pumpkin

It is officially October - which means everything is suddenly available in "pumpkin spice flavor." The evidence of the line-out-the-door at any given sbux when the pumpkin drinks arrive let me know that some people really like that pumpkin spice flavor. Personally, outside of those Primal Blueprint pumpkin muffins (here's a snippit about them in a past episode of Dragon Door TV) and the occasional bowl of a weird snack I call faux pie—canned organic pumpkin mixed with spices and kind of fried in a small skillet full of coconut oil, then topped with crushed pecans... I'll write it out for you sometime, it's odd but good—I don't really experience the intense pumpkin-mania that seems to take people over at this time of year. BUT, I can appreciate it. Just now used some pumpkin spice flavoring to perk up the last of some vanilla protein powder that I wasn't so crazy about (it's from no one you know). So here's what you can do for a super easy pumpkin spice protein shake - choose your favorite vanilla protein powder and make the shake following the directions on the package, then... add in about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of ground pumpkin pie spice - I like the organic pumpkin pie spice blend from Frontier. Its a super quick and easy way to jazz up what could be a bland smoothie. Granted, I can't wait to try this with my current favorite protein powder from my new friends at Triton Nutrition - this would work great with the whey or the vegan protein options they have. Let me know if you try it.

I am really proud to have had the chance to interview Jeff Fish, the Director of Athletic Performance of the Atlanta Falcons recently - you can check this out on Dragon Door (it went live today) and the interview also features photos of a few of the athletes themselves performing kettlebell exercises.   Jeff Fish is a big proponent of the FMS (Functional Movement Screen) as well.   The Falcons are already doing fantastic this season, go read the interview and find out what's been happening behind the scenes.

We've been having a fun discussion about overhead (overhead lockout) and rack position kettlebell holds and carries on Facebook.   And because of it, I received a question - especially useful for those who haven't trained with our small group, or with an RKC.

Q: The overhead lockout... is that a kettlebell snatch with a hold at the top?

A: It's simply holding the kettlebell overhead for time (or while walking a set distance) using proper form.  You can snatch or press it up there, it doesn't matter which you choose, just keep the abs tight (braced), the wrist and elbow straight, and the shoulder down.  Overhead carries, and carries from the rack position are both very powerful moves to help your press, shoulder stability, and improve your technique in general.

It was SO much fun sharing a corner of the media desk with Amanda Salas and Spencer of DragonDoor.tv at this past RKC workshop in Chicago - and a real honor to have them ask me to share the little pumpkin muffin "how to" for this week's episode.   Love to work with you guys!!!!

BTW, these pumpkin muffins from the Primal Blueprint cookbook will NOT last when you make them - people gobble them up