RKC School of Strength

Official blog of the RKC

Kettlebell Training

Regress to Progress—Why Patterning is the Key to Fixing Your Swing

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Matt Beecroft Swing Setup
Matt Beecroft demonstrates the incorrect (left) and correct (right) position for starting a kettlebell swing

Movement quality underpins any good strength training system. The RKC has never been just about the kettlebell, it’s always been about learning to move better. And the key to moving better is often knowing the right time to progress an exercise—and when to regress. It can be challenging to know when to increase the movement challenge, complexity or difficulty of an exercise if you don’t have an RKC instructor to coach you. Fortunately, the RKC system also includes an awesome system for teaching the movements progressively and safely.

Sure, you could go out and learn 17 different techniques in other one or two day workshops… But not only will your personal proficiency in those lifts be suspect (unless you are an athletic freak, like our own Master RKC, Max Shank) but more importantly your ability to communicate and teach the information to others will also be questionable. This is especially true when attempting to coach someone who is new to training efficiently, safely, and effectively.

Also, the skill set of an athlete and a coach are very different. Many of your clients aren’t really interested in your amazing athleticism, they are much more interested in how amazing you can make them. We all know great athletes who are terrible coaches and vice versa.

The intelligent progression of exercises which teach how to get from “point A” to “point B” is what sets the RKC apart. If someone is having trouble mastering the swing, you probably know by now that trying to correct it is difficult. Because swings are ballistic, they’re fast, so trying to correct a client (or yourself) during an exercise like a swing can be almost impossible.

The first thing I want to emphasize that you must be patient with the steps leading up to the kettlebell swing. You will know if you have successfully completed the steps if you finally pick up the kettlebell and swing it with some grace and efficiency. But, if you have sped through the progressions too quickly, your swing will be ugly and dangerous. And then more problems will arise when you progress to the clean and the snatch—which should look exactly like a swing in many ways since your arms simply guide the kettlebell to these other positions while your hips do all the work. These more sophisticated exercises will amplify and illuminate all the flaws with your kettlebell swing technique.

Many people speed through the progressions in various exercises thinking that if they have to be patient and spend the time mastering the basics (note: basic doesn’t mean easy) or need to regress the exercise, then they have somehow failed or gone backwards. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

A few things happen when people try to outsmart the process, or jump ahead in the progressions:

  1. They find out that their swing is terrible and have many things to troubleshoot.
  2. They get injured.
  3. All of the above.

Either way, they will end up spending much more time ironing out their kettlebell swing issues. Hopefully they will go to an RKC Workshop to learn the “a-ha drills” we teach to troubleshoot and save time. Otherwise, they risk getting sidelined by injury instead of patiently mastering the progressions and enjoying the journey. Speeding ahead with load and intensity usually causes limited or dysfunctional movement patterns, if adequate mobility and motor control (stability) aren’t achieved beforehand.

So, how should you fix your kettlebell swing?

Embrace the suck and regress to progress. One reason the swing is taught through a progression—at least in my opinion—is because of the patterning. In many respects, it’s similar to some of the ideas in the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). By the time you pick up a kettlebell, after all the correct patterning you have practiced , it shouldn’t look like you are trying to hump the bell! Instead, your kettlebell swing will be a thing of power and beauty.

The general rule is to only use techniques that improve form, quality of movement, and quality practice while reducing compensations. Unfortunately, many trainers don’t have a system for teaching the swing, they just pick up the kettlebell any way they can and then try to get it to move!

The FMS and the RKC teach patterning in this order:

  1. No load, pattern assistance.
  2. No load, no pattern assistance.
  3. Load, with pattern assistance.
  4. Load, with no pattern assistance.

In the RKC, we begin by teaching the hinge unloaded. This is often assisted in a variety of ways – either the student uses the blades of their hands in their hips to help find the hip crease (sometimes coined “chopping and popping”), they might push their butt back towards a wall, or use a dowel touching three points along the spine (head, between the scapula, and the sacrum) to teach how to maintain a neutral spine.

Next we would aim to do this without load, but with no pattern assistance. Our goal is to remove the pattern assistance and do the movement unloaded with perfect form. If the form breaks down we can go back and return to the pattern assistance method (dowel, wall, etc.) until the right movement becomes what we do every time. Old strength coaches were renowned for not letting their athletes pick up a bar until they could first do the movements correctly with a dowel or a stick.

The third stage is load with pattern assistance. In the RKC curriculum, this is the kettlebell deadlift. Placing the kettlebell in line with the heels also places the shoulder blades over the kettlebell. This makes for a foolproof deadlift when we simply stand up with the bell. If you can’t do it slow then you probably can’t do it fast—this is what grinds like the deadlift are all about. Slow is smooth, smooth will become fast later. If the deadlift lacks stiffness or tension, we can use the static stomp deadlift or Hardstyle plank to link the body with tension and to keep midline stability and posture.

The next step is using the deadlift drag or pendulum swing to teach the backswing and the start of the swing—pattern assistance with load. At the final stage we will do dead swings or the proper two handed swing, which is the load with no pattern assistance. If we have adequately mastered the first three steps, the final stage, load with no pattern assistance, will be solid.

Every time I progress a client who isn’t ready, I find that I spend a lot of time trying to troubleshoot their swing. Regressing these clients back to one of the first three stages of patterning was the fastest way to actually help them master the swing.

So relax and enjoy the journey. Be patient in your progress and understand you don’t have to master everything immediately. Basic doesn’t mean “easy”. Spend more time on patterning and you will likely spend less time with the difficult task of troubleshooting swings at full speed. This approach also works with more advanced exercises, for example if your clean isn’t great, your one arm swing probably will need work. If your press isn’t great, your clean will need work. If your kettlebell snatch isn’t great, then your one arm swing, clean, and press probably all need work too.

If you find that your swing isn’t great, don’t think of regressing to an earlier step as failure, or that you’ve made a mistake. You are still traveling in the right direction. Regressing to progress is an amazing strategy that will still have you traveling in the right direction.

***

Matt Beecroft, RKC Team Leader, PCC Instructor is the director and head coach of Reality Self Defense & Conditioning in Adelaide, South Australia. He can be contacted through his website at realitysdc.com.au email: matt.beecroft@realitysdc.com.au or follow him on Facebook: facebook.com/MeetLifeHeadOn.

The Mindset of Mastery—From Exercising to Practicing

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Florian Kiendl Mastery Mindset

Watching any true master perform is always a fascinating experience. To the “average Joe” it looks like magic—he is immediately convinced that the master is a prodigy, and that he himself could never reach such a level. He might wonder why he should even bother trying if his own results will be mediocre at best.

But, when someone who has trod the path to mastery—even in a completely different field—watches the same performance, they understand what it takes to reach a high level of skill, and will value it even more.

What is Mastery?

To most people, mastery means performing at a very high level in a given field. They do not understand that high performance and expertise are actually just mere side effects of true mastery.

In my understanding, the path to mastery begins when someone takes action to deeply and profoundly explore their area of interest. Depending on where they are in their journey, their actual skill level might be high, medium, or even low. But, the difference lies in the approach we take to acquire and improve our skills. The “master to be” focuses on the process of honing and refining his or her skills instead of just quickly producing results. Many great masters of the past in strongman feats, martial arts, or any field of the arts acquired their fame fairly late in life—this is because it took time to achieve their extremely high skill level. But, many of these great masters are still known for their skills today.

Giotto di Bondone, an Italian artist considered to be the pioneer of the Italian Renaissance, was once asked by the emissary of the pope to prove his expertise. So, Giotto drew a perfect freehand circle, knowing that true mastery shows best in details rather than in the final work.

Kettlebell Training Mastery

One great master of our time, Taekwondo Grandmaster Kwon Jae Hwa, put it differently when he stated:

“A black belt is only a white belt who never quit.”

A Word on Competition

These days, when everyone can address the whole world with a few clicks, we are becoming more and more competitive. We humans like to show off our skills, which is a good thing as long as it inspires others to follow along. But when this mutual encouragement turns into a competition, it tends to get ugly. When we compete, the goal often changes from self improvement to fast results for conquering our opponents.

In Germany we have the saying, “Sport ist Mord” which means “sports are murder”. For too many people, this idea is an excuse to be in—and stay in—bad shape. Of course any competitive success comes at a price. In sports, your body pays in the end. High level athletes in almost any discipline have only a few years to earn their fame (and money) before their bodies fail them. Unfortunately this often happens while they are still fairly young.

While I do not oppose competitions, it’s important to keep in mind that the most important reason for exercise and training is to make our bodies as healthy and resilient as possible. If you are a competitive person and like to measure yourself with others, use this trait to keep yourself motivated. But, do not trade a few short moments on the winner’s podium for a lifetime with a healthy body. In my opinion, that trade is never worth it.

To Achieve Mastery, Focus on the Process

To master kettlebell training, you need to increase your knowledge and skills. Try to absorb as much information on the subject as possible, then let your mind make the connections during practice. Every bit of information has its time—you might hear it a hundred times before something suddenly clicks in your mind for the next big leap into mastery. Don’t try to force it, but focus on the process of continual self improvement.

Mastering the Kettlebell

As a martial artist, I got hooked on kettlebells because of the depth of the training. Each and every move—as simple as they might look to the uneducated eye—has loads of subtle details. You can literally practice just the swing for years without ever reaching a point of absolute perfection with the movement. Don’t get me wrong, you do not need to practice the swing or any other RKC move endlessly to get it right. It usually just takes a few weeks to learn all six of the basic exercises in our system. But, once you have learned the basics and decide to really focus on the technique, you will find loads and loads of subtleties to work on for years to come.

Last but not least, kettlebell training has a built-in system to gauge your progress. Whenever you feel like you have mastered a move, start over with a heavier kettlebell.

The reward of this approach to kettlebell training is twofold:

  • You will never get bored, because there will always be something to work towards.
  • You are less likely to get frustrated when your progress slows down (which will happen eventually).

Kettlebell Training Mastery

The RKC System—a Masterpiece of Physical Education

You can greatly advance your kettlebell and trainer skills relatively quickly with the RKC system. Dozens of highly skilled trainers from various fields have combined their skills and nearly 15 years of research to create an almost foolproof system. The RKC can turn any motivated candidate into a highly skilled coach and kettlebell athlete within a few short months. Attending one of the three-day RKC Workshops is the pinnacle of this transformation, but only if the candidate has trained hard in the months before—or after the workshop if they were unprepared.

Taking the RKC certification will turn you into a coach who can watch someone move, then systematically help that person improve their athletic abilities. Say goodbye to trial and error, because the RKC provides the tools to make educated decisions about how to proceed with training, based on your observations.

 

***

RKC Team Leader Florian Kiendl is a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and runs a Martial Arts Gym in a small town close to Munich (Germany). He made it his mission to help his students to improve their movement and overall health. In his search for ways to overcome the movement restrictions of his students (and his own) he found the RKC and now works together with Master RKC Robert Rimoczi and others to help as many people as possible to gain back their Strength and Agility. He writes a regular Blog at blog.kettlebellgermany.de and offers workshops all over Germany teaching the RKC kettlebell exercises: KettlebellGermany.de. If you have questions or comments on the article feel free to email him at florian@kettlebellgermany.de.  Special photos by Florian F. of Flowtography

The Best Things You Aren’t Doing With Your Kettlebells

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Steve Holiner Squat with Mismatched Kettlebells
Senior RKC Steve Holiner Squats with mis-matched double kettlebells

Recently, I had a blast teaching the first RKC in Sacramento, California. We had a fantastic group of people—coaches who wanted to learn. We are all coaches, even if that simply means we are coaching ourselves. When I teach RKC Workshops, my goal is not just to teach people great technique, but I also teach why we do what we do. The RKC method is a powerful functional fitness system because of the deeper understanding we have with our drills, along with our detailed techniques.

Is all this information really that important? Isn’t it just about having a great kettlebell swing? While the answers to those questions are ultimately up to the individual, the old saying, “knowledge is power” still holds true. The knowledge from an RKC Workshop gives so much more power and value than most people expect. Each time we teach the deeper explanations behind “just” another clean, swing, snatch or squat variation, it is exciting to see everyone’s eyes light up.

The best part is the realization that powerful results don’t require complicated applications. Using two different sized kettlebells for double kettlebell drills is a wonderful example. Of course using mismatched kettlebells can simply be a way to perform double kettlebell drills when only a few kettlebells are available, but there is also a better reason to train with them: setting up progressions for RESISTING rotation. Many coaches also refer to this as anti-rotational training.

Before we get into the details of anti-rotational training, we should acknowledge that you may already be using some forms of it. Snatches, one-arm swings, presses, and cleans all represent anti-rotational movements. Renegade rows, suitcase carries, and other similar drills are additional variations of anti-rotational movements. Overall, I think one of the BIGGEST benefits of kettlebell training is the number of anti-rotational exercises that can be performed.

According to renowned physical therapist Shirley Sahrmann, anti-rotational training is important because, “During most daily activities, the primary role of the abdominal muscles is to provide isometric support and limit the degree rotation of the trunk… A large percentage of low back problems occur because the abdominal muscles are not maintaining tight control over the rotation between the pelvis and the spine at the L5-S1 level.”

Learning to resist movement decreases the risk of back injury and allows us to move through the hips—the way the body was designed to move. The ability to resist excessive motion also gives us a foundation to progress and learn more complex movements over time. The first and foremost of these more complex motions is rotation. As many coaches have said, “We can’t produce what we can’t resist first.”

Rotational training is really important for punching, kicking, throwing, and almost anything which requires a great deal of power.

With so many different anti-rotational exercise options available with kettlebells, why choose mis-matched kettlebell training? First, it gives us many more progression possibilities. Secondly, it will allow us to introduce the concept of anti-rotation very gradually. Most people struggle when complex ideas are taught in an overly aggressive way. Lastly, mis-matched kettlebells will make some of our classic exercises that much smarter!

Implementation

Instead of just throwing some random weights together, we will start sensibly. This will allow us to meet an individual client’s needs, as well as easily see when they have hit their limit. In general, I find starting with a 4kg difference works well for most people. For example, a good starting place might be performing mixed kettlebell front squats using a 16kg and 12kg.

Next we’ll need a dowel rod, chalk line, or mat line for measurement on the ground. It will give us some important feedback. During a mis-matched kettlebell exercise, we will predominately watch the front and back of the movement to see if the trunk or hips are moving in rotation, or leaning. Many times, the trunk and pelvis will hold still, but the feet will move to compensate for the instability applied to the body. So, placing the a dowel rod along the toes, or lining the toes up to the edge of a chalk line or edge of a mat will provide quick and easy feedback. How much movement of the feet should we allow? My rule of thumb is “really technical”, if you actually need a tape measure to determine the amount of movement, then you are doing fine!

Remember, you will be switching sides, so keep that in mind when programming. The easiest solution is to use even numbered sets and just switch off on each set. However, if we use an odd number of sets, we will typically perform half of the set with the weights one way and switch halfway through.

Progression

You probably guessed that the most obvious way to progress is to add more weight… While that is true, I actually find that increasing the difference between the two kettlebells is even better. For example, if we are doing front squats and start with 16kg and 12kg kettlebells, we have a total load of 28kg. If it goes well and we want to increase the challenge, instead of just going heavier (which we still could do), we might try the same front squat with a 20kg and an 8kg kettlebell. Even though the total weight is the same, the larger weight difference between the kettlebells increases the challenging anti-rotational effect.

Another option is to change the position of the load. If we use this strategy with an exercise like a lunge, we can hold the load low by the hip and simply move the weight to the rack position, or finally overhead. That changing leverage will make anti-rotational challenge harder and harder. Keep in mind, during more unstable drills like single leg deadlifts, step-ups, and lunges, the anti-rotational forces are more difficult due to the instability of the movements.

The overall goal is to eventually move to true single arm exercises. If you have been around kettlebell training long enough, you will probably notice that as simple as one-arm exercises sound, getting people to do them really well is not so simple.

On the other hand, it is also a really cool way to making jump towards heavier loads. For example, double 32kg swings might just be out of reach. But, swings with a 32kg and a 24kg might be very possible. While the weight is quite a bit lighter, working on resisting the rotational forces will not only allow us to build upon heavier loads, but build a stronger and more stable foundation.

As we often say in DVRT, strength is not just what we lift, but what we resist. Try using some of these mixed match kettlebell ideas in your training and let us know how your kettlebell training takes another leap!

***

Josh Henkin, Master 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. Josh Henkin is also the author of DVRT, The Ultimate Sandbag Training System now available in paperback and ebook format.

How to Turbo Charge Your Big Six

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Master RKC Phil Ross Kettlebell Split Squat

There are so many workouts, so many movements, and so many choices… So, what’s the best way to train? Variety is the spice of life, but is it necessary for achieving optimal fitness levels? As humans, we tend to get bored, so we are on a continuous quest for something different, something better. But on the other hand, we are also creatures of habit. We tend to go to the same restaurants, buy the same type of car or get the same breed of dog. We like a certain level of comfort and familiarity. Yet, we still yearn for the exotic, the different. This is part of the Human Condition. What does this have to do with training? Everything. 

We can achieve both with our training and quench the desire for both the exotic and the basic. I wanted to shock my system (and my students’) with the basics. Most people might think, “WHAT? With the basics? To shock our bodies, we need variety! We need to keep it off-guard! I’ve been doing kettlebells for years, show me some new moves!” Au contraire my friends, try the workouts below and treat yourself to some very basic movements performed in a method that will blow you away!

Even though the movements on the whole are very basic, the delivery and the proper execution of the sets require a great deal of skill. Due to the density and intensity required, these workouts are designed for a more experienced Girevik.

You have to be prepared to challenge yourself weight-wise as well. Your snatch test size kettlebell or heavier is required as a starting point for the workouts. Get set to challenge yourself with these basic routines… or are they really so basic???

We start all of our classes by jumping rope for 3 to 5 minutes. Then we perform a myriad of mobility, stretching and tension movements with the bo staff (dowel). After that, we perform some freehand stretching, crawling patterns or primal movements. But even then we are still not ready to put some iron in our hands.

Instead, we will generally perform three sets of three different bodyweight exercises. Some examples would be as follows:

  1. Scapular push-ups (20 reps), thoracic bridge (5 each side) & deck squats (10).
  2. Deep squats (20), pull-ups (80%), planks (various)
  3. Handstands or crow stands (1 minute), Table top bridges (10), Skewed squats (10 each side)
  4. 10 Ninja push-ups (push-up, table top bridge and frog squat)

When starting the cycle, I begin with the overall basics tested in the RKC Level 1. Then I move to the next workout and so on. Do them in the order prescribed for the best results.

Workout 1: RKC Basics:

Armbar, Lying side press and kettlebell pullover, 2 sets, 10 reps of each (each side, when applicable).

Now we perform the RKC Basics Complex. Do anywhere from 3 to 5 sets.

Phil Ross BackswingPerform these as one big complex, moving from one exercise to the next without rest. Take a one minute rest period between the rotations. This is a great method for prepping for your RKC Level 1, a re-certification, and it is also a good way to prepare for part of your RKC-2.

RKC Basics Complex: Use RKC Snatch Test sized kettlebells or larger

  • 1 Heavy get-up each side
  • 10 Double kettlebell swings
  • 5 Double kettlebell cleans
  • 5 Double kettlebell presses
  • 5 Double kettlebell front squats
  • 10 Snatches each side

Once you are done (with your 3 to 5 sets), do 3 sets of the following:

10 reps of single kettlebell split squats, followed by 10 reps of single kettlebell rows. Finish one side and then do the other. Rest for one minute between sets.

Cool down and stretch

Workout #2: TGU Pyramid and Swing Ladder

Once you have completed one of the warm-up circuits, preferably one including arm bars, we need to make certain that our shoulders and hips are prepped for the task ahead.

Phil Ross Get UpGet-Up Pyramid. Begin with your snatch test size kettlebell. Perform 5 reps on each side. Move up to the next sized kettlebell and do 4 reps on each side. Repeat this with 3 reps at with a heavier kettlebell, 2 reps with the next heavier kettlebell and then one rep with the heaviest kettlebell you are able to use. Once you’ve gone up, go down repeating the sequence in reverse. This will yield 60 repetitions. If you are not able to increase on every set, use good judgment and only use a kettlebell that you are able to safely perform the get-ups with proper form.

Next, we will perform a swing ladder. 5 reps of each, for 10 sets. Start with the snatch test sized kettlebell and move up each set while maintaining the same amount of repetitions.

I happen to have a plethora of kettlebells (well in excess of 100), so it’s easy for my students and I to change kettlebell sizes. Depending on your circumstances, you may have to improvise by doubling up kettlebells (double kettlebell swings, for example) or doing two sets at the same weight before moving on.

We will now work on our push-ups to round off the session. We do one set of standard push-ups, generally between 20 and 50 reps, depending upon your fitness level. Follow this up with 2 sets of plyometric push-ups, anywhere from 10 to 20 reps.

Cool down with some restorative stretching and you’re done.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Turbo Charged Series…..

Strength & Honor,
Coach Phil Ross

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For more information on Master RKC, 8th Degree Black Belt, and Bodyweight Specialist Phil Ross’s strength and conditioning programs, videos (including The Kettlebell Workout Library), and workshops, please visit www.philross.com.

Miyagi Pinball: Tilt Your Kettlebell Snatch!

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Steve "Coach Fury" Holiner Kettlebell Snatch

“You’re the best around. And nothing’s gonna ever keep you down”. That’s what they’ll be singing after you apply the following tips to your snatch technique. The following tips will improve your kettlebell snatch and help you destroy your snatch test if your RKC Workshop is coming up.

The kettlebell snatch is actually a fairly simple move, but people love to overcomplicate it. Over the years, I’ve broken down the technique into two simple words that pack a punch—or a crane kick—MIYAGI PINBALL! (Remember The Karate Kid?)

Two super common errors you’ll see with the Hardstyle kettlebell snatch are:

  1. Rotating or corkscrewing the kettlebell around the wrist as the kettlebell travels up and down.
  2. The arm staying straight during the entire snatch.

This is where “Miyagi” comes in. You have to paint the fence! Imagine you are Daniel-san standing in front of a fence. Your hand is an imaginary paintbrush. You’ll begin to paint upwards with the back of your fingers, then as you near the top of the fence, you’ll spike your fingers upward. The palm of your hand faces outward in this position. Now reverse the same motion on the way down. This will eliminate the first common error (corkscrew rotation) I previously mentioned. Painting the fence will also dramatically decrease the wear and tear on your hands when performing high rep kettlebell snatches.

Steve Holiner Kettlebell painting the fence
Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner in motion while demonstrating the kettlebell snatch “painting the fence” cue.

Do the following to fix the “straight arm” issue: Stand facing a wall, feet together, and with your right arm fully extended. Make a fist then move close enough to the wall that your arm is still straight and your knuckles are making contact with the wall. Now take a half step forward and allow your arm to bend. Paint the fence from this position. We’ve just shortened the arc of your kettlebell snatch, and that’s a very good thing.

Please note, that it is possible to try and shorten the arc too much. This will cause the kettlebell to travel almost straight down the body, forcing the elbow and shoulder to snap almost like a whip. We want to shorten the arc, not eliminate it, and you’ll still need some space to allow for a smooth transition into the backswing.

So, grab your kettlebell and go “Miyagi” on it! Hike the kettlebell back, snap your hips, let the elbow bend, and “paint the fence” until the kettlebell is locked out overhead. Reverse and repeat. If that feels different then you’ve earned that Karate Kid black belt from JC Penney.

Now, here’s where “pinball” comes into play. Having completed, witnessed, and administered over one hundred snatch tests, I’ve noticed another common (and fatal) flaw. Many people will allow their hinge to get shallow as they snatch—and they lose the ability to generate a TON of power when this happens.

Steve Holiner Pinball Backswing

Your hips are a pinball hammer. The kettlebell is the pinball. Pull your hips deep into the hinge (always while keeping the shoulders above the hips, and hips above the knees). As you “paint the fence” into the downward eccentric phase of the snatch, “pull the hammer back” by deeply hinging, then squeeze your glutes hard and fast, drive your feet into the floor, stand tall and “paint that fence”! The kettlebell will soar overhead.

Here’s a combination to help practice the “Miyagi Pinball”:

  • Heavy dead swing x 5
  • Snatch x 5 per arm *Remember to “Paint the Fence”.
  • Heavy dead swing x 3
  • Snatch x 8 per arm
  • Heavy dead swing x 1
  • Snatch x 10 per arm

Here’s why it works:

The kettlebell snatch is about efficiency. Shortening your arc means that you will have to project the kettlebell over a lesser distance to get it overhead. Shortening the arc also allows you to cut the kettlebell’s momentum as it approaches the lockout. This drastically reduces the risk of wear and tear on your shoulders. Using your hips to project the kettlebell will also keep your shoulders and back healthy, while cutting back on undue fatigue during high rep snatches.

Do you think any above would help you crush an RKC Snatch Test?

I do.

https://youtu.be/VRybp4KhA3Q

A fellow coach at MFF, Laura Smith had this to say about “Miyagi Pinball”:

“After Steve told me to “paint the fence” (karate kid style of course) I never had hand issues again. After months of my hands tearing every time I did a snatch test, this was life changing.”

There it is gang.

Try it and let me know what you think.

-Fury

Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner’s superhero headquarters is Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC. Fury’s a Senior RKC, a DVRT Master Chief, and an Original Strength Instructor. He is available for classes, semi-privates, instructor training and programming at MFF. Check out coachfury.com, facebook.com/coachfury Instagram @iamcoachfury and Twitter @coachfury for more info.

Kettlebell Training, the Secret to an All American Distance Runner’s Success

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Carleen Jeffers Running Track

Over the past 22 months, Carleen Jeffers has amassed an incredible amount of championships—and has set distance running high school and county records that were previously unbroken for decades. Brown University bound, Jeffers didn’t even consider long distance running until the summer of 2013. But in the fall of that same year, she earned the honor of First Team All County for Cross Country in the incredibly competitive county of Bergen, NJ—population, one million. During her first season, she went from not running track to First Team All County! Some top-shelf athletes train their whole lives and never achieve that level of success in our county. Prior to running, Carleen played softball, trained in the martial arts for many years, and began swinging kettlebells about a year before track.

Many distance runners don’t like the idea of resistance training, but they need strength! While bodybuilding routines or powerlifting will usually be counter-productive, kettlebells and bodyweight training can also provide relief from the repetitive movements of running. Tendons and ligaments will also become stronger which can prevent injuries and/or lessen their severity. Diaphragm strength also increases, and will supply the muscles with more oxygen. The body will process lactic acid more efficiently, allowing an athlete to have a stronger kick at the end of a race. Becoming stronger also has psychological advantages. Obviously, kettlebell and bodyweight training makes a lot of sense for runners.

Even during her highest mileage training of more than 60 miles a week, Carleen was able to maintain her muscle mass and avoid injury. While teammates suffered from stress fractures, shin splits and other common overuse injuries, her season was uninterrupted.

Carleen Jeffers With Kettlebell

She completed her senior year by placing 4th in the New Balance National High School track meet on June 19th, 2015, earning her High School All American status. Her performance of 16.58 in the 5K smashed both the former Bergen County and Ridgewood High School records and earned her Track Athlete of the Year for Northern New Jersey. That’s quite a few accomplishments for an athlete in a sport for only 22 months.

Carleen’s coach, Jacob C. Brown, of Ridgewood High School, is a coaching legend in the world of women’s track. He’s coached more champions and championship teams than virtually any other coach in the state of New Jersey. He advised her to keep training with kettlebells while she is in college—even if the college strength program doesn’t call for it. Coach Brown and I agree that that Carleen’s kettlebell training was the major differentiator in her success as a runner.

How did a 97 pound, 5’ 4” high school distance runner quickly achieve such a high level of success? Normally in track and field, athletes rarely improve from one contest to another, especially at higher levels of competition. The goal is to stay healthy while peaking for the States, Nationals or Worlds.

Carleen Jeffers Trail Running

Many runners—along with many in the general population—have rounded shoulders and poor thoracic mobility. And this situation is acerbated by the form these athletes adopt while running. Instead, they need to open up their chests to expand their lung capacity and increase blood flow.

The following are examples of Carleen’s training with kettlebells as a track athlete. We generally cycle our weekly training.

Warm-Up and Mobility:
Each session includes a warm up of jumping rope for 3-5 minutes, and a mobility sequence. The mobility portion includes six posterior chain and shoulder mobility exercises performed with a bo staff or dowel, armbars, thoracic bridges, deck squats or some other squat, hip opening movements, zombie rolls, and push-ups, to name a few. We also employed crawling movements along with quad and hamstring stretching.

Power Days:
Heavy lifting with sets of 5 to 10 reps. We have Power Days within three or more days before an event. If it’s a major event, we’ll leave a week between power sessions. These sessions include heavy swings, sumo squats, double kettlebell squats and heavy presses, bottoms-up presses, heavy get-ups, floor presses, heavy rows, kettlebell carries, and complexes. We also perform low rep plyometric versions of some of these movements.

Endurance Days:
Endurance days include chains with 30 to 40 reps, and weighted plyometrics of 10 to 20 reps per set. With kettlebells, we perform walking figure-8 lunges, walking swings, over-speed eccentric swings, ladders, and VO2Max snatch workouts. If we don’t do a VO2Max workout, we’ll end with “6 Minutes of Hell” or 5 minutes of kettlebell snatches (similar to part of the RKC Workshop testing requirements).

An example of a “6 Minutes of Hell” variation: Perform a clean, press, and a squat as a chain for one minute on one side, then change to the other side for the next minute. Repeat this for 6 minutes.

After an endurance day, we would make sure to have at least two days of rest before an event. Sometimes we might do an endurance day workout the day before an event, but with reduced weights, so the athletes would not be too sore to compete. However, we wouldn’t have an endurance day before a big meet.

PowerDure Days:
A good 40 to 50% of our weekly workouts are based on the PowerDure method. We perform the first half of the workout using mid-range power sets. We’ll do 3 to 4 sets of a mobility exercise along with an upper body push and pull, and lower body push and pull. 8 to 10 reps per set. Sometimes unilateral, other times bilateral.

In PowerDure, grinds are our primary focus. The second half of the session is dedicated to muscular endurance, while maintaining our bracing and the lock and pop of our ballistic movements. We focus on chains and circuits using workouts like our “Warrior’s Challenge”, “Scrambled Eggs” (see example below), and Tabatas. Heart rates are high and so is the sweat production! Afterwards, we cool down with mobility and flexibility training. I have a pool of several hundred workouts in the PowerDure category.

Bodyweight Days: These are performed once a week, especially close to the meets and sometimes the day before. We will either train with low reps (1 to 5) for strength or we will use timed circuits, moving from one exercise to the next while trying to hit 80% of our max reps. Generally, our bodyweight circuits are timed at 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off. We usually do 9 exercises for 5 rotations. During strength (low rep) days, we’ll challenge ourselves with the most difficult exercises. On bodyweight days, we always revert to regressions when the reps of the more difficult movements are no longer achievable. I find the bodyweight-only days round out the training since bodyweight exercises also improve balance and overall coordination.

Bergen County Track Stars 2014
Bergen County Track Stars

Example PowerDure workout with an intermediate variation of “Scrambled Eggs”

Our “Scrambled Eggs” circuit requires anywhere from 6 to 8 minutes to complete prior to the 1 minute rest between sets. There is no rest between the exercises, only one minute rest at the end of each set. This type of training prepares the body to deal with the lactic acid produced during sports or other strenuous activities.

Circuit 1: 2 sets

  • Two-hand kettlebell swings: 50 reps
  • Armbars: 10 each side
  • Side Press: 10 each side

Scrambled Eggs (1 kettlebell): 3 sets

  • Two-hand swings: 20 reps
  • Hand-to-hand swing: 10 reps each side
  • Snatches: 10 each side
  • High pulls: 10 each side
  • Swing squats: 10 reps
  • Waiter press: 5 each side
  • Single-leg deadlift: 5 reps each side
  • Bottoms-up press: 5 reps each side
  • One minute of rest

 

Strength and Honor!
Coach Phil

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For more information on Master RKC Phil Ross’s strength and conditioning programs, videos (including The Kettlebell Workout Library), and workshops, please visit www.philross.com. Coach Jacob Brown’s website is available at jacobbrown.com. View Carleen Jeffers’ MileSplit profile.

Stop Fearing the 5 Minute Snatch Test

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Paul Britt Kettlebell Snatches

Nothing seems to scare potential RKC Instructors more than the 5 Minute Snatch Test (read complete testing requirements here), the gatekeeper of the system. In the long run, it’s only 5 minutes out of 23 hours of training—just 0.36% of the weekend. Sometimes I think the fear comes from a lack of confidence in their preparation, even though I have found that many people over-train for the snatch test. They snatch almost daily for tons of reps for long periods of time. In my opinion, a less is more approach works better. My last snatch test was my easiest one to date, and I only trained an average of 5 minutes a day for the test.

If you break down the kettlebell snatch, it’s a swing that ends up at the top position of the press. My plan was to work the swing and the press to train for the snatch test. It works if you look at the small space you must travel between the two exercises. The swing comes to chest height, and the press begins just a little bit higher. There’s only a small space missing when performing the snatch.

In my opinion, if you cannot handle heavy weight overhead, it’s not smart to ballistically propel the weight into position at the top of the snatch movement. So, my students work on heavy presses—snatch weight or heavier. Since this is RKC prep, this approach knocks out two birds at once.

When it comes to swings, I mix it up a little. I believe in having a great hip extension to launch the kettlebell and use the “float” as rest—with swings and as much as you can during the snatch test. That explosive hip extension also makes snatching easier as there is no pulling or fighting the bell on the way up. You can generate the float and guide the bell into position. That power can be developed with heavy double swings to chest height. This is typically the longest training session because we like to get a little more rest between sets when working on power and explosiveness. We will typically perform 10 reps on the minute, every minute, for 10 minutes. This usually gives us about 45 seconds of rest each set. If I feel like I’m losing some of the pop or if form deteriorates, we will occasionally just perform a set of swings and wait one minute.

On some days, we will see how many swings we can do in a 5 minute set of one-arm swings. A starting goal is to hit 100 swings. After a student can do 100 in five minutes, they will work up to as many as possible in that time frame. We have had a couple of students perform 160 swings in 5 minutes. On other training days, the students will grab a medium weight kettlebell for two-hand swings—somewhere between their one hand and two-and swing weights—and perform 100 two-hand swings in a 5 minute set. This helps bridge the gap between endurance and power.

We do the snatch test about every two weeks. And it is the only training for that day, they don’t get to work anything else other than recovery and mobility.

Typically the first time they hit 100 snatches, they knock it out in less than 4 minutes. They are typically spent and take a while to recover, but once they know that they can do it, we work on strategy and timing. If you finish the test in 3:30 minutes or 4:59 minutes, you still pass. I like to take my time and have something left at the end. We typically train for 10 left and 10 right on the minute for the test, but find that some students like the 20, 15, 10 and 5 rep scheme to pass. Once you can pass the test, the rep strategy comes down to personal preference and finding what works best for you.

The following training template focuses on the swing and snatch, I did not include the rest of the skills, but they can fit into the training plan if they’re thought of as a skill to practice. Use appropriate weights and make sure that the technique is good. There is no need to really push it for an extended length of time. Remember that this is only a small part of your RKC Workshop weekend. Do not dread it so much that you miss the awesomeness of the entire experience.

Monday

  • 5 Minutes of 2 hand swings
  • 5 x 5 pressing

Tuesday

  • 10×10 heavy double kettlebell swings
  • 5 x 5 double kettlebell squats

Thursday

  • 5 minutes of snatch weight one-arm kettlebell swings
  • 3 x 5 presses each side

Friday

  • Light to medium one-arm swings for 10×10 (30 seconds on / 30 seconds off works well)
  • 5 Get-ups left and right

Saturday

  • Snatch test

***
RKC Team Leader Paul Britt has been an RKC kettlebell instructor since 2006. He trains clients at Britt’s Training Systems, his award-winning Hardstyle Kettlebell Training Facility in Rockwall, Texas. Paul has served as an assistant instructor at many RKC and HKC Courses, is a Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Specialist (CK-FMS) and works with some of the top Chiroprators in North Texas. Please visit his website brittstrainingsystems.com for more information.

Squat Controversies

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RKC Instructor Felix Sempf

Although many good articles have been written about squatting, coaches are still frequently confronted with “do not go below parallel or 90°”, “you shouldn’t bring your knees past your toes”, or “squats are bad for your back”. Given these controversies and the fact that the squat is one of the fundamental exercises for RKC kettlebell training, the purpose of this article is to review the most important aspects of this exercise.

The squat is versatile—it has been shown that a 1RM squat is highly correlated to jump and sprint performance (Wisløff et al., 2004) and it can improve knee stability through a development of tighter joint capsules (Chandler et al., 1989). It is particularly useful for training athletes, but can also help improve strength and functionality in non-athletic populations. Squats improve the function of the gluteal muscles which will prevent injury or decrease back pain. Squats can also help everyone with daily tasks such as lifting items from the ground, or climbing stairs. It is important to note that research has not been able to establish a relationship between (deep) squatting and a greater risk of knee and back injuries, given that the exercise is performed with proper technique (Meyers, 1971; Panariello et al., 1994; Steiner et al., 1986; Hartmann & Wirth, 2014).

Squat Depth

Li et al. (2004) showed that the greatest stress on the posterior cruciate ligament during squatting occurs at around 90° of knee flexion. The authors further stated that deep squats help to constrain the knee joint and significantly reduce anterior and posterior tibial translation as well as tibial rotation compared to smaller flexion angles, thereby reducing the stress on the cruciate ligaments. Li et al. (2004) also found “the tolerance to load is enhanced in the deepest portion of the squat with a protective effect conferred to ligamentous structures”. This is in accordance with other researchers (Kanamori et al., 2000; Li et al. 1999; Sakane et al. 1997) who observed reduced stress on the crucial ligaments for knee flexion at angles greater than 90˚.

Caterisano, et al. (2002) looked at the relationship between squat depth and activation of the gluteus maximus and found no difference between partial and parallel squats. However, they reported significant increases in gluteus maximus activity during the deep squat. Given the high incidence of hip osteoarthritis in former elite athletes, and the correlation with reduced passive ROM in hip-flexion (L’Hermette et al., 2004), deep squats may be a useful tool in the prevention of hip-osteoarthritis by improving hip flexion. In summary, there is evidence to suggest that squatting below 90° with proper technique reduces stress on passive structures such as the cruciate ligaments and can have a protective effect in regard to hip and lower back health.

(Source: http://www.aaronswansonpt.com)
(Source: http://www.aaronswansonpt.com)

Squats and Injuries

Tibiofemoral compressive peak occurs at 130° of knee flexion and the menisci and articular cartilage will bear significant amounts of stress (Nisell & Ekholm, 1986). As peak patellofemoral compressive forces occur at or near maximum knee flexion, those with patellofemoral disorders or acute injured menisci should avoid high degrees of knee flexion (Sakane et al., 1997; Escamilla et al., 2001). With regard to the cruciate ligaments, Li et al. (2004) concluded, “For those with existing injury or previous reconstruction of the PCL, it is best to restrict flexion to 50° to 60° so that posterior shear is minimized”. “However, there is little evidence to show a cause-effect relationship implicating an increased squat depth with injury to these structures in healthy subjects” (Schoenfeld, 2010).

Knees Over Toes

List et al. (2013) showed that restricting the amount of ankle motion (knees not allowed over toes) led to a smaller ROM at the knee, higher changes in the curvature of the thoracic spine, and higher segmental motions within the trunk. Consequently, the stress placed on the back increased when ankle motion was restricted. This is in agreement with other research, “Although restricting forward movement of the knees may minimize stress on the knees, it is likely that forces are inappropriately transferred to the hips and low-back region. Thus, appropriate joint loading during this exercise may require the knees to move slightly past the toes” (Fry et al., 2003). Escamilla (2001) came to the conclusion that significant strength and sagittal plane mobility is required at the ankle for proper squat performance.

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Felix Sempf, RKC, PhD Candidate, M.A. Sportscience, trains and instructs at the FIZ in Göttingen, Germany. He can be contacted by email at: felix.sempf@sport.uni-goettingen.de and his website: kettlebellperformance.de

Find Your Passion

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Jay Armstrong Split Press

I love training with kettlebells. The swing and kettlebell snatch are drills that help improve grip strength and increase cardiovascular capacity. The getup can improve core strength and balance. Regular training with a kettlebell can increase strength in a wide variety of areas and increase your functional mobility.

I also love the martial art of Tae Kwon Do. Regular practice of Tae Kwon Do will give you self-confidence and improve your ability to keep track of where you are as you move in 3-dimensional space. The ability to defend ourselves will allow us to face many of life’s challenges without undue fear of failure. We learn that we are capable of much more than we ever thought possible through the application of perseverance.

Jay Armstrong with KettlebellHaving a genuine love of kettlebell training and Tae Kwon Do makes it easy for me to find the time to practice these activities. In fact, I feel that an essential part of me is missing if I can’t find time for what I love. Yes, I am addicted. I must have air, water, food, love for my family, and I must move. Yes, I am a very lucky guy. But, what about you? Why are you exercising? What do you want to accomplish? How are you going to get from here to there?

Most people don’t want to dig deeply for the answers to these questions, but that is a very important part of the process. Some new clients come to me because their doctor or loved ones have told them that they “need” to exercise. Other people are hoping to find the magic bullet, pill or potion that will help them lose weight and look good naked. Many of these people are unaware that you simply cannot out-exercise a bad diet.

If you “need to”, “have to”, or “must” exercise then this activity or any other activity may soon start to feel like WORK. And as you probably already know, we tend to avoid things that we don’t enjoy. It will be difficult to incorporate an exercise program into an ongoing lifestyle change if the only reason is that we “ought” to do it. We will very often fall off the wagon and stop doing what we “should” be doing. Perhaps we should call it training or practice so that it can be something we “want” to do.

Enjoy physical activitySeek out a physical activity that is enjoyable, and therefore sustainable. Perhaps kettlebell training is such an activity. Kettlebell training can be done in a group class setting. This will allow you to share energy with others in the class. Spending time with other like-minded people can take an exercise program out of the “have to” category and turn it into something you want to do.

This is the first part of integrating a successful exercise program into your lifestyle. Make sure that the physical activity you choose as “exercise” is enjoyable, so that you will stick with the program. Exactly what will make it enjoyable is solely up to you. It can be camaraderie, competition or stress reduction. For most people, incorporating an exercise program into their lifestyle will bring their lives into a better balance and make life more enjoyable.

Here are a couple of things that make kettlebell training so appealing to me:

Jay Armstrong Kettlebell Get-UpFirstly, the kettlebell swing (when done correctly) provides an incredible number of health, strength, and endurance benefits for a relatively short investment of time and equipment. This means that I don’t need to do 50 exercises for each individual muscle. The kettlebell swing gives me a lot of bang for the buck. If I want more of a strength challenge I can simply increase the weight. If I want more of a cardio effect, I can increase the length of the sets or decrease the rest periods.

Secondly, the kettlebell provides a wide variety of training options. From halos, rows, getups, curls, squats, presses, and even kettlebell juggling, you can always find a fun and challenging drill. This is important, because boredom is the enemy. Whenever the brain checks out and we lose focus, we might as well be walking on a treadmill while reading a book and putting on makeup (no offense ladies). But, we can develop and improve skills, practice more safely, and enjoy our training sessions more when we are engaged and having fun. Yes, hard work can be fun! Yes, you can and should be improving your athletic skills.

Seek out a qualified kettlebell instructor who will insure that you are following the important, underlying principles. A good instructor will help keep you engaged, excited, and inspired to make progress.

Kettlebell training may be exactly what you need to add a sustainable physical challenge to your lifestyle.

Get up and move.

 

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Jay Armstrong is a Senior RKC, 6 Degree Black Belt TKD, and Master Z-Health Trainer.  The past 30 years have been dedicated to helping others develop confidence through increased strength and pain-free, exceptional mobility.  His quest for knowledge continues.  He runs The Kettlebell Club in Houston, Texas.

 

Why Kettlebells Will Improve Your Life

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The kettlebell—your universal remedy.
The kettlebell—your universal remedy.

In teaching people of all walks of life, I have observed several distinct effects of kettlebell training. Some are obvious, others much less so…

If you are new to kettlebells you might be wondering what impact this new implement might have on you if you start using it consistently. This article should give you a good idea of what to expect, and it will probably strengthen your resolve to give kettlebell training a try.

On the other hand, if you are already an kettlebell expert or an HKC or RKC Instructor, you may find that you have already experienced or witnessed these effects with your clients. When I first started teaching kettlebells, it was sometimes difficult to convince potential clients or new students that kettlebells were right for them. In following paragraphs I will try to summarize my observations regarding the positive impact of kettlebell training.

Kettlebells Are Perfect For Making You Fit in a Limited Amount of Time

We all know that training promotes physical and mental health. What has changed in recent years is that science has now started to explain why. How muscles impact the immune system, or the effects of aerobic exercise on brain function are somewhat new areas of research. In the past, there was only the subjective experience of people like John F. Kennedy or Jack LaLanne who promoted an active lifestyle many years ago, but today we have profound scientific explanations for why everyone needs to move on a regular basis.

Yet, while medical science has started to understand the importance of movement for our overall health, the reality of our lives has also rapidly changed—and many people are more unhealthy than ever before.

Our lives have become faster and more stressful than in the history of mankind. To cope with this increased speed, we rely more and more on technology—therefore we’re moving less than any of our ancestors. Aside from obvious things like driving wherever possible or using escalators instead of stairs, there are more subtle changes that rob you of the opportunity to move. Internet stores make everything—even kettlebells—available at your fingertips without leaving your house.

We need movement more than ever, but we have less time and fewer opportunities for it. The average gym class or 45 minutes on the treadmill can not compensate for the lack of movement during your work-week—unless you can train several hours per day.

The kettlebell is the perfect solution for this problem. With its off-centered mass, it trains your muscles and your heart at the same time. Exercises like swings, cleans and snatches train your entire posterior chain—the group of muscles, ligaments, and tendons most important for a healthy spine and good postural alignment.

Kettlebells Naturally Improve Your Posture

Correctly swinging a kettlebell activates two muscles that are usually dormant in much of modern society: the gluteus maximus and the latissimus dorsi. These muscles are the two most important players in our posterior chain. Luckily, we can use the kettlebell to get them back into action.

The gluteus maximus (or more crudely defined, your butt muscle) is one of the biggest and strongest muscles in the body. If it functions as it should, it enables you to lift heavy objects from the ground and also protects your lumbar spine. In the kettlebell swing, its role is to forcefully lock out the hips. One of the first exercises I use with beginners when I teach the swing is the shoulder bridge (you lie on your back with your feet pulled toward the butt and push your hips to the ceiling). We start with this exercise for only one reason—so the beginners can experience what it feels like when their glutes are tensed. I rarely have my beginners do more than 30-40 swings during the first lesson and they are still sore the next day—guess where!

Active glutes lead to unlocked hip flexors and allow the pelvis to get into a neutral position, the foundation for a naturally s-shaped spine. The activation of the glutes is why sometimes even a few short kettlebell sessions can lead to an improved postural alignment.

The second muscle group, the latissimus dorsi (or the lats) is mainly responsible for all upper body pulling movements, but they also help with your press if you use them correctly. Additionally, the lats are able to stabilize the upper back and protect the shoulders.

In the swing, the lats are used to keep the kettlebell from pulling your shoulders forward and they also counter rotation in one-arm swings.

Kettlebells Bring Vigor and Youth Back

Have you ever noticed that you can accurately guess someone’s age from fairly far away by watching how they move? An older person is usually more restricted and moves gingerly. On the other hand, children move with mobility and vigor—at least until we make them sit still for hours every day.

For beginners, one of the hardest concepts in Hardstyle kettlebell training to understand is the explosive nature of the movements. We are not just standing up with the bell in hand, but are exploding out of the hinge and tensing the whole body in the top position. Movement of this quality simply does not exist in our every day lives. The average adult unlearned fast and crisp movements. With kettlebells, your body learns that it is not dangerous to move fast, and you will soon start to move as you did in your youth.

After beginners understand this idea and move more dynamically, they usually feel very good and empowered. They break the chains which have restricted their movement for years. It’s a great feeling, and you usually can see it in their eyes.

If you are wondering if this paragraph is dedicated only to a certain age group, it is not! Kettlebell training works for people in their late teens as well as for senior citizens older than 60. The only real difference is that older beginners will have more movement habits to unlearn, and will need to be more cautious in the process. A trusted RKC Instructor can be very helpful in these situations.

There is no age limit for kettlebell training
There is no age limit for kettlebell training

Kettlebells Allow You to Express Yourself

The last aspect of kettlebell training I would like to discuss in this article is breathing. When watching people train, one of the first things you will notice is their rhythmic and loud breathing. Some people, especially the ladies will be slightly appalled when confronted with this for the first time. We raised in a culture where the sounds our bodies produce are considered to be inappropriate—which is kind of weird if you think about it. Therefore we always try to avoid or conceal those sounds, so it can be shocking when you first enter a gym and see a group swinging a kettlebells and sounding like a gathering of steam engines! What a strange sight!

Deep and pressurized breathing has several positive effects on our body. Most importantly, it activates the diaphragm.

Aside from these physical effects, I also observed that we are psychologically effected. It is similar to that of the Kiai, the blood-curdling Tae Kwon Do war cry you can hear during the keykpa (board breaking). Beginners always struggle with it and feel strange to call out this loudly. It is the same with the Hardstyle breathing during a good kettlebell session, you will hear hisses, grunts and even yells. Sometimes the rhythmic sounds you hear from a group swinging and pressing together can sound like a weird kind of music 😉

When you overcome the internalized reflexes of your upbringing and allow your breath—the most fundamental function of your physical existence—to be heard, it seems to flip a switch in your brain which makes it easier to express your needs. It literally liberates you to make yourself heard.

Conclusion

If you are already using kettlebells, you will have experienced the transformative nature of this seemingly archaic training tool. I would be glad If you could find the time to share your own experiences in the comments.

If you have not yet started training with kettlebells, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. Expect it to be a humbling experience in the beginning, but know that it has the power to make you better and healthier than you are today. A good coach can help anyone get a good start. It will not be comfortable, it will not be easy, but it will definitely be worth it!

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RKC Team Leader Florian Kiendl is a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and runs a Martial Arts Gym in a small town close to Munich (Germany). He made it his mission to help his students to improve their movement and overall health. In his search for ways to overcome the movement restrictions of his students (and his own) he found the RKC and now works together with Master RKC Robert Rimoczi and others to help as many people as possible to gain back their Strength and Agility.

He writes a regular Blog at blog.kettlebellgermany.de and offers workshops all over Germany teaching the RKC Kettlebell exercises: KettlebellGermany.de.
If you have questions or comments on the article feel free to email him at florian@kettlebellgermany.de