Article By Kellen Battles
Chaos!? What do I mean when I say this? With our busy lives, we get entangled with work, work, oh and yes, more work. We soon forget the benefits of including health and fitness in that web. It’s not that we purposely neglect it, or do not think about it from time to time, it’s whether or not we have the time for it. Chaos, in this case represents what makes up most of our time and our struggle to incorporate health and fitness. It boils down to two things: time management and the desire to feel good from the inside out.
My name is Kellen Battles, I’m a fitness and health coach, nutritionist, CrossFit coach and consultant. My goal is to get you to open the door, step into a health and fitness lifestyle and bypass chaos. I understand that before that happens, you may have many questions. What are the best kind of exercises for me? How can I improve my strength? I have knee, and back pain, how can I fix this? What about supplements, are they good for me? And many more. I will give you some helpful tips and advice, and also a great training facility to put the answers to practice.
The question I get most frequently is, “Kellen what kind of exercises should I be doing?” My answer is functional exercises: movements that incorporate and highlight our everyday movement and way of life. Squatting, pulling, pushing, picking up something, twisting, and rotating. These movements we all can agree are essential to life, and we have to have a certain amount of flexibility, mobility, and strength to make them happen. Every human being should be able to perform free range of motion in their body, from the shoulders, hips, to ankles. And that’s where I start, with the foundation of testing your ability in movement.
The perfect way to see where you’re at in terms of movement ability and strength is the air squat. The air squat is an exercise you’re likely familiar with, and can (and should) be done safely on the ground. Settle into a squatting position, remembering to open your hips wide so that your torso and spine will remain straight and your heels will be touching the floor. 5 sets, 5 repetitions, holding at the bottom for 10 seconds each time.
Some common things you will experience while performing your squat test: it’s normal if you haven’t paid much attention to form and positioning that your knees, back, and hips may begin to start screaming at you. Take note, as this is a good sign. Your body is telling you how tight you are, and the squatting position is a bit much. For example, if it’s your lower back or hips (which are common tight spots), you’ll need to do some mobility work on those areas. Mobility foam rolling is one key essential baseline tool to tack into those tight areas. If you haven’t been introduced to mobility foam rolling, it’s a good idea to start now. Mobility foam rolling is a way to gain movement options, especially doing your squats. Free range of motion, without tight shoulders, back, hips or knees is the goal. Test your squats, mobilize your tight spots, then retest your squat again; you should begin to feel change in your tight area. If not, keep mobilizing (foam rolling) until you feel change. I tell you, it’s the most gratifying feeling when you begin to move pain free. Every human being should have the right to move with options at end range of motion. The problem is having the knowledge and tools to do so.
Here, at Flying Tiger CrossFit, our members, everyday people like you, are here to improve not only their fitness and health, but how they move. Results matter, and nothing beats feeling good about yourself inside and out when you’ve made the time and are seeing results! Are you so busy you can’t fit health and fitness into your lifestyle? I think not! Never underestimate what you’re capable of if you really want it! Until next time, Coach K out.
Kellen is a world traveler, teaching, learning, growing, and helping people to achieve their goals! His travels have landed him on 3 continents and in several countries, where he has learned a great deal about people, especially when it comes to health and fitness. He’s happy to share his knowledge and experience with the masses!