A couple of weeks ago we ran a deal with Living Social. A bunch of folks bought the deal which is one month of living Social exclusive classes. This means the Living Social people will get their own class at a separate time form the regular classes at Nashville Kettlebell.

The idea from my here is to get all the new folks together at the same time and give them a good, thorough introduction to Nashville Kettlebell and the RKC school of strength. Then if we all decide that we have a good fit, they can move into the regular class times.

The Living Social class times will be posted on the Schedule Page at the main Nashville Kettlebell website. Within a few weeks I plan to have some new online scheduling options in place as well.

Edgar Mueller's Gym in Liepzig, Germany, circa 1930's.

I got this image from John Wood’s website Oldtime Strongman. I always wanted  to train in a  place like that. Oh wait a minute……I DO.

Nashville Kettlebell, 2011.

You can too. Nashville Kettlebell.

I have been an RKC since 2003 and teaching group kettebell classes for over 5 years, but I am very excited to announce that the Nashville Kettlebell has officially been open at the 4th Ave South location for a year!

To celebrate this, we will be having an open house on Saturday, June 18th from 11am until 2pm. EVERYONE is invited. We’ll be having a bonus class at 12:30 and demonstrations throughout the rest of the day as well as drawings for prizes.

Later this month Slim The Hammer Man will be inducted into the York Barbell Hall of Fame along side of his mentor The Mighty Atom, Joe Greenstein. The Hammer Man is a true living legend and a link to the Migty Atom and this is an important moment in strength history. I have confirmation that Dennis Rogers and Jedd Johnson will be there along with a lot of other well known names in the strength world.

The ceremony will take place at the York Barbell Strength Museum on Saturday May 21st, 2011 in York,
PA.

In addition, my friend Dan Cenidoza is doing a strongman performance and there will be martial arts demonstrations, a weightlifting exhibition, workouts, grip games, strongman toys, stuff for the kids and a raffle worth thousands of dollars in products and services. All proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

I am really looking forward to this once in a lifetime event and hope you can make it too.

One of the key supplements in a healthy diet is fish oil. I get mine locally at Nutrishop Nashville.

There are a LOT of benefits from taking fish oil. The information below is an excerpt from the article “All about Fish Oil” on the Precision Nutrition website.

What is Fish oil?

by Ryan Andrews,

Fish oil is, well, oil from fish.

It’s rich in two specific groups of omega-3 fatty acids known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). DHA and EPA, along with alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in things like flax and walnuts, fall under the subheading of omega-3 fatty acids.

EPA and DHA are often cited as being the beneficial components of fish oil. EPA and DHA actually originate in algae, which is the base of the food chain for fish. Fish consume these algae and thus concentrate high amounts of the beneficial fats.

Why is fish oil so important?

Overall health

Omega-3s are very important for health, including:

• cardiovascular function
• nervous system function and brain development
• immune health

Research shows that low DHA consumption (and blood levels) is associated with memory loss, difficulty concentrating, Alzheimer’s disease and other mood problems.

Cell membranes

Essential fats have an integral role in promoting cell health.

Cells in the human body have a fatty membrane (known as the lipid bilayer). This membrane is semi-permable: It regulates what gets into the cell and what goes out of it. The fluidity of cell membranes depend on the fatty acid composition of the diet.

• If the fatty membranes surrounding brain cells are relatively fluid, as they are with lots of omega-3s, then messages from neurochemicals such as serotonin can be transmitted more easily.
• On the other hand, if people eat too many saturated fats (which are solid at room temperature), without enough omega-3s, then these membranes become more rigid, and stuff can’t get through.

Cells also require these good fats for repair and regeneration.

With lots of omega-3s, muscle cells become more sensitive to insulin, while fat cells decrease. This may mean that the body can divert more nutrients to muscle tissue.

Metabolic health

Finally, DHA and EPA can increase metabolism by increasing levels of enzymes that boost calorie-burning ability.

What you should know

We can’t make omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in our bodies, so we need to get them from our diets.

Omega-3 to omega-6 ratio

It’s easy for us to get omega-6 fatty acids. These are found in plant oils, for instance, and factory-raised animals (which are fed a lot of corn and soy) will usually have a lot of omega-6 too.

But it’s hard for people in Western countries to get omega-3 fats from dietary sources. We eat a lot more processed foods and a lot less wild game and plants than our ancestors did. And we don’t usually eat things like snails and insects, which are also high in omega-3s, although many folks worldwide still eat these as part of traditional diets. We rely heavily now on omega-6 vegetable oils.

We evolved with a fat intake ratio of about 1:1 omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. Now, it’s closer to 1:20.

Because omega-3s and omega-6s compete with each other for space in cell membranes and the attention of enzymes, the ratio matters more than the absolute amount consumed of either fat.

Fat heads

When it comes to fat intake, you (and your cells) really are what you eat.

Years of research has linked lower fat diets with aggression, depression, and suicidal ideation. Over time, the cells in your brain take on the dietary fat you consume. DHA is the active fat in the brain, and especially important throughout developmental stages.

Recommendations

Aim for 6-12 daily grams of total fish oil (about 3-6 grams of EPA + DHA) per day from a supplement company that doesn’t contribute directly to the depletion of fish (e.g., they use primarily fish discards). We suggest liquid fish oil, because it’s hard to take so many capsules, and because some supplement companies put lower-quality oil into capsules (or secretly cut it with soy oil). Buy from a reputable company. ( Like Nutrishop Nashville!)