RKC School of Strength

Importance of the Overhead Lockout

June 4, 2014 By Tabitha Dearle Leave a Comment

So many kettlebell exercises go overhead.

Some move quickly like the Snatch (top left picture) and Jerk. Some move slowly like the Press (top right picture) and Bent Press. And some are simply just held overhead like the Turkish Get Up and Windmill but every single one of them should look identical in the lockout position.

When the kettlebell is overhead your body should have tension running through it from top to bottom, reaching the top of your movement is not a moment to relax. Keeping your lats activated, your belly and glutes tight, the arm sucked into the shoulder, wrist straight ensures safety and strength.

Breaking down the Overhead Lockout:

The Wrist: When the wrist is in the correct position the muscle in your forearm remains active. Maintaining a straight wrist with knuckles facing the sky can be a challenge for some, especially when using a lighter kettlebell that sits higher on the wrist and presses on bone. If the pressure on the wrist is too much when you are starting out grab some sweatbands and cover the wrist for protection (not for continual use to cushion a kettlebell banging onto your wrist, that is a different issue altogether).

Keeping the wrist straight is essential in reducing injury, the “Broken Wrist” position will eventually lead to exactly that…

I asked fellow RKC and Physiotherapist Craig Soley for a breakdown of the dangers of incorrect wrist position, the following is his response –

“One of the most common mistakes in KB pressing activities is wrist position. So we can be clear, wrist (neutral) extension is described such that if I drew a line from your knuckles along the back of your hand and down your wrist is would be a perfectly straight line. If the wrist is flexed (a less common mistake) the knuckles would be in front of the wrist and forearm. If the wrist is extended then the knuckles would be located behind the bones of the wrist and forearm. Holding the KB in wrist neutral, the load is carried through the joint and held by muscular effort – this is good. In wrist extension, the load is carried on the joint, less muscle effort and the weight is resting upon the bony structures – over time this is bad and it is bad practice.

Why? Think collapsed arches and flat feet, hyperextended knees and hyperlorditic lumbar spines as other examples of resting on your joints. If you continually rest on your joints they will eventually wear out. Also, if you are training, train! Use your muscles to do the work and take the load off your joints! Keeping your wrist neutral trains for function and longevity.”

The Elbow: The elbow, as with the wrist, should maintain a straight alignment. The extended arm should run parallel to your head with your bicep inline with your ear. If you are hypermobile through the joint you will need to be more mindful of your movements as they are more likely to sustain injury due to the unstable nature of the joint.

Shoulder/Ear Poisoning: Over and over throughout all of my kettlebell learning I’ve heard the phrase “Your ears are poison to your shoulders”, simply meaning that if you’re overhead and the shoulder is close your ear then you’ve lost all stability and strength from the shoulder girdle being in a shrugged up position. Keep the arm securely in the socket and activate your lats for upper torso strength.

Core/Glutes: If you are planning to conquer The Iron Maiden Challenge (or for the fellas The Beast Tamer Challenge) you know that a good heavy Press comes from strong glutes and having your core locked tight. It is the solid base that stops you from leaking power and maintains control. Finish your lift strong by keeping them all engaged – meaning no disengaging in the middle.

Get moving before going overhead: Always warm up before any workout with your aim to target the muscles that are going to be used. PFE warm-up, Halos with Kettlebell, rotating all joints through their full range of movement.

Can’t Maintain Lockout? Thoracic Spine Extension Mobility plays a big part in maintaining posture in the overhead lockout. If you are lacking in thoracic mobility work on it with some of the following stretches/exercises –

Foam Roller on the thoracic spine
Armbar or Crooked Armbar
Thoracic Bridging

Always seek out professional help if you are suffering pain in any overhead position.

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Tabitha Dearle, RKCII based in Perth, Australia, and is Co-owner of Perth Kettlebell School of Strength. She spent the first decade of her working life managing fast food restaurants before making a life-changing decision to become a Personal Trainer. Since then she’s been helping many, from athletes to seniors to children, change their lifestyles to become fitter, healthier and more mobile mostly through using Kettlebells. You can follow her blog at http://tabidrkc.wordpress.com/

Elite Abs: “Hollow Plank Positions” (Part 3 of 5)

May 21, 2014 By Keira Newton Leave a Comment

Master RKC Keira Newton performs a plank

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.

Take Those Kettlebells Outside

May 14, 2014 By Laurel Blackburn Leave a Comment

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.

Instant Gratification – A Charm Hard to Resist

May 7, 2014 By Robert Rimoczi Leave a Comment

(Translated from German. Prefer to read the original? Click here.)

**Robert Rimoczi teaching at Kraba Gym in Germany**

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:

You have vulnerabilities
Working on these weaknesses has the best cost- benefit ratio
But to work on your weak points does not feel so great, because you ‘re doing exactly what you can not do well

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.

Workout of the Week: Lifting Heavy Bells

April 30, 2014 By Andrew Read 1 Comment

**THE BEAST: Russian Kettlebell – 48kg (106 lbs.)**

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:

Foam roller T-spine.
Rib Pull x 10 reps each side.
Armbar x 10 breaths each side.
Get ups x 1 each x 3 with progressively heavier weights (ending one bell below your goal press bell. i.e. if you goal press is 40kg then you might go 28kg, 32kg, 36kg).

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.

Elite Abs: “Hollow Plank Positions” (Part 2 of 5)

April 23, 2014 By Keira Newton Leave a Comment

Master RKC Keira Newton performs a plank

Master RKC, Keira Newton shows you how to use your new “hollowed out” position with some more advanced plank variations.

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Stumped on Warm-ups?

April 16, 2014 By Laurel Blackburn 5 Comments

Laurel Blackburn Stretch I remember being a newly minted RKC back in 2009. I couldn’t wait to get back and start training clients. I had a head full of knowledge and a heart full of pride and excitement.

One of the things that stumped me a bit was doing warm ups and movement prep for my classes. Yes, we learned some basics such as the pumps and hip flexor stretches, but after doing that class after class, I was looking for something more. Something my clients and I wouldn’t get bored with doing before every class.

As I continued with my education through Dragon Door and the RKC, I was able to add to my knowledge and my toolbox. By taking the CK-FMS in 2010, I learned about compensations for proper movement, and how to correct them. I added many of the correctives to my own movement prep/warm up as well as my classes.

I noticed that my client’s movement improved and their performance skyrocketed. The workouts that followed a good movement prep helped them perform the Kettlebell exercises with much better form. The better the form, the more they got out of our workouts.

My classes are thirty minutes and many of my personal training sessions are thirty to forty minutes, so I was looking for something that I could do with them that didn’t take a lot of time. The movement prep had to hit all of the areas that are crucial to getting the most out of their workouts. The movement prep also had to give me the most “bang for my buck” in addressing some of the most common problems I see in many of my clients such as ankle, thoracic spine mobility and proper breathing techniques. Again, I added to my arsenal by continuing my education by taking the Primal Move certification. This certification was the final piece of the puzzle in providing my clients and myself with everything needed to address the biggest movement and mobility issues.

I took everything I’ve learned through certifications and workshops and came up with my own movement flows. They are quick and easy and my clients enjoy them.

I’ve included one of my favorites and I will be posting a lot more in the near future. I hope you enjoy this, more importantly, I hope your clients enjoy them. Let me know what you think and please let me know if you have any special cases or issues with your clients that need specific drills. Chances are I have a movement flow that will address these issues.

Have fun and get moving!

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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.

At 51, 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.

The Core Issue

April 10, 2014 By Jay Armstrong 1 Comment

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.

Dirty Dozen #9 The Get-up

April 2, 2014 By Phil Ross 1 Comment

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!

Strength & Honor

Coach Phil

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About Master RKC Phil Ross: Master RKC, 8^th 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.