RKC School of Strength

This Moment Brought to You From Nicole Money’s Soap Box

March 6, 2013 By Nicole Money 2 Comments

This morning I decided to teach the single leg kettlebell deadlift to a very loyal, hard-working kettlebell client of mine. When I told him my plan for his session I was promptly met with, “I’m not doing those. Every time I did them with •insert former trainer’s name here• I hurt my back.”

He was adamant. Single leg deadlifts had injured him and frustrated him so much that he refused to do them any more with his former personal trainer (a certified athletic trainer and personal trainer of more than 10 years). He swore he would never do them again.

I took a step back and asked him to demonstrate this exercise, which, by his account, injured him every time he’d performed it.

He took his “ready” posture, tightened his muscles and leaned straight forward, flexed at the waist and kept his planted leg completely straight. He reached his arm out about a foot in front of him as to pick up an object placed that far away. He teetered a bit, caught his balance and stood back up. He added, “That movement right there hurts my back.”

I smiled.

My reply: “This is going to be a piece of cake.”

Without a boring recount of our session, I revisited the RKC School of Strength lecture about the hip hinge with which all of Shane and my students are very familiar. We patterned the hip hinge, the two leg deadlift and finally the single leg deadlift. We then added bilateral load and then unilateral load. We practiced a bit and then added it to the kettlebell complex I had planned for the morning.

When his session was finished, his response, and I quote, “I really like these. Wow, I feel my ass a lot. This was fun.”My point: kettlebell is an art. It is a discipline. It is a process, has progressions and should not be taken lightly. When used correctly, in my opinion, there is not a more effective tool for overall conditioning and reinforcement of correct movement patterns.

Find an RKC instructor and learn to kettlebell correctly… find one who is also FMS Certified and you’ve hit the pot of gold.

As an RKC, I am committed to continuing to fight the good fight one battle at a time.

Today: RKC 1 — Bad Training 0.

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Nicole Money is a Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) certified instructor, a certified Functional Movement Specialist, and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) certified Health Fitness Specialist. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and has been a fitness coach for more than 20 years, working with clients of all ages and activity levels. Nicole co-founded The Edge Kettlebell Gym in Dayton, Ohio and teaches kettlebells to anyone willing to listen! She brings her passion and knowledge to drive students beyond what they thought was possible to reach their fitness goals.

The Vital Few: Ab Exercises For a Stronger, Harder Midsection

March 1, 2013 By Pat Flynn 8 Comments

I was raised somewhat backwards and mostly stayed that way. Momma always said, “Son, you’re special.” And, really, I think she meant good by it—but whatever, there is at least one theoretical advantage to this. That is, I’ve found that the answers to life’s peskiest problems can be found, almost invariably, by moving in the opposite direction of the general pull of the masses. If they go up. Best to go down. Them right? You left. Slow. Fast.

Take for example, body fat. Leanness, which I can say I know a thing or two about, has more to do with the 23 hours of restraint outside the gym, than it does the hour of effort in it. Take for example, muscular strength, which has more to do with the tuning of the nervous system, than it does the bulking of the muscles. These are just two examples where, if we followed conventional wisdom, we would be led largely in the wrong direction to cluster with the mostly unsuccessful.

This whole fascination over the striated muscles of the abdomen is an interesting case, too. I, like most infidels, suffer from this fetish—I will not deny it, I like having flashy abs. But unlike most, I do not work my abs grounded. Rather, I’m quite fond of strengthening my midsection in suspension—hanging from a bar, a pair of rings, straps, or other such dangly devices.

Windshield Wiper

For me, these alone seem to do what the classic sit-up or crunch cannot—which is to say they add some desired thickness to the abdominal wall, creating an outright blocky and somewhat geometrical appearance—protrusions and depressions in all the right places, if you will. There are, of course, other tremendous benefits of hanging ab exercises that could be mentioned, but they are far less interesting to me, and I think if I start to talk on them I’ll get bored and so quit this piece entirely.

The hanging leg raise, the windshield wiper , and the L-Sit are three heinous exercises for hardening the midsection; one linear, one rotational, one static, all undeniably marvelous. In my own sight, they are the vital few—quote unquote, ab exercises—to replace the trivial many. This is to say that a fellow or a ma’am who can rep hanging leg raises and said variations seldom has an unimpressive midsection. Are there still gaps to be filled? Surely there are. But not too many.

L – Sit

Here I come to you with no formalized routine, or anything of the sort. I’m not all that keen on setting someone to the business of what some would call an “ab workout”. Instead, I think you should just practice these two movements very nearly daily. No set or rep scheme, really—just purposeful movement rehearsal. Strive to make the movements look almost romantic, as lovely as choreography.

Hanging Leg Raise

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Pat Flynn, RKC: Pat Flynn is a certified Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructor, fitness philosopher, and 7^th degree blackbelt in hanging out. Pat is the founder of ChroniclesOfStrength.com where he talks mostly on how to chop fat and multiply muscle through kettlebell complex training.

Back to RKC Basics with the Plank Position

February 27, 2013 By Corey Howard 3 Comments

Those of us that make our living in the fitness profession suffer from ADD with our own training.

Generally speaking we are always in a hurry to move on to the next progression in whatever it is we are trying to do rather than pay our dues perfecting the basics. Sometimes we even try to advance our clients before they are fundamentally ready. Many of us talk about practicing movement but I would argue we need to consistently spend time practicing the fundamental techniques, skills and movements. For example how many of us still incorporate the RKC plank into our own practice sessions?

When I went through the RKC we were taught the plank. You all know it by now… butt tight, quads tight, fists clenched, feet together and pull your elbows to your feet without actually moving. For those of you that know the “Hartle Plank”, developed by the brilliant and strong chiropractor Dr. Michael Hartle, you know there are a few more cue’s that will amp it up a bit more.

Let’s first look at this from a structural stand point. Imagine your body is similar to the framing of a large city building. Then at the top of this structure we’re going to put a crane so we can create more levels.

How much support will that crane have if a few of the steel beams were replaced with overcooked spaghetti noodles?

You simply can’t press heavy weight overhead if parts of the supporting structure are overcooked spaghetti noodles! Likewise with bodyweight strength training, imagine performing a handstand push-up if you’re body is a wet dishrag from the waist on down? If you ask any successful competitive powerlifter about their benchpress technique they will first explain how tight, solid and locked down they are during the press. They create a solid, tight, strong stable base from which to press.

The RKC plank will carry over to a ton of different movements, kettlebell, conventional powerlifting, and bodyweight strength training. After spending several years powerlifting I went to the RKC and was taught the plank is how your body should look at the top of your swing, or under a load as you press heavy stuff overhead. The plank is a tension skill, not a silly youtube clip of you laying on top of a taxi cab.

Now with the huge interest in bodyweight strength training the RKC plank has become even more important. For those of you that have attempted a one arm one leg push-up or even dared to try a front lever, you know already you need to create a ton of total body tension to successfully achieve any of these feats. Think about it, there are elements of the plank in pull-ups, push-ups, pistol squats, front levers, human flags, kettlebell swings, deadlifts, loaded carries, presses, cleans, and many other movements.

Rather than jumping into our session after our warm up maybe it’s time we perfect our basic skills?

Please consider this, those of you that enjoy baseball, do you have any idea how professional hitters train and work on their swing? They use a tee! No matter what level you’re at we all need to polish up on our basic skills and the RKC plank is arguably one of the most basic skills with the most carry over! Fire it up!

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Corey Howard, RKC: As the owner and founder of Results PT, Corey started the company in 2004 out of his house, with the goal of creating an energizing atmosphere that’s geared toward the client’s success. Since 2004 his vision has grown along with the list of clients, and in 2008 he opened Sioux Falls’s first private personal training studio. Corey has trained and helped many people lose a lot of weight, including a few people that have lost over 100lbs. He also has experience training fitness figure competitors and pagent girls. His clients have been featured in local and national magazine articles, appeared on television, and competed nationally. He originally became a certified personal trainer while living in Minneapolis in 2002 and over the years has created a successful strategy and program that reaps success. He also has experience in competitive powerlifting and loves total body kettlebell workouts that promote athleticism. He can be reached at www.resultsptonline.com or www.coreyhoward.com

Hitting the Right Snatch Position

February 22, 2013 By Keira Newton 6 Comments

This is Keira from dkb Fitness. Hitting the right snatch position is important for your RKC test. It’s common to make mistakes like jutting your head forward, or not taking your arm far enough back. This can make you fail , or set you up for a potential injury. In order to remedy those and other mistakes, watch the following video to learn my recommendations on how to hit the perfect top position for the snatch. It’s not just about strength – it’s about aligning yourself and hitting the position the correct way. Once you have the correct form, you’ll have half of this part of the test in the bag!

Watch my recommendations here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5S59eaSJjs&feature=youtu.be

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About Keira Newton, 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.

Kettlebells and 007 (Part 03): Practice versus Working Out

February 20, 2013 By Mike Krivka Leave a Comment

With excerpts from Michael’s book: Code Name Indestructible

Now seems as good a time as any to discuss the difference between practicing and working out. Some people do one exclusively and some do the other – what I’d like to suggest is that you do both. You’ll hopefully agree in a minute.

Practice entails mindful, meticulous attention to detail, execution, and safety (three things that sometimes go out the window during workouts). When practicing, you are intentionally executing a technique as perfectly as possible, working on transitions, range of motion, tension, etc. There’s no time requirement during a practice session – similar to Dan John’s concepts behind “punching the clock” workouts; you show up, get the work done, and go home. In a practice session you create the foundation for the technique (and other techniques as well). You’re trying to make that foundation deep and wide. Practice is important and while it’s not especially glamorous or exciting – it’s necessary.

Working out means you have a plan and a will to attack today’s objective. Less attention (and sometimes none at all) is spent on perfect movement or technique – you just hit it as hard as you can. Doing a workout is an opportunity to test your technique while under stress – sweat, snot, blood, and pain are all considered stressors in the gym, on the field, and in a fight. You are using the broad technique and strength base that you established during practice and seeing how it holds up under fire. Sometimes you’ll do really well, while other times you’ll realize it’s time to practice more.

The RKC School of Strength, spends a lot of time progressively loading and practicing perfect technique. This is a great method for developing strength in a traditional manner and works very, very well. CrossFit, “The Sport of Fitness,” relies less on practicing and more on testing the technique under stress. This allows for tremendous adaptation as well as amazing physical transformations in a relatively short period of time.
I suggest making both the ideas of practicing and working out an active part of your workout planning. Why turn your low intensity days into practice sessions instead of workouts? Take one or two workouts a week to broaden and strengthen your technique-base, as well as your strength-base, so that when you decide to apply yourself during a tough workout you’ll have the skills to match the intensity.

Invariably, someone will ask, “Excuse me Brainiac, but can’t I practice the technique before the workout as opposed to wasting a whole workout?” My reply has been and always will be that a workout is never wasted when you practice the basics – NEVER. You’ll be a better athlete in the long run if you focus on the basic skills and basic strength techniques of your sport. This type of attention will allow you to make a difference when your moment in the spotlight comes.

Remember the old adage that “practice makes perfect”? Well it’s wrong – PERFECT practice makes PERFECT. You’ll never be able to work on perfecting a movement skill if you are doing it under stress – you’ll make bad accommodations and you’ll cheat. Practice will give you the ability to deeply ingrain good movements into your skill set with the ability to use them when necessary.

When you’re planning workouts, place a practice “workout” on your low intensity day and make sure it includes something you really need to work on. This will give you a chance to slow down, focus on technique, while still “punching the clock” and getting some work done.

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Michael A. Krivka, Sr., RKC Team Leader is a Washington, DC native who has been involved in Kettlebell training for over a decade and is currently an RKC Team Leader and member of the RKC Board of Advisors under Dragon Door (where he has been listed as one of the top reviewed RKC’s in the world for the last five years… Read more here.

One Strength, Two Strength’s, Three Strength’s… More!

February 15, 2013 By Russell Andrews 5 Comments

I was reading Survival of the Fittest, not too long ago, and it got me thinking about the different strengths needed for different sports. For example, when I was watching the Strongman competition on TV, I noticed that the strength of those very powerful men was tremendous. Whether it was lifting the back end of a car for reps, throwing kegs, pulling the bus up the incline via a rope, or pressing the log—it is beyond question that the competition demonstrates great feats of strength.

Who is strong? What’s the gauge or the measure of strength? Is it even possible to have a universal description and fit all these strong people from across the sports world landscape into one category?

How do we compare the strength of a gymnast to the strength of a powerlifter? Those strengths won’t necessarily crossover into the other’s playground. Is it fair to compare a swimmer that obviously possesses great cardio-muscle strength and stamina to the marathon runner who just has cardio strength and endurance? Or compare one dude that can bend nails and tear books, to the dude that can’t do either one, but can hang from a pole like a flag? It’s all strength, isn’t it?

What I found from my reading of Survival of the Fittest, is that there are many different types of strengths we can possess.

Trying to figure out which strength is the ultimate strength is equivalent to trying to figure out who is the greatest athlete of all time. Who is the greatest home run hitter, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays or the Babe? Is Jordan better than Wilt or Jabbar better than Magic? What about Carl Lewis, Michael Phelps, Bruce Jenner, Tiger, Herschel, Bo Jackson, Ali, Jack LaLanne, Jesse Owens, Dan Gable, or Jim Thorpe? I could go on, but who is the best? I say that they all are.

I can tell you about one athlete that I witnessed in high school back in the 70s that I’d put up against anyone. His name is Larry Kinnebrew. He was the State Champ in heavyweight wrestling, state champ in the discus and shot, won the 100 yard dash in 9.6, ran a leg on the region champ 440 yard dash team, won the area weightlifting meet, and was All State in football as a RB/LB (actually was named both). He could even dunk a basketball, and let me mention he was 6’1″ 245 pounds. (Although that’s standard size for today’s football player, back in the 70’s high school, that was huge.) He played for the Bengals and Bills in the NFL.

He can chef up some mean BBQ too.

Note the size difference:

1. Bodyweight Strength

If it’s not the ultimate genuine physical strength, it probably should be. Watching the gymnasts hang, flip, twist, hold, etc., through all the different contorted body positions, I come away saying, “That’s Strong.” Can a Gymnast bench 500 pounds and squat 700 pounds? Does it even matter if they can’t? They can suspend themselves in midair at arms length holding onto rings in an iron cross.

The body is our “equipment” we use to play in sports. It has to be trained in its own domain without the use of any traditional equipment to be functionally strong. The body is a tool all to itself. The stronger the body becomes by using its own weight, the more prepared the athlete becomes. Let me say this about bodyweight strength-—if you are fighting for your life hanging off a ledge or a cliff, who cares how much you can squat?

2. Functional Movement Strength

I love this one, the movement athletes. It’s what most of us do, the type of athletes we train, and across the board, the strength needed for most sports we play. Most of our idols or heroes play in this arena. My favorite all time athletes are in this group; Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, Willie Mays, Bill Walton, Edwin Moses, Jack Lambert, and Fran Tarkenton, to name a few. This is where speed, power, strength, flexibility, and pure athleticism combine to form the functional athlete. These are the athletes that push the limits in their respective sports. They break the records and raise the bar for the next generation. Everything they do bears some attribute of speed, strength, stamina, power, and endurance.

3. Cardio Strength

Cardio endurance is another strength. These long-distance travelers may not look the part, but they still possess cardio strength that the strong guys usually don’t possess. Marathon runners possess strength endurance to climb long, slow inclines and run through city streets. Back in the day, a five-minute mile was excellent. That was the time to crack—then it was four and half minutes—then four minutes. Now the world record is 3:43. That takes a combination of endurance and speed strength.

Speed is a form of strength also. Speed engages the muscular system yet taxes the cardiovascular system also. Long-distance speed is probably the rarest strength, but those that have it, must use it often to maintain it. I heard a saying once, “If you were the slowest gazelle in the pack on the plains you would probably be someone’s lunch that day. If you were the slowest lion in the pack on the plains, you might not get to eat that day. So whether you are a gazelle or a lion, it’s best to be moving fast often.”

4. Powerlifting, Isolation, Strongman Strength

I grouped all these together because they seem to have the same blood-line—brute strength. These guys are mad strong, like my friend Joe Majors who competed world-wide and squatted 903, benched 655, and pulled 760 in Germany. And that was after both triceps were surgically repaired. (Not too shabby for a guy in his 50s!)

Even taking it down to the nail benders, arm wrestlers, and brick busters, brute strength is strongman stuff. I saw a guy curl a hundred pound dumb bell once. Back in the 80s at a charity function, he curled half his body weight of 65 pounds 1,088 times in six hours!

The rule was you could pause for three seconds between reps. What was funny about it was the camera crew filmed only a small portion at first. They left for lunch, came back and he was still going. The crowd really got into it with him around rep 600 to shoot for 1000 reps. He was crying, hands were shredded, but he made it. Was that strength or endurance? Or just crazy?

Strength is wrapped in different packages. All of us possess one or more of these strengths. It really isn’t a cancellation of strength if a gymnast can’t bench 500 pounds or if a powerlifter can’t do pull ups. Both are very strong at their craft.

But there is one strength that is the truth serum. The one strength that defines the elite, the best. The one strength that drives the person to finish, to conquer, and to reach the level of accomplishment. And that is…

5. Mental Strength

I once asked a group of high school athletes what they thought the strongest part of the body was. The answers were typically the back muscles or quads. However, it’s the mind that is the strongest part of the body. Everything begins in the mind.

If it isn’t resting in the five inches between the ears, then more than likely it isn’t going to happen. Mental drive and self-belief is the ultimate strength that is the universal description that we can attach to all these strong people. And it applies, not just to the athlete, it also applies to any and all that use their mental capacity to accomplish their dreams, goals, or ideas.

The refusal to lose is powerful, more powerful than the biceps or pecs. More powerful than the iron cross or picking up the stones and placing them on the top shelf. Without belief and the self-drive, we don’t hear Ali yell, “I’m the Greatest”. We don’t see Bobby Thompson and the “Shot heard around the World”. We don’t know about Wilt’s 100 points, Michael Phelps eight gold medals, The Williams Sisters’ ten Wimbledon Championships between them, or Jack LaLanne pulling a row of boats swimming in handcuffs.

The mind is the ultimate strength. Mental strength is the only comparison between the strongest participants in the different sports categories. And it’s an equal comparison. They are all equally strong, for without their mental strength, there would be no strength at all.

Who is the strongest? The one who thinks he is.

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About Russell Andrews, BS, DC, HKC, FMS, SSC: Russell Andrews is a Chiropractor, and is certified in kettlebells, certified in functional movement, certified in strength and conditioning. Russell’s focus is training young Athlete’s in functional movement. He maintains Thunder and Lightning Performance Training in Cartersville Georgia. He is a speaker for the Glazier Clinic speaking on Building the Functional Athlete to Improve Performance, and Functional Training for the High School Athlete. He has over 35 years experience as a lifter and over 25 years as a trainer. He also maintains a private Chiropractic service in Cartersville.

You can find him at: Thunder and Lightning Performance Training
www.drruss21.com

The Dirty Dozen: Move #1 – The Kettlebell Swing

February 13, 2013 By Phil Ross 18 Comments

The Kettlebell Swing: Often to referred to as the “Mother of All Kettlebell Exercises” and is the root of all Kettlebell Training.

The Kettlebell Swing is not only the basis but one of the biggest differentiators between Kettlebell Training and other strength and conditioning systems. The Kettlebell Swing “reverse engineers” the practitioner’s hips by the development of the hip hinge, hamstring and glute recruitment through the pop and lock required to execute the movement properly. In addition, the incredible rooting effect for power transference through the body is applicable to improved performance in virtually all sports and strength performance.

The Kettlebell Swing has so many benefits, yet many go untapped through poor execution. I’ve had people walk into my studio claiming “I love to swing, I do tons of them all of the time.” Then I watch them swing – Ooof! I don’t know where the heck they learned to “swing”, but now I know why they thought that swings were easy! No eccentric/concentric motion, shoulder’s not packed, no rooting, legs bent at the top and to much at the bottom, chicken necking so much that I thought was I hanging with Frank Perdue, lats not engaged, power leaks all over!

Now that we’ve looked at the poor examples, how do we execute the swing? Step one, find a quality instructor or at least purchase some DVDs or get your hands on a video program from one of the top flight RKC Instructors. I will mention, no matter how good a video is, nothing replaces working under the scrutiny of a qualified Kettlebell Instructor.

Starting from the ground up, let’s consider our feet. First make certain that your feet are the correct width apart. If they are too close, you’ll never be able to swing the bell between your legs. If they are too far apart, you won’t be able to completely fire your gluteus, thus leaking power. Additionally, you will tax your hip flexors more which could result in injury. Rooting with the floor is key. Take advantage of the feedback from your feet with the floor. Establishing that that intimate contact with the floor creates a map of you body’s nervous system and helps facilitate feedback and feedforward of movement.

Draw your kneecaps up into your quadriceps as you lock out your knees. This should happen simultaneously to the driving of your coccyx to your naval and the contraction of your gluteus.

While all of this in occurring, you need to shorten your abdominals by “zipping up” and exhaling a short, hard purposeful breath.

Pack your shoulders and engage the lats as the power of the swing travels from the ground, through your feet, into your legs and through you hips and gluteus, up into your lats, passing through your arms and shoots out of the bottom of the Kettlebell.

When you are swinging, think of “hips and grips”. It’s also very important that you go between full relaxation and full tension. This is how to develop incredibly useful strength!

There are quite a few swing variations. There are the two hand swings, the one hand swing, hopping lateral swing, hand to hand swing, dual bell swing, dead start swing, walking swings and the much maligned bottoms up swing, to name a few. All of the same principles apply to all of the swing variations, however there are certain unique benefits to each variation. Check out the accompanying video demonstrating some of the variations of the swing.

Now its time to get off of the computer and start swinging!

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Master RKC, 8^th Degree Black Belt, Specialist in Bodyweight Strength and CK-FMS Certified. Phil Ross’ 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.

How to REALLY Do a Perfect Plank

February 8, 2013 By Todd Cambio 4 Comments

When I first started learning kettlebells, there was a common cue I heard from all of them. It was “Squeeze your glutes like you have a quarter between them.” This cue came along with “flex your quads and brace your core.” When I hosted an HKC course at my facility, I heard this phrase all day long! However, the “Squeeze your glutes” cue really stuck with me.

I can even tell you why this cue stuck in my head more than any other. It was when we were all planking and practicing these cues when someone who was struggling to keep his form started chanting (rather loudly) “don’t drop the change, don’t drop the change, don’t drop the change” and then crumpled to the ground in exhaustion. It was funny, but it hit home with me the need to coach these cues to get people to engage their glutes to help them get their abs to fire. It also prompted me to work on improving my coaching techniques and apply them to other movements.

Well, what I came up with is, how a plank should really be done. How a plank is actually the key to getting your abs to fire. How a plank is biomechanically necessary to master many bodyweight movements. How a plank can prep the body to do many of the exercises in Convict Conditioning. I will also relate how a plank is extremely functional, or transferable as I say, to a large number of exercises, especially push ups, dead lifts and KB swings.

I know everybody is probably doing planks. Unfortunately, most people know how a plank should “look” they just don’t execute it perfectly. Many people, trainers included, are not quite sure what muscles should be firing or how to cue clients to align their spine to get the correct muscles firing. So I will offer some strategies to help you find that “Perfect Plank.”

Perfect Plank

A proper plank includes more than just cueing to squeeze the glutes, flex the quads and brace the core. It also requires you to fully align the spine in a neutral position. By aligning the spine along with squeezing your glutes, flexing your quads and bracing your core, you will keep your abs firing at all times. You definitely want your abs firing instead of finding ways to compensate. Many times the back, especially the lower lumbar, gets overworked. Quite simply, if you feel your back, you are out of position and something in your kinetic chain is off.

By planking correctly, you can transfer this neural recruitment pattern to most other movements and exercises. For example, all a basic push up is, no matter what step or progression you are on, is a moving plank. The push up just recruits a few more major muscle groups like the pecs (major and minor) the anterior deltoids and the triceps.

Here are a few common form issues that you can visibly correct:

Low Back Arch:

This arching will compress the lower vertebrae and many times will cause a sore lower back. By continuously doing movements like this with poor form, you will create poor neural recruitment patterns. Meaning, your body will automatically fire the wrong muscles at the wrong times leading to more and more aches and pains over time, possibly some chronic pain and even injury!

Mid Back Arch or “Turtle Back”:

This type of arching is actually a false neural recruitment pattern. By doing planks like this, you are firing your back muscles instead of the proper core and ab muscles. In my opinion, this is actually a form of overuse or even over training in some people. By having a majority of your movements go through your back, you are destined for back problems because his pattern will transfer to everything you do in life.

Neck Reach or “Bobbing For Apples”:

This is usually the first visible sign someone is struggling with a plank and push up. By doing this poor movement pattern you are making the upper traps and neck muscles strain. This generally leads to upper back pain, neck pain and even constant headaches. (Guy in the Middle)

Butt in the air:

Not the worse of the bunch mentioned above but it can put excess stress on shoulders and kink up your traps and neck. (Guy in the bottom of the picture directly above) Basically you are not engaging your hips and glutes so you are actually not firing your abs very much if at all. So, why do something that doesn’t give you much of a benefit. Simply do a proper plank for a few seconds, put your knees down when form begins to fade, and then pop back up when ready.

Side note: I do not advocate laying flat on ground between sets of planks or push ups because many people will subconsciously arch their lower back while resting which could start their lower back muscles firing over the abs.

Other scenarios to watch for: Planking like an upward dog or cobra position in yoga, tilting your hips to one side or not packing the shoulders

Solution: So, by squeezing your glutes like there is a “quarter between your cheeks” you will get the hips in proper position to allow the abs to fire. By firing the quads along with your glutes, you are helping your glutes line up your hips so that your spine is in a neutral position. By doing this, your abs should turn on through out the movement you are doing.

Start by doing a high plank or push up position until you have improved your core/ab strength enough to do them on your elbows. Holding for one minute is a solid time frame to hold a true plank.

Advanced Solution: You can also go a step further and use a stick and make sure your spine is straight and that the stick makes contact with the back of your head, your upper back and your tailbone. We have also applied this solution to doing body rows, dead lifts, KB swings, RDL’s, bird dogs and more. If you analyze each of these before mentioned exercises, they all require a neutral spine. By holding a stick along your client’s back on the three contact points, they will truly fire their abs and engage their glutes. This method works great for teaching the hip hinge as well.

I like to think of neural pathways as turning on light switches. If your abs are not firing during an exercise, I think how can I “switch that light on” to get them to fire.

In Convict Conditioning I and II, Paul Wade says “Lights Out” when you are alone in your cell. Well, I say “Lights On!” for proper planking!

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Todd M. Cambio, CSCS, HKC: Todd is the owner of Precision Fitness in Pawcatuck, CT. He is a strength and conditioning coach that specializes in spots performance and obstacle course race training. Todd is also a published author and Master Body Weight Trainer for Lebert Fitness. See what Todd is up to by visiting www.ToddCambio.com or www.GoPrecisionFitness.com

Single Leg Deadlifts: Do Them or Else

February 6, 2013 By Max Shank 10 Comments

Though initially I thought it was unnecessary to explain the ridiculous benefits of single leg deadlifting, I am finding that many people are still not convinced of its amazing power. There seems to be many people who dismiss it as being too light or for ladies only.

This should dispel that lack of understanding:

When done properly, the single leg deadlift can be loaded up to truly impressive amount of weight, that which lifting will require an impressive blend of strength, balance, and athleticism.

Athleticism? Yes athleticism. Think about what stance most sports assume; either single leg or split stance—that is, one hip in flexion and one in extension. Own this position under load and you will become instantly more athletic. Run faster, jump higher, hit harder.

When it comes to kettlebell training the posterior chain has one obvious ballistic movement: The Swing. I don’t need to convince you all of the benefits of the swing, but we should recognize that is has its limitations in posterior chain strength. The load is simply not heavy enough, even with a pair of beasts at 212 lbs. That’s a measly 106 per leg. Grab the same pair of bells for some single leg deadlifts and we are now approaching some serious posterior chain strength.

If swings are power work for the posterior chain, then single leg deadlifts are the strength work. These two moves, used concurrently, will yield massive strength, athleticism, and improve your overall movement quality.

Quick tips on how to perform the exercise:

Set up with the weight as close to your midfoot as possible.
Reach the free leg up and back and make your spine long
Maintain a straight line from your crown to your free foot throughout the exercise
The standing leg should bend at the bottom, straighten at the top (just like a swing)
Go Heavy!

Better every day,

-Max

Max Shank, Master RKC: Max Shank is not only an extremely gifted teacher, but one of the most well-rounded and capable athletes in the world. From excelling in Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu to performing impressive feats of strength in weightlifting and gymnastics, Max has the ability to do it all–and do it well. Choosing to lead from the front by his own example, he has dedicated his life to Strength and Health. http://ambitionathletics.com

Kettlebells and 007 (Part 2) Intensity? Or Insanity?

February 1, 2013 By Mike Krivka 4 Comments

Overview

The intensity of your workouts can do everything from defining your goals to defining your personality. Some workouts will be low intensity; kind of like a lazy afternoon on a river interspersed with shooting some class III rapids every once in a while. Other workouts are like a firefight; short, intense, gut-wrenching and leave you in a puddle of sweat (and other bodily fluids if you’re not careful). Low intensity workouts are usually associated with building absolute strength; think Dan John and Pavel’s Easy Strength protocols. High intensity workouts are currently associated with building cross-modality strength and endurance; think CrossFit. Does intensity correlate to certain personalities? Could be! Think of the strong, silent-type of strength athletes – definitely low intensity. How about the wild, spontaneous, Type-A athletes – definitely high intensity. I know these are both generalizations – but you get the idea!

Defining Intensity

When you discuss workout intensity you need to look at load and duration as well – because they are interrelated. Intensity can be looked at as how explosive a muscular contraction will be needed for a safe, efficient, and effective execution of a given technique. In other words, a kettlebell snatch is a lot more intense than a biceps curl. Intensity can also be perceived as dependent on the overall physical condition of an athlete. Doing a series of fifty yard sprints would be intense for a powerlifter but not so bad for a soccer player – and it could outright kill a sedentary IT tech! Think about this: as intensity increases so does the anaerobic capacity requirement. If you think running sprints and running a 10k are the same because they are both running, then think again. The anaerobic requirements of a sprinter and a long distance runner are completely different; but the sprinter will fare much better than the long distance runner when it comes down to survival-based anaerobic functions. Also, don’t forget that intensity needs to be determined by the individual and is highly variable depending upon age, weight, diet, recovery, experience, and the presence of illness or injury, etc.

mkrivka_blog2 — An example of a low-intensity workout

Load refers to how heavy the object is that you are moving. Once again, heavy is a relative concept. If you are swinging a 53 lb kettlebell and switch to a 110 lb kettlebell, you will immediately get a sense for what load does to intensity. A light load will allow you to move faster for longer, while a heavy load will only allow you to move “fast” for only a short period of time. Did you notice how I snuck the relationship between duration in? Yeah, they are mutually exclusive in that one is going to adversely affect the other. If you don’t have first-hand experience with this phenomenon trust me, you will very soon! All it will take is doing your snatch test with a heavier or lighter kettlebell than you are used to and you will have a graphic example of the effect of load on intensity.

Absolute vs. Strength Endurance

Which one are you? Are you focusing on your absolute strength or are you working on stretching your strength and endurance to new heights? Well, as athletes (and if you are using kettlebells you are most definitely an athlete) then you have to be able to work towards fulfilling both of these area of your training. The accumulation of absolute strength will give you the ability to do more work and make physical tasks easier to accomplish. Plumbing the depths of strength and endurance will temper your spirit and give you the tenacity to keep going when the going gets tough.

So, can you accomplish both? Yeah – by learning how to moderate or wave the intensity of your workouts. When working on absolute strength, think double body weight dead lift, you need to stay fresh and strong in between each set. That means low reps, heavy loads and lots of rest between sets. The intensity will be high because of the heavy loads but the duration will be short. You won’t exhaust yourself quickly and you’ll be able to make steady gains. When working on strength endurance, think RKC or USSS Snatch Test, you need to work as hard and as fast as you can to meet the time requirement for each test. The intensity will be high because of the time constraints but the load will be low in order to let you move fast and stay fast. This is when you are pushing the limits of your strength, physical and mental strength, by going fast (while maintaining technique and safety) but you’re done quickly – really done!

Programming Intensity

So can you make steady progress to meet your absolute strength goals and your strength endurance goals? Absolutely! With a little planning and a lot discipline you can make this work. It’s not “snake oil”- it’s all about planning your workouts and leaving the gym behind while you still have some reps left “in the bank”. Planning the workouts to alternate low intensity workouts and high intensity workouts might look something like this over the course of ten workouts:

The above training outline isn’t going to work for everyone. It’s really going to depend on your existing strength base and your ability to recover in between workouts. What it does show is that with a little planning and a basic understanding of how to manipulate intensity you can progressively move forward and gain strength and endurance without excluding one or the other from your training.

The long and short of it is you’re going to need to gauge the intensity of the workouts based on your own experience and the advice of your RKC or coach. Going too fast with a heavy load will “blue flame” you and going too slow with a light load will get you nowhere fast. You’ve got to find just the right mix of load, speed and intensity – and that balance has to include attention to form, execution and safety.

High intensity Video:

About Mike: Michael A. Krivka, Sr. is a Washington, DC native who has been involved in Kettlebell training for over a decade and is currently an RKC Team Leader and member of the RKC Board of Advisors under Dragon Door (where he has been listed as one of the top reviewed RKC’s in the world for the last five years). Mike has traveled extensively throughout the United States teaching Russian Kettlebells to military (USMC, USN, USA and USAF) and law enforcement personnel (FBI, DEA, USSS and CIA) as well hard-living civilians from Soccer Moms to CEOs. In addition to teaching workshops and clinics he logs several hundred hours a year teaching and training with Russian Kettlebells at his own gym and martial arts studio. He is also a Level I CrossFit Trainer, and Olympic Lifting Coach.

When he is not tossing Kettlebells around he is teaching and training in the martial arts, something he has done since he was thirteen years old. His martial arts training, sparked by a childhood fascination with Bruce Lee, spans early training in Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Wrestling, Western Fencing, Sambo, Ninjutsu, Muay Thai and Gung Fu and has culminated in being awarded a Full Instructor JKD Concepts (Jeet Kune Do – Bruce Lee’s base art) and the Filipino Martial Arts (Kali, Escrima, Arnis and Maphilindo Silat) under Guro Dan Inosanto. He continues to train in and explore other martial arts to continue to hone his technical and teaching skills.