try and let me know what you think.

It's been awhile since I've done a Mixed Tape Monday and there's plenty in the hopper since the last post.  

First of all, for those of you in Central Maine, I'm working out of a new gym in Portland several days a week. The Fitness Factory is located on Warren Avenue in Portland and you're first session is five bucks. Five bucks. For a full assessment and a workout. Shoot me an email at kim@kimlloydfitnes.com if you're interested.

And if you're not in Maine, no worries. I'm about to have a few spots open up in my distance coaching program in the near future. Details on that to come.

Rooney and KLF is getting a makeover 

No, I'm not putting his ears up in a snood, though he did get a bath this weekend. Thanks to the talent of Josh over at Creative Outpouring, Rooney the logo (click here for a brief story as to why I have a basset hound as a logo) is going to have a different look, and some new KLF gear will be available just in time for the holidays. 

Here's a sneak peak:

The phrase "I was so excited I peed a little" is perhaps overused, and yet remarkably appropriate. Josh and I have been working together on this for a few months, and there is something incredibly satisfying about that moment when you realize he's nailed it. 

Cookbook suggestion  - Metabolic Cooking 

I know, I know. Of all of the people to make a recommendation on a cookbook, it should come from someone who can cook. Or at least someone who doesn't require a fire extinguisher every time she cooks. But I find myself not only using this e-book on a regular basis, but also recommending it to clients. (Note: I'm way too new to this blogging game to get any affiliate marketing kickback from anyone else, so I'm suggesting this resource because I find it useful).

The book is broken down into red meat, poultry, seafood, snacks, sides, and smoothies. Many of the recipes are so simple that even I can cook them, and if you have little background in the kitchen, feeling competent is half the battle. 

The price right now for the ebook is $19.00. I use the book multiple times a week, and with the full macronutrient breakdown listed for each recipe, you can track your consumption for each recipe. The company also offers a full refund within the first 60 days if you don't like the book. 

Check it our here. 

Podcast on a different kind of core stability

I spend a lot of time in my car these days and after singing myself horse on a recent road trip to Pennsylvania, I went searching for some educational content I could listen to while I'm behind the wheel. What I found, were a lot of really bad podcasts. Mostly the struggle was with poor interviewers, bad questions, and my pet peeve, poor sound quality. One of the better podcasts I've found though, is from Nia Shanks, owner of the Lift Like a Girl website and creator of the Beautiful Badass program (her link is on my resources page). 

Below is a link to her recent interview with Dr. Krista Scott Dixon of Stumptuos.com and Precision Nutrition. Dr. Dixon's take on core stability will surprise you, as she's talking about your physical core. 

Check out podcast, and other Nia Shanks' podcasts, here. 

And finally, just because it's Monday, here's a cute picture of Rooney with his best buddy Harper, whom we dog-sat this weekend. Because cute dog pictures. 

I received this email from a client after he finished week one of his program from me.

“Just completed this for the first time this evening Kim.  Until a little more than an hour ago, I would have told anyone you were a nice person.  Woof.”

Another client followed a similar workout, and the next day said, quite simply, “whimper.”

One could say that Batman gets a metabolic workout in while he's fighting crime, but mostly I just wanted you to click on the post...yeah that's me. I'm Batman. With a crooked ear...

Metabolic circuits vary in that some have you working every minute on the minute (EMOM); for example, ten kettle bell swings on the minute for ten minutes. 

There are also ladders and reverse ladders, for instance you might do 10 kettle bell swings paired with one push up, and the next set you'll do nine kettle bell swings and two pushups, until you get to your last set, which will be ten push ups and one kettle bell swing. You might also do a Tabata, where you work for 20 seconds and rest for ten, working for a total of four minutes doing a series of four different exercises.

Whew. I just said a lot. And I'm lumping some different terms in together, but all of these approaches have a common denominator - they are more effective than 30 minutes of steady state cardio when it comes to fat loss.* 

My main take home point is this: metabolic circuits have the benefit of raising your excess post oxygen consumption (EPOC). Basically, you'll continue to burn calories after the workout is over. 

The circuits my clients were referring to were five full body exercises,  with 8-12 reps performed sequentially and with little to no break in between. Upon completion of the first set, rest for 20 seconds and repeat again for a total of five times. Something like this:

A1. Push up 10-12
A2. Walking Prisoner Lunges - 12 steps per side
A3. Jumping Jacks - 35
A4. Single leg Romanian Deadlifts
A5. BW squats - as many as possible in 30 seconds
A7. Inverted row - as many as possible in 25 seconds
A8. Mountain climbers 18 per side

I know. It sounds brutal and it is. (At some point I'll link to videos of these exercises, but for now, you'll just have to google the trickier ones). I used this particular routine when I did a fat loss program with John Romaniello, and the first time I did it, I followed the mountain climbers with a face plant into the gym floor. And was too busy gasping for air to care about the pile of nasty gym lint in my face. 

I know, I know.  

Why would you want to make out with a dirty gym floor?

You don’t. But if you do, hey, I’m not judging.

I don’t add metabolic circuits into programs because I’m a masochist, or because I was training a Baltimore Raven’s fan. (I wasn’t…) And it’s not because I’m just cruel. (Though former athletes may disagree. Look for the story about Sergeant Sprint later). I include these circuits in workouts because they are effective, especially for fat loss. And because they help keep boredom at bay. You're too busy to be bored.

And these type of circuits also help to answer the question that I've been getting a lot. What do I do when I get to the gym? (Epic post coming on this next week; well, at least lengthy..)

Some of us choose the steady state cardio because it's simple. If you're not familiar or comfortable in the gym, it’s attractive to wonder over to the treadmill in the furthest corner of the facility and catch up on the latest season of “House of Cards” (I just started season three, don't spoil it). You don't have to think about anything once you get on the recumbent bike except what you want to watch on t.v. If that's what you want, that's fine. But if you're doing it because you don't know what else to do, then give the above metabolic circuit a try. 

*Disclaimer – If this is your workout routine and that’s you’re bag of apples then hey, that’s cool. But if you’re bored or plateauing on fat loss, you might consider shaking things up with some metabolic training.