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RKC School of Strength

Official blog of the RKC

When to Breathe During Different Kettlebell Exercises

July 29, 2021 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

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Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II performing a kettlebell get-up

Kettlebell Technique Includes Breathing Technique

The fact that you’re reading this post means that you take your health and fitness seriously–this is also why I’m so excited to share this information with you.

Often, people who are new to kettlebells don’t realize how important breathing is during a workout.

Learning how to breathe correctly for kettlebell training will allow you to produce more power and contract your core properly, which will also protect your back. Correct breathing will also allow you to get oxygen to your brain, so you don’t pass out.

In the RKC, we use a breathing technique called “Hardstyle Breathing” for power and safety.

It’s a very distinctive hissing sound that may sound a little silly, but it’s vital!

This hissing sound is applied differently depending on which type of kettlebell exercise you’re doing.

Hardstyle Kettlebell Exercises are Categorized as Ballistics or Grinds:

  1. Ballistic exercises are explosive and fast (kettlebell swings, cleans, and snatches).
  2. Grind exercises require lots of tension and are generally performed more slowly (presses, squats, deadlifts).

Breathing for Ballistic Kettlebell Exercises

When you’re doing a ballistic exercise, the exhale is much shorter compared to the exhale during a grind exercise.

For example, during a swing, clean, or snatch the exhale happens at the same time that your glutes and quads contract, or when you stand straight up. It’s a short, sharp exhale that generates more power, which will help the kettlebell float.

Ryan Jankowitz easily switches hands at the top of a one arm kettlebell swing during the "float"
Ryan easily switches hands at the top of a one arm kettlebell swing during the “float”

This short exhale will also contract your abs, which will prevent you from leaning back and placing stress on your lower back. Think of the exhale as a way to brace your abs for an incoming punch.

As the kettlebell goes into the backswing part of a swing, clean, or snatch, quickly sniff in through your nose filling your belly with air.

Breathing for Kettlebell Grinds

Kettlebell grinds are slower and require more tension. Similarly, your inhale and exhale will be longer to match each part of the movement.

For example, during an overhead kettlebell press, you will exhale through your teeth as you press the kettlebell overhead. Then, inhale through your nose as you pull the kettlebell back down to the rack position.

Using Hardstyle breathing during grind exercises will help you keep your core tight, so you don’t hurt your back, and will help you generate more power.

I hope this information helps you in your quest to get into better shape using kettlebells.

Stay Strong,

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC II, CK-FMS

***

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC II, CK-FMS is the owner of RJ Kettlebell. He’s on a mission to help busy men and women get into better shape using kettlebells. He enjoys spreading the RKC message and teaching others. If you’re new to kettlebells or you just need some guidance, try his FREE 5-Day Kettlebell Workout Plan.

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Tutorial Tagged With: ballistic exercises, breathing, breathing technique, grind exercises, HardStyle Breathing, kettlebell ballistics, kettlebell breathing, kettlebell exercises, kettlebell grinds, kettlebell technique, Ryan Jankowitz

The Real Story Behind the Birth of the Modern Kettlebell Movement

July 14, 2021 By John Du Cane, CEO and founder, Dragon Door Leave a Comment

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16kg Dragon Door RKC Kettlebell

Adapted from an interview with John Du Cane, founder and CEO of Dragon Door Publications, by Colleen Conlon

Colleen Conlon:

How did the modern kettlebell movement get started?

John Du Cane:

It all started in 1998. We’d already published several books by Pavel, most notably Beyond Stretching and Power to the People! — his acclaimed classic on strength training. Then in ’98, he contributed a great article to Milo Magazine, that iconic, specialized resource for people who like to lift very heavy things.

The article was entitled Vodka, Pickle Juice and Kettlebells — and Other Russian Pastimes. And it had an immediate impact. This was really the first time that kettlebells entered the modern consciousness. IronMind sold an adjustable kettlebell that no one was really paying any attention to. There were no books on kettlebells, there were no videos, there were no courses. It was kind of a forgotten art in this country, and really, in the West, in particular. When it comes to being incisive and inspirational as a writer, Pavel has the gift, no question. No surprise that “Vodka” had the impact it did!

After graduating from school in Russia, Pavel got a gig as a strength and conditioning trainer in Spetsnaz, the Soviet Special Forces. And while he was training the Spetsnaz he also got qualified in Girevoy sport — kettlebell lifting in the Russian style. When he immigrated to the US — I think it was around ’92, ’93 — he was still a very young man. He didn’t bring kettlebells with him. But when he had been in the States for a while, a friend of his, who was a Russian hockey player, brought him a couple of big kettlebells. They were like a 24, and a 32 kilo.

These rusty old kettlebells were hollow, where you add weights inside to change the overall weight. After the article was successful, he approached me, it was like ’98 still, and said, “John, do you think we can do anything with these in the States?” After checking them out, I told him “Yes, I think this might fly in America. So this is what we’ll do. Write a book about it, giving people the vision. Let’s do a video. Let’s make the kettlebells in Minnesota, and let’s come up with our own design.”

In fact, we were the first people in the world to come up with that 16 kilo kettlebell size. We originated that design. We decided to make them solid, in the three most favored weights in Russia, the 16, 24 and 32.  We selected a foundry in St. Paul, designed them, got them manufactured, and then we were set.

16kg Dragon Door Kettlebell
Dragon Door designed the world’s first solid 16kg kettlebell, in 2001 — soon to be copied by numerous also-rans.

From my prior experience as director of the Chemical Dependency Certification Board for Minnesota, I had learned the significance of a certification program. Almost all CD counselors were recovering drug addicts and alcoholics. And their problem, when they were holding themselves out as someone to come to for counseling on drug addiction, was their credibility. So yes, they knew a lot about how to inject heroin into their veins and how to drink a gallon of whiskey a day. But were they credible as professional therapists? So the certification board was set up to kind of say, “Hey, we’re it, we’re credible. If you see someone certified with us, then these people are certified as competent counselors.”

So I explained to Pavel that what we really needed to do to launch kettlebells successfully was not just have a product and have good information — we also needed to set ourselves up as the authority for kettlebell training. There was no one in the world who had done that. There was no certification program in existence at that point. So you set yourself up with a certification system, you set the standards, you decide what competency is, you’re IT!

Now, when someone gets certified, that individual is likely to feel a natural allegiance and loyalty to the certification board that they’re connected with. So with full integrity, they can hold themselves out with pride and say, “This is the best system for kettlebell training, this will give you the best results. And yes, I’m certified in this world’s best system.”

So, what you get is a group of highly informed, impassioned enthusiasts who spread the word, in this case about Dragon Doors’ RKC kettlebells and our RKC kettlebell system. So that was kind of the process. That was the kind of decision making and mindset behind the creation of the whole RKC program.

It took a while, obviously, to get it all in place. We launched the first kettlebell training book and video in 2001. It’s called The Russian Kettlebell Challenge.

The first kettlebell book: The Russian Kettlebell Challenge
The Russian Kettlebell Challenge, the book that initiated the modern kettlebell movement.

And it was very iconic, wonderfully written, very inspiring. And it gave people for the first time a vision of what they could really do with kettlebells. This is the seminal text that launched the entire modern kettlebell movement. When a new fitness tool is presented to you, you really won’t have much of a clue how to use it, unless there’s someone who gives you a really good vision and a really good understanding of its value and methodology. It’s like, why bother?

And one of the great things about Pavel is he really understood how to take abstruse information, and make it very clear, obvious, entertaining and inspirational. Plus, he was a good looking dude, good physique. Which does not hurt. It’s like, I want to be like Pavel, even if I’m not necessarily a guy. It’s like, I want to be THAT. And so he was a good role model. He walked the talk. Do what I tell you and you can be like me, as it were…

Another major strategy, at the time we launched our first RKC workshop in September 2001, was to institute a highly engaged forum on Dragon Door. Forums have kinda died a death at this point, with the advent of Facebook and other social media, but they could be a huge for a company back in the day. We were ahead of the game, I think, with our forum. It immediately became a thing — a very big thing.

The other thing about the forum is that we got a lot of fantastic information about who our customers were, what motivated them, what excited them. And our customers also started getting really valuable training information. And Pavel is a formidable listener. He really listens to other people and absorbs their wisdom and then makes it his own. Which is a big skill. He did this over and over with the forum and with the customers we were attracting. A personal example: Pavel came and studied Iron Shirt Qigong with me at one point. He used some of those ideas in his own development of isometric training, his strength training, his use of tension. So he’s very good at absorbing and then putting that information out in a way that’s very accessible to people.

We did the very first kettlebell certification in St. Paul around the time of 9/11, and we had, I think, about 16 people. At least five of the people who came to that first cert, ended up starting or being the head guy for a rival kettlebell certification down the road! One of them ended up being the main CrossFit kettlebell guy. Another guy started his own entire international kettlebell business and another guy started a knock-off almost right away, which was unfortunate for us. We didn’t protect our intellectual property very well in those early days, frankly. But, that’s show biz…

The folk who showed up at that first RKC certification, the early adopters, were very savvy, ahead of the game, seeing something that definitely had an edge. They wanted it, and they were excited to become leaders. And they were leaders. We had a lot of strong leadership right from the get go. So boom, it happened in 2001. And then very rapidly it just grew and grew each year. We’re seeing a similar phenomenon now, with our new isometrics training device, the Isochain. Very high-level fitness folk seeing the value way ahead of the crowd and jumping in. We are seeing a whole new cadre of future leaders in isometrics developing before our eyes. It’s a wonderful thing…

Colleen Conlon:

And what was that first RKC certification like?

John Du Cane:

It was a walk in the park compared with the later ones! It’s described as epic. And yes it was, because it was right at the beginning. But for example, I remember we had this African American ex-Dallas Cowboys running back whose career had got sidelined by an injury. He was hoping that our kettlebell program would help get him picked up again as an NFL star. He was built out of rock, I mean, he was as so solid as you can get… I almost broke my hand patting him on the back… So the gentleman is lifting, playing around with a 16 kilo kettlebell. And Pavel comes over to him and very politely — very politely and diplomatically — suggests that maybe he should try using the 24 kilo. And the man of rock and steel goes: “Oh, Okay.”

Down the road, you would have been kind of thrown out of the room if you were a beast and even tried to pick up just a 16. Like, “What do you think you’re doing?” Yeah. But back then we were feeling our way. We had two hour lunch breaks. We would all troop off in cars and hang out at a local restaurant, coming back in a leisurely way. There was no testing.

Colleen Conlon:

I was going to ask, I mean, were you snatch testing?

John Du Cane:

No, no, nothing. And I got a break because I took the first two certifications as a participant myself. So fortunately, I could pass without being tested! Now, the first group were all very strong anyway. But then we had our second group come in, and there were some people who were out of shape. They were fattish and weakish. And we didn’t want to be certifying people as RKCs who couldn’t walk the talk… Our model for a good certified kettlebell coach was someone who was very skilled, very competent, and strong. They needed to be the part, look the part. They needed to be the whole package. We didn’t want to have people representing us who were sub-par physically. There’s certifications you can get in fitness, where you can really be a mess physically and still be considered an okay coach. Not in our world!

Colleen Conlon:

One of my favorite things about going through RKC is the fact that you are tested. You can’t just buy your certification.

John Du Cane:

Exactly, yeah. It’s like those martial arts programs where you can get a mail-in black belt. I mean, it’s just ridiculous, really. So we’ve always held to that. So after the first two certs, we said “We’ve got to start putting some testing in.” So that’s when we came up with the different standards where the snatch test was introduced. And the snatch test is interesting. It’s always been debated.

Colleen Conlon:

Yeah, I’m so curious, John.

John Du Cane:

So, I personally have mixed feelings about the 100 reps. I mean, 100 is arbitrary. There was nothing particularly scientific, I think, about it. It’s like 24 kg is a good size, and 100 sounds like a good number. But the snatch test became a kind of rite of passage, almost cult-like in its fervor. I mean, people enjoy having this extreme goal, and it was an extreme goal. And the near the beginning of the modern kettlebell era —when it was hard to find a good coach to train with before the cert — we’d sometimes have people showing up who didn’t know how to snatch but had to start the day with 100 of them.

And then the RKC started to grow. So you could go and study with a certified trainer and have a clue when you showed up. But there was definitely some sacrifices made, I think. And of course, a lot of people failed initially. Down the road, less people failed. But it weeded out a lot of people who we didn’t feel were going to be good representatives for us. And what it meant was that people who were serious about being RKC trainers needed to train usually for about six months upfront to be able to handle it. It was very extreme. A lot of the early adopters were very macho types, they were people who were really pounding it.

So the training got to be very, very hard, a lot of swings, a lot of weight. And it was often very brutal. And that became the kind of ethos of the movement. Pavel is a very good marketer in his own way. And he had this whole shtick about the evil Russian Empire, and now you’re in Soviet territory. And it’s not who he is really, he’s a gentleman, and he’s a sweet guy.

So Pavel’s Soviet military tough guy schtick became the ethos that was adopted by all the instructors. And it was all good for the first few years… It was fun for quite a while. But I feel it got a bit out of hand, finally, it got a little too regimented for my personal taste. But what it did produce was very, very strong people who had an interest in making sure that the skill was there, that people were genuinely skilled in the use of the kettlebell.

The testing wasn’t limited, of course, to just the snatch test, by any means. What also made the RKC unique, was that we developed a testing system for all the core lifts. So the instructors would go around, and you would get tested on just exactly how well you were doing with each lift.

And then the other thing we did — and I don’t believe any other kettlebell certification has done this before or since — was to evaluate the candidates on how well they trained guests who came in and received a half hour lesson… And people sometimes failed for not having done a good job training the folk who showed up.

Colleen Conlon:

Oh, wow.

John Du Cane:

Oh, yeah. You could be failed just on that. It could be like you weren’t properly respectful to the client. You just didn’t give them good advice. So there was a strength test, skill tests and then there was also testing of your coaching right there.

Colleen Conlon:

That’s so interesting that you bring that up, because I think something that’s been very incredible about my experience going through RKC is the fact that we’re not just coming in to be able to do the skills ourselves. A lot of the people who came in from my class are also within the fitness industry. And you need to learn how to teach other people how to do these skills, especially if you’re not super familiar with getting into a hip hinge as it is. There’s a real skill to that, to being able to check.

John Du Cane:

Oh, there really is. And what I think is wonderful that was developed during the time Pavel was with us — and is being continued even more under Andrea Du Cane’s guidance — is all of the progressions, all of the subtle cues that you can give a client to help them progress and also to handle people who are out a condition or have injuries. In the course of the certification, we are explaining how to work with a variety of types of clients, and how to build them up to where they can genuinely handle whatever it is, whatever drill you’re wanting them to accomplish. So, that’s hugely important for the system.

If you’re wondering, what is the point of RKC, it’s to turn out really skilled coaches. Put aside our marketing as a certification board wanting to present ourselves as the authority. The other thing is, we want people to have the best possible experience. We used to say in the early days in particular, would you be comfortable having this person train your grandmother?

Colleen Conlon:

Oh, I love that.

John Du Cane:

Yeah. And we wanted people to leave, who could train a person’s grandmother, and go out and train an NFL football player, sure, or an LEO or Special Forces. Great, very nice. But how can you handle the grandmother, the young ballerina, whomever? And do a really good job and meet their needs. Or someone who waddles in, who’s way out of weight, or way out of shape, has got knee problems and a messed up shoulder? What are you going to do? How are you going to handle that? And that’s what we’re all about.

Colleen Conlon:

Well, I love the way that you phrase that, because I think so much of the time people just think I’m going to give the hardest, most intense workout, and it’s going to be to that person who can handle a lot. And that’s typically not the case. Most people come along with injuries and from all different walks of life. So I can say this, as somebody who’s gone through the course, I feel very confident about being able to train anybody who comes my way, from all of the skills that I have learned from RKC. And those little details really can make or break a session. So thank you so much for everything that you guys have all put into this learning material, because I don’t know how people who haven’t gone through a course like this are able to actually get people to swing and snatch and clean and squat, injury free.

John Du Cane:

So yeah, there are a lot of hurt people out there who shouldn’t be hurt. And yeah, it’s like the CrossFit syndrome. Gray Cook is great about that, he calls it the crack addict approach to fitness. “Yeah, I know, my leg’s falling off, but I got to put my reps in.”

Colleen Conlon:

What do you think about that? How do you speak to somebody who’s like, “I just need all those reps?”

John Du Cane:

I say that you need to go back to why you’re really doing this in the first place. Particularly the type of folk who are into say, running — in particular they want that high, they want that sense of great accomplishment. You have to remind them that if they persist in trying to work through injuries without paying attention to the imbalances and the asymmetries and everything else that’s going on, they’ll find they’re not going to be able to get those results that they’re looking for. So you need to dial it back — for your own sake — to be able to continue.

I have a background that has influenced our development of the RKC. I’ve been doing Tai Chi and Qi Gong for 40 years, with a Taoist perspective of treating the whole human being. Cultivating everything about yourself spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically. The physical and mental are completely linked and you need to be paying attention to the whole package in terms of longevity as well. You’re not in it for a quick hit. You want to have a long term high engagement with life and remain vital over the long term.

John Du Cane Martial Arts in the snow with Kwan Dao
John Du Cane has over forty years of training in Tai Chi and other Chinese martial arts.

So everyone is different on how you handle that but you’ve got to just take them back to why they’re really doing this in the first place. For instance, I recently took up Latin dance. I’m doing Brazilian Zouk, Salsa and Bachata. I was brought up in Africa and over the years have usually danced to African and Reggae. I like music that you dance from the inside out and that’s very rhythmic and tribal and hypnotic. So Bachata in particular is great because it’s very much based in the legs and kind of grounded and has a lot of cool moves. Kettlebell training fits very well with dance, because you have obviously a very good level of conditioning and kettlebells help you move beautifully. And I definitely feel that my Latin dancing of all things has also been improved by kettlebells, which is kind of cool.

John Du Cane with kettlebells in the snow
Kettlebells perfectly complement John Du Cane’s other movement activities, be they dance, martial arts, qigong or bodyweight exercise.

Colleen Conlon:

That’s really cool. I love that you bring that up because before I found kettlebells I was really not athletic by any means. And then after going through my level one certification, I remember trying a pull up for the first time after never being able to get one and then out of nowhere, having not trained it, I was able to get a rep.

John Du Cane:

Fantastic.

Colleen Conlon:

It’s just so incredible to see how those basic movement patterns can help make you so much stronger in other areas of your fitness that you might not have put together initially.

John Du Cane:

Exactly. Have you heard this expression the “What the Hell Effect”?

Colleen Conlon:

No, what is it?

John Du Cane:

I guess it’s kind of fallen out of use, but one of the things that was so exciting about kettlebells in the early days was that you would have, “What the hell, I’m stronger than a pull up. I’ve never done a pull up in my life before and boom now I can do it.” And baseball players would say “My God, I just hit it another 30 yards further than I ever have.” Golfers drove further than ever before.  People who were in martial arts like Jujitsu “Would say, my God I was able to last for the whole round, usually I was being thrown around like a rag doll. My grip has suddenly got way stronger, people are kind of grimacing when I touch them.”  It’s like the what the hell effect. It’s like, where the hell did this come from? And that’s very satisfying…

And it makes sense, because part of the strength skills that you’re learning in the RKC are tension generation. There’s this ability to go from very relaxed to very, very tense and then back again and that’s the hallmark of a good athlete. The better the athlete, the more they can master that switch between extreme tension and extreme relaxation. So when you’re doing any kind of athletic activity, if you’ve been training with kettlebells, you’re getting a very good mastery of tension generation in the body. The more you master tension generation the more that’s going to carry over to any exercise you do, whatever it is. So you’ll get that what the hell effect.

Colleen Conlon:

It’s very cool. I have a lot of younger females who I’ve been training during this pandemic virtually with kettlebells for the first time. And we’re coming up on a year and now there are all these girls who are doing pull ups and pistol squats who never thought that was something that they would be able to do and it’s all because of the kettlebells. It’s interesting.

And with that, there’s a lot of females that I have run into in the past who get nervous about using the kettlebells, especially starting out, because the weights are heavier than the lighter dumbbells that are typically marketed to females.

John Du Cane:

One of the things, one of the misconceptions  from some women about kettlebells is that “Oh I’m worried that I’m going to get too bulky.” There’s the intimidation factor — that’s another thing. Sure, kettlebells are intimidating — until you’re shown how to use them safely and you’re shown how to use the right weight for you in the safe way. And then there’s no reason to be intimidated — particularly with something like the swing which is so crucial.

And again, while some women may feel kettlebells can’t be quite right for them because they don’t want to get too built up, the reality is that the female physiology doesn’t work quite that way. You have to be jacking yourself up on steroids and really working it just start getting out of hand with the muscle size. What’s going to happen with kettlebells for women overall is you’re going to be superbly toned, and that’s something that appeals to women a lot, naturally. Having a very toned, elegant physique is a wonderful thing. When I talk to women about kettlebells, I will point out that the kettlebells have an immense impact on the butt, on the abs and on the thighs. And there are not a whole lot of women I’ve talked to whose eyebrows haven’t gone up just like yours did Colleen LOL!

Colleen Conlon:

I was like, “Where’s he going with this?” My body has changed drastically in those areas because of the kettlebells.

John Du Cane:

Yeah, so, it’s looks, which is very important. It’s important for men, and it’s important for women…. You want to look good, you want to be attractive as a human being to whatever gender you might want to be attracted to. You want to feel proud about your body.

If any of us don’t watch out, we can find ourselves getting wobbly, out of shape, looking less elegant than we would really like. And the good news is that you can address this anxiety with a pretty darn solid guarantee it’s almost you can guarantee: “If you do the swing, as I’m going to show you to do it, and you keep it up, you’re going to end up having a firm, tight, nice looking butt, but you’re going to have great thighs, great legs, and overall a fabulous-looking shape.” Who doesn’t want that? Who said “No, that’s not for me. I just want to look like a bulbous mess.”

Colleen Conlon:

No, I mean, I think there’s definitely some people who really want to feel strong, but at the end of the day, who doesn’t want to be happy with their body from an aesthetic perspective?

John Du Cane:

Yeah. And the nice thing with kettlebells is you get both. You get form and function, you get beauty, handsomeness and function. You can get whatever you’re looking for with your body, you can achieve it.

Another thing I think that women often talk about is their triceps. As women get older, that becomes problematic. It tends to get saggy if you’re not working out. There’s plenty of exercises you can do with kettlebells that will help with that, for instance.

Colleen Conlon:

It’s so exciting to see how you don’t have to spend a lot of time to see a big change. And maybe you can explain this to me, John, but I still don’t understand how people think they can just walk up to a kettlebell and they’re just supposed to be able to swing and clean and do all the movements without needing to properly learn them. But when you do take the time to study and understand the technique, it doesn’t take very long to see a significant change.

John Du Cane:

Yes, exactly. Some people are in a hurry, and they’re expecting instant results. It just doesn’t work that way. But the good news with kettlebells is that it takes remarkably little time, really, with proper training. If you invest in kettlebells in a skillful way, you’re looking at 10 or 15 minutes a day to get fantastic results. No question. You do 10 minutes of hard swings a day, with the right size weight and with good form, you’re going to know about it But, yeah, the big thing is proper training upfront. What we’re doing as kettlebell instructors is optimizing people for the kettlebell experience.

Colleen Conlon:

How did you and Pavel come up with the suggested testing-out weights?

John Du Cane:

We only had three sizes of kettlebells when we started, the 16, the 24 and the 32. The 24 became the de facto test for men. And all there was for the women initially was the 16. And there wasn’t much attention initially paid to age. Which was weird, because if you go to weightlifting competitions, there’s masters, there’s seniors, and there’s all number of classifications. If you are going into a boxing ring with at 150 pounds and the other boxer is 190, you’re going to get creamed, unless you have amazing skill. But we only had the three sizes to work with…

24kg Dragon Door RKC Kettlebell
The 24 kilo RKC kettlebell became the main size for testing in the Dragon Door certifications.

Part of what I pushed for as we developed was for sensible standards for older people. If you were 60, you were not 40 any longer. You could be very strong. There’s many ways a 60 or even a 70 year old in martial arts, for instance, can have extraordinarily strong bones, and be surprisingly stronger than people who are half their age. But in many, many other ways, you don’t recover nearly as fast, you’re more prone to a possible injury. There’s things that are just not working quite as well. But you can still be a very skilled coach and still be very strong. So, let’s get real about what the weight requirements should be. Same for a woman: what are you going to really have a 110-pound woman test at?

So, as we manufactured additional sizes, we were able to come up with more realistic testing requirements, depending on the weight of the person and the gender. It’s not highly scientific. It just isn’t. I think it was like a consensus. A lot of the people who were in the RKC leadership had a lot of understanding about strength and the skill of strength.

When there was a split and Pavel started his own company, Andrea took over as the head of kettlebell certification for Dragon Door. We moved to being more friendly toward women, and to people’s age and to their weight. So it was an organic process, there was nothing there beforehand. There were no other standards to go on. So we just developed it as time went by. We were at usually 70%, 80% pass rate in an RKC. It depended. And I felt good about that — if 70% of people are passing that feels decent. If everyone’s passing that may be a little suspect.

Colleen Conlon:

So I’m intrigued by the fact that you don’t necessarily want everyone to pass.

John Du Cane:

Yeah. I mean, it’s not like “Oh my God, we passed everybody!” I mean, it’s not that extreme. But we want to have a standard where it’s clear that the bar is high. And again, I don’t want to say, “Oh like it’s going to be set… No, we’re passing too many people suddenly, went up to 80%.” It’s not like that. But it felt appropriate that our RKC instructors meet a significant strength requirement, for credibility and respect. It was the same when we introduced the PCC, the calisthenics certification. With the century test, which was the main test there, there was about 15% who just didn’t make it.

Sometimes it was just they’d overdone it during the course, I think. But often it’s like, “No, man, you just don’t have it yet. You can’t do 10 pull ups at the end of this.” And it was always the pull up. With some people, even the push up. You’ve got to have at least that minimum standard. So it would work out. It was again, the 100, the century, Paul Wade came up with it, looked great to us. But again, there’s no huge science behind it, it just seemed right.

Colleen Conlon:

So for somebody who’s going into these certifications, they really want to pass. What is your best advice for them in terms of training?

John Du Cane:

I would tell them to train for at least six months with an RKC. Have someone who really knows how to teach them. Right now, maybe a lot of it might be virtual, but it’s essential. If you’re going to do a good job at the RKC and expect to pass and feel good about yourself when you leave, get at least six months in. And find someone who is truly skilled. And obviously our bias is towards the RKC. Because those are the most skilled practitioners out there.

Colleen Conlon:

Have you encountered anybody who has not needed six months or somebody who just picks everything up very quickly? I have noticed a little bit of a trend, that typically people who do not necessarily come from a specific athletic background tend to pick up kettlebells a little bit easier than those who do come from an athletic background. I don’t know if that’s just like a strange thing with the people I’ve encountered or if there’s anything you can touch on with that.

John Du Cane:

I haven’t noticed that Colleen, I have to admit. It hasn’t been brought to my attention. It kind of makes sense to me when you say it, because they don’t have the preconceptions about how to move. I think there’s certain athletic folk who might do better initially with kettlebell training, like a boxer will understand about the hip snap. Martial artists in general will go “Oh, yeah, I understand about the hip hinge thing, this makes a lot of sense.” I’d expect Olympic lifters to understand it to some extent. But beyond that, I’m not sure, frankly.

Colleen Conlon:

And then for those people who are looking to get started, they’re really curious about kettlebells but they’re not sure if they want to fully invest. What would you say to encourage them to give it a go?

John Du Cane:

Well, certainly I think it’s worth getting a book and or video, get a book like say, Dan John’s The Hardstyle Kettlebell Challenge, and then find a local trainer, again, who is certified and who can start you off very simply. Get your own kettlebell — something that’s not too much, 12 kilo, 14, 16, whatever, depending on who you are.

The Hardstyle Kettlebell Challenge book by Dan John
The Hardstyle Kettlebell Challenge is a perfect introduction to kettlebells.

And then just start simply, don’t let it get intimidating for you. If I’m showing a friend, my favorite is always the swing. The swing is such a big bang for the buck and once you get them to understand the hip hinge and the right alignment and so on they can pretty quickly feel it and realize that this is going to be something worthwhile. But we keep coming back to finding a proficient trainer, so that you if you do feel like kettlebells are something you’d like to try out, definitely find a trainer who knows what they’re doing.

Colleen Conlon:

I’ve been able to connect with a lot of people because of the pandemic happening and it’s really cool to see how many people are in love with kettlebells and trying to share it with other people.

John Du Cane:

Excellent, yeah agreed.

Colleen Conlon:

I do also want to ask you because, I’ve had some clients or some potential clients reach out asking, “Am I actually okay to use kettlebells because I’m not a spring chicken anymore?”

John Du Cane:

Oh, totally, yes.

Colleen Conlon:

I love your response, totally.

John Du Cane:

Yeah, I mean I can’t imagine an age… If someone’s in their 90s I would start them a little slow. What I would say is that it is never too late to take up kettlebells — 70s, 80s, even 90s. But, again, everyone is different and it does depend on how you have been eating over the years, how sedentary you’ve been, if you had a heart attack recently, you have underlying conditions.

So, lack of spring chicken-ness is not an excuse! The other thing that you can say to someone who is concerned that they’re getting too old for it is: “would you like to slow down that aging process maybe? If you take up kettlebells you’re going to start regaining some of that vigor that you’re feeling you’ve lost, and you’ll stop worrying about being old and just be vigorous. Because kettlebells will give you that back. You’ll be more energized, your bones will get stronger you’ll feel more confident. You’ll be more attractive. Right now you’re worried that you’re falling apart at the seams and that nobody is going to be interested in you in any way. They’re not going to see you. But if you take up kettlebells, even though you’re 78, you’re going to find your life significantly improved, almost certainly.”

Colleen Conlon:

You just dropped the mic on them, John.

John Du Cane:

Exactly, yes. Age is no excuse.

Colleen Conlon:

So what about some of these other excuses that people come up with? Like the misconception that kettlebells hurt your back?

John Du Cane:

Oh, okay, so lifting any heavy weight with bad form can hurt your back. Getting out of bed in a certain way can hurt your back, getting out of the shower in the wrong way can hurt your back, picking up your little child can hurt your back. There’s a ton of different ways to hurt your back. If you’re going to play with a kettlebell absolutely get good instruction. If you use a kettlebell in the right way you are less prone to hurt your back, it’ll be the very opposite.

Yes, bad form with kettlebell lifting and perhaps the wrong choice of size can hurt your back because you did it incorrectly.. Kettlebells do exert a lot of force on the body. But as long as you’ve been shown correct form you will be very fine. You should not expect to ever have back pain as a result of kettlebells if you’re using good form. And over time you’ll be less susceptible to developing back pain.

Colleen Conlon:

And are there any other common misconceptions that have come up over the past 20 years of the RKC?

John Du Cane:

Well, that kettlebells are too difficult to use. “Oh no, I can see that’s a lot of work.” But not really if you have had good instruction. If you know how to do it properly, you’ll find that the Swing is not going to be that difficult. There’s just some simple things that you need, there’s mechanics that have to be there. Just find someone who has the skill to show you how to have the right mechanics. I can’t think of anything else about misconceptions.

I tweaked my shoulder fairly badly a while back, and I went for physical therapy. And the physical therapist reminded me of something that I think’s really important. The kind of reason that people will get injured with poor kettlebell form is not paying attention to the negative part of the lift.

She said most injuries occur in the release, the negative, where people have suddenly let go and they’re no longer protecting that particular part of the body. And I think that’s one thing that good kettlebell instruction, for instance, will help with — training you to maintain the proper protective strength, maintaining tension appropriately in the negative part of the movement as well as the positive. When people are coming down from a pull up for instance they will let go when coming down and that’s when you’re going to get hurt.

So,  mostly it’s when people have relaxed when they shouldn’t be relaxing that they’re going to get hurt. Fortunately a good RKC kettlebell instructor will be very attentive to controlling that relationship between relaxation and tension.

Colleen Conlon:

It’s interesting that you mentioned that because I’ve definitely seen on Instagram,  people coming out of their press and the bell just dropping and it wasn’t intentional to go down fast.

John Du Cane:

Right. And, well what we’ve always taught as you would know, is that when you’re coming down from the press you want to maintain tension. It’s like it’s difficult to come down in the press.

Colleen Conlon:

Are there any other like little tips or tricks you would tell people to be on the lookout for as they’re trying to get started with their kettlebells?

John Du Cane:

I’m a big fan of using a decent kettlebell to start with. I’ve seen a lot of kettlebells out there that don’t have good ergonomics. Certainly with the RKC kettlebell, the feedback we get over and over is we have very good ergonomics, the handle size has been designed to fit well with whatever the weight is. The paint job makes for a very smooth lift. So I think that’s important, whether or not you end up getting an RKC kettlebell. There’s some other good brands out there. Choose something that’s going to be safe for you and feel good, that’ll make a difference.

Colleen Conlon:

There’s so many different brands out there. And over the course of the past year I think a lot of people have been trying to come out with their own kettlebells. They don’t all feel the same.

John Du Cane:

No they do not, they do not. So I can say with us, I absolutely can say that we’ve set the standard. I feel very confident that we are the gold standard, with the RKC kettlebell. I’ve been to the factories in China many times. I’ve seen other brands in the same factory and one of the things that we’ve insisted on is to have a double e-coat process. Our kettlebells are put through a very rigorous e-coat process that electronically bonds the paint to the metal.

This kind of e-coat is used in shipping, it’s used in the automotive industry, it’s the most resilient paint job you can possibly have. And we do a double process with that. It adds expense to it but as far as we know we’re the only kettlebell provider that has that level of resilient paint job. It’s far superior to powder coat and a lot else that’s out there. Our kettlebells are also extremely smooth. A lot of the kettlebells we see out there are rather rough. I’m not a fan of a lot of the handles that I see out there, they’re too far away from the kettlebell themselves or they’re just too thin for the weight that’s being lifted.

Colleen Conlon:

I was pressing a kettlebell one time in a gym, it was not an RKC bell. I won’t say whose bell it was, but I was pressing this bell and literally the whole bottom just smacked down on the ground.

John Du Cane:

So dangerous! But fortunately we’ve never had a case where one of our RKC kettlebells has broken and hit someone on the head.

Colleen Conlon:

More of a reason for everybody to get their bells via Dragon Door.

John Du Cane:

Absolutely.

Colleen Conlon:

So you had mentioned in the very beginning that there was an adjustable kettlebell out on the market.

John Du Cane:

There was, yes.

Colleen Conlon:

I see more and more of them now. I don’t like them.

John Du Cane:

I didn’t either. I got one and I was really turned off by it.

Colleen Conlon:

Why?

John Du Cane:

I didn’t like how it landed on my forearm and it was like dangling around. It just didn’t feel right at all. I’m not surprised it never really went anywhere originally; it was kind of ignored. And I think that simple RKC style kettlebell was just very elegant — finally, it’s all you need.

Colleen Conlon:

Is there anything else that you do for your fitness at this point in time? Like, what does your current routine look like? You’ve been working with kettlebells for 20 years.

John Du Cane:

My original athletic background was in track, and the high and long jump. So I was strong and fast in my legs. And then I did Yoga from teenage years on for quite a while. And when I was in an ashram in India, I took up Tai Chi and Qi Gong. So I’ve been doing Tai Chi and Qi Gong ever since, about 40 years. But I also went to a very heavy-duty kung fu school for a number of years. Got incredibly strong from that. Very tough indeed. I was in my 30s.

I have played with weights all my life, I was attracted to free weights as a teenager, but I never had a good coach. When I was with Pavel, he encouraged me to get back into doing deadlifts and squats. In fact, I actually had Pavel’s old dead lifting platform made out of tires and planks, in my basement at one time.

When he moved to California, I bought his fitness equipment, I had his original pull up unit. So I’ve always loved pull ups. So I did a ton of pull ups. These days I do a lot of bodyweight exercise in one form or another. And then Tai Chi, I do every day, every day. And the same for a certain amount of Qi Gong. Kettlebells are four or five times a week. And it varies a lot. I mostly do swings, presses, double front squats, goblet squats and deadlifts with a heavier bell, the 40 kilo. And that’s about it right now. I’m not doing snatches, personally, I feel okay with just the presses. And I love the swing, of course. I’ve got about 25 kettlebells sitting on the other side of my office desk, going all the way from 40 kilos down to the smallest, like four kilos. And I’ll use all kinds of sizes.

And now I’m using our Isochain isometrics training device. I’ve been very impressed by the extra strength that I’ve gained from using the Isochain, being able to measure the actual tension that I’m generating. You do a plank like the hardstyle plank, and say tighten, tighten, tighten, but you finally don’t really know how much tension you’re truly generating. One of the nice things I like with the Isochain is that you can see exactly that, yes, you generated 85 pounds of force or 150 or whatever. And then you go, “Oh, that’s all?” And then you tighten more. And you find “Oh, I just went up another 30 pounds in tension.” You can actually get immediate feedback for your tension generation. So, you can make much more rapid progress when you realize that you actually haven’t been exerting the tension you thought you were. That’s exciting.

Colleen Conlon:

That’s very interesting. I did not know that it displayed that.

John Du Cane:

Yep. It gives you an electronic readout, both visually and audible readout when you hit a particular number. So you can actually measure your true strength, the true force generation which translates into strength. And isometrics was always a huge component actually lurking in the RKC School of strength. Because Pavel was always very big on tension generation and understanding its importance for strength… Dan John loves it. And isometrics has been hugely important in Chinese and most other martial arts. Bruce Lee is the most famous example. But I think isometrics is going to be huge in the coming years. Because now at last you can measure your tension generation. And that’s another what the hell effect. You’ll get stronger overall in the body from learning to better control your tension levels.

Colleen Conlon:

And that’s such an interesting thing I find that’s almost a bit of a foreign concept for people who have not utilized weights before. Not understanding how to create that tension or exactly how much tension you need going into certain exercises.

John Du Cane:

Totally. I mean, I was amazed too, when I first heard the term gluteal amnesia. You mean, those people who can’t clench their butt? That you ask them to do that, and nothing happens? Like they can’t activate it. But it’s real. So that is, of course, another part of the beauty of something like the RKC School of Strength is that you’re learning to get in touch with every part of your body that really matters, and be able to fire it.

Colleen Conlon:

Yeah, again, no question for me that if you are interested in learning how to use kettlebells, the route of RKC is one of the greatest things you can do. Honestly, John, I’m just so grateful that you came up with the course. Because kettlebells really did change my life. And I’m very grateful to Dragon Door for that.

John Du Cane:

Thank you. And that’s what I love. I started Dragon Door out of a passion for fitness and health and well-being. I wanted to share my enthusiasm. And that’s why the publishing company is there. And that’s what means the most:  hearing those kind of comments from you and others. That’s what matters in life.

Colleen Conlon:

Well, thank you. Thank you for that. I don’t know if you actually know this about me, I’ve had four abdominal surgeries. And it wasn’t until I was using kettlebells for about six months that I actually gained sensation back in my abdominals.

John Du Cane:

Wow, no, I didn’t know that about you, no.

Colleen Conlon:

So, again thank you.

John Du Cane:

Fantastic!

Colleen Conlon:

So on a closing note, John, is there anything that you would like to say to help continue to inspire folk to pick up the kettlebell for the first time or go through with their RKC 1 or RKC 2 certification?

John Du Cane:

Well, when it comes down to it, I haven’t come across any fitness tool that will give you as much bang for the buck as a kettlebell. If you haven’t tried it, you are missing out. If you already tried it, and you’ve started to be aware of the immense benefits. If you take the RKC, take that further step, whether or not you want to be a coach, you’re going to 10-times the results that you are already getting from the kettlebell. So my big thing is engage with life to the max, optimize yourself as a human being and nothing beats the kettlebell to help you do that.

Filed Under: Fitness Business Tagged With: 16kg kettlebell, Dragon Door Origins, Dragon Door Publications, John Du Cane, John Du Cane Interview, kettlebell training history, modern kettlebell movement, The first kettlebell certification

The Kettlebell Get-up in Detail Part 2

May 6, 2021 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

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Ryan Jankowitz Demonstrating the move between the tall sit and the half windmill - kettlebell Get-Up Tutorial Part Two

Welcome back to my 3-part series on the kettlebell get-up! While my last post focused on the set-up, roll to elbow and the tall sit, today I’m going to focus on the leg sweep to windmill, lunge and stand up.

Once you’ve achieved the tall sit position, the next step is to sweep your leg back underneath you into the kneeling windmill position.

Some people may get confused at this part of the get-up because they are not sure how high they should bridge their hips before sweeping their leg back. This is mostly a matter of personal preference, however, I’ve found that with heavy get-ups doing a small bridge is the safest and most effective way to start the leg sweep. If you’re warming up with naked (no weight) get-ups or using a light kettlebell, then a high bridge can be okay. Just do what feels most safe and appropriate.

When you sweep your leg back, aim to line up your wrist, knee and ankle. A nice straight line here will allow you to load your hips and use your torso to straighten up to the kneeling position.  Also, make sure to tuck your toe under (dorsiflex) after you sweep your leg back and keep your toe tucked in order to help you with the lunge.

Be aware that if you don’t bring their knee back far enough, you will not be able to properly use your hips and torso to straighten up. When this happens, the arm on the ground and the lower back are overused—and at risk of injury.

Now that you’ve straightened up, you must put yourself into a lunge position. Here are the two different ways to do this:

  1. “Windshield wiper” your back leg
  2. Step across with your front leg

When teaching the get-up at the HKC and RKC, the “windshield wiper” method is taught first. This movement can sometimes be uncomfortable for people who have had a knee injury, knee surgery, or their knee just doesn’t like this type of movement. In this case, step your front leg across to move into a lunge position.

At this point, the arm holding the kettlebell should be vertical. The kettlebell should be behind your head so that if you were to look up you wouldn’t see the kettlebell in front of you. Now, you’re ready to stand up from the lunge. Push both feet powerfully into the floor to help you stand up. When you bring your legs together, hit your Hardstyle plank by contracting your glutes, quads and abs.

To see all of these steps in action, please watch this video:

Focus on improving these steps to gain the strength and confidence to perform the get-up with heavier kettlebells.

Stay tuned for my third and final blog post about the kettlebell get-up.

Stay Strong,
Ryan Jankowitz, RKC II

 ***

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II and owner of RJ Kettlebell, lives in Maryland with his wife and two dogs. They love to go hiking and spend time on the beach. When he’s not telling his dogs to stop chasing squirrels, Ryan enjoys spreading the RKC message and teaching others how to train with kettlebells. Try his 2-week advanced kettlebell plan: https://rj-kettlebell.ck.page/b59325e156

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Tutorial Tagged With: get-up tutorial, kettlebell get-up, kettlebell technique, kettlebell training, Ryan Jankowitz, turkish get up, tutorial

The Kettlebell Get-up in Detail Part 1

February 25, 2021 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

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Ryan Jankowitz Get-Up Setup, Elbow, Tall Sit

If you’re doing Kettlebell Turkish Get-ups, then you’ve clearly invested time and energy in your health and strength.

The get-up is one of the best exercises you can do for total body strength and to prolong your life. Studies have shown that older adults who can “get up” off the floor easily will more likely avoid falls and live longer than adults who need help getting up from the ground.

There are many steps to learn with the get-up, but once you’ve learned the basic movements you can dive deeper and fine tune the exercise for greater strength and safety.

In order to communicate all of the information I want to share with you, I’ve decided to make this a 3-part series:

    1. Set-up, roll to elbow, tall sit (this post)
    2. Leg sweep to windmill and lunge, stand up
    3. Get back down through all transitions, parking the kettlebell, switching sides, and eye position

This post will be a dive deep into the set-up, rolling up to your elbow and the tall sit position. Improving movements will help take your get-ups to the next level.

The get-up actually starts from the fetal position with both hands wrapped around the kettlebell handle. Use the weight of your body to roll into position while bringing the kettlebell with you. Don’t try to “arm wrestle” the kettlebell.

Ryan Jankowitz kettlebell-Get-Up beginning at fetal position

Once you’ve pressed the kettlebell over your chest and locked out your arm, you must put your limbs opposite the kettlebell in the right spot on the floor. Place your unloaded arm (not holding the kettlebell) on the ground about 45 degrees from your body. This will ensure that when you come up to your elbow, your elbow will be right under your shoulder. From there, you will give you a strong base to work from.

Ryan Jankowitz Turkish Get-up unloaded limbs

Your legs should form the letter “V”. Bend the leg that is on the same side as the kettlebell and place your foot on the ground.

Now that you’re setup, you can focus on generating tension. Most of the tension you create will be on the side of the kettlebell. You will pack your shoulder supporting the kettlebell by pulling your shoulder down away from your ear and squeezing your armpit. This will also keep the tension out of your neck.

Next, you will start to crunch your obliques on the side that’s holding the kettlebell. The bent leg can then start contracting the glute and hamstring as you push your foot into the floor—this will help roll you up to your elbow.

Finally, push through your heel and flex your quad on the straight leg, which will help keep the leg down on the ground as you sit up to your elbow.

Okay, now that you’re set up, it’s time to roll up to your elbow. Think of this movement as a diagonal crunch where you’re trying to bring your shoulder closer to your opposite hip.

If you’ve set up correctly, then your shoulder should be stacked over your elbow when you roll up. This will give you a solid base to work from.

In this position, make sure to squeeze your shoulder blades together and push your chest up to the sky. This will help keep the tension out of your neck.

RyanJankowitz Get-Up to elbow

Once you’ve established a solid position on your elbow you can then sit up to your hand. This is known as the tall sit position.

I like to rotate my hand back slightly as I transition to my hand because it allows me to open up my chest and squeeze my shoulder blades together, which will prevent shrugging the shoulder up to the ear and putting tension in the neck.

Ryan Jankowitz Get-Up tall sit

Make sure to lock out your elbow. Imagine flexing your triceps and then pinching your triceps and lat together to create a solid base.

To see all these steps in action, please watch this video:

If you take the time to incorporate these tips into your kettlebell Turkish get-ups, then I know you’ll feel the changes taking place.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for the next blog post in my get-up series.

Stay Strong,
Ryan Jankowitz, RKC II

 

 ***

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II and owner of RJ Kettlebell, lives in Maryland with his wife and two dogs. They love to go hiking and spend time on the beach. When he’s not telling his dogs to stop chasing squirrels, Ryan enjoys spreading the RKC message and teaching others how to train with kettlebells. Try his 2-week advanced kettlebell plan: https://rj-kettlebell.ck.page/b59325e156

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Tutorial Tagged With: get up, get-up setup, get-up tutorial, how do to a get-up, kettlebell grind, kettlebell training, Ryan Jankowitz, turkish get up

Stop Using Machines and Start Using Kettlebells

February 18, 2021 By William Sturgeon Leave a Comment

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William Sturgeon Double Kettlebell Front Squat

I am going to ruffle a few feathers with this post, but I want to challenge the way you’re currently thinking about your training. Training with machines isn’t bad, but it isn’t the best way. Machines often take up too much space and don’t really develop true strength. Gyms are filled with machines because they are easy to use, are self-limiting, and users do not require guidance.

The other issue with weight machines is that they often used in a seated position, which does not require the user to create core stability. For example, compare a kettlebell goblet squat to a machine leg press—there’s a BIG difference in the number of muscles that are working. The goblet squat requires you to use your core to keep your body in a neutral position. The lower body controls the movement, and the upper body maintains the movement. With the leg press, all of these challenges are removed by being in a seated/fixed position.

Another issue with machines is that they can forcibly stretch a joint beyond its range of motion. For example, if you do not get your arms in the right position in a pec deck machine, you will overextend the shoulder before loading it. Compare this to a traditional push up which is limited to a full range of motion without force.

Compared with machines, the kettlebell is a better tool to build strength, mobility, and aerobic capacity. The kettlebell requires the exerciser to use proper body mechanics in order to gain these benefits. And a kettlebell is just one single piece of equipment which can be stored in one foot of space.

Let’s dive deeper into why you should start using kettlebells and forget machines

Kettlebells Help Create Ballistic Power

The swing is one of the most popular exercises people associate with kettlebells. A kettlebell swing is a ballistic movement that generates a great amount of force. It is important that we train the body to be explosive. The swing movement shares a lot with sprinting mechanics. The quicker and more explosive we are with heavier kettlebells, the more this aspect will carry over to other movements and aspects of life.

Gain True Strength

One of my favorite exercises and tests of true strength is the kettlebell front squat. This exercise requires you to load the body structurally, while moving through a full range of motion. The ankles, knees, hips, and spine are loaded at a higher demand. The core is further challenged to maintain the upper back with weight loaded in front of the body for the complete movement.

Increase Your Range of Motion

The get-up is an amazing exercise that engages the full body, multiple joints, and the core. It develops mobility and strength. This exercise begins on the ground, progresses to standing, then returns to the ground—all while the exerciser holds a load overhead. You must have an adequate range of motion in the ankles, hips, and shoulders to perform this exercise. The progressions leading to the full get-up can act as mobility drills to prep the body for the complete exercise

William Sturgeon Kettlebell Get-up

Increase Your Aerobic Capacity

Have you heard of the dreaded RKC Snatch Test? It’s 100 kettlebell snatches which must be completed in under 5 minutes at a prescribed weight. This can get the heart rate high and cause puddles of sweat. I use single arm swings and snatches to increase my aerobic capacity up and have noticed that it transfers to other areas of my fitness.

Don’t rely on machines, become a machine! Begin by working with a kettlebell instructor. You can do more and benefit more while training with just one kettlebell.

***

William Sturgeon, RKC Team Leader, RKC II trains clients at his gym, Restored Strength. Contact him through his website at RestoredStrength.com or follow him on Facebook: facebook.com/restoredstrength

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training Tagged With: fitness, kettlebells, RKC training, strength training, training, William Sturgeon

How To Burn Fat With Kettlebell Swings

January 27, 2021 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

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How To Burn Fat With Kettlebell Swings by Ryan Jankowitz

If you work out with kettlebells, then you’re probably doing swings… lots of swings.

The kettlebell swing sets the foundation for learning more advanced movements and is a simple way to increase your strength and conditioning.

You may have gotten into kettlebells because you want to get stronger, improve your athletic performance or lose weight. Whatever your goal may be the Kettlebell Swing can help get you there.

Today, I want to talk about how the Hardstyle kettlebell swing can be used to help you burn fat.

Studies have shown that interval training is highly effective for weight loss. Alternating between brief periods of intense exercise and rest/relief is an effective way to burn a lot of calories and increase your stamina.

Using the Hardstyle swing for your intense exercise is a no-brainer because of its effect on your heart rate, low impact on your joints, and the number of muscle groups it engages. Plus, when done correctly it can alleviate back pain.

Hopefully, I’ve made my case for using this exercise as a great tool to help shed fat (along with a healthy diet of course).

Kettlebell swing set up
Effective kettlebell swings begin with a correct setup.

Now, let’s dive into the numbers so you can dial in your workouts and figure out the best combination of reps and rest periods.

In order to create an interval style workout that will promote fat loss you should try and aim for a 1-to-1 or a 2-to-1 work to rest ratio.

So, let’s assume 10 swings take approximately 15 seconds. If you’re using the 1-to-1 work to rest ratio, then you would do 10 kettlebell swings, then rest for 15 seconds. You would keep this interval up for as long as you can maintain good form and power.

If you’re more advanced or you have a higher conditioning level, you can use a 2-to-1 work to rest ratio. That could be 20 kettlebell swings followed by 15 seconds of rest or 10 swings followed by 7 seconds of rest.

You can use these swing intervals at the end of a workout for conditioning or have an entire workout dedicated to this type of training. The choice is yours!

I would love to know what you think and if you find this effective!

Stay Strong and Safe,
Ryan Jankowitz, RKC II

***

Ryan lives in Maryland with his wife and two dogs. They love to go hiking and spend time on the beach. When he’s not telling his dogs to stop chasing squirrels, Ryan enjoys spreading the RKC message and teaching others how to train with kettlebells. He has a 90-day kettlebell program (online) that helps busy adults get into shape and look and feel better by working out effectively and eating healthier so they can boost their energy levels, elevate their self-confidence and look good in their underwear. If you’d like to learn more about it, click here to set up a time to chat with Ryan.

Filed Under: Coaching, Kettlebell Training Tagged With: fat loss, fat loss with kettlebells, Hardstyle Kettlebell Swing, interval training, kettlebell fat loss, kettlebell fat loss workout, kettlebell swings, kettlebell training, kettlebell workouts, RKC, Ryan Jankowitz

3 Reasons To Train Barefoot with Kettlebells

January 6, 2021 By William Sturgeon Leave a Comment

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Training Barefoot With Kettlebells - Deadlifts

At my gym Restored Strength, it is common to see our members training barefoot during their kettlebell sessions. In today’s society it rare to see people spend time barefoot in their own home or at work. The feet are typically neglected when it comes to training, because most people don’t think that feet need to be trained. But there are a lot of benefits to training barefoot.

Wearing shoes can impact the way we train in many ways. Most shoes come with an elevated heel which naturally puts the feet in a more plantarflexed position. The reason that this becomes an issue when training with kettlebells is that you will have a faulty foundation. You will not be centered on your feet in order to truly push down into the floor to get your entire posterior chain to fire. Another issue with shoes is that they limit the range of motion (ROM) in the ankle.

Training Barefoot With Kettlebells - Goblet Squats

Here are my top three reasons that you should train barefoot:

Better Sense of Body Awareness

Proprioception is our awareness of our body in space and movement. We have many proprioceptors all throughout the body, with a big portion of them located in our feet. When we spend all day wearing shoes, we begin to neglect the proprioceptors in our feet. This is because they are not being stimulated by the ground, they are receiving feedback from the insides of our shoes. Exposing your feet to a hard surface will greatly increase the proprioception in your feet because they are not being protected by a large rubber sole.

Greater Ankle Mobility

During my undergrad studies, I did a research project on the benefits of training barefoot. We found that the test subjects who trained without shoes had a greater ROM in their ankles compared to those who trained with shoes. Having tight restricting shoes can inhibit the ankles’ ability to freely move.

Training Barefoot With Kettlebells: Swings

Increased Foot Strength

When training barefoot, you will focus more on how to firmly plant your heels in the ground as you swing a kettlebell. The foot has 29 muscles. Nineteen of them are intrinsic muscles—smaller, finer muscles. Being able to strengthen the intrinsic muscles will help you develop greater ankle stability and mobility.

To safely train barefoot, you should ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings. Don’t let your grip or technique get sloppy because that is a first-class ticket to injury. Gradually introduce barefoot training to your kettlebell practice in order to get the most out of it.

***

William Sturgeon, RKC Team Leader, RKC II trains clients at his gym, Restored Strength. Contact him through his website at RestoredStrength.com or follow him on Facebook: facebook.com/restoredstrength

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Mobility and Flexibility Tagged With: ankle mobility, barefoot training, foot strength, kettlebell training, training barefoot, training barefoot with kettlebells, William Sturgeon

How to Survive & Thrive as a Personal Trainer – However Hard it Gets

November 24, 2020 By Kristy Agan Leave a Comment

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Kristy Agan, Senior RKC - leading Private Training Session

The gym business has always been a tumultuous one. At the end of the day, we are dealing with clients who are only human. They get down on themselves. They fight with self-doubt. They lose faith. They struggle with developing self-discipline. And most have never had someone in their corner. So, gaining and keeping clients has always been a challenge for gym owners.

Now, let’s add a pandemic, business closures, political turmoil, a weakened economy, and you have a recipe for a super charged/super stressed population. Unfortunately, most humans retreat when times get tough. We turn to food, alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs, and we turn away from training our bodies. We turn away from striving to be stronger versions of ourselves.

We stop putting ourselves first. We stop seeing our physical and mental health as a priority. We stop seeing it as something worth investing in. We stop viewing that investment of time & money in our bodies as a necessity. With all of these human flaws and road bumps, how can a gym owner like myself continue to be successful in this chaotic and stressful time?

In a volatile environment, how can a personal trainer attract people into a regular training program and create a small sense of normalcy for them?

Our people need us now more than ever, but how can we as gym owners keep the fires burning during a time when people are so scared? If 2020 has taught me one thing, it’s that my personal relationship with my clients is what is keeping my doors open.

kettlebell workout outdoors in parking lot

As gym owners, we MUST:

INVEST

To be blunt, a business owner has to make money. At the end of the day, we have to pay the light bill. However, in order for that to happen you have to be willing to INVEST. You have to invest your time. You have to invest a big part of yourself. You have to invest your energy. You have to invest a piece of yourself into every soul who walks through your door.

Your clients are trusting you with their most valuable commodity… their health. So, if you aren’t willing and able to invest in them… why should they be willing to invest in themselves?

Kristy Agan kettlebells at KA Athletics

CONNECT

You have to connect with people. That doesn’t mean you have to agree with them on everything under the sun, or want to hang out with them on weekends. It simply means that you have to be willing to get to know them. Find out what makes them tick. Discover their likes and dislikes. What motivates them? What scares them?

If you train someone with social anxiety and you call them out in a group training class, they might not come back. You may train someone who LOVES attention, but because they don’t receive any praise at home or at work…you complimenting them on a job well done might be just what they need to fill them up. Our business is as much about connecting to people than it is about teaching them how to lift.

Kristy Agan quote on wall at KA Athletics

ENERGY

“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” As someone who has to invest so much of themselves into their people on a daily basis, it is very easy to feel empty at the end of the day. You must find ways to recharge your own batteries so that you can be your best for the people coming to you for help. Your energy, good or bad, will drive theirs. Sounds like too much pressure? Well tough. You might just be in the wrong business if that sounds too difficult. But for those of you who are ready to accept the challenge, you MUST replenish your own energies first.

What do I mean by replenishing your energy? I am what you may call an “introverted extrovert”. Basically, I enjoy being around my people, but I HAVE to recharge by being alone. I LOVE being around my clients. I LOVE working with them and watching them get stronger. But working with 100+ clients on a daily basis absolutely drains my energy. I HAVE to find moments in each day to refill my energy tank so to speak. Here are some ways I do that:

  1. turn the lights off and turn the music off in the gym once a day and close my eyes for 10 min. I simply lay in the floor, close my eyes, and enjoy the silence.
  2. I only respond to messages certain times of the day and those times are scheduled on my calendar. I REFUSE to allow my phone to dictate my life. I am in control of my schedule and I will NOT allow a “smart” phone to be my boss. I am in control. Say that again to yourself… “I am in control.”
  3. I always, always make time for myself to train even if that means turning down personal training appointments. I have a set time I workout and I never cancel that appointment.  How can I inspire others to put their health first if I do not treat my own health with the upmost importance?
  4. Walk outside and get some fresh air. Sometimes I feel like Superman. I get recharged and gain strength from the sunshine.
  5. Grab a coffee at my favorite coffee shop and sit by myself.
  6. Read something other than news.
  7. Listen to instrumental/classical music when I train, when I write, when I am cleaning, etc… there is already too much noise in the world.
  8. Sit outside in the evening and watch the sunset even if it is only for 5 minutes (I seriously do this every night when my kids don’t have extracurricular activities).
  9. Practice yoga. While my schedule doesn’t currently allow me to attend sessions with my yoga instructor, I practice what she has taught me at least 10 to 15 minutes per day. These small sessions with myself have benefited me in so many ways. That sounds like a good topic for another article!
  10. Leave my phone in my bedroom when I am at home so that my kids have my full attention… my clients have been with me all day. They can wait.

Kristy Agan yoga outdoors

LONGEVITY

I don’t know what tomorrow holds. I don’t know if people will continue to train with me, or if they will retreat back inside of their homes, scared of a virus that supposedly runs more rampant in gyms than other places. But, I have never left my successes or failures to a political figure. I don’t wait for others to tell me what and how to do something. I have goals I aim to achieve and I make plans to make them a reality. Regardless of what is going on in this crazy world, I have to make my own path.

I have hard days. I have months where I get scared when I see that my revenue is down from previous months. I also realize that some gym owners live in areas where they have been told they cannot legally operate and are being forced to close. I expect to see more closures coming my way as well. But time and time again, I have visualized how I want my business and my future to look, and I make it happen.

Whether it’s a change of business model, whether it’s more workouts outdoors, whether it’s training people online, whatever “it” looks like in the future, I am passionate about my role in my client’s lives and theirs in mine. I know I have built a business that is more than these brick walls. I am building a community of physically and mentally strong people. My gym is so much more than a brick and mortar building. My gym is and will continue to be my family. And I always fight hard for my family.

Kristy Agan At Gym KA Athletics Gym

***

Kristy is a Senior RKC and PCC Instructor with Dragon Door. She also owns and operates KA Athletics in Rome, GA where she is joined by her husband, Joe Agan (PCC, RKC, HKC) and Donna Martin (RKC, HKC).

You can follow Kristy on Instagram & Twitter @kristyagan and Facebook @Kristy.Agan.Trainer. And don’t forget to follow KA Athletics on Facebook, Instragram, and Twitter @ka_athletics to stay updated on gym events.

Filed Under: Coaching, Fitness Business Tagged With: fitness business, gym business, Gym owner, Kristy Agan, leadership, Motivation, Pandemic, personal trainer, personal training

Deadlift Variations with One Kettlebell

November 18, 2020 By Ryan Jankowitz Leave a Comment

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Ryan Jankowitz Single Leg Deadlift

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s Get Asymmetrical!

Ryan Jankowitz Suitcase Deadlift

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

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

Ryan Jankowitz One Arm Deadlift

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

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

Ryan Jankowitz Staggered Stance Deadlift
Staggered Stance Deadlift

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

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

Stay Strong and Safe!

***

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

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Tutorial Tagged With: balance training, core stability, deadlift variations, kettlebell deadlift, kettlebell deadlift variations, one arm deadlift, One leg deadlift, Ryan Jankowitz, staggered stance

Workshops in the time of the pandemic: What to expect at the RKC right now

October 18, 2020 By Jason Kapnick Leave a Comment

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RKC NYC Masks Socially Distanced Group Photo

This year has been…a bit strange for the fitness industry. In the nearly seven months since we closed our gyms to “flatten the curve,” both society and the fitness industry has been turned upside down. Many of us have closed our businesses, had the heartbreaking experience of laying off staff, and seen years of hard work disappear overnight.

Of course, these hardships pale in comparison to those who have lost loved ones and fallen ill to the virus. Indeed, the devastation of covid has affected us in so many ways.

But today, I am here to offer you hope. Hope that we can return to our livelihoods, and hope that we as fitness professionals can go back to doing what we have devoted our lives to: helping our communities to be healthier, fitter, and live better lives. Our role as fit pros is more important than ever—this crisis is ultimately a crisis of health, and our constituency needs us now more than ever. It is time to get off the sidelines and show up as leaders for our people.

Why am I so hopeful? Well, we just wrapped up an amazing RKC this weekend. It was the first RKC I have taught since the onslaught of covid, and I was very unsure of what to expect. Would I be able to lecture and demonstrate kettlebell technique while wearing a mask? Would the candidates balk at the additional safety precautions? Would they even show up? How do we conduct a snatch test in masks?

These concerns were quickly put to rest within the first few hours of the course. We were appropriately cautious, we came together as a team to keep each other safe, and ultimately, we had one of the best RKC courses that I have ever been a part of. I want to thank each candidate that attended, as well as the assistant instructors and team leaders. Marco Guanilo of Momentum Fitness deserves a particularly hearty thank you—his facility was immaculately clean, and he made it so easy for us to stay safe; thank you Marco.

Here are the major lessons I learned throughout the weekend:

  • Regardless of your political beliefs, Covid is a real illness, and we all want to stay healthy: Covid has obviously become a major political hot button, and there is widespread disagreement on how society should respond to the virus. With so much conflicting information, it is hard to know “whose truth is the real truth.” However, we can all agree that Covid is a real illness, and nobody wants to get it. The candidates, even those who told me they could not care less about covid, were all diligent about taking precautions.
  • Safety is part of the RKC’s DNA, so it was easy to get everyone on board with necessary precautions. From the very beginning, we at the RKC have preached about the importance of safety when training. “Safety and performance are two sides of the same coin” is one of our core beliefs when it comes to fitness philosophy (meaning, that using good technique enhances both injury prevention as well as performance; we need not sacrifice our health in pursuit of our fitness), and since the RKC is an instructor certification, we’re frequently talking about safety in terms of appropriate exercise selection, awareness of surroundings, etc.So it was an easy extension of our philosophy to ask the candidates to take precautions to keep each other safe. This was not based on fear or forced compliance, but out of respect for each other as professionals. I do not know who is immuno-compromised, who cares for his or her elderly mother, or volunteers at the senior center, and I do not care. If I can take basic precautions to help you feel safer and more comfortable, I will.
Masks on, keeping each other safe
Masks on, keeping each other safe
  • Masks are slightly annoying at first, but after the first hour, you won’t even notice (even on your snatch test!!). It really is that simple. Yes, it is more comfortable to be without a mask, but the inconvenience of wearing a mask did not impact our course in any way. The candidates went through workouts, drills, and even the snatch test with their masks on, and I did not hear a single complaint. After some of the more strenuous parts of the course, candidates were welcome to go outside to take a “fresh air break.” At no point during the weekend did I see anyone without a mask on.
  • We modified a few drills slightly, but the level of instruction did not suffer whatsoever. If anything, these are the modifications you will use with your own clients. There are a small handful of drills in the RKC that involve close physical contact. In some cases, we explained the drill but did not perform it. In other cases, we made modifications, using PVC dowels or a wall to substitute for the instructor’s body. For a few drills that involved hand-on-hand contact, we wore latex gloves.
  • Community, and the support of each other, is more important than ever. One of the most valuable parts of the RKC experience is being around other like-minded fitness professionals and kettlebell enthusiasts. Their passion, excitement, and bond of common experience is consistently a source for inspiration. If you attend an RKC, expect to leave the course energized and excited to apply what you have learned. As hard as things are right now, we can still find ways to thrive, and being around others with similar goals is a great step forward.
RKC Team Leader Joe Boffi teaches the finer points of the Get-Up
RKC Team Leader Joe Boffi teaches the finer points of the Get-Up

Candidates appreciated our diligence and had a great experience. We got some great feedback on how we handled covid at the course. Here are the candidates in their own words:

“Absolutely loved the experience” – Jen S. from Philadelphia, PA

“I truly learned a lot. I feel like I am walking away with a plan to better myself… I would also like to mention how fantastic the team handled all the covid constraints” – Biance W. from Pittsfield, MA

“Amazing facility! It was clean and safe (following all covid guidance).” Julia from Guilford, CT

If you are on the fence about attending the RKC due to covid, I encourage you to come to one of our upcoming RKC workshops. You can expect the unparalleled quality of instruction the RKC has always been known for, in an environment that values all our health and safety. We are being smart, taking precautions, and doing our absolute best in an imperfect world. I hope to work with you soon.

****

Jason Kapnick is the co-founder of Catalyst SPORT, one of New York City’s top kettlebell training facilities (Now offering Online classes and training). He has made multiple Elite powerlifting totals, with best lifts of 545/355/660 in the 198lb weight class, and achieved the Beast Tamer Challenge at his RKC in April 2013. He can be contacted through catalystsportnyc.com .

Filed Under: Coaching, Kettlebell Training, Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Covid RKC, fitness industry, kettlebell safety, NYC RKC, Pandemic RKC, pandemic safety, pandemic training, RKC, RKC Experience, socially distancing at workshops, what to expect at the RKC

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Dragon Door Publications / The author(s) and publisher of this material are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for any injury that may occur through following the instructions or opinions contained in this material. The activities, physical and otherwise, described herein for informational purposes only, may be too strenuous or dangerous for some people, and the reader(s) should consult a physician before engaging in them.