jon-erik kawamoto personal trainer
Lately, I’ve been playing around with and incorporating a few different exercises into my workouts. I’m all about increasing the challenge and effectiveness of each exercise I do and here are 3 exercise variations I’ve been enjoying (getting killed by) lately. But please remember to not push yourself too hard, you don’t want to hurt yourself. If you do then you should consider physiotherpary for the pain, you can check out someone similar to Ealing physiotherapy that could help you if you do hurt yourself. But let’s hope that that isn’t the care. So moving on, here are three exercises that I think you should try:

Kneeling Banded Hip Thrust with Single Arm Kettlebell Press

 
The hip thrust is a great exercise to target your glutes. I was searching some fitness blogs last week and came across Mike Reinold’s double kneeling banded hip thrust video on Bret Contreras’s site. I gave it a try and really liked it. It targets the glutes like no other and serves as a great glute activation exercise.

I was doing some overhead pressing the other day and wanted to make the press more strict. When trainees fatigue, they tend to lean back excessively, dip and press with some leg drive and not activate their glutes.

So, I thought, why not combine these two exercises together. You get amazing glute activation and a challenge to the torso to remain erect while pressing a kettlebell overhead. Plus, you can’t cheat by driving with the legs.

Constant Tension Reverse Crunch

 
The reverse crunch is a great exercise to target the external obliques and “lower abs.” It’s quite difficult for most but the idea is to curl your body into a little ball while anchoring your hands on a moderately heavy dumbbell or kettlebell.

I wanted to make this exercise a little harder, so I started doing them off a slightly elevated surface. The constant tension and localized muscle fatigue was crazy. Keep the eccentric part (down phase) slow and get ready for the burn. Do not swing your legs or kick to perform the rep – use your abs!

Ultimate Sandbag Lateral Bag Drag

 
Almost two months ago I took the DVRT (Dynamic Variable Resistance Training) Level 1 and 2 certification course with Ultimate Sandbag creator, Josh Henkin. It was an awesome course and taught more than just how to lift a bag of sand. Check out my top 3 eye-openers from taking the course HERE.

Anyway, one exercise that stood out to me was the lateral bag drag. I saw this exercise before but never really tried it. To be honest, it looked too easy and didn’t give it the attention it deserved. Boy was I in for a surprise.

If done correctly, this exercise is one of the most challenging core exercises I’ve ever done…ever! The amount of scapular, core and hip stability required to do this exercise correctly is crazy. Ideally, you would slide the Ultimate Sandbag as slow as possible from one side of your body to the other. Obviously friction and the weight of the bag must be taken into account but the goal here is to minimize any body (trunk and hip) movement during the drag. Keep your elbow locked and scapulae protracted in the support arm to fully engage your scapular stabilizers.

Try this exercise for 30-45 second sets. You’ll be sweating bullets.

Well, that’s a wrap.

If you give these a go, let me know how it goes.

Also, new tri-blend American Apparel Dragon Tees (in black) are on order. To save your size, pre-order your tee on my Store Page.

Have a good weekend,

-JK

photo credit: ritavida via photopin cc

I chose JKC originally to help prevent rowing injuries. I’m a rower and we won the St. John’s Regatta in 2019 but I rowed through a rib stress fracture and missed significant time in the boat during the racing season. Training at JKC consistently since the pandemic helped me stay injury free this year and made me the strongest I’ve ever felt, which helped me help my team win the 2021 St. John’s Regatta! Jon adds variety and mixes the exercises up well so that the workout goes by quickly and strength is gained. The gym is very personable and I like the eclectic mix of people that are there. JKC is much more intimate and personal than other gyms.

Tara Rector-Whelan

Personal Strength Training by Thomas King

I started at JKC after a good friend recommended it to me. She had been coming for about a year and I was envious of her great results. I felt sluggish after failing to motivate myself with various home workout routines. I love the fun and relaxed atmosphere at JKC. It’s such a comfortable gym space and I enjoy knowing so many of the people I work out with. Jon and Thomas make an effort to introduce everyone to each other and with all the joking around,  it starts to feel like a family. Not to mention the awesome results. I’ve always liked to run on a treadmill but I’ve never had the drive to lift weights on my own. Going to JKC makes me accountable which was what I really needed. I feel so much stronger and healthier than I did 4 years ago when I started.

I am the oldest client at JKC at 79 years, soon to be 80. I started training at JKC July 2021. I started at JKC because two of my three sons Justin and Michael and their partners Andrea and Keir and one of my doctors recommended JKC. They all train at JKC Now my wife Linda trains at JKC too. My third son Jonathan lives in Kingston. There is a congenial community atmosphere at JKC. People are introduced to each other. There is effective personal training at JKC.

I’ve been weight training on and off for years but never really had a specific goal or target in mind so routinely stalled out, plateaued or stopped training all together. Before I joined JKC I was definitely in a fitness slump and needed something to motivate me and get me back on track. I did a bit of digging online, looking at various personal training options and gyms around town but JKC seemed like the best option by far. I’ve tried big box gyms and other personal trainers in the past but none of them have had the perfect combination of goal specific fitness programming, welcoming and supportive environment, and the knowledge and passion to back it all up that you’ll find at JKC. Jon and Thomas are great to work with, they know how to motivate you if you’re having an off day and are well versed in all the different ways to make your muscles burn! I also have noticed some major improvements in my deadlifts since I started with JKC and was really happy with the result.

I originally joined JKC because I was anxious about passing out and embarrassing myself since I hadn’t weight trained in a while and I’d hoped to find somewhere sympathetic. My husband @terry_hussey had been training at JKC and his success there made me miss the achievement you feel from a good workout. I went to meet Jon and immediately knew it was going to be a safe space for me. I was never judged for the fears I had and where I was starting from. Jon and Thomas made sure to check on me often, and found a way to challenge me but make me feel secure at the same time, and Terry and I were able to book sessions together, so working out became a shared win for us!

JKC is different from other gyms because of the personal growth you have outside JKC (the sessions inside JKC creates a great positive feedback loop!). You gain self confidence, learn how to show up for yourself, meet a community of newfound friends, and get the support of your trainers who are behind you 100%. I’ve left a scattered workout so proud of myself I’ve honestly shed a tear in the car on the drive home. JKC is the mental health relief valve I need to stay positive, and keep my anxiety and health related fears at bay.

As Seen On: