Archives for July 2013

How Eric Added 75lbs to His Deadlift PR in 6 Weeks—Despite The Limitations of a Shoulder Injury

July 31, 2013 By Corey Howard 0 Comments

Life happens. Injuries happen. We don’t live our lives, packaged in bubble wrap.

Last year Eric told me his shoulder pain was worse. It was interfering with his sleep and daily life. He has been a client of mine for over three years and accomplished many things he never thought were possible. Originally we thought the shoulder pain was just some light inflammation and things would gradually improve. We were wrong. After a visit to the local orthopedic doctor he was advised no more pressing or overhead movements. Physical therapy and an MRI were scheduled.

So now what do we do?

Everyone has the same fear: they don’t want to take a step backwards, or start over again. Rather than dwelling on the frustration of the shoulder issue, Eric and I took a look at what he could do—deadlift. At 175lbs, his previous best pull was 275lbs for 5 reps… we set a goal of 345lbs for a double (roughly 2x his bodyweight).

We had many things to consider when planning his program. First, it had been roughly eight months since Eric had deadlifted heavy. He was used to a steady diet of kettlebell swings. Second, was his shoulder limitation. Generally, when a client has shoulder issues and they can’t press, they can still pull. Thankfully, this was the case for Eric. Third, we needed some heavy pulling, assistance work, and explosive work. Essentially, we had to prepare his body for a heavy load, while still allowing his shoulder to heal. By relying heavily on my own powerlifting background, I was able to write up a 6-week program that put us on track for our lofty goal.

Day 1 (Max Effort)

A1) Barbell Deadlift 5×5

A2) Heavy Chin-ups 5×5

B1) Moderate Barbell Squat

B2) Heavy Abs

Day 2 (Speed work or Dynamic Effort)

A1) Power Swings

A2) Farmer Walk

B1) Single leg opposite arm KB deadlift

B2) DB Row

C1) Single Side KB squat

C2) Sloshpipe walk with it in the rack position.

I designed the program like this for a reason. On day one he’d be taking his time and resting before each set so four total movements were enough. Plus, pairing heavy deads and 10-12 rep squats on the same day is taxing. The deadlift progession was set up for six weeks, starting at 225 and working up to 305 on week 5, with week 6 being a deload week, and testing on day 1 of week 7. Pull-ups were set up the same way; we started with bodyweight and finished with two 20lb chains added to his body. Eric seems to respond well to 10-12 rep squats so we paired that with hanging ab work to build lower body size, strength and stability. Day two was all about speed and bringing up weak points. We started with 10 rep power swings with a 24k, and finished with a 32k at the end of week 6. This allowed him to build speed through his pull. The farmer walks, single leg deads, rows, and single side, loaded squats allowed us to build strength in the upper back, legs and stabilizers.

So what happened? Eric pulled 345 for a double! A 70lb increase over his last PR! It needs to be stated that every single movement we did was first tested to see if it elicited pain. We trained within his capabilities, used a sensible approach, and stayed the course. What did we learn from this? First, swings absolutely rock! For a 175lb guy that hadn’t pulled heavy in over 8 months to start this program with a comfortable 225 and keep chewing through 20lb jumps each week tells me the explosive hip hinge movement will increase strength, without question! Second, we need to stop focusing on limitations and turn our sights toward what’s possible. Someone told me once, “First do what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and pretty soon you’re doing the impossible.”

***

Corey Howard, RKC: As the owner and founder of Results PT, Corey started the company in 2004 out of his house, with the goal of creating an energizing atmosphere that’s geared toward the client’s success. Since 2004 his vision has grown along with the list of clients, and in 2008 he opened Sioux Falls’s first private personal training studio. Corey has trained and helped many people lose a lot of weight, including a few people that have lost over 100lbs. He also has experience training fitness figure competitors and pageant girls. His clients have been featured in local and national magazine articles, appeared on television, and competed nationally. He originally became a certified personal trainer while living in Minneapolis in 2002 and over the years has created a successful strategy and program that reaps success. He also has experience in competitive powerlifting and loves total body kettlebell workouts that promote athleticism. He can be reached at www.resultsptonline.com or www.coreyhoward.com

Trust Me, You Are in Good Hands

July 24, 2013 By Laurel Blackburn 3 Comments

7/21/2013 RKC Leadership Meeting – Back row: Phil Ross, Fredrik Högström, Josh Henkin, Tim Spencer, Andrew Read, Cortez Hull / 2nd to last row: Angelo Gala, Mike Krivka, Robert Rimoczi, Max Shank / Ladies row: Keira Newton, Andrea DuCane, Laurel Blackburn, Beth Andrews / Front: Rolando Garcia / Photographer: Dennis Armstrong

I got back from the RKC Leadership meeting very late last night after a day of flight delays and barely missed connections, starting at a time zone 3 hours earlier than mine. If you travel, you know how it is.

I was exhausted when I got home and the only “meals” I had were the Delta trifecta, of nuts, pretzels and cookies, so on top of being exhausted, I was also starving and dehydrated due to my poor planning. I was so tired that my plan was to kiss the dogs, pet my husband and fall into bed.

I laid in bed and suddenly my mind started racing. First of all, I was in awe of how much effort it took for some of our leadership team to travel for this one weekend from Australia, Germany and Sweden. I started to feel like a wimp for being tired. Second of all and most importantly, I was wired with excitement.

This weekend solidified my faith, my commitment and dedication to the RKC and Dragon Door. The future of the RKC is alive and well my friends.

As a fairly new team leader, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I thought maybe we’d be given a list of rules and regulations that we all had to follow to keep uniformity throughout the entire RKC all over the world. I was ready for a lot of handouts and note taking.

The meeting was just the opposite; John and Andrea DuCane were taking most of the notes, while we, the leadership team representing all parts of the US and the world shared OUR ideas, OUR feedback and OUR suggestions on how to make the RKC the world’s leading Kettlebell certification.

With a group so diverse, you can bet the ideas were just as diverse and nothing was shot down. Some of the ideas we as a group came up with are going to blow your mind, but may take some time to implement so be patient and enjoy the ride.

The primary importance was placed on putting out great, quality instructors, which I think is what we all would want. I personally want anyone attending any of my instructor certifications to go away with a certification that shows they have the knowledge and skills to consistently, safely and easily teach their clients how to use the tool we have all come to love and respect; the Kettlebell.

That being said, we spent a major part of our weekend going through the new manuals, practicing, coaching and teaching each other the basic Kettlebell exercises. Emphasis was placed on consistency. That way if you were lucky enough to travel to another country or another state for your HKC or RKC certification, you will be learning and get tested on the same set of standands.

I know in the past when I attended certifications as an assistant or participant, I was given mixed messages about what was expected of me. Even though I left certified, I was still confused about which way was right.

The RKC skills testing is a big part of your certification but it is going way beyond that. The goal is to turn out great quality instructors. We will make it our mission that you leave with the skills to take what you’ve learned and pass it on to your clients. Does that mean the RKC is going to be easy? That you can show up and pass? That would be a big, NO! You still need to show up prepared and with the conditioning to excel at three days of intense hands-on learning. People will still fail and that happens because they show up not having prepared.

You will spend time learning how to coach. What good is it to pass the skills for yourself if you can’t go out and teach those skills effectively? If you want to have a successful business, you need to be able to take those skills and apply them.

Another exciting element that you will be seeing is business support. I was fortunate enough to already have a thriving business when I took my first RKC in 2009. Many people are just starting out or have no idea how to parlay their skills into a successful business. That is one of the ways in which Dragon Door and the RKC are going to be there for you.

Not only will you hopefully be leaving your HKC or RKC with certificate in hand, but also we are going to help you succeed so that you have somewhere to hang it!

I can’t divulge everything that was discussed. It’s not that I’m trying to be coy, but many of the plans are still in the works as I write.

The take away is that if you are already an HKC, RKC or PCC instructor, you are in great, capable, caring, supportive hands. If you are on the fence about whether or not to pursue a certification with Dragon Door, I am letting you know now, that it is ok to jump.You are going to fall into the arms of some very incredible people who want nothing more than to see you succeed.

***

Laurel Blackburn is an RKC Team Leader and owner of Boot Camp Fitness and Training and Tallahassee Kettlebells. Look for Laurel at www.bootcampstogo.com or www.tallahasseekettlebells.com.

At 52, she is out to prove that age is just a number. Her goal is to motivate and inspire people everywhere, both young and old that strength, flexibility and mobility can get better with age. Follow her adventures on her blog: www.SuperStrongNana.com.

Fixing the Press

July 17, 2013 By Josh Henkin 0 Comments

I have to be honest, I have somewhat of a love affair with pressing weight overhead. In my early years of lifting I loved to bench press. I was pretty good at the bench press in even in high school, but it wasn’t till much later than I would find my passion for the overhead press. Part of my delay in developing my relationship with the overhead press was the fact I came into the fitness industry in the late 90’s where pressing overhead was suppose to be TERRIBLE for your shoulders. The philosophy slowly changed where it was alright to press overhead, but as long as you didn’t go below 90 degrees in the motion. Now we have come full circle where everyone wants to press everything overhead!

My own personal attachment to the overhead press began when I started to Olympic lift. Although I was quite good with the bench press, I felt darn weak in putting any weight overhead. I learned quickly that the overhead press wasn’t just a fancy name for the shoulder press, but really requires integration of the entire body. My weakness didn’t stem from a problematic upper body, but I didn’t understand how to properly utilize my body as a singular unit—really the basis of what functional training is suppose to teach us.

The fact that overhead pressing was one of the three classic ways old time strongmen measured strength (lifting from the ground and carrying weight were the other two), I felt like I was gaining a better form of strength. Not only focusing on the Olympic lifts, I began to compete in Strongman where lifting all sorts of different implements overhead required even more awareness on how the whole body is responsible for developing strength, not just a single muscle or group of muscles.

I recall having a colleague of mine who had an extensive background in Olympic lifting try to press a steel log overhead, he was greatly humbled by the great differences in just changing the implement. For some time I focused my efforts in raising my overhead press by changing the standard training variables such as load, speed, volume, and implements. Then my whole philosophy changed quite quickly.

At one point I was able to press a 40 kg kettlebell for 15 repetitions, not too shabby. However, about two years ago I noticed I could no longer even come close to pressing this weight even for 1 repetition. I was down to struggling to press a 24 kg kettlebell. Doctors found that my spinal cord was being heavily compressed by a disc in my neck. Surgery was necessary, but I was left to wondering if I would ever be able to train in the manner that was so important to me (yes, standard lifters mentality).

Right after my spinal fusion I was told that I couldn’t lift more than 20 pounds for a period of a few weeks. This would be followed by no more than 40 pounds for additional time. How does someone who is so use to lifting heavy come to terms with this limitation? I began to rethink how to train and how to get strong.

Not being able to focus on weight really threw me for a loop. How do you stress the body if you can’t just keep adding weight? The answer was in how we train the body during body weight drills. Sure, weight vests and other implements are used to stress the body, but more commonly, changing leverage in the body is used to increase the intensity of body weight training. How come we don’t do this in weight training?

That is why I started to form a series of kettlebell pressing progressions based around changing our body position that alters leverage of the weight. A lot of people actually have a leaky press. What’s a “leaky press”? They rotate and laterally bend when they press overhead. While some may argue that this is an old school method, it does reduce the carryover to other forms of overhead pressing because you can’t lean when you use most other implements in pressing overhead.

In my mind, the overhead press is just as much a great trunk stability exercise as it is an upper body exercise. The overhead press has a lot of similarities to the push-up, by learning to resist the pull of the weight to one side or the other, we actually build integrity and strength through the hips and trunk (similar to altering body position during a push-up). We can then stress the body in a two different ways with leverage and focus on trunk stability.

-Change Body Position

-Alter Pressing Motion

-Or Both!

The attached video series breaks down these ideas so you can easily integrate the right progression for your goals. You will quickly find which variation is the toughest for you and you might have to make this version your priority! Understanding these principles allows you to press almost every training session and self periodizes your training.

Try a cycle like this one:

Monday: Heavy

Military Press 5 sets of 3

Wednesday: Medium

Kneeling Double Press 3 sets of 5

Friday: Light

Half Kneeling Alternating Press 3 sets of 6 (per side)

***

Josh Henkin, Senior RKC, CSCS has been a RKC instructor since 2003 and has implemented kettlebell programs for major Division I programs, SWAT teams, and many different general fitness programs. Josh is also the creator of the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training system where he is a highly sought after presenter worldwide. He can be reached at info@ultimatesandbagtraining.com or http://DVRTFitness.com

The Kettlebell Jerk

July 10, 2013 By Mike Krivka 0 Comments

Overview
The strength of the RKC is its reliance on the development of the six fundamental techniques that are taught as part of the baseline RKC curriculum: the Swing, Clean, Front Squat, Press, Snatch, and Turkish Get-Up. These foundational techniques give the trainer and the athlete a solid foundation to start with and enough variety in movement and skills mastery to keep them busy for years to come. But is there a missing link? Is a critical technique excluded that would round out the six and make it a lucky seven? I think the missing link would be the Kettlebell Jerk and in the following paragraph’s I’ll try to explain to you my reasoning.

BTW – the Kettlebell Jerk is part of the RKC II curriculum so fear not—it’s part of the program!

What is the Kettlebell Jerk?
The Jerk, by extension, is within the same family as all of the other overhead techniques that can be performed with the Kettlebell. Meaning that it is related to the Press and Snatch – at least it’s a distant cousin of both. In reality it is part of the loading progression to getting heavy weights overhead; starting with the Press, moving on to the Push Press, and then ending with the Jerk. The Jerk isn’t as “ballistic” as the Snatch, but its close; and it’s not as “grinding” as the press, because it shouldn’t be. This means that the carryover skills that you will develop when practicing the Jerk will benefit both sides of the movement coin.

The Jerk is comprised of the “Dip and Drive” of the Push Press followed by a soft lockout in a high Overhead Squat or high Hip Hinge. The key behind having success with the Jerk is in how well you can translate the energy behind the Dip and Drive into the Kettlebell and get it moving overhead. If your Dip and Drive isn’t strong enough to get the Kettlebell to “float” then you won’t be able to get under the it and “catch” it with a locked out arm. Now if your Dip and Drive really is strong enough to “float” the kettlebell, but your initial racked position is weak or loose, then there’s no way you’ll get it overhead or you’ll struggle to press it out. Your racked position has to keep the Kettlebell in the perfect alignment with the torso and legs to accept the power from the Dip and Drive, and the elbows have to be tight against the body and ready to transition from holding to driving upward once the legs have done their job. So you might say that your Jerk depends on fast knees and tight elbows.

So far we’ve talked about transferring energy from the lower body to the upper body—now we need to talk about what the lower body is doing to set up the energy transfer. First thing you need to think about is your stance width or how far apart your feet are. Many people take a wide stance assuming that if their feet are far apart they will get more power. Well in this case it just doesn’t work that way. Remember, we are trying to create a ballistic transfer of energy from your legs to the Kettlebell. To do that you want to have a shoulder-width stance (be realistic about how wide your shoulders are) that will allow you to drive hard off the ground and get a maximum contraction of the glutes. If your starting stance for the Jerk is too wide then you won’t get maximum glute contraction and you’ll have to make up the difference somewhere else. So, after you’ve got the perfect stance you need to make sure that you Dip doesn’t go too deep. The Dip should be a quick and forceful bending of the knees (not the hips) that lets you get underneath the Kettlebell and start driving it upwards. The Drive starts immediately after the Dip; don’t hesitate – explode! Once you starting driving off of the ground through the knees you need to make sure that you follow all of the way through to engage the glutes and transfer the energy into the torso.

Now that your Dip and Drive are in place and working the way you want them to, you still don’t have a Jerk yet. What you’ve got is the underpinnings for a decent Push Press. Now you have to master the most difficult part of the Jerk: the Drop. This seems to be the most common area of confusion and difficulty for most athletes when in actuality it should be the easiest.

Then why is it so hard for most people? All you have to do is look back at their Dip and Drive. If they aren’t fully transferring the energy generated by the Drive into the torso, thereby allowing the Kettlebell to float, then they are going to be stuck under the Kettlebell and won’t be able to drop underneath to catch it. Remember: you can’t effectively drop out from under the Kettlebell if you are still loaded with it. You’ve got to off-load the kettlebell and then quickly drop or hinge out underneath it.

If all of the elements described above line up, then the Kettlebell will be caught in the overhead position with a locked elbow but a “soft arm.” What do I mean by a “soft arm?” It means that you shouldn’t be punching through the lockout with any more force than what’s needed to brace the arm for receiving the load from the Kettlebell.

Better than the Kettlebell Snatch?
Is the Jerk (or the Clean and Jerk to be specific) better than the Snatch? It could be—it just depends on the person and what they are training for. The Snatch, when executed properly, trains a laundry list of qualities that will benefit the athlete. It trains maximizing the Backswing, taming the arc, transitioning from pulling to punching, the overhead lockout position and the commensurate mobility required to attain it, maximizing the trajectory of the Kettlebell throughout the movement, and other important qualities. The Jerk, also when executed properly, trains a similar list of qualities. Foremost are translating energy/motion from the legs to the torso, translating energy/motion from the torso to the arm via the elbow, perception of movement and split-second timing while under load, transitioning from driving to catching, and anticipating load and velocity while in motion. Sounds pretty complex and it is; but the work is worth it once you get the proper timing and sequencing down.

So, it looks like they are both pretty beneficial—so which one comes out on top? Well if you are looking for a great way to build up your grip and develop explosive power from ground to sky then the Snatch will fit the bill. It’s also a great way to build up some serious anaerobic endurance. Don’t believe me? Ask someone who trains for the RKC Snatch Test what it feels like around minute four. Oh I’m sorry, they can’t talk right now, they’re gasping for air!

In regards to the Jerk, I think it comes out on top for someone who is trying to move a near one-arm maximum load in a ballistic manner and learn how to deal with it in the overhead lockout. For the combat athlete it is a great technique to develop a more intimate appreciation for how to apply maximum force to any upper body striking technique and how to conserve energy until the very last millisecond. Remember that time under tension is how you get strong and the Jerk will allow you to put a greater load overhead and train you to manage the position as well.

Conclusions
Training the Jerk will benefit anyone who has mastered the “Big Six” Kettlebell techniques already and are ready for a challenge that will allow them to develop the strength to manage a heavier load overhead. While it is a simple technique, it is not easy to master—and success with it will be dependent on not only have a strong Press and Push Press but also a relatively high degree of physical awareness and how to manage quick height transitions. If you are truly interested in learning how to perform the Jerk, I strongly suggest you find an RKC that can help you fine-tune all of the precursors to this dynamic, fun and positively challenging technique.

About Michael A. Krivka, Sr. – RKC Team Leader: Michael A. Krivka, Sr. is a Washington, DC native who has been involved in Kettlebell training for over a decade and is currently an RKC Team Leader and member of the RKC Board of Advisors and the RKC Leadership Team under Dragon Door (where he has been listed as one of the top reviewed RKC’s in the world for the last five years). He is also the author of a bestselling eBook entitled “Code Name: Indestructible” and is in the process of finishing up several other eBooks on Kettlebells, body weight, and the integration of other tools into an effective strength and conditioning program. Mike has traveled extensively throughout the United States teaching Russian Kettlebells to military (USMC, USN, USA and USAF) and law enforcement personnel (FBI, DEA, USSS and CIA)… read more here.

Troubleshooting the Squat with Master RKC, Keira Newton

July 3, 2013 By Keira Newton 0 Comments

The Goblet squat and the Front squat are two of the most important, and most neglected of RKC exercises. In this video, Master RKC Keira Newton demonstrates with student Brittany Branch where some problem areas typically are—and how to fix them.

***

Master RKC, Level 3 Z-Health, MCT. Keira first picked up a kettlebell in 2005 when her husband challenged her to stop laughing and start swinging. She stuck with the challenge when she realized that she could get an all-in-one workout in a fraction of the time she spent at the gym. Keira was convinced… Read more here.