Road Trip, Kettlebell Swings, Tight Hips and FREE Stuff
September 4th, 2009
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by Mike T Nelson · Filed Under: Kettlebells · Mike T Nelson
The True Test and Win FREE Stuff
For those of you on my newsletter list, you know that I recently took a trip to South Dakota with my new fiance Jodie for her family reunion. I think this is part of a true test to a relationship when you both enter the same car for 12 + hours of “togetherness” one way to visit the family outlaws (I mean soon to be inlaws). If you survive, you are then approved to move on to marriage.
Truth be told, it went great and I had downloaded a bunch of uber geeky fitness podcasts; so I was fine.
If you are traveling out that way, bring your own food as the stopping points along the way can be sparse. Al’s Oasis however has an amazing halibut steak and Jodie enjoyed her real buffalo burger; so that gets two thumbs up.
One of the tricks to long car rides is the toll (haha, me attempt funny joke, but there are no tolls through SD), it takes on your hips. The hip flexors in the front part of the hip can get angry as they are “compressed” into a shortened position for hours at a time.
How to Combat Tight Hips
1) Get out and just stand up more often. I know everyone is always in a hurry to get there, but a couple more minutes here and there won’t kill you. It also helps cut back on the number of groans you make before you actually get out of the car once you do stop
2) More coffee. This will help with #1 above you will hopefully have to stop and find a place to dispose of the recycled coffee.
3) Kettlebell (KB) Swings! Yes, we actually brought a KB with us on the trip. Each time you stop, you have to get out and do some KB Swings. When you get gas you have to do 2Xs as many swings as the amont of cash you spend on gas. So $30 in gas = 60 KB swings. See the video at the end of the post here.
The KB swings get the hips opened up in front and get yore acquinted with the glutes (butt muscles) that you have been sitting on for hours and went out to lunch.
The video was taken by Jodie of me doing some KB Swings at the local gas station somewhere in bumbletown SD. As you can see I need a bit more neck mobility work too.
What tips do you have for long road trips?
Let me know have ‘em in the comments section.
Win a FREE T-Shirt on Me!!
Post a comment and I will select one comment at random and send you a T-shirt on me from The Protein Factory (my fav place for amazing protein at very fair prices, check them out this link Protein Factory).
Drawning will be held on Tuesday September 8 at 5pm Central Time, so get those travel ideas in the comments section now. Travel is no excuse to let your performance suffer!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson.
PS
Here is the video as promised
Comments RSS 
I follow you on twitter and workout with Thomas Phillips and do Z work with one of his Z certified trainers Steve. That has to be good enough for a t-shirt!
Good post.
On the swing video you weren’t snapping your hips as much as I would have expected. Always interesting to watch different styles.
If you see a tree with fruits, you have do stop and do burpees , and try catch fruit!
Hugs Mike
Hi there Tyrone!
Awesome that you work with those guys. They really know what they are doing and tell them I said hello next time for sure.
Thanks for the follow and I have you down!
rock on
Mike T Nelson
Thanks for the comment Chris.
For the hip snap, I tend to think of it as “What is your goal?” Even though I am an RKC, I don’t use extreme tension ALL the time (nor is that what I believe Pavel teaches exclusively).
If your goal is to do a higher number of reps and moderate speed you don’t need to violently lock them out (although they should still lock). If you are using a heavier KB and working to move it as fast as possible, then, yes you will need more tension.
Note: the mechanics of the swing should still be the same with a lighter weight though. No excuse for bad form.
Hope that helps a bit. Again, this is just my thoughts and everyone has their own ideas.
Rock on
Mike N
PS
Sitting in a car for several hours probably did not help either, hehee.
Good one Rafael. I like it.
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Hey Mike, I like your new site, keep up the good work. I like the mini wkt at the gas station. Crazy!
Hey man,
Those swings by the pumps must have earned you some stares. You should have captured the faces of the onlookers.
As for travel tips, I’m a big proponent of packing a small cooler and bringing food. It’s often hard to find something decent to eat at most rest stops.
Even if you have to go inside to “eliminate” some coffee, you’ll be more apt to avoid the temptation of the fast food if you’ve already had a few bites to eat.
Is it a coincidence that you are swinging a kettlebell beneath a “Restore the Power” sign? Maybe it was just great directing!
I’ve driven across South Dakota on my Harley and I know how grueling it can be. Unfortunately, I didn’t have room for my kb.
Thanks for the comment Dr. Ross! How is training going for you?
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Thanks Mark!
Yes, a cooler full of food is a killer idea. I brought one and I was going to video it, but by the time I got around to doing we had eaten all the food.
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Thanks Amy! I was wondering if anyone was going to catch that, but nothing gets by you!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Great idea, I have some road trips coming up that I will use this on. Also thinking about adding a couple windmills or bent press to hit the shoulder girdle.
Hi Mike,
I have about a million tips due to my cross-country driving experiences. I’ll just give you some of my better ideas.
For starters, I always take my shoes off on long drives and perform tons of Z-Health Mobility drills (feet, ankles, wrists, & hands).
Cops Counted x 10 = Number of Swings (performed at each break or at the end of the trip)
Ex: I saw 8 cops driving from Atlanta, GA to my hometown in NC. That equals 80 swings.
1 Pistol or Squat per Text Message you receive while driving between rest breaks.
Swing per Mile – 1 swing per mile driven between rest breaks.
As always, pack your food for the trip in advance. Penalties are awarded for individuals who stop at McDonald’s, etc to eat a meal. Penalties include, but are not limited to Swings, burpees, sprints, and deck squats.
Enjoy!
Thanks for all your hard work and help… I have yet to be injured this year
Hey Mike, I had to click on the link to see where (at a Gas Station), you’d perform kettlebell swings, right behind the car works, nice!
BTW I was visiting my relatives last weekend I was talking kettlebells with Derek Toshner (a RKC trainer in Fond du Lac, Wi).
Mike, I’m thinking squat thrusters would be great for the lower back, hip flexors and for some cardio benefit. Cool idea you came up with! Thnaks for the great idea for a long trip
Mike,
For tight neck I like neck rolls and rotations which can be done while in the care though don’t recommend them while actually driving for obvious reasons. I also like lateral lunges and rotational lunges to open up the hips. Can’t always take a kettlebell with you.
Bruce Kelly
I am heading to IA (I know IA…what you don’t do for your wife)this coming weekend and I will be bringing KBs because I need some practice for the up coming RKC Sept. 18th.
Before reading your post I was wondering when I will get some swings in…great idea.
Hi there PJ!
Glad the tip will be useful for you. Yep, some upper body KB work is a great idea too!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Great tips Katie! Almost sounds like the RKC on wheels! Bringing food is huge!
Good luck in school! Are you taking classes back in Hot-Lanta now?
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Keep up the stellar injury free training and playing Christian.
rock on
Mike T Nelson
Nice to see you here Charlie! Glad you got the comments thing working.
Cool that you were talking KBs with the Cheese-head RKC!
Are you all ready for the TSC? I think I replied to your email awhile back, but if not; hit me up again.
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Hi there Bruce!
Good stuff. Body weight drills work great if you don’t have a KB near you. Neck mobility work is always great. Make sure when you are driving you are not “chicken necking” forward all the time.
Thanks for the comments!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Hi there Randy!
Timely advice indeed! Are you all ready for the RKC? Let me know if you have any questions. I am going to try to stop out on Sun perhaps or maybe crash the meet and greet Thurs night. If you are interested in a Z-Health sess while you are up here, (or anyone else that will be in for the RKC), email me at michaelTnelson@yahoo.com First come, first serve.
You will “enjoy” the RKC!
Rock on!
Mike T Nelson
Dave,
Yes, squat thrusters are a great killer exercise! Good one!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Hey Mike,
Any suggestions for someone who rides a motorcycle? I hit the beach any weekend where the weather is nice (I live in Asia), and after a hard 45-minute drive I’m stiff and knotted up.
Thanks to everyone for the killer comments! Much appreciated and excellent tips by all.
By random number, the winner is…….
Jason Ross!
I will have a post up for a congrats to him and Jason, I will drop you an email and get the Tshirt out to you ASAP.
Thanks again to all and keep your eyes peeled here for more fun contests soon.
Rock on
Mike T Nelson