TRX Tuesday's - The TRX Wheelbarrow

TRX Tuesday's featured movement - TRX Wheelbarrow
Set up - Ground facing away, handles mid calf. Place your feet in the foot cradles and get into a pushup position. Establish a solid plank making sure your wrists line up with your shoulders, abs are engaged and hips square to the floor. Walk forward on your hands 3 steps then return to the starting point. Complete this movement for 45 seconds with a 15 second rest.

Want to see more videos like this? Tune in every Tuesday for the next few weeks. Also if my Facebook page reaches 800 likes, I will put together a few TRX circuits and post them to my YouTube channel.


Pharaoh Out!

Music Monday's - The Funk and Soul Edition

What's good everyone. Time for another playlist. Last week I was in Chicago for a workshop. I had the chance to visit Rebell Conditioning. They were listening to the Gap Band station. Made me think about taking it back to the classics for this weeks playlist. Without any further ado

1. The Boss - James Brown
2. Move on up - Curtis Mayfield
3. Flashlight - Parliment Funkadelic
4. The Big Payback - James Brown
5. Pass the Peas - The J.B.'s
6. I Get Lifted - George McRae
7. You Dropped a Bomb on Me - The Gap Band
8. Mary Jane - Rick James
9. Enjoy Yourself - The Jacksons
10. P-Funk - Parliment

There you have it. 10 tracks that are sure to put the funk in your next workout. Unless of course you wear smelly gym clothes all the time. Then you have a different funk.

Pharaoh out!

Music Monday's - Guest Playlist from Tom Foley of 510 Kettlebell Zen

It's Monday and that means another training playlist from a fitness professional. This week it's RKC/SFG Tom Foley of 510 Kettlebell Zen. Tom is also a good friend and fellow member of the OGKC (Old Guys Kettlebell Coalition). Here's his bio


BIO: Thomas "*Billy Ho" Foley  spreading the kettlebell love as Kettlebellzen.com in the 510 (Oakland, Oaktown, Oaksterdam, The Town)

Appreciation for physical culture & music have always been an underlying theme throughout my whole life. I think it all started with 70′s classic “Rocky.” Soon thereafter my brother & I were pressing our Sear’s cement/plastic-covered weight set for our own “strongman,” contests. Other than that, all the activity a kid could ask for was found right outside our front door; pick-up baseball, football, tag, bicycling, swimming,  running were the order of everyday. PE classes in elementary school were a reality. Climbing ropes to the ceiling, chin-ups, pull-ups, wrestling, flag-football, kickball, dodgeball and monkey bars were the norm. Nautilus, Universal,  free weights, & yoga all followed. It wasn’t until my early 40′s that I discovered the kettlebell. Little did I realize at the time how much of an impact this “cannonball with a handle,” would have. Two years thereafter, September 11, I became certified to become an instructor of Russian Kettlebells (RKC).  My goal in 2013 to to attain Level II status with Pavel's new group StrongFirst! I teach 10 small group kettlebell classes per week in Oakland CA at SOL Performance and ProAction Athletics. Connect with me on Twitter @510kettlebeller

Here is my Dirty Bakers' Dozen

1). Rock on Hanuman - MC Yogi  - Need to ease the folks into the session. 

2) Voodoo Chile - Jimi Hendrix - Set a PR with my bottoms-up press listening to this...15min of shredding guitar work

3) Overpowered by Funk - The Clash - Rapper Futura 2000 shines

4) Leave Home - The Chemical Brothers - I have three sons and this is one of their favorites...'the brothers gonna work it out.."

5) God's Son - NAS - time to get down and dirty with some double front squats & clean & presses!!

6) Love Bites - Judas Priest - a nod to my heavy metal daze \m/

7) King of Rock - Run DMC - Devastating Mic Control extraordinaire

8) Low Self Opinion - Rollins Band - raw power from a man who loves to move iron

9) Wake Up - RATM - "Flip" like Wilson with my kettlebell cues

10) California Love - Tupac Shakur - from Oakland to Sactown, the Bay area & back down, Cali is where we put the mack down!

11) Hold it now, Hit it - The Beastie Boys - white boys CAN jump (see *Billy Ho)...and rap!

12) Sexmachine - James Brown - "Get-up, get on up!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajzpd-ONOdo

13) C.R.E.A.M - Wu-Tang Clan - need I say more?! "dolla, dolla bills y'all" $$GETMONEY$$

My dude! Thanks for the playlist and thanks for the #GETMONEY shout out. Be sure to check him out on Facebook at 510 Kettlebell Zen.

Pharaoh out! 

Music Monday's - Guest post from Nicole Gendel

 It's Monday and that means more music! This weeks playlist comes from Pilates instructor Nicole Gendel. Here's her bio.

Nicole Gendel stands out on stage.  Her recent work in Jacqulyn Buglisi’s Requiem, staged at California State University Long Beach, is the result of years of preparation and most of all, passion…
Born in Visalia, CA, Nicole has been dancing since the age of four.  She attended Dance Arts, a local dance academy through high school.  As a student at Redwood High School she was part of the school’s elite troupe, “Dance Force,” and balanced that activity as a flutist in the marching band, ultimately becoming its drum major.
Graduating with a major in Dance with the Science Option at California State University, Long Beach, Nicole has studied with Susan McClain, Lorin Johnson, Keith Johnson, Sophie Monat, John Pennington, Andy Vaca, Holly Johnston, Regina Klenjoski and Sharon Kinney.  Being mentored in the narrow field of Dance Science by one of the world’s leading authorities, Ms. Karen Clippinger, Nicole consistently uses her knowledge to enhance her own art and that of her peers.
Her intimate involvement in CSULB’s dance program extended to the costume shop where she worked as seamstress for three years under the leadership of Ms. Liz Pelster.  During her academic career Nicole received numerous scholarships and awards from the Dance Department and University.  Upon graduation, she was honored to be named the Outstanding Graduate from the College of the Arts at CSULB.
Losing no momentum, Nicole’s summers have been spent at Summer Lee Rhatigan’s San Francisco Conservatory of Dance where she had the privilege of working with Bobbi Smith, a member of Ohad Naharin’s Batsheva, Elke Schepers, part-time ballet mistress of the Netherland’s Dance Theater, Chiharu Shibata, Alex Ketley, Christian Burns, and Claire Granier.
Nicole is living in New York and working to join a dance company.

The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition - Axwell Remix
Rihanna – Diamonds
Kanye West – All Of The Lights
M83 – Midnight City
John Legend – Green Light featuring Andre 3000
David Guetta – Titanium - feat. Sia
OutKast – B.O.B.
Muse – Uprising
A.M.X. – You Made Me Change My Number (Remix) - DJ Break
2Pac – Changes - (Explicit)
The Format – The First Single
French Montana – Pop That - Explicit Version
Michael Jackson – Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Single Version
Jay-Z/ Linkin Park – Numb/Encore - Explicit Version
Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out
Kanye West – Blame Game

Thanks Nicole for the playlist. 

Pharaoh Out!

Music Monday's - Guest post from Kareem Collins of Witness Fitness Performance

Hope everyone is staying dry on the east coast during the hurricane. This weeks playlist is brought to you courtesy of Kareem Collins. Kareem is one of my closest friends. We worked together in the same gym for 7 years. Bad Boys for life! Here's his bio

Bio- Kareem Collins

Personal Trainer/ Group Exercise Instructor- 8yrs New York Sports Club

Group Instructor/ Community Program Development- 7yrs Long Island University 

Level 1 USA Track & Field Coach, USA Weightlifting Coach level 1(Olympic Lifting Technique), Boxing Coach, FMS(Functional Movement Screening), Spin(Indoor Cycling Instructor), American Red Cross Life Guard, Swimming Coach, Youth Exercise & Sport(Sports Clubs For Kids)

Currently involved with assistant coaching at Long Island University. I'm working my way into assigned coaching.

Witness Fitness is a current independent project that is based on Personal Training and overall Physical Development

Distributor for independent company called Advocare(Performance/ Energy/ Weight Loss)

Take Action Music.....

1.Beef with me- 50 Cent Power Of A Dollar

2.Dump- Jada Kiss

3.Get Busy- 50 Cent ft. Kidd Kidd- The Lost Tapes

4.Death To My Enemies- 50 Cent- Before I Self Destruct

5.*Renegade- Eminem & Jay-Z*

6.99 Problems- Jay-Z- The Black Album

7.Whatchu Want- B.I.G. & Jay-Z- Biggie Duets 

8.H.A.M. (Remix)- Kanye West ft. Jay-Z & Busta Rhymes

9.The Worlds Greatest- DMX

10.Where My Dogs At- DMX- It's Dark And Hell Is Hot

11.*Victory- B.I.G. ft. P.Diddy & Busta Rhymes*

12.I Go Off- Beanie Sigel- Broad Street Empire

13.B Boy Stance- Beanie Sigel- Broad Street Empire

14.Jada Kiss- Something Else (Remix)

15.Slaughter House- Back On The Scene 

My dude! Thanks for the tracks. As the title suggests, Take Action Music! If you're in Manhattan on Friday's go take Kareem's 12:15 boot camp class at the 48th & 2 NYSC. You know he brings that FIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Pharaoh out!

Music Mondays - Guest post from Sarah Miller of SpiritFire Fitness

This weeks playlist is brought to you courtesy of RKC instructor Sarah Miller of Spiritfire Fitness. Here's her bio:

RKC certified kettlebell trainer Sarah Miller has spirit & fire to spare and she intends on sharing it with YOU! A life-long athlete & devout vegan, she has dedicated years to honing her wholistic fitness regime thru self-education and personal trial & error. After 6 years of "courting the kettlebell", Sarah took the leap & earned her RKC certification. SpiritFire Fitness was born 6 months later in January 2012. Motivated by the desire to help others unleash the raw power within, her classes incorporate yoga & mindfulness with kick-ass kettlebell training that will leave you wondering 1) "What the hell just happened?!" & 2) "When can I come back for more?". And thus, the journey continues...

But wait! The journey just ain't no fun unless you dance! And you can't dance unless you got good music. Now, you may think you can't dance when you train hard, but I beg to differ. Gotta stay loose to balance out all that effort, people. What good is a big muscle if you can't move it? What good is a nice ass if you can't shake it? Bob & weave, float & sting - "relaxed tension" is the name of the game. And so, just as in my life & my training, I follow my intuition, & without further ado present to you my "Off the Top" playlist. Let's Flow!

 1) So Far To Go - J Dilla (feat. Common & D'Angelo)
2) Adorn - Miguel
3) Break My Heart - Estelle (feat. Rick Ross)
4) Make Me Proud - Drake (feat. Nicki Minaj)
5) Don't Say Nuthin' - The Roots
6) Rude Boy - Rihanna
7) I Get It In - Omarion (feat. Gucci Mane)
8) My Chick Bad - Ludacris (feat. Nicki Minaj)
9) Teach Me How To Dougie - Cali Swag District
10) All The Way Turnt Up - Roscoe Dash (feat. Soulja Boy)
11) Bad Girls - M.I.A.
12) Ni**as In Paris - Kanye West & Jay Z
13) Mercy - Kanye West (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T, & 2Chainz)
14) Work Hard, Play Hard - Wiz Khalifa
15) Desire - Pharoahe Monch
16) Celebrate - Common
17) Refill - Elle Varner
18) Tiger - Emeli Sande'
19) So Good - Pharoahe Monch


DO ALL THINGS WITH INTENTION!

Thanks Sarah! You've given me some joints that will be in my rotation fa sho! Please be sure to head over and like Sarah's Facebook fan page Spiritfire Fitness.

Pharaoh out!

Music Monday's - Guest post from Ashleigh Kast

Excited this week to have fellow RKC II instructor Ashleigh Kast of Rock the Bells Kettlebell School providing this weeks playlist. Here's her bio

Learn. Lift. Run. That's what Ashleigh Kast wants to do. In that pursuit, Ashleigh has gathered numerous certifications, workshop hours, and some really great expert friends. To help her clients maximize their strength gains, she has muscled through RKC I and II Russian Kettlebell Challenges. To get them moving better, she implements the FMS Functional Movement Screen. And to help runners get faster, Ashleigh has studied sprinting and mechanics with Olympic and collegiate coaches. In her spare time, Ashleigh trains for triathlons, strength challenges, or power-lifting gains, depending on the season. No matter the year or current focus, she considers herself a runner at heart. 



When I'm lifting heavy, I need a playlist that fits the tone of the session. #1 It must have a serious message. As Pavel says, you can always tell a real educated weightlifter by how they handle themselves between sets. Quiet, contemplative, anticipating the next set. #2 It must be confident. A chick who deads over 200 pounds at your average box gym tends to get some looks. Ok let's be serious, a never-ending line of bewildered stares. and #3 It's just gotta sound good. Here are some of my past and present go-to's.

1)Atmosphere - YGM
2)El-p feat Killer Mike and Despot - Tougher Colder Killer
3)Kanye West, Jay-z, Big Sean - Clique
4)Das Racist - Power
5)Uncle Murda feat French Montana, Jeezy, Rick Ross- remix to Warning
6)Killer Mike feat T.I. - Ready Set Go
7)Jay-z feat Swizz Beatz - Ultra
8)Styles p feat Rick Ross and Busta Rhymes - Harsh
9)Santogold - Creator
10)Talib Kwelli - Get By

Thanks Ashleigh! I think a few of these will make it into the rotation! Please check out and like her Facebook Fan Page Rock the Bells Kettlebell School. 

Pharaoh out!