Getting Primal With Kira Stokes

Pylometrics in the evening before a big a race

As athletes, it's important to occasionally change up your workout.  Doing the same repetitive movements over and over are not only boring, but your body will instinctively find ways to "cheat" the workout movement and begin compensating to make it a little easier.  When you change up your routine a little, it not only challenges you mentally, but also "confuses" your muscles with new movements they're not used to, creating a more intense and thorough workout.

This is especially true for long distance runners.  When we fall into the habit of only "running in a straight line", our lateral movement and stability muscles become weaker, often leading to injury.  Besides personal fulfillment and relaxation, one of the the goals of running for some people is getting from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible.  And increasing our overall fitness level from head to toe will not only keep us healthier, stronger, and better conditioned, but also will aid greatly in speed and agility, which leads to faster race results.

Typically I do about 30-45 minutes of core work every weekday morning, and sometimes on Sunday morning, before I run.  If I'm building towards a big race, I'll then run again in the evening, or do some sort of pylometrics or leg strengthening workout.  But in keeping with "trying to change it up" a little, I recently discovered Kira Stokes.  Kira is personal trainer and fitness expert from New York who developed "Stoked Primal", a revolutionary workout utilizing your own body weight in a series of movements that mimic primal animal movements.  There are movements called Crouching Tiger Push Up, Panther, Komodo Dragon, and Spider just to name a few.  And Kira is so motivational.  This woman is an absolute beast!  She's friggin' ripped!!!  Her movements are one of the toughest things I've done in a while, and really get my heart rate racing, without the impact of a jarring run.

2 minute "Stoked Primal" video promo with Kira Stokes ... the woman is a beast!!!

When I was younger, I was like all of the other protein shake and Creatine-crushing meat heads in the gym.  I thought pushing a tremendous amount of weight 12" out from my chest in a straight line over and over made me some sort of an athlete or something.  Please.  While those guys could undoubtedly pound me into a pulp, most have no idea what complete body fitness means.  The Stoked Primal workout forces you to use muscles that typically are neglected from typical routines, for a more comprehensive and total body workout.  I've watched several of her videos online and put together about 10 movements in a personalized routine for me.  It takes about 30-45 minutes and I love it. When I'm done, I'm literally dripping wet and it completely kicks my butt!

Speed drills, Fartleks, tempo & long runs are all vitally important to a runner's training regimen.  But I've found that if I also focus on my overall conditioning, including some of the "Primal Movements" taught by Kira, I become a more complete runner with core strength and speed at their maximum. Have a great week!
... be great today!