Mobility and Flexibility

Improve Your Posture with the RKC Kettlebell Swing

June 8, 2016 By Beth Andrews and Jay Armstrong 7 Comments

Senior RKC Beth Andrews Kettlebell Swings

Postural correction is a hot topic. Spending too much time in a seated position while driving or working on a computer will adversely affect our ability to stand up straight.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a time-efficient exercise that could counteract all the time you’ve spent in the seated position and help you develop good posture?

That exercise exists—it’s the kettlebell swing.

Swinging a kettlebell will help you develop strong muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments. It will also improve your endurance. But, one of the biggest benefits of the kettlebell swing is improvement in your posture. The kettlebell swing is a naturally corrective exercise which will help undo the maladaptive effects of too much sitting slumped over with a computer, tablet, or phone.

The following are some of the key postural issues that the RKC kettlebell swing can correct:

Problem #1: Your glutes are not working

Sitting down turns off your glutes. The RKC kettlebell swing includes a “hip drive” or “pop” that moves the tailbone under and drives the hips forward. The hips are a primary source of athletic power for many sports such as golf, tennis, baseball and boxing. This hip drive is fueled by a rapid and intense contraction of the glutes. Swinging a kettlebell can help you reactivate your glutes. Active glutes will also put the pelvis in a neutral position, increasing your athleticism and reducing your chances of developing chronic back pain.

Problem #2: Your back is rounded, and shoulders are hunched forward

When using a computer or driving a car, your arms are front of your body while you’re seated. This inevitably leads to the shoulders internally rotating and the chest collapsing. For most people, this also means they will look like a caveman when they finally stand up. The finish, or top position, of the RKC kettlebell swing features “packed” shoulders. This means that the shoulders are pulled back and down, the lats are activated, and the thoracic spine is in a neutral position.

The kettlebell swing also has the added advantage of teaching you to bend over and stand up into a correct postural position time after time, rep after rep. And each effort is performed under load. Using a weight means that the adaptive changes will take place faster. Even a short RKC kettlebell swing practice session will greatly improve your ability to go from a seated, computer desk position to an erect, well aligned standing position.

Problem #3 – Your core is weak and you cannot contract your abdominal muscles

Bad Computer Posture

Modern office furniture encourages us to relax everything while we type at the computer. This muscular relaxation includes the core and abs. But, when you stand up, your abs remain relaxed, your pelvis tips forward and all of your guts try to fall forward! Not very attractive. At the top position of the kettlebell swing, the spine is lengthened and aligned. In order to accomplish this alignment, the core must be stabilized with a balance of posterior and anterior tension. This simply means that the abs must be strongly contracted for a split second at the top of each swing. What could be a better way to relearn how to stabilize your core and contract your abs then to do this time after time with your RKC kettlebell swing.

One step we use while teaching the kettlebell swing is the RKC plank. Notice that opening your chest, contracting your abs, tightening your glutes and lengthening your spine into an ideal postural position are all part of the RKC plank exercise. The top position of a kettlebell swing should mimic the total body tension and spinal alignment of the RKC plank.

Beth Andrews RKC Plank

Focus on these points as you perform your RKC kettlebell swing. You will see fast and enormous postural improvements.

Stand tall my friend.

Beth Andrews and Jay Armstrong

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Beth Andrews is a Senior RKC, PCC Team Leader, and CK-FMS. She leads HKC and RKC certifications, and assists at the PCC. She became the 5th Iron Maiden in 2013. Beth owns Maximum Body Training and a successful online training business. She has over 25 years of training experience. For online training or to host a certification, email Beth at: bethandrewsrkc@gmail.com. For more training tips and workouts subscribe to her YouTube channel, Beth Andrews RKC or visit her website at maximumbodytraining.com

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.

How Are Your Ankles?

March 23, 2016 By Paul Britt, DC 16 Comments

Paul Britt Ankle Mobility

Have you played a lot of sports?

Do you wear high heels?

If so, how do you think your ankles are doing?

I have found that most of the people who I train tend to lack ankle mobility. This can be the first kink in the movement chain, and lead to further issues within the whole body. Ankle mobility issues can lead to knee, hip, and even shoulder mobility issues. These issues can also travel down that same path from shoulder to ankle. To find out what is ultimately causing the use, see your doctor and/or be screened by someone who is FMS certified. If you have pain, see your doctor first to be cleared.

The following is a quick ankle mobility series that we use in our gym. Everyone who trains with me has been screened with the FMS/SFMA and if they have pain have been evaluated by their doctor.

I don’t show it in the video below, but everything starts with diaphragmatic breathing. We will typically breathe for a couple minutes to transition from work/life stress so we can train mindfully.

We start out by foam rolling the shin area. We work the anterior tibialis, the band of muscle on the outside of the shin. We are using small strokes to locate areas that are tender or tight. We then will make several passes over that area.

Next, we roll out our calves. While it is possible to do that with the foam roller, I like The Stick for this. It allows for adjustable tension on the calf, and requires less force to work on any trigger points/tender areas. I tell my students to only use about 7-10lb of force while rolling. If The Stick looks like a horseshoe, you are using too much force.

Then, we move onto direct ankle work. There are two different versions on the video. The first version—the field expedient manner—requires no equipment. It is performed in a half-kneeling stance. If the right knee is up, take your right hand and cup the right heel. The left hand will cover the toes. The goal is to keep your heel planted as you progress through the motion. Utilizing diaphragmatic breathing, apply some pressure on your right knee with the right elbow as you move back and forth through the movement. I find the normal rep range for the best results is about 10 reps per side. Perform this on both sides.

The second version is very similar except that you are using a stick and moving the knee to the outside of it. You only go as far as you can while still keeping your heel flat on the ground.

The last movement is the heel sit. Sit back on your heels with a little bit of a backwards lean. Tighten your thighs and think about driving your shins into the ground, then relax. You should feel your feet flatten out as you perform 3-5 reps of this sequence.

This quick and easy series is beneficial for restoring mobility to your ankles and improving your kettlebell training.

***Senior RKC 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.

It Isn’t Sitting, It’s the Chair

March 9, 2016 By Jay Armstrong 10 Comments

Jay Armstrong Sitting Stretching

We have all heard about the bad things that happen to our bodies as a result of sitting in a chair—slumped shoulders, collapsed ribcages, tight hip flexors, weak abs, etc. Yet, if you want to improve your flexibility, I recommend you sit down. However, instead of sitting on your soft, comfy couch with a tv remote in one hand, your assignment is to sit on the floor.

The typical armchair encourages you to pour yourself into the seat, completely disengaging your glutes and abs. Then, a pair of armrests beg you to round your shoulders forward and flare your elbows outward—all while collapsing your ribcage. With your ribcage collapsed, your breathing will be compromised. In this position, your head will jut in front of your shoulders, and stress will begin to creep into your neck.

Nothing about the “armchair seated position” resembles quality postural alignment.

Prior to the invention of these cushy posture-destroying chairs, human beings were forced to sit differently. If, after miles of walking, you decided to rest on the side of the trail, you probably would have looked to rest your buns on a rock. In this position, you still need to maintain control to keep from falling off the rock. You’ll probably need to sit with a relatively erect posture, while keeping your head over your shoulders. After all, you are simply resting your legs and not your entire body. The only time you are supposed to be completely relaxed is while lying down.

In our convenient Western lifestyle, we tend to stay further and further away from the ground. We don’t lie down or sit on the ground. However, sitting on the ground will potentially improve your flexibility for many other movements. I’ve outlined several ways to sit which can help improve posture, flexibility, and overall fitness.

Sitting Cross-Legged

When we sit in the cross-legged position, the femurs of upper legs are moved into external rotation. Sitting this way may also automatically encourage you to open your chest and properly align your spine.

Sitting on Your Heels

When we sit on our heels, we’re obviously putting our knees into maximum flexion. Simultaneously, our feet will usually move into complete plantar flexion. Once again this position automatically encourages us to sit with an erect posture, activating the muscles which stabilize the spine.

Sitting with Internal Leg Rotation

Most people have a tough time moving their upper legs into significant internal rotation. However, if you can flex your knees, move your knees apart and sit between them, you will greatly improve your ability to internally rotate your hip joints. The little guy in the picture has a rather extreme range of motion and may actually prefer to sit in this position.

Sitting With Internal Rotation

Sitting with Your Arms Behind You

The soft, cushy armchair combined with computer work constantly places our shoulders in front of our chest or sternum—encouraging internal rotation of the shoulder joint. When we sit on the floor and place one or both arms behind us, we externally rotate the upper arm and open the chest. This is an excellent corrective position.

Sitting With Arms Behind

Sitting with One or Both Legs Straight

If you want to improve your hamstring flexibility, or desire to do the splits, sitting with one or both legs straight is the ticket. Any method of sitting with one or both legs straight (see photo at the beginning of this post) will provide at least a little stretching of the straight leg. So, “stretching” doesn’t need to be just an activity within your kettlebell workout. You can just sit on the floor while working or watching television. More time spent in these positions will make them feel more natural. If you watch television—and I encourage you to find something else to do with your valuable time—start by sitting on the floor from one commercial break to the next. While you’re seated on the floor, increase your awareness of the position of your ribcage, head, and spine. You may be surprised by the intensity of the stretching sensations you feel from just spending time close to the earth.

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