Official blog of the RKC
Master RKC, Keira Newton shows you how to use your new “hollowed out” position with some more advanced plank variations.
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Master RKC, Level 3 Z-Health, MCT. Keira first picked up a kettlebell in 2005 when her husband challenged her to stop laughing and start swinging. She stuck with the challenge when she realized that she could get an all-in-one workout in a fraction of the time she spent at the gym. Keira was convinced… Read more here.
It’s spring, the weather is warming up, the flowers are blooming and the sun is shining.
If you’ve been hibernating all winter and your workouts have gotten dull, now is the time to breathe new life into those workouts by taking your Kettlebells outside for some fun in the sun.
The possibilities for outdoor workouts are endless. I’ve been outside with my clients for several weeks working on some fun variations for outdoor workouts. Obviously, you need to be in a large grassy area or you could be liable for destroying property and we certainly don’t want that.
The workouts I’ve included are just a few of the fun variations that you can use. Get creative!
To get a full body workout, I start with bent over rows and push-ups. You can either do them once at the start of the workout or you can have them do the rows and push ups each time they pick up the bell.
Depending on how far you want to go down the field, you can vary the reps. If I plan to go far, then I will do 1 rep of each, swing, squat, curl and press before I throw the bell. If you want you can have your clients do several reps of swings, squats, curls and presses before they throw the bell.
Another option is to add a rep of each for every time they pick up their bell.
This can also be a time to work on form. At the end of the video, I included a “stop and throw” swing. This requires a very powerful hip snap in order to heave the bell as far as you can.
Hopefully this will give you some fun ideas and motivation to get you outside and enjoy the spring time.
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Laurel Blackburn is an RKC Team Leader and owner of Boot Camp Fitness and Training and Tallahassee Kettlebells. Look for Laurel at www.bootcampstogo.com or www.tallahasseekettlebells.com.
In her early fifties, she is out to prove that age is just a number. Her goal is to motivate and inspire people everywhere, both young and old that strength, flexibility and mobility can get better with age. Follow her adventures on her blog: www.SuperStrongNana.com.
(Translated from German. Prefer to read the original? Click here.)
Have you noticed that what we want, and what we need is often light years apart? Especially in the case with training and nutrition, where long-term goals and short-term gratification do not match.
If I want to eat an ice cream in the short term , but long term I want to have a washboard stomach, then I know that eating ice cream is not a step in the right direction, even though it feels good. Ice cream is delicious, but makes you fat!
Unfortunately, this law is much less obvious when training. What does an “eating ice cream” type of satisfaction look like in training?
Sweating, gasping for air , with burning muscles after a workout is a wonderful endorphin rush! Even if you have to convince your body to somehow crawl to the locker room, it’s still a great feeling, right? I love it! I would not trade it for any amount of ice cream!
But … Are you sure that your training has brought you closer to your goal? Could it be that the good feeling is just as deceptive as the delicious taste of the ice cream? When the high from the ice cream ends, I become tired. It takes some basic knowledge about nutrition to know that it feels good to eat sugar, but it does so much bad in the body. Just like when training.
“Come on! ” You might say. “The harder I work, the fitter I get!”
Are you sure? I know many who work hard on a regular basis for years, but very few who have come from A to B and achieved their goals. So many people also do not measure their progress. If one disregards the weight gain, only the good feeling stays when the ice cream has left.
“But I can feel that my training is good for me,” you say.
Bad food feels good . Poor training also . Do you know why? Because that instant gratification is lying to you.
Wait! Do you know the guy with the huge chest from the gym? ( Yes – yes, certainly you know him ! ) He has huge pectoral muscles , wow, he can do neat stuff, and he presses and screams until all can see how strong he is. Unfortunately, he’s only good at the bench press. For a proper squat with his chicken legs—he does not dare. Don’t you think he enjoys his training ? He does – but he probably enjoys it because he has many experiences of success and that good feeling you get when you do exactly what you’re good at.
If you want to progress with your own general fitness, you should work on your weaknesses instead–but do not stop doing the skills you’re best at. The poor guy with the huge chest feels like an idiot when he does squats, so he does not make them better. Would it help him to continue to do the squat bench press? In the long term, yes. They would surely help him to be more proportional.
A well established program with squats would even improve his performance at the bench press. A balanced set of skills to have is certainly a better basis for the development of one-dimensional training. It is healthier and you’ll have more fun doing it. To specialize in just one thing has many serious weaknesses and is only a short-term pleasure. See professional sports!
It does not matter what your weak point is. It is an underdeveloped part of the body , or a fundamental movement pattern, like mobility, stability, or coordination …
To summarize:
Do you see ? It feels bad, and it brings you further, or it feels good, and you are racing against the wall. Instant gratification is often a bad adviser.
Don’t let your feelings lead your workouts. Be objective and work towards your goals instead. Then you will find success!
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Robert Rimoczi, Senior RKC, Munich, Germany has opened a new gym. You can view his new site at: http://kraba.de/, email him here, or call the center at
0180 – 5 999 432.
Life is hard and most of us are facing the very real prospect that what we’d like to do is limited by what we can actually achieve. For those of us who are trainers we see clients every day who are limited by their range of movement more than their lack of desire.
The fitness world has made a killing from creating ways for you to exercise and add stress to the body even when you shouldn’t. By putting you in a seated position and using fixed planes of motion equipment manufacturers have actually made the problems worse, not better.
For many the goal of a heavy kettlebell press can seem very far off. Most likely this is for people training for RKC II, but it is a good goal for those who have no desire to ever attend a certification too. The most common pressing goal is a half-bodyweight press so let’s use that as the end goal.
One of the things that needs to be said right upfront is that if you have problem shoulders this is not the program for you. Pressing heavy requires pain free mobile shoulders. If you cannot achieve a solid overhead position with arm vertical and locked out then you need to address that before embarking on a press specialization plan. Remember – mobility before stability/ motor control. Stability before strength.
When planning a session to get big loads overhead you still want to make sure you tick all the right boxes during the warm up to make sure the body is primed and ready to go. A good place to start is with some mobility work – think of this as insurance, and a final double check to make sure that we really are in the right shape to get that heavy load overhead.
The main focus of the session is getting used to lifting heavy bell/s. Because we can’t yet press our goal bell we need to come up with some alternatives to get the body used to having that supramaximal weight locked out overhead as well as teach the body how to deal with getting it to the rack.
Warm up:
- Clean and press ladder 1 x 1-2-3-4-5 with a bell you are comfortable with.
- Clean weight ladder. Perform 3 sets of successively heavier cleans, performing 3 reps each side. Finish with goal press bell. i.e. if my goal press is the 40kg you would use 32kg x 3/3, 36kg x 3/3, 40kg x 3/3.
- Push press x 3 sets of 2 reps with goal press bell.
- Two hand swings x 2 sets of 20 reps. Use a light bell. This is active recovery and to help get the tension out from the heavy work.
- Heavy get up x 3 x 1 each side. Use a bell one higher than your goal press bell. i.e. if the goal press bell is 40kg then use the 44kg.
- Clean the same bell x 3 each side.
- Three successively heavier presses. i.e. if the goal press bell is the 40kg then do 32kg x 1, 36kg x 1, 40kg x 1.
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About Andrew Read, Master RKC, Dragon Door Australia: Andrew Read, Master RKC, Author of Beast Tamer, is head of Dragon Door Australia and Read Performance Training. Recognized as Australia’s leading functional strength trainer he is a regular contributor to Blitz, Inside MMA, International Kickboxer, Oxygen, Ultrafit and Breaking Muscle. His coaching background spans nearly twenty years having worked with many Olympic and world championship level athletes.
Master RKC, Keira Newton shows you how to use your new “hollowed out” position with some more advanced plank variations.
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Master RKC, Level 3 Z-Health, MCT. Keira first picked up a kettlebell in 2005 when her husband challenged her to stop laughing and start swinging. She stuck with the challenge when she realized that she could get an all-in-one workout in a fraction of the time she spent at the gym. Keira was convinced… Read more here.
Why Exercise?
Why are you exercising? One of the reasons I often hear is “I want to strengthen my core”. To do this many people are doing exercises (or thrashing about) while standing on an unstable surface such as a wobble board or a Bosu ball.
Another popular technique for developing a strong core is the plank. Now, I am a big fan of the plank since it demonstrates the principles of connection, linkage, tension, lengthening, etc. However, spending lots and lots of time practicing the plank will make you really good at doing the plank. This is particularly valuable if you fear that you might fall down in a dirty place with spiders and snakes on the floor and you will need to hold that position (about 8 inches above the ground) and be very still for an extended period of time.
A strong core that is only strong while you are stationary is pretty much useless. You need a core that can be strong while you are in motion. This requires two things:
1. A core that is resistant to loading in a variety of directions, and
2. The ability to use your arms and legs while your core is stabilized.
Enter the Turkish Getup.
Stability in Motion
This is a perfect example of a skill that requires a stabile core while the body is in motion. The weight overhead is supported and lifted by force directed into the ground. This force must go through limbs that are connected to a solid and strong core. The ability to maintain spinal length during movement is an essential element for most athletic activities. The muscles on our back put the spine into extension while the muscles on the front of the body put us into flexion. Both sets of muscles plus the muscles on the sides of our trunk must have a balanced amount of contraction in order to stabilize the spine in this straight, elongated position. You may consider this to be a good postural position and a corrective exercise for the many hours you spend hunched over your iPhone texting your friends.
Seated Position
The first move of the Turkish Getup involves moving from a supine (or lying) position to a seated position. If you tuck your chin and curl your spine into flexion as you perform this movement you will find that it pulls your arm forward, causes your leg to rise, and makes it very difficult to move into the seated position. Contract your abs while simultaneously opening your chest and lengthening from your head to your tailbone. This requires “core strength” in motion as you move from the lying position to the seated and nearly vertical spine position. The downward force of the kettlebell must travel through the arm, through the “core” and into the floor.
Kneeling Position
Transitioning from the seated position to the kneeling position is the second move of the Turkish Getup. During this phase you will pick up your hips and put one knee under yourself. Simultaneously pushing into the floor with one hand and one foot puts significant force into the side of your torso. So, your core will develop strength and stability from the side of your body. This is one of the areas often missed during popular core training sessions and it can be difficult to load in a practical manner. Increasing the weight or slowing down the transitional movement will both add load to this lateral core training drill.
Standing Position
Finally, you will move from the kneeling position to the standing position (or perform a one-arm, overhead lunge). For most people this is a very challenging movement pattern. Tight hip flexors and a rounded thoracic spine encourage the spine to pitch forward as the knee comes off of the ground. This will be accompanied by increased extension or rounding of the lower back or lumbar spine. Stabilize your low back by tightening your glutes and abs as you begin the ascent. Visualize the top of your head rising or being pulled upward by an invisible string. Of course, you may need to do significant, additional work to improve your thoracic mobility and to open up those restrictive hip flexors. However, the ability to stand up and kneel down with a strong, connected, and stabile core is an essential movement skill and is well worth the effort you put into improving this skill.
The Turkish Getup provides a wealth of opportunities for developing that all-elusive “strong core” in a straightforward and practical manner. It may not provide you with all of the excitement of holding a gut-wrenching, 5-minute plank but the type of core strength that you will develop will serve you well in other athletic movement patterns.
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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 and can be reached here.
The next movement in our Dirty Dozen Line-up is #9, The Get Up. The Get Up is often referred to as the Turkish (TGU) or Low Sweep Get Up. Just the mention of the movement conjures up fear, apprehension and utter abhorrence in most people. I had the same attitude until I began to absolutely love this movement!
I recall when I first started training with Kettlebells, I only did the TGU’s (as we referred to them) enough to pass my tests and move on. After the 6 months or so upon passing my RKC 1, I started to notice that through my practice, my TGU’s were getting better. I also noticed that my shoulder was more stable and the weights of my other lifts were increasing! Much to the chagrin of my students, I started to completely embrace the Get Up.
I soon realized that I wasn’t just doing them to pass my next test, but to get the most that I could from the movement. I started to add different types of Get Ups to my training regiment. Bridge, Squat, Bottoms-up, No Hand and Dual Bell Get Ups to name a few.
I then began to incorporate Heavy Get Up training and worked on methods to imprint the movement into the muscle memory. Owning each segment of the movement became my focus. The Roll to Press, Sit-up to Elbow, Tall Sit, Side Press, Tall Kneel and the Standing Press. Each section of the Get Up needed to be owned. To imprint this I employed three basic approaches. The first was practicing a 5 second hold at each of the 6 specific positions of the Get Up.The second was to perform 5 repetitions at each position and the third was the 5 3 2 1 Method.
Training Method #1:
At each of the positions, hold the Kettlebell in the lock out for a 5 second count. Feel the position of your body and embrace the tension. Don’t simply do it to get it done and over with, though the temptation will be present. Focus on increasing your stability in each of the 6 positions on the way up as well as the way down.
Training Method #2:
This method always evokes moans and groans from my class. Well, that simply makes me grin and tell them how many sets to do. Execute 5 presses at each of the 6 positions. Change position with the Kettlebell in the full lock out, no resting in the Rack. Go up one side of your body, change hands at the top and do your Get Down on the opposite side with the same 5 press repetitions at each position. Repeat on the other side, but perform the ascent with the side that descended last time.
Training Method #3:
I call this one the 5 3 2 1 Method. I use this for increasing my 1, 2 & 3 RM (Repetition Maximums). I will generally perform 3 to 5 sets of the aforementioned repetitions. Beginning with a lower weight and increasing to a higher one. Be very cautious when performing the doubles and singles, especially if you are in “uncharted waters” (a weight that you’ve never done previously). I noticed the most improvement when I employed this method last in the progression. It is essential to have complete stabilization and OWN each and every of the 6 positions to safely increase the weight of your Get Ups.
Well it’s now time to grab your Kettlebell and GET UP!
Coach Phil
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About Master RKC Phil Ross: Master RKC, 8th Degree Black Belt, Specialist in Bodyweight Strength, PCC and CK-FMS Certified. His name is synonymous with Martial Arts and Fitness. He is known as the area’s Kettlebell King and has successfully competed on the National Level in… Read more here.
Master RKC, Keira Newton shows you how to achieve a true “hollowed out” position with several different strength-building plank variations.
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Master RKC, Level 3 Z-Health, MCT. Keira first picked up a kettlebell in 2005 when her husband challenged her to stop laughing and start swinging. She stuck with the challenge when she realized that she could get an all-in-one workout in a fraction of the time she spent at the gym. Keira was convinced… Read more here.
I’ve had the honor and pleasure to attend pretty much every certification that Dragon Door has offered for over a decade and I’ve always been impressed with the extremely high quality, professionalism, and thoroughness of each and every one of these events. The quality of the instruction and the enthusiasm of the attendees are unparalleled. So when I heard a recent attendee at an HKC certification make the comment “Why are you being so picky? It’s only the HKC?” I had to respond; but only after I was able to excuse myself, get a drink of water and splash some cold water on my face, and come back and address the question with a level head and something approaching my normal blood pressure…
Introduction
The HKC is comprised of a full day of instruction on three tremendously powerful, important and effective techniques:
A whole day to cover just three techniques?!?! Yes–and even with a whole day to cover them, and a handful of variations, you are still only scratching the surface on how to use, apply, and perfect them. These three techniques will make a huge difference in you and your client’s strength, mobility, athletic ability and longevity. While at first glance they seem to be simple to execute and master you will quickly realize that to truly understand them will take thousands of repetitions and hours and hours of work. At the end of the day you will not only be able to safely and effectively know how to execute these three key techniques, but more importantly you will be able to spot good and bad technique, sequencing errors, and weak links in these core movements.
The Heart of the RKC
The HKC is the heart of the RKC. It is the strength, conditioning, and mobility foundation that it creates that will allow you to move onto more technical and challenging techniques. Without the understanding of the Swing, Goblet Squat and the Turkish Get UP being successful at the RKC would be impossible. The bedrock that the Snatch, Clean, and Military Press are built upon is the HKC–and they are also the foundation that the RKC II is established upon as well.
I have heard the HKC referred to as “RKC-light” or the “mini-RKC” and this is far from the truth. The HKC introduces three essential movements that set the foundation for more advanced ballistics and grinds as well as preparing the athlete to understand how to generate, absorb, and redirect force; key and game changing principles that are essential to high-level performance. The HKC is anything but a “light” version of the RKC–it establishes the awareness of a high quality movement baseline that will follow the athlete from the gym to the field, court, or streets.
Dan John, one of the most sought after and influential strength and conditioning coaches of our era, changed the paradigm for the composition of a complete training program from the time honored “push, pull, and squat” to something much, much more. According to Mr. John an athlete needs to train in the following six areas:
When assessing where athletes come short in their training programs, in other words, trying to figure out where they have gaps in their training, you need to look at what they are doing and what they are avoiding. Consistently you will find that most athletes are able to rattle off their Bench Press and Squat numbers but start to mumble when you ask about the rest of their training program. They are invariably short in their Pull, Hinge, Carry, Groundwork, and (quality) Squat movements.
So what does this have to do with the HKC? Everything! If you were to augment the athletes (or your clients) training program to include more quality work in Squatting (Goblet Squat and variations), Hinging (Kettlebell Swings and variations), and Groundwork (Turkish Get Up and variations) you would make a huge and lifelong difference in how they move, perform, and recover. Filling in those gaps would make that much of a difference in the short term as well as having a huge impact on how the move and feel in the coming years. NOTE: I didn’t address the weakness in the Pull movement but that can be easily filled by Pull Ups (think Convict Conditioning) and by Farmer Walks (do a search on YouTube; there are lots of good examples).
Who Should Attend the HKC?
If you are truly interested in improving how you move, feel and perform as an athlete you need to attend the HKC. Even if you have no intention in ever teaching someone else how to use a kettlebell, but odds are you will share this newfound knowledge, you should attend. If you are interested in making a huge dent in your weaknesses, be they strength, mobility, or conditioning, then you need to make the investment in yourself and attend.
If you are a coach or trainer that is looking for a way to “round out” your athletes or clients then the HKC is the answer! Most athletes will hide between the movements that they are comfortable with and have no interest in learning new movement and loading patterns unless you can demonstrate and explain the benefits behind doing Goblet Squats, Kettlebell Swings, and Turkish Get Ups. Attend the HKC and you will be armed with this knowledge and much, much more.
If you are in the Military, Law Enforcement, or Fire/EMS service then you are desperately in need of a fast, efficient, and powerful training program that meet the physical demands of your profession. The foundation created by Goblet Squats, Kettlebell Swings, and Turkish Get Ups will go a long way in keeping your body in peak physical condition to be able to perform your job at a high level and return home, safe and sound, at the end of your tour, shift, or rotation. Because of the time commitment that all of these professions require you need to have a training program that will allow you to train efficiently as well as have carryover into your day-to-day tasks–you would be hard pressed to do better than the information that is presented in the HKC.
If you are a “Coach Potato” or “Weekend Warrior” then you can benefit more than you can imagine. This minimalist approach to training can augment, compliment, or out and out replace your exiting training program; and if you’re not doing any strength and conditioning training on a regular basis then this is a great place to start. With these three powerful techniques you can lose fat, gain muscle, move better, feel better and add quality years to your life – and have fun doing it!
Conclusion
If you are interested in improving how you move, feel, and perform then I strongly suggest that you look at the HKC as the answer to your strength and conditioning questions. The training that you will receive at the HKC is an investment in your health that will pay dividends for the rest of your life. It will be an experience that will change your concept of what effective training is and set a foundation for additional skills that will make you stronger, more mobile, and more effective in your sport of choice; even of your sport of choice is “life”.
Still not sure if the HKC is for you? Then I challenge you to get on the Dragon Door website and reach out to an HKC in your area, or anywhere, and get their feedback on the training they received and how it has impacted their lives. I think you will be surprised on how excited they are about the experience and how much that one day has influenced their training and their lives.
NOTE: If we ever get the chance to meet face to face, and I hope we do, please don’t ask me who said “It’s only the HKC!?!?” I have been sworn to secrecy and I can’t tell you who it was. That doesn’t mean I can’t send you a link to a website through an anonymous email account though… just kidding! My lips are sealed!
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About Michael A. Krivka, Sr. – Senior RKC: Michael A. Krivka, Sr. is a Washington, DC native who has been involved in Kettlebell training for over a decade and is currently an RKC Team Leader and member of the RKC Board of Advisors and the RKC Leadership Team under Dragon Door (where he has been listed as one of the top reviewed RKC’s in the world for the last five years). He is also the author of a bestselling eBook entitled “Code Name: Indestructible” and is in the process of finishing up several other eBooks on Kettlebells, body weight, and the integration of other tools into an effective strength and conditioning program. Mike has traveled extensively throughout the United States teaching Russian Kettlebells to military (USMC, USN, USA and USAF) and law enforcement personnel (FBI, DEA, USSS and CIA)… read more here.
I can’t count how many people I run into, that have elbow pain and had to stop or back off their kettlebell or pull-up training. I’m sure you know someone who has developed pain in the elbows after working up to heavier cleans and snatches or just more volume. Perhaps they have just started Convict Conditioning or some other body weight program and then find they have to back off due to elbow issues. Maybe you have encountered the same problem at some point during your lifting career.
Unfortunately, this problem is all too common these days. Chalk it up to unbridled enthusiasm with their new skill or toy, pushing too hard too fast and lastly not paying enough attention to proper technique.
First, let me explain the difference between two general types of elbow pain.
Tennis elbow: which is caused by inflammation of the extensor forearm muscles, causing pain on the outside (lateral side) of the elbow.
Golfer’s elbow: is caused by inflammation of the flexor forearm muscles inside (medial side) of the elbow. Both are caused by repetitive stress where the muscle and tendon meet and at the point where the tendon meets the bone.
Tennis elbow is somewhat more common than golfers elbow, but both are very common in athletes in their 40’s and 50”s. This is largely due to the fact that tendons and other connective tissue becomes less flexible, and elastic as we age, causing the tissue to tear and pull away from the bone more easily than in younger athletes.
This is why it is even more important to add volume and load gradually as we get older. However, even young athletes would be wise to train slow and steady and put their focus into good technique instead of reps and weight. And lastly, good technique trumps everything. With good technique high volume cleans and swings should not be a problem for most people.
Let me explain how lifting kettlebells incorrectly can be effecting your elbows and how to avoid problems in the future.
99% of the time irritated elbows can be attributed to the ballistic lifts, not the grinds. Meaning that most of the time the problem lies in incorrect clean and/or snatch technique.
As always I start at the swing. If the single-arm swing is not good, especially on back-swing portion, I know they are risking elbow injury. And any problem you see in the swing will only be amplified during the drop in the clean and snatch.
Here are a few key points to look for during the back swing (this applies to swing, clean and snatch).
1) Is the elbow fully extended, or straight at the bottom of the backswing?
2) Is the arm in contact with the body, the ribcage or thigh or both? The arm placement does depend on the build of the athlete. People with bigger chests or shorter arms in relation to their torsos will have a harder time hitting this position. They should look for contact on the upper thigh or wherever is more comfortable. But, the arm MUST be in contact with the body at the bottom of the back swing.
3) Is there excessive tension in the arm, especially the forearm? The arm should be as relaxed as possible as the arm swings back between the legs and the elbow straightens. There should be just enough strength in the hand to keep a hold of the kettlebell, not a death grip.
The above applies to all of the ballistic lifts. The reason is simple, the hips are the driving force of the lift NOT the arm. Therefore, in order to maximally load the hips, the force of the descending kettlebell must be absorbed through the body and that can only happen if the arm connects to the body at the back swing. If the arm is separated from the body, all of the force goes through the arm and believe me that’s a lot of force! Something’s gotta give, either the elbow, shoulder or lower back. Add to that the fact that the hips are not maximally loaded for the next rep, the arm and lower back end up initiating the upswing – with little to no ballistic power.
The easiest way to make sure your arm connects to the body on the back swing, is to wait until the upper arm starts to make contact with the ribcage before hinging and sending the hips back. This is especially true for the swing and snatch. The clean has a slightly different movement pattern due to the fact that the arm is already touching the ribcage, therefore the hips move at the same time the arm begins it’s drop.
Another way to see this is to watch for the handle of the kettlebell falling below the level of the knees. Sometimes it’s hard to see if the arm connects to the body, or if the timing of the connection is correct, remember the arm needs to connect before the kettlebells swings back between the legs not after.
There are a number of great cues, both verbal and with physical feedback. One of the simplest cues, is to tell them to “play chicken” with the arm and the hips. Wait as long as possible as the arm descends and then at the very last minute explosively hinge your hips back. I find this works especially well with my male clients. 
For some clients simply telling them to wait until they feel the upper arm make contact is enough to get the correct timing. Or have them practice the movement pattern in slow motion without a kettlebell. Have them stand up tall in their swing stance, and have them lower their arm until the upper arm makes contact with their ribcage and then quickly drive their hips back into the bottom of the swing position. The cue I use in the back position is “riding a broomstick like a witch.” Your arm is the broomstick.
You can have them practice a few reps of the movement pattern and then pick up a kettlebell and do a few reps with each arm. Stop them immediately if you see them reverting back to the bad pattern.
Another simple cue I use is “Hips Drive Arms Guide.” This works especially well for the clean and the snatch.
For others, you have to use some sort of physical or tactile cue. This starts getting more involved, as with all physical cueing you should check with your state to see if you are allowed to use tactile cuing. If verbal cueing and the movement patterning doesn’t work, I recommend finding an experienced RKC in your area.
Once the swing technique is good, it’s time to look at the clean. The clean is the most likely culprit. The clean is simply a more complex lift, timing and technique is crucial to execute a good and safe clean. Because there is minimal forward and back movement and more straight up and down, it takes greater force in the hips to drive the kettlebell back, it wants to go straight down to the ground.
Here are a few key points to look for during the clean:
1) Is the kettlebell being “cast away”? Thrown away from the body?
2) Is the arm in contact with the body, the ribcage or thigh or both at the bottom, just like in the swing? Or is the kettlebell ending up down toward the floor between the feet instead of back and above the knees?
3) Is the arm completely straight with elbow locked, with minimal tension in the forearm?
With the swing, the arm is kept straight the entire time, during the clean it must bend and straighten with every rep. It is hard for some people to not hold tension in their arm or keep their elbow slightly bent at the bottom of the clean. This usually happens when people are trying to muscle the kettlebell up into the rack position instead of driving with the hips. On the drop if they don’t sit back fast enough, while keeping the elbow against the ribcage the kettlebell will tend to fall toward the floor.
This creates the need to slow or control the drop with their arm, holding tension in the elbow instead of absorbing the load with the hips. Remember the cue “Hips Drive – Arms Guide”. This is exactly what needs to happen.
Over time, holding the tension in the elbow and forearm can cause irritation to the tendons and you’ll end up with elbow tendinitis. Or sometimes shoulder or lower back pain will develop.
For the clean, the timing of the hips moving back are a bit different. Since the arm is already against the ribcage, when preparing to re-clean the kettlebell, the hips move slightly ahead of the arm or at the exact same time. Cue them to throw the kettlebell into their stomach, remember the goal is maximal loading of the hips, so the kettlebell needs to move back not down.
Another cue that works to help reduce elbow discomfort is to tighten the triceps at the moment the elbow locks. This will help to add stability to the elbow and take pressure off the forearm.
Something else to watch for is over gripping the handle of the kettlebell. You need just as much strength as necessary to hold onto the kettlebell at the back swing. The grip should be relatively loose especially during the upswing. Holding extra tension in the hand can also aggravate elbow issues.
Double cleans have a slightly different drop. Your elbows will momentarily leave the torso to make room for 2 kettlebells to be thrown back between your legs. But the arms drive back and against the inner thighs and/or ribcage. More weight means you need to push your hips back hard and fast and keep your weight back, the force can sometimes pull you forward to your toes.
The snatch is very similar to the clean. Pretty much everything applies.
If you clean up your clean (pun intended), you should find your snatch improves too.
On a last note, if you are experiencing elbow issues during your pull-up practice, this is often a result of too much volume too quickly. I would recommend less volume more frequently. Think of a “Grease The Groove” program, 1 or 2 reps spread out over the course of a day rather than lots of reps in one workout. Secondly, mix up your hand position, pronated, supinnated and neutral wrist positions will help in preventing overuse stress on the tendons.
If you currently are experiencing Tennis or Golfers elbow, the best medicine is the usual: rest, ice, NSAID’s, arm or elbow braces during workouts, stretching the forearms and hands, and forearm strengthening exercises. All will help to get you back to your favorite workouts.
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Andrea Du Cane is a Master Kettlebell Instructor, CK-FMS certified, CICS certified, Primal Move National Instructor and RIST, ZHealth certified, and has a BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota. She is featured on Breaking Muscle website as the February 2012 coach of the month. She is also a Pilates instructor. She has over twenty years of aerobics, weight training and fitness experience, with an additional background in… Read more here.
