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Why Your Lower Back Hurts (And Why Kettlebells Might Be the Fix)

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NOTE: This is a “red flag” to the FTC. This is a medical diagnosis. I’m not a doctor. I cannot diagnose nor treat pain. Furthermore, they would push back because it’s speaking in broad strokes and applying this diagnosis to all back pain. Back pain can be mechanics. I can also be a bulging disc. It can be purely muscular. It can be a tumor. See what I’m getting at here? In the health space this is the equivalent of making income claims. Many guys over 40 have lower back issues – stiffness, tightness, soreness, even pain. The good news is, for many, kettlebell training can help get rid of it. Millions of men over 40 wake up every day thinking lower back issue is just part of getting older. For many, it’s not. First, a disclaimer. If you have active lower back pain, make sure you see your physician for a medical diagnosis, and then get cleared to exercise. Second, I’m going to show you why lower back pain can be purely mechanical, why traditional workouts most guys over 40 do make it wo...
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EMOM / OTM vs. Autoregulation Kettlebell Workouts - Which Is Better?

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Get Stronger & More Powerful with These Programs: AUTOREGULATED - https://go.chasingstrength.com/kettlebell-maximorum-e/ OTM (EMOM) - https://salutis.kartra.com/page/SWING-HARD-2 When I was coming up as a greenhorn strength & conditioning coach under the mentorship of my weightlifting coach, Alfonso Duran (a member of the Cuban Pre-Select Olympic Weightlifting Team), I focused obsessed over the “perfect program.”  One of those things was the “perfect rest period.” For example, here was a common heuristic I used: Heavy, 1-3 reps per set = 3-5 minutes rest Moderately heavy, 4-6 reps per set = 2-3 minutes rest Moderate, 8-12 reps per set = 90 seconds – 2 minutes rest Light-ish, 12-20 reps per set = 60-90 seconds Light, 20+ reps = 30-60 seconds per set And you know what, it didn’t work half bad. But it has its flaws. Namely, even with light weights, higher rep sets accumulate - 1- Oxygen debt (heavy breathing) depending on the exercise 2- Pump or burn, depending on the exerci...
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Location: 121 S Tejon St Ste 900, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA
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He Called Me Out!

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I recently received a helpful email from a customer. And in it, he essentially called me out. Here’s an excerpt from the email: “To take this a step further, you could demonstrate one workout from each program on YouTube. I would LOVE to watch the expert do his thing. You could talk through what you're thinking about as you exercise. Right now, the world sees you as the guy talking behind a desk. I think the world needs to see you as the guy actually moving the bells. _______ from ______ does this well. He talks AND moves, and earns respect. Tenacious-G should also be the guy showing off his form and physique. You show your mastery, build even more trust. It's a win-win.” He makes some good points. First off, if you search my YouTube channel, you’ll find videos from 2020-ish of me performing different workouts from More Kettlebell Muscle. Second, perhaps I should video more of my training sessions – or at least pieces of the training sessions related to my training programs. I ...
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Location: 121 S Tejon St Ste 900, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA
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This Punched Me in the GUT… (Over 40 Men’s Workout Priorities)

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Train For Power and Maximum Strength and get “Incidental Conditioning” here → https://go.chasingstrength.com/kettlebell-maximorum-e/ If you’re banged up, need to fix some things, and are tired of “aching” all the time, use this – it’s what I use → https://go.chasingstrength.com/sore-joint-solution-e/ If you’re healthy, but have limited time to train but still want to “push” yourself, pick one of these programs. →  https://cart.chasingstrength.com/hard3b A couple of years ago now I watched a movie called “Westside v. The World” about the world-famous Westside Powerlifting Club/Team headed by super coach Louie Simmons. One of the things that caught my attention was the lifters’ relentless dedication to their lifting above all else and even to the DETRIMENT of all else. I could totally relate because - and I’m not proud of this - for the first 10 years or so of my marriage, my lifting took priority. To the point where my wife and I only ate dinner together on the weekends. Weekdays I ...
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Location: 121 S Tejon St Ste 900, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA
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Is the “Text Neck Tax” Robbing Your Kettlebell Workouts?

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Grab your copy of Systematic Core Training For Kettlebells in the video description below. https://salutis.kartra.com/page/systematic-core-training Here’s a closer look at what FHP does to your upper body: Thoracic Spine: Increased Thoracic Kyphosis: FHP is strongly associated with increased thoracic kyphosis. (Excessive curvature / rounding of the upper back).   This leads to a “slouched” posture and thoracic dysfunction. (Singla & Veqar, 2017; Sepehri et al., 2024; Kang et al., 2021). Reduced Mobility and Breathing Ability: FHP restricts thoracic mobility, impairs ribcage movement, and decreases respiratory (breathing) efficiency.  This is due to altered muscle attachments and increased kyphosis (Triangto et al., 2020; Kang et al., 2021).  This means you can no longer extend your T-spine, so that you can put your arm overhead and lockout your Press.  As a result, you compensate for your lack of movement somewhere else – usually by arching your lower back...
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Location: 121 S Tejon St Ste 900, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA
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The Biggest Workout Mistake Men Over 40 Keep Making

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👉 h ttps://chasingstrength.com/ “Most men over 40 don’t need more training time. They need the right weekly rhythm.” “Strength after 40 isn’t built by going harder — it’s built by being consistent.” “And for 80–90% of guys over 40, that sweet spot is shockingly simple: 20–30 minutes, 3 times a week.” Let me explain why — and why trying to do more usually backfires. One thing I’ve seen over and over in 30+ years of coaching: Men over 40 don’t struggle because they’re lazy. They struggle because their training doesn’t match their recovery. Your life now includes: - Higher stress - Less sleep - More responsibility - A different hormonal environment - Joints with more mileage - A nervous system that doesn't bounce back overnight And that’s normal. But here’s what most guys don’t realize: The more stress you have outside the gym, the less training volume you can actually benefit from inside the gym. Long, grinding sessions don’t give you more results, they often steal results. They dra...
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Location: 121 S Tejon St Ste 900, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA
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What Is The “Strong = Fat” LIE…?

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Time-Tested “Burn Fat & Get Strong!” Single Kettlebell “Built For You” Program https://go.chasingstrength.com/kettlebell-burn/ Here’s HOW this actually works - What the research shows us so far. (Like all research, this may change in the coming years.) 1) Hard, fast efforts flip your fat-release switch. Short heavy / explosive sets spike catecholamines (adrenaline / noradrenaline – your “go” chemicals). Those hit receptors on fat cells and turn on hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), which breaks stored fat into usable fuel. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.575363/full 2) You keep burning after – but don’t overhype it. EPOC (the “afterburn”) scales with intensity: harder, high-quality sets → a bigger, longer post-workout energy cost. It’s real but part of the supporting cast, not the hero. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14599232/ 3) Muscle tells your body to use fat (IL-6 → AMPK). Hard contractions release IL-6 (a myokine – a messenger made by muscle). IL-6 helps...
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Location: 121 S Tejon St Ste 900, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA
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