Ryan Jankowitz

Deadlift Variations with One Kettlebell

November 18, 2020 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

Even though I’m writing this blog post during a global pandemic, I’m not trying to scare you into working out with kettlebells. However, kettlebell training will make you stronger and more resilient. My goal with this post is to give you a few new ideas for your kettlebell workouts because kettlebells and other fitness equipment have been hard to find recently. You may have just one kettlebell or several kettlebells and no matching pairs—but you can still do kettlebell deadlifts.

The deadlift is arguably the king of strength building exercises. Not only is it great for getting stronger, but it can improve your posture and strengthen your hips. When performed correctly, the deadlift can alleviate back pain.

Additionally, mastering the kettlebell deadlift will allow you to transition to the Hardstyle kettlebell swing. From there, a whole world of kettlebell exercises await.

First, you must master the standard kettlebell deadlift and understand the hip hinge.

The hip hinge means that you move from your hips, the strongest set of muscles in your body, while keeping your spine straight or neutral. Once you’ve mastered the standard kettlebell deadlift, you can begin training with a number of exciting variations. Here are a few to get you started:

Let’s Get Asymmetrical!

Now we can unevenly load the body—for greater core engagement—by learning two different one-arm kettlebell deadlift techniques.

1. The kettlebell suitcase deadlift places the kettlebell outside one of your feet. This deadlift variation is great for grip strength because you’re only using one hand to grip the kettlebell handle. Make sure that you don’t lean or rotate toward the kettlebell as you move in and out of your hip hinge. Stay square all the way through the movement.

2. The kettlebell one-arm deadlift is fairly self-explanatory. The kettlebell will be between your feet but toward the hand that will be grabbing it. Stay square all the way through the movement and don’t lean or rotate toward the kettlebell. Again, grabbing the kettlebell with one hand will improve your grip strength and the offset load will really engage your core.

3. The kettlebell staggered stance deadlift is a unique variation because you use one hand—and also load one leg more than the other. You can practice this move with your opposite arm and leg, or by holding the kettlebell with the arm on the same side as the loaded leg.

Ryan Jankowitz Staggered Stance Deadlift — Staggered Stance Deadlift

4. The last variation I want to share is the kettlebell single leg deadlift. This deadlift is performed while balancing on one leg. The kettlebell single leg deadlift improves balance and is great for your feet and ankles. This move is challenging, so take your time when performing it and move slowly with purpose. You can hold the kettlebell in the opposing hand, or on the same side as the working (standing) leg.

Watch this video for demonstrations of each kettlebell deadlift variation mentioned in this post.

Stay Strong and Safe!

***

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC II lives in Maryland with his wife and two dogs. They love to go hiking and spend time on the beach. When he’s not telling his dogs to stop chasing squirrels, Ryan enjoys spreading the RKC message and teaching others how to train with kettlebells. He’s got a 90-day kettlebell transformation program that helps busy adults lose 10-15lbs., shed their spare tire and build lean muscle so that they look great naked and move like they did in their 20’s. Click here to schedule a free call with Ryan.

How To Fix 4 Common Kettlebell Swing Mistakes

September 4, 2020 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

The kettlebell swing is a phenomenal exercise. I think it should be part of every training program. It addresses explosive power, the posterior chain, anaerobic conditioning and even grip strength. The kettlebell swing has many awesome qualities!

It’s also the foundation for more advanced kettlebell movements like one-arm swings, cleans and snatches. Before progressing to those more advanced movements, make sure that your two-hand swing is dialed in and that you can maintain proper technique with heavy kettlebells and high reps.

Let’s dial in our kettlebell swing technique by avoiding these four common mistakes.

Common Kettlebell Swing Mistake #1:
Poor Setup

There are several key concepts to remember for the kettlebell swing setup.

How far away are you from the kettlebell? If you’re too far from the bell, then you might shift too much weight forward and shrug your shoulders up to your ears while reaching for the bell.

Ideally, you want to sit back with your shoulders pulled down and the kettlebell tilted toward you.

Also, make sure that your hips are below your shoulders. If your hips are too high, then you may not be able to generate a lot of power with your first rep. And the swing is all about power.

Common Kettlebell Swing Mistake #2:
Arms Disconnected from the Body with Wrong Hip Hinge Timing

This mistake can cause discomfort or even injury to your lower back, so let’s dial this one in!

Each time the kettlebell is swung between your legs, even from the initial hike, your arms should connect to your torso. Upper arms connect to your ribcage and forearms connect to your inner thighs.

This will allow the hips to propel the kettlebell forward creating much more power.

Once you’ve reached the top of the swing, you want to stay standing tall for as long as possible while the kettlebell comes back down. Essentially, you’re playing chicken with the kettlebell.

Pushing your hips back too soon—while the kettlebell is still out in front of you—can cause unnecessary stress on the lower back.

The hips push the arms forward, the arms push the hips back.

Common Kettlebell Swing Mistake #3:
Using Your Arms and Shoulders to Raise the Kettlebell

The kettlebell swing is an explosive hip hinge, not a shoulder raise or shrug.

If the kettlebell is drooping at the top of the swing, or your shoulders and neck are feeling it, then you’re using your upper body way too much.

The arms are simply a tether holding onto the kettlebell. They shouldn’t do the heavy lifting. If you’re having issues with this, then check out the towel swing drill in the video below.

Common Kettlebell Swing Mistake #4:
Not Fully Locking Out Your hips or Knees at the Top of the Swing

In order to fully express your power, you must have full extension from the hips and knees. This doesn’t mean hyper-extending your knees, rather straightening your knees by flexing your quads.

You also don’t want to leave your hips back. You MUST contract your glutes hard at the top of the swing for maximum power and to protect your lower back.

Watch this video to see each mistake and correction.

I hope these tips help you master your kettlebell swing. When you get the swing dialed in, it’s one of the best exercises you can do for your fitness.

Keep Swingin’!
Ryan Jankowitz, RKC II

***

Ryan lives in Maryland with his wife and two dogs. They love to go hiking and spend time on the beach. When he’s not telling his dogs to stop chasing squirrels, Ryan enjoys spreading the RKC message and teaching others how to train with kettlebells. He’s got a 90-day coaching program that helps busy adults get into shape, look and feel better by working out with kettlebells and eating healthier so they can elevate their self-esteem. Visit his website rjkettlebell.com or schedule a free call with Ryan: https://go.oncehub.com/RyanJankowitz

How To Work Out At Home With Your Kettlebell

July 13, 2020 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

We are living in uncertain times right now, and it’s more important than ever to focus on our health and fitness. For better or worse, working from home does have its advantages. I haven’t missed commuting. And working from home has allowed me to get higher quality workouts as I now have more time each day.

Even though I just have a few kettlebells, but I’m still crushing my workouts and feel as strong as ever.

So, I wanted to share my workout formula, so you can experience the joy of kettlebell training at home—even if you only have one kettlebell. I didn’t invent this formula, but it has worked time after time for me and my clients. We will be doing total body workouts to save time and to promote general athleticism.

The simplest way to design full body workouts is to choose a pulling and a pushing exercise. This also creates balance and symmetry. We can get more creative by dividing the pushing and pulling into upper and lower body so that we’ll have upper body pulling, lower body pulling, upper body pushing and lower body pushing.

Pulling and Pushing Exercise Examples

Upper Body Pulling:

Kettlebell rows
Kettlebell cleans
Kettlebell snatches

Lower Body Pulling:

Kettlebell deadlifts
Single leg deadlifts
Suitcase deadlifts
Kettlebell swing variations

Upper Body Pushing:

Push-ups
Military press
Get-ups (can also be used as a lower body pushing exercise)

Lower Body Pushing:

Goblet squats
Kettlebell front squats
Kettlebell lunges

These basic exercises can build a foundation of strength and athleticism and can be used in many different combinations to keep training fun.

The basic formula I use for creating workouts:

Warm-up for 5-10 minutes (get your heart rate up and muscles warm)

Strength Block One:
(3-5x Sets)

Lower body pulling exercise
Upper body pushing exercise
Core exercise

Strength Block Two:
(3-5x Sets)

Lower body pushing exercise
Upper body pulling exercise
Core exercise

Conditioning:
(choose one exercise or create your own combination)

Swings
Sprints
Jump Rope
Burpees
Jumping Jacks

Cool down (light stretching, easy walk)

This formula has served me and my clients well for years. I would love to hear about the workout combinations you create with this formula in the comments section below.

Stay Strong and Safe,
Ryan Jankowitz, RKC II

***

Ryan lives in Maryland with his wife and two dogs. They love to go hiking and spend time on the beach. When he’s not telling his dogs to stop chasing squirrels, Ryan enjoys spreading the RKC message and teaching others how to train with kettlebells. He’s got a 90-day coaching program that helps busy adults get into shape, look and feel better by working out with kettlebells and eating healthier so they can elevate their self-esteem. Schedule a free call with Ryan: https://go.oncehub.com/RyanJankowitz

How Long Should It Take To Do One Kettlebell Get-Up?

August 29, 2018 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Coaching Getup Practice

Occasionally, trainees ask me how long a get-up should take when they’re first learning how to do one. I think it’s a really great question and I’m glad when they ask it—because it means that they are probably starting to really dig kettlebell training. But, my answer always seems to surprise them just a bit. When I tell them that a solid get-up takes at least 30 seconds per side, they start to realize that this exercise requires patience.

My best get-ups tend to take around 36 seconds (clearly, I love to time things). It seems to take about 36 seconds for me to feel like I am owning each stage of the get-up while taking my time.

Each stage of the get-up is equally important and demands equal attention. If one stage is rushed or not performed well, that weak link may negatively impact the rest of the movement. There’s nothing worse than trying to adjust your position while holding a heavy hunk of iron over your head.

I’ve found that going back to naked (no weight) get-ups or using a very light kettlebell with a 3-5 second pause at each stage for several reps is a great drill for reinforcing patience. These drills also allow you or your client to get very familiar with how each stage of the get-up should feel.

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II and Master RKC Michael Krivka demonstrate the get-up at a recent HKC workshop in Gathersburg, MD. — Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II and Master RKC Michael Krivka demonstrate the get-up at a recent HKC workshop in Gaithersburg, MD.

My intent in writing this blog post was to create a discussion and learn what other kettlebell instructors and enthusiasts think about the timing of a get-up. Have you found an optimal time for the get-up? How long do you think a kettlebell get-up should take? Please leave your answers in the comments section at the end of this post.

I feel that being patient with kettlebell training pays off big time in the long term. In a time when people want to do more exercises faster and faster, sometimes slowing down is actually the best approach.

Performing one repetition of the get-up masterfully is far superior to performing ten sloppy reps. Really, this can be said for any exercise—quality over quantity. If you take your time and master the basics, the rest will fall into place.

All of my best kettlebell lifts and personal goals have come years after I first picked up a kettlebell. I’m in this for the long haul and sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down.

Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Stay Strong.

***

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Instructor, CK-FMS, is a life-long athlete who can’t imagine sitting behind a desk. He enjoys sharing his passion for fitness and spreading the RKC knowledge. Ryan provides online kettlebell training and in-person training in the DC Metro area. You can reach him at ryan@rjkettlebell.com or through his website rjkettlebell.com.

Breathing, Backswings and Ballistics

December 13, 2017 By Ryan Jankowitz 3 Comments

I really love teaching others how to train with kettlebells; it’s what I’ve become most passionate about as a fitness professional. Whether online or in-person, I get a deep sense of satisfaction when a client learns a new movement or refines their technique.

Ryan Jankowitz 1-Arm Swing While it can be exhilarating to learn new kettlebell drills or refine your technique, retaining so much new information—and then applying it to your training can be daunting!

My goal with this post is to create a simple connection between all of the RKC ballistic exercises (swings, cleans, snatches) so that you can easily apply the same knowledge and techniques to all of the movements.

First, let’s start with the timing of the breath. Breathing is one of the most important functions of training and life. At the top of the swing, when the glutes and quads contract, a sharp exhalation is performed. This sharp exhalation helps to compress the midsection and direct more power into the kettlebell. Again, it is coordinated with the glutes and quads forcefully contracting.

The timing of the exhalation remains the same when performing a clean and a snatch. Although the kettlebell will still be traveling after the exhalation has occurred in both the clean and snatch, it still happens when the glutes and quads contract. The exhale acts almost like a rocket booster, propelling the kettlebell into the rack or overhead position with relative ease. If your exhalation occurs when the clean or snatch is in the finished position, then you’ve lost the benefit of the “rocket booster”.

The backswing is another important part of all ballistic movements—and it should be exactly the same from technique to technique. You should be able to smoothly transition from one movement to another without changing your backswing.

Ryan Jankowitz Kettlebell Backswing

Focus on these backswing concepts/tips for one-arm swings, cleans and snatches:

The handle of the kettlebell passes above your knees
Your forearm connects high up on your inner thigh
Your upper arm connects to your ribcage
Your hips flex to a greater degree than your knees
There is a slight internal rotation of the thumb
This is where you inhale
Spine is neutral

Ryan Jankowitz kettlebell clean

I hope these tips have given you some good “food for thought” for your training. If you experience an “aha” moment or were able to improve a technique, then drop me a line and let me know what you experienced.

Stay Strong,
Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II

****

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Instructor, CK-FMS, is a life-long athlete who can’t imagine sitting behind a desk. He enjoys sharing his passion for fitness and spreading the RKC knowledge. Ryan provides online personal training for busy people who want to improve their health and kettlebell training for fitness professionals who want to refine their technique and/or train for a certification. He is available for private kettlebell workshops as well. You can reach him at ryan@rjkettlebell.com or through his website rjkettlebell.com. He also works with clients and teaches kettlebell classes at Fitness on the Run in Alexandria, Virginia. If you’re in the area, visit fitnessontherun.net and come swing some bells with Ryan.

How to Use RKC Level-II Skills with Everyday Clients

May 17, 2017 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

Ryan Jankowitz Cossack Squat with Kettlebell

I’m writing this blog while on a train back to DC from New York where I had the privilege of assisting Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner at the RKC-II at Catalyst Sport. The weekend before, I had just recertified as an RKC-II in Atlanta with Andrea Du Cane. This has been a whirlwind “East Coast RKC-II tour” and I’ve loved every minute. Needless to say, I have absorbed a lot of great information from many great people, which has given me plenty of food for thought.

One of the many things I really enjoyed during my recent RKC-II experiences was the programming aspect of the course. During my RKC-II recertification, I was tasked with designing a program for a fellow attendee who is within a demographic I usually don’t train—powerlifters. This challenging assignment forced me out of my wheelhouse to look at programming from a different angle. Then I was also able to hear many different program explanations from great minds in the fitness industry. I came away with many ideas and an interesting question for myself: “Ryan, how will you incorporate this awesome RKC-II information into a typical client’s workout program?”

My typical client is a working professional whose goals might include:

Getting out of pain
Preparing for a 5k
Losing weight and improving muscle definition

The client may be dealing with one or several of the following challenges:

Lack of mobility/tightness
Stress
Lack of time

I wanted to know how to incorporate challenging moves like tactical pull-ups, pistols, windmills, or jerks into a program for my clients. The answer lies in the progressions toward these technical and demanding movements.

For example, the tactical pull-up is a movement many of my clients can’t do yet, or aren’t interested in learning—and that’s okay. But, the different hollow positions on the ground are great for EVERY SINGLE CLIENT. My clients want core work and I want them to create a solid cylinder of muscle. Boom, done! When the time is right to approach the bar for hollow hangs, leg raises or pull-ups, they will already understand how to stay tight.

Ryan Jankowitz Hollow Hold — Hollow hold

Ryan Jankowitz Back pressure crunch with leg raise — Back pressure crunch with leg raised.

The pistol is an awesome movement for developing serious leg strength and it’s a great party trick. But, is it a goal that my clients want to achieve? Unfortunately not, and no one has ever told me they wanted to learn the pistol. However, the progressions leading up to the pistol are fantastic for many clients. The Cossack squat and close stance squat both provide new challenges to the squat pattern and add variety to our training sessions. I really love the airborne lunge in every form—assisted, counter balanced with a kettlebell, and bodyweight. It’s a challenging movement that requires focus and balance. The movement also requires hip dissociation—one hip goes into flexion while the other is extended. Since everyone experiences hip dissociation when they walk or run, training the airborne lunge can help improve our clients’ gait patterns.

Ryan Jankowitz Airborne Lunge

The windmill is a fantastic movement for improving hip and thoracic spine mobility while stabilizing the shoulder. I love the progressions because they can be easily added to any warm-up. These thoracic spine mobility drills can be done on the floor without any equipment and added to a naked get-up practice. The good morning stretch—with feet forward and pointed at 45 degrees—is a valuable drill since it really stretches the hamstrings and calves while preparing the lower body for any hinge movements in the session.

Ryan Jankowitz Good Morning

Lastly, the jerk has quickly become one of my favorite exercises due to its high metabolic demand on the body and required athleticism. The jerk can be a challenging movement to learn, but again the progressions are useful for everyday clients. I have successfully taught the long push press and push press to the many clients who have owned the front squat and overhead press. While these progressions are definitely for clients with an advanced skill level, that skill level is absolutely attainable for those who have built a solid foundation of strength and mobility.

As a fitness professional I feel that it’s important to evolve, expand my knowledge, and add more tools to my “toolbox”. The RKC-II curriculum has done just that for me and I highly recommend pursuing this great certification.

Stay Strong,
Ryan Jankowitz

***

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Instructor, CK-FMS, is a life-long athlete who can’t imagine sitting behind a desk. He enjoys sharing his passion for fitness and spreading the RKC knowledge. Ryan operates a remote fitness coaching service, RJ Kettlebell, and is available for private kettlebell workshops as well. You can reach him at rjankowitz@gmail.com. He also works with clients and teaches kettlebell classes at Fitness on the Run in Alexandria, Virginia. If you’re in the area, come swing some bells with Ryan.

How to Smooth Out the Kettlebell Snatch

October 12, 2016 By Ryan Jankowitz 1 Comment

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Kettlebell Snatch Drill

At first, the kettlebell snatch exercise can be daunting to learn. However, if you have a solid one-arm swing and are able to keep a kettlebell locked out overhead from a press or a get-up, then the snatch is definitely within your capabilities.

One of the most common mistakes that I’ve seen when teaching someone to snatch is not letting the elbow bend on the way up. This lack of elbow-bend will create a large arc for the kettlebell to travel—far away from the body—before landing overhead. That landing will be very jarring to the shoulder since the energy of the kettlebell will directed back behind you after traveling a large arc. Ideally, you want the energy of the kettlebell to travel a path nearly parallel to the body, then down when the kettlebell lands overhead. This path can only happen when we bend the elbow and keep the arc of the kettlebell fairly close to the body.

To teach my clients how to bend their elbow when snatching, I have them snatch a light kettlebell from the ground without using a backswing as a teaching drill. Start with the light kettlebell positioned between your feet so that it stays close to your body on the way up. From this position, explosively snap your hips forward while pulling the kettlebell straight up along your body. Punch your hand through the handle to finish in an overhead locked out position just like a standard snatch. This drill should be one smooth movement and not a clean and press.

After a few successful reps of this drill, go back to the standard RKC snatch to see how it feels. Hopefully, this will help smooth out your kettlebell snatch and make it much more comfortable on your shoulder.

Stay Strong,
Ryan Jankowitz

****

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Instructor, CK-FMS, is a life-long athlete who can’t imagine sitting behind a desk. He enjoys sharing his passion for fitness and spreading the RKC knowledge. Ryan operates an online fitness coaching service and is available for private kettlebell workshops as well. You can reach him at ryan@rjkettlebell.com or through his website rjkettlebell.com. He also works with clients and teaches kettlebell classes at Fitness on the Run in Alexandria, Virginia. If you’re in the area, visit fitnessontherun.net and come swing some bells with Ryan.

Heart Pumping Ten Minute Workouts

August 10, 2016 By Ryan Jankowitz 3 Comments

Ryan Jankowitz Get-Up

We all know how efficient kettlebell training can be. Kettlebell exercises rapidly elevate your heart rate and require every muscle to work in unison. Kettlebell workouts can combine athleticism and grace, tension and relaxation, and strength and conditioning.

I review my RKC manuals often for workout ideas for my clients and myself. Each time I delve into the manuals again, I always rediscover great workouts and get ideas for programming new ones. Sometimes I use the workouts as they are written, but many times I modify them for a little variety.

The two workouts described below are from my collection of RKC manuals. They’re favorite choices for when I need a short conditioning workout for my remote clients or myself. I also find that these short training sessions work well when I am pressed for time or not feeling 100%.

Workout 1: