Improvise, Adapt and Overcome

Hey Fitters!

Thanks again for reading. I really appreciate the support from everyone. Today's blog will make for an entraining read for most of you ;)

This last week has been exceptional. Both personally and profressionally. Before I dive into the meat of this I'd like to say that I make a conscious effort to avoid making this blog a status update on my life or a diary. Most of my daily conversations, speeches and training sessions do inspire me to write, but the topics are all themselves their own. While narrowing down my list of potential topics of the week, I try to decipher which is the most inspiring and has somewhat of a unique angle on fitness, nutrition or successful thinking. This week last week required an exceptional amount improvisation and creativity on my part to tackle some issues I believe everyone reading this has encountered or will. Here is some awesomeness from the week and some unique problems we had to tackle

Long time client Katie Fernald has had some grip issues with some key lifts. Among other tactics we pulled out the "fat bar" deadlift to spread the hands out and force a more cognicent clamp on the bar.

Kettlebell class is rocking. The ladies are learning complex movements, becoming better athletes and looking the part ;)

Lights out! This is a picture of the lights out bootcamp from March. The gym lost electricity, they didn't lose their mojo.



Long time bootcamper, Habiba hits a personal best 500m in 3:15. Booyah! If you're not using the rower on a regular basis, you're likely missing out a viking-like fitness level.



Thank you all so much for your awesome effort and I will keep shouting you out on the blog.

P.S. burpees make you sexy

Losing Weight- Key Points

Today I wanted to give you my top 5 key points to keeping the gut looking legendary.

Top 5 weight loss tips from FitterwithRitter:

1. Decide whether or not it's important to you. The reason diets never work is because they are shortcuts. If losing weight is truly important to you then cut the crap and make a strong commitment to yourself. Everyday, renew the commitment. The rest of the tips aren't worth a damn if you're scared to put your foot down.

2. Information is inspirational. Commit to educating yourself because one of the more demanding parts of weight loss is overcoming ignorance. No one is completley stupid when it comes to nutrition but ignoring good advice is likely something that got you to where you are now. Read up (a good resource is "The paleo solution") and put the advice to use right away. As you learn your motivation will dramatically increase.

3. Don't count calories, eat natural foods- All calories aren't created equal. Hitting your appropriate calorie intake won't mean squat if your eating processed foods. Processed food is filled with ingredients which decrease growth hormone, spike insulin levels, increase cortisol and ultimately keeps you sick. Stay away from canned and boxed food as well as the word FLOUR.

4. Lift weights- Lifting weights burns calories like a mother. Cardio won't do it alone. If you want to get better at running then run. But losing weight and keeping it off requires a strong body with enough muscle tissue to keep your metabolism high. Otherwise you're on the rollercoaster...

5. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever rely on a diet plan to fix you- Eat meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar for the rest of your life. I can hear your brains saying "Do you really expect me to eat like this?" Answer: If you made the committment, educate yourself daily, and commit to exercise then avoiding self ruining food is easy.

Turkish Get-Ups. Why?

Hey Fitters,


Who's been the cool guy in the ab area doing Turkish Get-ups lately?

We do a ton of these in Fitter-land and I'd like to give a brief rundown of the how's and why's of the turkish get-up. My goal is by the end of this, you'll have a new found understanding of not only how to do a proper turkish getup but why we do them.

So here goes.

The how from one of my fav's, Kettlebell expert Mike Mahler:

VERY IMPORTANT: Choose an appropriate weight. Too light of weight will allow you to muscle through the movement with bad form. It's a bad lie to tell yourself. Too heavy and well.....you know.

The Why

Aside from the Turkish Getup fitting in well in the middle of workouts, it is a fantastic gauge of not only your core strength, shoulder stability and hip mobiltiy but also your ability to maintain your cs, ss and hm through various planes of movement.

What? Basically, if all of those parts are working like they should that bell overhead doesn't move. It's just about as much of a strength movement as it is a yoga movement. I'm only making that analogy because yoga is most notorious for precise flowy joint movment. Those that have been exposed to heavy lifting for a number of years know strength training can be seen in the same light. Onward though....

Think for a minute. Why do we preach core strength? Why do most of you want a strong core?

I'd bet my last dollar most of us have the same reason in mind: To stay out of the hospital.

So if we're training to stay injury free we have to identify the common injuries that put us there.

- Back crap- planking is not the only form of core stability training. Your core strength runs and hides in the corner once you start moving. Get off the floor and use your core. Work on squatting, deadlifting and hundreds of other cool goodies to make sure your core strength doesn't leave you when you drop your keys and you have a bag of groceries under your arm.

- Knee crap- Immobile hips and ankles are triggers for knee overuse and blowouts. Sitting all the time will weaken and tighten all kinds of stuff in your hips. Squat with full range of motion, make your hips slidey, learn to foam roll and quit walking like a pirate.

- Shoulder crap- Stand up. Put your hands over your head. Higher. If you can't hold your hands directly over your head with straight elbows,in line with your ankles without arching your back there's some 'ish there that is affecting you big time. Let's fix it with a variety of overhead presses, shoulder mobility and stability exercises. That scapula needs to hold it's own or something else will...for a while.

So you have addressed some major issues and your moving much better. Squats and lunges look low. Core stays solid on overhead presses, overhead squats and lunges. Knees feel better because the hips are moving fluidly.

Let's test.......put it all together and you have Wahhlaaa (did i spell that right) the TURKISH GET UP!!

Grab a light kettlebell and try it....both hands*

Now move up one weight. Retest. Rinse and repeat until form begins to break down.

When you feel your form start to break down due to a heavier weight, make note of what is breaking down and when. The bell won't lie. Appropriate weight will expose your weaknesses and force you to address is with tenacity.

For more information on this topic or how to join the Fitter with Ritter Class of 2012 please email me at mritter@wellbridge.com. Hope to hear from you soon!

Man vs. Food

Though we're presumptiously one of the most medically advanced civilizations on earth we have become the flabbiest and sickest cultures of all time, something I dont think most people have fully realized. I feel theres a failure to understand the need for a drastic overhaul in the american lifestyle mainly because individuals dont feel like their are part of the problem. Again, the average american thinks he isnt.

Aside from being unhealthy we are also very stubborn. According to the book "Selling the invisible" by Harry Beckwith, the average American thinks he isn't one. Despite the fact we know it was altogether wrong, most still have the old American food pyramid on their dinner plates. Being that a full and healthy life is something everyone wants I ask you the reader (even the evil hippy vegans :) how much have you REALLY valued your diet on a day to day basis? Is there a a correlation between your health and your weight? How about your health and your diet? How much do you know about fats? Artificial sweeteners?

Like most I'm sure your life is consumed with work, school and personal crap. So I want to help get your game up and I want to make it as easy as possible. All of my 1 on 1 clients are recommended the book 'the paleo solution' for its simplicity and impactful delivery. I don't care if you follow the diet plan but information in it is essential. Because of the impact its had on my clients I want to share it with you (no I don't get royalties from this).

Go to amazon.com

Search: The paleo solution

Spend $15 on a book that may impact the rest of your life.

Am I doing these right?

How important is technique?

Technique is a fun topic to cover. Everyone knows its important. My clients here me griping to them all day about their form on wall balls, squats, lunges, etc.. The ones that take their technique seriously are the ones who see their results continue upward while the ones who wont eventually find a ceiling which they finally bruise the top of their melon due to repetitive head butting.

3 things happen when you take the time to learn and pay to detail from the beginning:
1- you have to start over less often. Just ask my brother what dead lifting 135 for 5 reps in a gym full of people feels like.
2- you have to start over less often. Just ask me what squatting 135 for 5 reps in a gym full of people feels like.
3- you have to start over less often. Just ask anyone who's hit a plateau due to overuse injuries or shear neglect.


If you dont know proper form stop being lazy, sit at your computer like a fit person and use the greatest information system in the world at your fingertips. If you're a Harbour Islander please email me at mritter@wellbridge.com and I would love to setup an assessmewnt with you.

The squat is a high payoff movment so next blog I'm posting a video on proper squat form, a self check system, and specific warm up to ensure your hips are nice and slidey and core stays tall and warrior like.

Til tomorrow

What Your Trainer Ate Today

Ladies and gents,

Just a sweet little addition to my blog is "what your trainer ate today." Its a chance for me to help give you Meat and veg eating manimals recipe ideas. To be honest it helps me stay on post as well ;)

Post workout meal after squat day:

Bourbon spiced chicken sandwich (removed the bun) with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and little BBQ sauuuuuccceeee and a fruit bowl....delicious

Wish I had a picture to make you slobber on your keypad. Next time!


Later guys and more on oly lifting soon.

Body weight ballin

When you don't have a gym handy on workout day, build your own bodyweight only workout using these 5 bodyweight baller tips:

1. Push ups and all variations of them- one thing that will never change until then end of time is that push ups will make you strong. Mix it up using different hand placements and body angles. Youtube is full of different push up ideas.

2. Double and single leg exercises- make sure to include both. When bodyweight squats are two easy try single leg squats by supporting one leg behind you on a couch or chair and squat! Increases the perceived load on each leg making them a killer.

3. Run! You're a human being dammit. Act like it :)

4. Use time sets like :30, 1:00 and 2:00 rather than traditional sets and reps. See how far you can run or how many reps you can do inside a certain time frame. Score your workout this way and get better from workout to workout.

5. Push and pull- stay balanced by using a horizontal push, horizontal pull, vertical push, vertical pull method to build the upper body portion of your workout. It will help you stay balanced and work ALL of the minor muscles with major movements.