RKC School of Strength

Official blog of the RKC

Use These 3 Cues to Teach The Deadlift

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William Sturgeon Deadlift Coaching Cues

When teaching a client how to deadlift, we must first help them master the hip hinge. Often when we begin to teach someone how to hinge we use the following cues: “keep a slight bend in the knees, push your hips back, keep your back straight, pack the shoulders, push your hips forward and stand tall…”

These cues are effective, but when someone has never done a hip hinge before, all these words may be too overwhelming.

When we’re working with a client, we always want to make sure that they are not confused. We want to make our instructions as clear as possible so that they are set up for success.

Start by teaching your client a tall & tight position.

Tall & Tight

  • This position begins standing with feet shoulder width apart. Then, instruct your client to pull their hips slightly forward. Tell them to imagine pulling their belt buckle to their chin.
  • Next teach the tight position. This begins by tucking the ribs down and pinching the shoulders back.
  • The tall & tight position teaches how to maintain a neutral spine while maintaining tension in the core.

Reach Your Hips Back

Next we are going to teach our client how to reach their hips back. “Begin with a slight bend in the knees. Reach your hips back by trying to touch your butt towards the wall behind you, while keeping the tall and tight position.” These instructions can get complicated quickly, so I use the following cues instead:

  • I begin by helping people understand this movement by instructing them to place their fists on their hips.
  • Then I tell them to imagine their body is a can crusher—the upper body being the top half and the lower body being the bottom half of the machine.
  • Next, I ask them to reach their hips back and “crush their cans.”

Drive Through Your Hips

Lastly we will review “driving through the hips” to finish the exercise.

  • While maintaining a tall and tight position, push through the hips to the starting position.
  • Next, think about punching your feet into the ground, while thrusting your hips forward.

Once you’ve mastered this fundamental skill you can now progress to loading your client for a deadlift.

Just remember: tall & tight, reach your hips back, and drive through the hips.

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William Sturgeon, 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

How to Coach Effective Group Kettlebell Training

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William Sturgeon, RKC-II Squat Progression

We can all agree that group training can come with inherent risks if the participants are not coached effectively. Unfortunately, we have all also seen group fitness classes where students are performing rough looking swings, squatting with all of their weight on their toes, or deadlifting like frightened cats!

As coaches, it’s our responsibility to make sure that we always prioritize the safety of our clients and set them up for success in their training. It can be difficult to accomplish a level of high quality training in large groups—especially since groups tend to include people with different skill and fitness levels, past injuries, learning styles and other variables.

So, how do we control the chaos in group training—especially if we are using kettlebells? We begin by learning to regress and progress movements and exercises for our clients. Many coaches will choose a baseline exercise—and also have a regression and progression on hand to modify the workout or program as necessary.

How to Regress and Progress Kettlebell Exercises

Regressing and progressing an exercise for a given client can be complicated if you are not prepared. During an RKC certification workshop, you will learn many ways to regress and progress the Big Six for a variety of a clients. With the information from the weekend workshop—and reviewing your RKC manual—you’ll have many ways to cue, correct, and ultimately guide your clients through the progressions of the Big Six.

To begin, choose a baseline exercise—for example, a kettlebell deadlift, assuming a majority of your clients in class can do it. From the baseline exercise, choose one regression and one progression.

With our kettlebell deadlift example, the regressions might be raising the kettlebell on a yoga block, having practice an RDL, or if they’re absolute beginners or very deconditioned, they could work on fully mastering the hip hinge. You are the chef in your own kitchen and must decide what is best for your situation.

To progress the kettlebell deadlift, we can have clients perform double kettlebell deadlifts, eccentric deadlifts, explosive deadlifts, and many other advanced variations which can make this exercise more challenging. It’s always less of a mental challenge to make an exercise more difficult—it’s much more challenging to make exercises easier. Develop a collection of progressions and regressions to commonly use with your clients then modify them as needed for your specific group setting(s).

William Sturgeon, RKC-II, Hinge And Deadlift Progressions

Selecting the Correct Exercises

Choosing appropriate exercises is crucial for designing and evaluating your programs. While there are thousands of exercises you can choose for training your clients, all of the different tools and implements can lead to overly complicated workouts.

To simplify this process, begin by categorizing the exercises under consideration by movement pattern. For example, I might consider an exercise to be one of the following: lower body pull, upper body push, lower body push, upper body pull, mobility, single leg knee/hip, or core/carry. There are other classifications you can use, but this is what I use for my business.

Instead of trying to include every exercise you can think of, consider the population you are serving and their needs. Also take a look at what exercises you are typically programming for them. Keep it simple. If you’re work with general populations, your exercise selection will be minimal. This is extremely helpful when working with a group of clients who have different athletic abilities. Some clients will be more advanced than others, and some may have never touched a kettlebell before! It’s useful to have a systematic approach for running your classes.

Using Timed Blocks

When I first started leading group classes, I had a difficult time programming the workouts with just straight sets. The participants all moved at different paces, some people needed more coaching while others rushed through the workouts. There’s nothing wrong programming straight sets, but it can be difficult in a group class with a variety of fitness levels.

William Sturgeon Training Template

Using set blocks of time can help create a controlled environment for smoothly running classes. Set blocks of time allow you to attend to those who need extra coaching or attention, while allowing for clients moving at a faster pace to get more volume in their workouts—instead of finishing their set and waiting to move on.

Timed Training Session Example:

  • Warm Up together, 10 minutes
  • Block A 8 minutes
  • Block B 10 minutes
  • Block C 6 minutes
  • Block D 5 minutes
  • Cool Down, 5 minutes

While this example works very well for my group classes, please be sure to consider the individuals you are training in your group(s).

Having systems and structures to organize your programming is essential to running an effective kettlebell group class. Begin by choosing appropriate baseline exercises, choosing progressions and regressions for each, then breaking the session into timed intervals.

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William Sturgeon, 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

Putting the Power into the Power Swing

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Kristy Agan RKC Team Leader Power Kettlebell Swing

When I was introduced to kettlebells in 2006, how to start the kettlebell swing was not something that I was taught. Upon entering the world of RKC, I learned the importance of the beginning of the swing. I was amazed by the instant improvement in my technique from solely focusing on how I started my swing. After all, the start of the swing is where we generate all of our power. If we don’t learn how to begin the swing, then we only end up with terrible looking, inefficient swings. In this blog post, I want to specifically discuss the power swing, sometimes known as the dead start swing. The power swing is a drill that I love to use in my own training and with my clients. Unfortunately, and even after a workshop, it’s easy to forget this humble but effective drill. So, we should revisit and use it that much more in our training.

What is a Power Swing?

In short, it is the “hike to stand” and “back to the start” portions of the swing, repeated for reps.

The power swing is super effective for teaching solid swings because it:

  • Teaches and reinforces the “hinge” and “back swing”.
  • Teaches us to create “pulling” power from the lats.
  • Strengthens the hike to stand portion of the swing—which is where all the power for the rest of our swings in the set comes from.
  • Increases strength in the hamstring & glutes—much like deadlifts and power cleans.
  • Correct posture issues in the start position, or will very quickly reveal weaknesses that need to be addressed ASAP to avoid potential injury.
  • Crosses over to stronger lifts, specifically the barbell deadlift.
  • Carries over into stronger plyometric movements such as jumping and sprinting, making it essential for athletes.
  • Teaches a strong start of the swing leading to stronger cleans and snatches.

The power swing can be taught to and used with clients when they are just learning or even struggling with their technique. I like to use “fast and loose” intervals for active recovery when teaching the power swing. It keeps my clients moving, but allows extra recovery time for the hips, hamstrings, and glutes.

If you have clients who especially need to work on their mobility, try super sets of power swings with a mobility drill. They’ll be able to address the mobility issues revealed during their practice sets.

Here are some examples of mobility drills to super set with power swings:

  1. If the client has a rounded back, use the wall hinge drill or thoracic bridge.
  2. If the client doesn’t finish through with their hips at top of the swing, superset with the RKC hip flexor stretch, bridge, or frog stretch.
  3. If the client pulls the kettlebell up with their shoulders instead of snapping their hips, superset the power swings with the towel drill.

How to Teach the Power Swing

  • Set hike position
  • Swing once and return to start

Repeat up to 10 rounds depending on the client’s fitness level and technique issues. Add in mobility and/or corrective drills between rounds as necessary.

For high performing clients, you can turn power swings into a grueling strength workout by increasing rounds and/or number of reps per round. Be sure to design the workout with the safety and skill level of the client or group in mind.

In the video below, I purposefully selected a wide range of clients to show how a power swing routine can work for a group with a variety of fitness levels—which most trainers will see any given day. The clients in the video range in age from 18 to 62. Both men and women are following the routine. The group also includes a breast cancer survivor, a client who had hip labrum surgery, a few HKC certified instructors, and a few beginners who learned to swing kettlebells only a week before this video. The finisher in the video is also suitable for a mixed group. Obviously, I can make it much harder for my advanced clients, but for the sake of this video I kept it simple. We focused on the power swings with a few short breaks.

***The workout in the video below is only for clients who have demonstrated they can perform a solid kettlebell deadlift and have been introduced to the swing***

For more specialized groups—martial artists, youth athletes, advanced adults, pair higher rep (or heavier kettlebell) power swings with tougher movements such as burpees, full bridges, advanced push-up variations, renegade rows, heavy kettlebell floor presses, fast & loose drills, and/or sport specific drills.

Below is a short clip of my husband and I demonstrating a ladder routine with power swings and push-ups. Before you begin the routine, line up three kettlebells from light to heavy. Perform three swings with the light kettlebell, two swings with the middle kettlebell, one swing with the heavier kettlebell, and finally one push-up. Each round, increase the push-up reps each round. Set a timer for ten minutes and see how many rounds you can do well. It’s simple, but effective.

Our swings are only as good as the power we are able to create from the ground up. Just like with any sport, teaching and drilling the fundamentals are how star athletes are born. When we forget the fundamentals, we lose our edge. The power swing is a fundamental element many of us are missing in our Hardstyle kettlebell training. It’s time to go back to the fundamentals that made us the solid RKC instructors we are today. It’s time to practice the power swing!

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RKC Team Leader Kristy Agan is also a PCC Instructor, American Council of Exercise (ACE) and TRX qualified personal trainer. She owns and operates KA Athletics in Rome, Georgia. Kristy also maintains an online training business kristyagan.com. Follow Kristy on Instagram @kristyagan and Twitter @kristyagan or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Kristy.Agan.Trainer

Three Ways to Reinforce Tension

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William Sturgeon Kettlebell Swing

We commonly coach our clients to create tension with cues such as “brace the core”, “tighten the glutes”, “crush the handle”, etc.  These phrases can help get clients to create tension in their lifts. You may see the specific group of muscles tighten, or a change in your client’s face when you ask them to create more tension.

Deconditioned clients are often unable to create tension through a specific area at first. It’s important that we spend time teaching them certain drills and use different cues to help them find the ability to create tension. It can be challenging to teach people how to apply tension during a lift.

Why Reinforcing Tension is an Important Skill to Practice and Teach:

Tension Keeps You Safe
Ballistic movements like the kettlebell swing require that we move rapidly—and if the movement is done incorrectly it can lead to injury. Kettlebells are not unsafe tools—users with bad technique are unsafe. Placing an emphasis on stressing the muscle with tension will allow you and your clients to work on technique without irritating the joints as much.

Tension Builds Strength
Your muscles recognize tension, not load—this is why we should focus on contracting the muscle before and during the exercise. Using “time under tension” (TUT), you can stimulate the muscle for greater growth. The denser the muscle, the stronger the body. Producing more tension throughout your lifts can also help generate more force.

Tension Stimulates Muscle Growth
Creating mechanical tension is one the of the primary factors associated with muscle growth. Mechanical tension is created by stressing the muscle throughout its full range of motion during an exercise. The phrase “time under tension” (or ‘TUT’ as referenced in the paragraph above) relates to the amount of time we’re stressing the muscle during an exercise. The more tension created during an exercise, the more muscle that will be recruited to perform the task. In turn, this gives the muscle a greater growth stimulus.

Drills That Teach How to Create and Reinforce Tension:

Hardstyle Plank
The RKC Hardstyle plank is the traditional plank’s older, much cooler brother. While a traditional plank is good for teaching a client to engage or brace their core, the client can still perform it poorly or fall short of the correct amount of tension we are looking to create. The Hardstyle plank creates a lot more tension than a regular plank. Most regular planks are held for 30 seconds or more, but the more intense Hardstyle plank is held for a much shorter amount of time maximizing the body’s full strength potential.

How to perform the Hardstyle Plank:

Isometrics
During isometric exercises, the muscle tenses but its length remains the same. A good example of an isometric exercise is an RKC drill we use to help pry open the hips. We place the client in the bottom position of a kettlebell goblet squat, then ask them to create a great amount of tension while forcing “prying” the hips out—all while keeping the hips in place. This powerful drill can help your clients find their glutes while understanding the amount of tension they need to create at the top position of their squat.

How to Perform an Isometric Hip Prying Drill

Time Under Tension
Time under tension is one of the greatest tools for helping our clients create or reinforce tension. Coach the client through a “grind” exercise—such as a kettlebell press—during a set amount of time. The kettlebell press can be performed and progressed in many ways, though most people will immediately want to just increase the weight. But, if we apply “time under tension” to the kettlebell press, we can make a lighter kettlebell feel far heavier. This can help a client spend more “time under tension” while safely finetuning their technique.

The Time Under Tension Kettlebell Press

 

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William Sturgeon, 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

How Long Should It Take To Do One Kettlebell Get-Up?

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Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Coaching Getup Practice

Occasionally, trainees ask me how long a get-up should take when they’re first learning how to do one. I think it’s a really great question and I’m glad when they ask it—because it means that they are probably starting to really dig kettlebell training. But, my answer always seems to surprise them just a bit. When I tell them that a solid get-up takes at least 30 seconds per side, they start to realize that this exercise requires patience.

My best get-ups tend to take around 36 seconds (clearly, I love to time things). It seems to take about 36 seconds for me to feel like I am owning each stage of the get-up while taking my time.

Each stage of the get-up is equally important and demands equal attention. If one stage is rushed or not performed well, that weak link may negatively impact the rest of the movement. There’s nothing worse than trying to adjust your position while holding a heavy hunk of iron over your head.

I’ve found that going back to naked (no weight) get-ups or using a very light kettlebell with a 3-5 second pause at each stage for several reps is a great drill for reinforcing patience. These drills also allow you or your client to get very familiar with how each stage of the get-up should feel.

Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II and Master RKC Michael Krivka demonstrate the get-up at a recent HKC workshop in Gathersburg, MD.
Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II and Master RKC Michael Krivka demonstrate the get-up at a recent HKC workshop in Gaithersburg, MD.

My intent in writing this blog post was to create a discussion and learn what other kettlebell instructors and enthusiasts think about the timing of a get-up. Have you found an optimal time for the get-up? How long do you think a kettlebell get-up should take? Please leave your answers in the comments section at the end of this post.

I feel that being patient with kettlebell training pays off big time in the long term. In a time when people want to do more exercises faster and faster, sometimes slowing down is actually the best approach.

Performing one repetition of the get-up masterfully is far superior to performing ten sloppy reps. Really, this can be said for any exercise—quality over quantity. If you take your time and master the basics, the rest will fall into place.

All of my best kettlebell lifts and personal goals have come years after I first picked up a kettlebell. I’m in this for the long haul and sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down.

Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Stay Strong.

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Ryan Jankowitz, RKC-II Instructor, CK-FMS, is a life-long athlete who can’t imagine sitting behind a desk. He enjoys sharing his passion for fitness and spreading the RKC knowledge. Ryan provides online kettlebell training and in-person training in the DC Metro area. You can reach him at ryan@rjkettlebell.com or through his website rjkettlebell.com.

The Importance of Single Leg Training

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William Sturgeon, RKC-II Split Squat

We spend a lot of time training our clients with bilateral movements, such as squatting and hinging. These dynamic and explosive movements are done in a stationary position. When we choose exercises for our clients—or for our own training—the exercises should always be purposeful movements applicable to their lifestyle and goals. Whether you coach athletes or the general population, everyone moves unilaterally.

Whenever moving in any plane of motion, we move by stepping with one foot first. We move unilaterally throughout our whole day. Unless we’re stationary for a while, we do not spend much time in a bilateral stance. Knowing that all movement is initiated with one foot, why do we place such an emphasis on bilateral movements when training our clients?

There are many reasons to include unilateral exercises in our training programs. But, one of the main reasons I include single leg training is to allow me to train my clients’ weaknesses. While it is easy to temporarily correct a client out of a knee valgus during a squat with the cue “spread the knees apart,” it doesn’t really fix the problem. By including single leg exercises you can help strengthen your client’s asymmetrical weaknesses—which will also strengthen their bilateral movements.

Another reason I favor unilateral movements, is because they can help rehab and prevent injuries. If you train athletes or the general population, your job is to help them reach their goals—and keep them safe during their training. Another great benefit unilateral exercises offer over bilateral exercises is that they promote even more ankle stability and strength. Strengthening the ankles can reduce the chance of ankle injuries—which often lead to knee and hip pain.

The following are a few of my favorite single leg exercises:

Split Squat (see photo at beginning of post)

  • Start at the bottom of a split squat position.
  • Hold a kettlebell as if you were about to do a goblet squat (place the kettlebell near the collar bone).
  • Push evenly with the foot—through the ball of the foot and the heel to stand.
  • Lock the knee at the top of the movement while squeezing the glutes.
  • Lower yourself down slowly, and do not let the knee bang against the ground.

Lateral Lunge

William Sturgeon RKC-II Lateral Lunge

  • Start by holding the kettlebell in the rack position, or at the chest (the goblet squat position).
  • Take a large step to the side.
  • Bend your knees and push your hips back.
  • Return to the starting position by pushing through the inside of the foot you used to step to the side.

Curtsy Lunge

William Sturgeon RKC-II, Curtsy Lunge

  • Start by holding the kettlebell at the chest (the goblet squat position).
  • Step back and behind your other leg.
  • Slowly lower your hips until the knee lightly touches the ground.
  • Push through the front leg, and return to the starting position.

Weighted Single Leg Glute Bridge

Weighted Single Leg Glute Bridge

  • Begin on your back, and hold a kettlebell at your belt line.
  • Raise one leg off the ground by lifting the knee.
  • Tuck your chin and rib cage down as you press the heel of the other foot into the ground
  • Raise the hips up and squeeze the glutes.
  • Lower yourself down slowly and return to the starting position.

Single Leg Rear Deadlift (RDL)

  • Place both hands on the kettlebell handle.
  • Keep a slight bend in the knee and push your hips back.
  • Keep a straight spine and lower the kettlebell below the knee by bending with the hips.
  • Return to the starting position by pulling your chest and hips up as you stand tall.

Single Leg Deadlift

William Sturgeon, Single Leg Deadlift

  • Begin with the kettlebell on the ground in line with your toes.
  • Bend at one knee and begin to hinge down while pushing your hips towards the wall.
  • Keep your chest up while lowering yourself through the hips.
  • Return to the starting position by standing tall.

Single leg exercises are essential moves to consider in your kettlebell training.

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William Sturgeon, 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

Beyond the See-Saw Press: Two New Variations

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Z-Saw Kettlebell Press Nick Collias
Some lifts just never feel quite right, no matter how hard we try to force them to do so. Others are a willing dance partner from the first rep. And from the first time I tried it, the see-saw press just felt right.

Unlike the single-arm press, which took months (er, years) to share the ideal groove, the see-saw offered it up instantly. And because it’s a rhythmic push with a bit of a pull (or an eccentric push that feels like a pull), it demands that all manner of anterior, posterior, lateral, and deep core muscles get in the game of tug-o-war. Any experienced RKC can tell you that this extra activation usually allows you to get 2-3 extra reps, maybe more, with any given weight than what you’d manage with either single-arm or double-arm presses.

That translates to extra strength, extra volume, extra activation, and extra-efficient training. Extra awesome.

Those are all reasons to try the see-saw press. But they’re also reasons to explore different variations of the movement. Here are two variations that have quickly become my two favorite presses, period.

To be clear, I make no claim to inventing either of them. Somebody else probably did long ago. I just happened across them in my training, picked them up, and am now passing them along.

Z-Saw Press

This is nothing more than a seated see-saw press in a straddle position, or what is known as a Z-press. But that alteration changes the lift dramatically.

What I dig about it:

  • Sure, it brings the wicked shoulder pump, but it also ties in more total upper body musculature than any press I’ve tried—even more than the standing see-saw press. All the postural muscles of the upper back light up, but so does the core. When those groups are both working hard, I know I’m doing something right.
  • Lumbar hyperextension is pretty much impossible with this lift. Not so with the standing see-saw. This makes it a great way to work around an achy lower back, or just one, like mine, that just doesn’t like to work hard early in the morning when I tend to train.
  • No clean is needed. That’s not an advantage or disadvantage; it’s just a feature of the lift. This means it lends itself more cleanly to an upper/lower split, if you prefer that approach.
  • Perhaps because the upper back and core are so integrated, I find it also lends itself better than other press variations to grinding out a few hard reps at the end of a set, while still being safe on the shoulder joint.

This is one reason why I like it with a DeLorme Protocol-style approach:

10 reps light, or around half of 10RM
10 reps medium, or about .75 of 10RM
10 reps with more or less a 10RM

Z Saw Kettlebell Press Side view Nick Collias
Look forward or look up; either way, your postural muscles and pressing muscles will both work overtime.

Keeping a set at a 10RM or lighter also keeps you from having to figure out how to get two seriously heavy bells into position. Just curl it up and go.

One more technique note: In a recent email, Master RKC Andrea Du Cane mentioned that she recommends most people—men in particular—sit on a yoga block or something similar during Z-press variations, because otherwise they often struggle achieve a neutral pelvis and spine position on the ground. Me, I like something about half to two-thirds yoga block-height, like one of those hardcover college textbooks you haven’t done anything with in a long time. The Modern Library edition of Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans is just about perfect.

Swollias Press

This movement took on my nickname at work (I do work at Bodybuilding.com, after all), simply because I’d never seen it before, and the nomenclature alternatives are all pretty complicated. “Alternating see-saw kettlebell thruster,” anyone? No thanks. Let’s go with Swollias.

As with the Z-saw, this isn’t a new lift so much as it is a combination of existing ones. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Clean a pair of kettlebells, either from a dead stop or with a swing. You can do it with two matching weights, or two uneven ones. It works great with both.
  2. Perform a single front squat, and on the way up, press one of the kettlebells up while keeping the other in the rack.
  3. Lower the top bell into the rack. A second clean is optional here.
  4. Squat again, and on the way up, press the other bell. You can then set the kettlebells down and shake it off before going again, or you could keep piston-pumping reps as long as you want.

What’s the advantage? Well, having a bell in the rack means you’re forced to keep an upright torso and tight core. I like the single-kettlebell thruster, but find it can get a little sloppy and forward-leaning under fatigue. This variation holds a little firmer, in my experience.

"Swollias" Kettlebell Combo Sequence Nick Collias
Lots of cleans, lots of squats, lots of time in the rack. What more do you want?

On the flipside, it doesn’t require the same level of thoracic mobility as a double-kettlebell press or thruster, and once again, lumbar hyperextension is hard to slip into with this variation. Definitely not so with the double kettlebells.

With heaver weight, I like to treat these as a little mini-complex, kind of like Dan John’s “Armor-building” complex of two cleans, one press, and three squats. One round of clean, squat, press, clean (optional), squat, press every 30 seconds, or on the minute, is a great routine. Do it for 10-20 minutes, and it adds up to lots of cleans, lots of squats, lots of time in the rack.

Alternately, you could use a lighter weight, up the reps, and just see what cries “Uncle” first.

How To Use These Lifts

There’s a time to train like you’re chasing something—say, a half-bodyweight press for an RKC-II certification—and there’s a time to train like you’re not. And when I’m not chasing, I like to mix my presses up. A lot.

For the last few months, my favorite way to do this is to use Dan John’s press and suspension strap circuit from this article on Bodybuilding.com as a template, and swap out press variations based on whatever feels good that day. Both of these press variations have been regulars in the batting order.

Don’t confuse this with “program hopping,” that oft-maligned symptom of exercise ADD. The parameters and the basic movement patterns don’t change much; just the specifics do. If I want to change every workout, fine. If I want to do the same thing for three weeks, fine.

This approach keeps me excited to train, allows me to sneak into moderate rep PRs regularly, but also allows—or maybe forces—me to learn and explore new lifts, either those that I see out in the world, or that I cook up on my own in a moment of living room inspiration. These are two of the latter. Enjoy!

 

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Nick Collias, RKC-II, PCC, is the executive editor at Bodybuilding.com, and the host of the Bodybuilding.com Podcast. You can read and hear more of his work at Bodybuilding.com.

Coaching the Kettlebell Coach

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Master RKC Chris Holder Coaching RKC Coaches

After attending and passing an HKC or RKC Workshop, we’ve done countless swings, feel confident about the material, and want to present the ideas we’ve learned to our clients. If you are like me, you’ve invested a ton of time and effort into other training systems. And you know that it’s difficult to integrate all the moving parts into a single sensible flow of program design.

During a certification weekend, I make a point to lecture on how to coach. “How to coach” is a drastically different subject than “what to coach”. The RKC manual and the instruction protocols we follow to teach the exercises are very thorough. If you’re a smart coach and refer back to the manual, most cases are very simple. But, how to coach it all—that’s an entirely different conversation.

Is this article about coaching style? Yes and no. Is it about coaching procedures? Sort of… I define coaching as the entire approach when teaching the material, the techniques, and the expected intensities for a given set. For great coaches, this is effortless. But, new coaches will need to make a conscious effort to develop the coaching muscle memory before it can become automatic. After twenty years in the college strength and conditioning world, I can confidently tell you that I’m there—but it took time. In this post, I will outline much of what I teach about coaching.

What Modality Are You Teaching?

Kettlebells, Olympic lifts, TRX, and CrossFit all have certain inherent personalities—and your temperament should fit the training setting. For example, when coaching the Olympic lifts, there is a massive psychological component with an athlete who is attempting a personal best. In that moment, you might go from being a coach to a psychotherapist. You might help them manage fear and hesitancy instead of yelling and trying to fire them up.

It’s extremely important to clearly understand the nature of what you are coaching. A yoga instructor yelling for their students to perform various poses will probably not be a yoga instructor for very long. It’s a ridiculous but clear example.

The RKC is a high tension program, which also means it’s high effort. So, an instructor using a very calming yin tone will likely not help their trainee get the most out of a nasty kettlebell swing ladder.

Embody the spirit of what you are coaching.

Who Are You Coaching?

One of my favorite things about the CrossFit community is that the members know today will not be easy. The programming always includes a big push at some point. If I were a box owner, I would assume that most of my clients have some edge, and that I can take them to some of the outer realms of fatigue, burn and through certain pain thresholds.

Conversely, I will never forget my first paying personal training client. At the time I had been coaching college kids for about seven years when I got an email from a woman who had some back pain and wanted to hire me for kettlebell training. We exchanged emails, agreed on a price and planned our first meeting the coming Saturday.

Remember, I had been coaching bulletproof 18-22-year-olds for years—and a severely deconditioned, 70 year old woman who was about 50 pounds overweight walked in! She was carrying two 2lb kettlebells with plastic handles attached to nylon straps which formed what can only be described as oversized hacky sacks. She insisted on using them. While I wanted to ask her where the hell she found that nonsense, I knew that my tough-guy approach was not going to work. I suddenly had to learn how to work with a brand new demographic. Thankfully, I knew that an elderly woman would not respond to me screaming at her to pick up the weight!

Know Your Stuff

Know the information cold, in your sleep, without thinking. Make sure you refer to your RKC or HKC manual many times after your certification weekend. I’ve had the profound luxury of training between 300-500 athletes every day, Monday through Friday. At minimum I’ll led 1,500 individuals in their training (in groups of course) each week. Regardless of the season, my athletes do 100 swings a day. So, that’s 150,000 swings that I could potentially dissect and critique each week. Most personal trainers won’t see that many swings in a year.

My coaching uptake is fast simply because I’m truly immersed in it daily. I see a slew of funky swings, tons of just-right swings, and more horrible swings than any one person should ever have to see. Every day I quickly analyze and pump out corrections at a blistering pace. I’m not a genius, I simply have critiqued—and continue to critique—countless reps.

Watch everything, be an observer at all times. Watch other people’s clients so you can bank reps. Record your own reps with your phone and critique yourself. Be a student every waking moment of the day and deconstruct what you are seeing—pass everything through your RKC filter. Mentally pick apart what you see to sharpen your blade.

I can coach anyone, and it’s not because I’m special. It’s because I’ve been able to constantly analyze and coach for years without pause. It’s nothing you can learn from a book or at a certification weekend. You have to do the time, put in the reps, and see as many repetition attempts as possible.

What To Watch

A good coach has a very specific eye for watching reps. Each exercise has lists of technical requirements. But, all of our movements begin with the feet on the floor—even the get-up. As you watch your clients or athletes train, your eyes should first go to their feet. Many technical errors in the top half of the body can be remedied by correcting the feet—not the chest, shoulder, or even the back. Our feet connect the movement to leverage, support posture, and give the athlete a foundation. The feet are the gateway to all things good. So, your eyes should start at the feet and return there throughout the set.

Breathing is also a frequent cause of technical flaws. When do they inhale? When do they exhale? Are they exhaling completely, or are they sipping and leaking? Know the answers, have a game plan for their breathing, and then coach it. Breathing is more listening than watching.

We have very clear standards for all of our movements. You know them because you were responsible for learning and demonstrating them at your RKC or HKC workshop. We don’t just enforce the standards to complicate the RKC weekend, we enforce them because they almost guarantee safety and without question ensure top performance. You need to coach those standards and elements. While we all eventually develop some degree of stylistic variations of our own, before you teach them to your clients, they should already have a firm handle on the basics. Look for the basics as you watch, and correct accordingly.

Lastly, I want you to pay particular attention to the head and neck. The RKC and HKC curriculum is filled with huge, dynamic movements. We need to understand the potential range of motion of the individual spinal joints. Joints are meant to move—until they are not. Whenever the body is loaded, the spine should stay motionless, unless the exercise is specifically designed for the spine to twist, rotate, flex or extend. The spine doesn’t stop at the shoulders, and most trainers forget that the neck is still part of the spine. I have multiple stories that will give you the chills involving athletes simply turned their heads while under load and breaking their backs. So, without getting into too much gore, the head and neck need to stay relatively motionless any time while the athlete is under load. Correct this immediately.

Chris Holder optimal Coaching Position

Positioning Is Everything

While it is important to watch reps, your orientation to the athlete while observing the reps is just as important.

Unless you are a seasoned pro, you should never watch a rep while standing directly in front of the athlete. Conversely, watching someone from behind is not only a very poor position for catching technical errors, it’s also incredibly creepy. Don’t be a creep.

The best location to watch reps and get the largest amount of information is in front and at a 45 degree angle. This is the most optimal spot for nearly all training methods, not just kettlebell training. It gives you the opportunity to see the most movement through several planes of motion. If you can’t stand at 45 degrees for some reason, then standing directly to the side is the next best option.

Intensity

The word HardStyle should say it all. But, after all my years of coaching one fact is very clear: most coaches and trainers don’t fully understand how much intensity they want from their athletes or clients. They don’t know how hard they should go!

With the grinds, we usually work in sets of 5, 3, and 1, and most of the intensity is handled within the programming. But, if you program your clients’ intensity along with sets and reps, they will make even greater progress in less time. For example, let’s consider pressing 3 sets of 5 reps for each arm. You could tell your client to use a 1:5 tempo (1 or burst up followed by a 5 or slow return). You can use any tempo (1:5, 1:2, 3:2, 5:1…) and any combination of ups and downs to really dial in the intensity.

During RKC Certifications, we teach an “effort dial” drill. While you do kettlebell swings for a set of 10, we yell percentages: 80%, 70%, 60%, 100%, etc. This drill quickly teaches how to dial effort up and down in the real world. But, if I am being totally honest, if you aren’t swinging 100% on all the reps, you are wasting time.

Most people don’t know what hard is, so show them. Most of your clients have never ventured into the pain cave. They might think they have, but most have no idea what it means to push. Show them, but be smart and safe. Let them have a real “that was the absolute maximum I could give and couldn’t muster one more” experience. They will thank you.

Be A Tremendous Communicator

Tremendous… read everything. Expand your vocabulary in general and within the realm of training. I’m notorious for saying that we need to have 14 different ways for saying the same thing. Be comfortable communicating because it is the life blood of your business. If you can’t communicate what you know, who cares what you know!

I studied Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) for two years so I could refine my ability to communicate. Do you need to do that? No, but you should… or you should study something like it. There are multiple ways to communicate with your clients—it’s not all just verbal. When you are trying to get an athlete to push, your words alone might not do it. The tone, volume, and pace of your speech as well as your body language all effect what your client hears and understands. Own all aspects of your communication so the people under your watchful eye clearly understand on what you want.

10 Questions

I drive my assistants and athletes crazy with “10 Questions,” but it’s incredibly effective. Regardless of what I’m teaching to a group—even if it’s review—I end every section with 10 Questions. My students know that we will sit for the rest of the afternoon until they ask me ten questions related to the information we just covered.

This fall, about 100 new athletes will come into my facility to begin their journey as a Cal Poly Mustang. One of the first things I will teach them is how to do kettlebell swings. For most of them, this is their first experience with kettlebells. Since I coach at such a frenetic pace, I have to know that they are absorbing the information. So, we teach for 30-45 minutes, and then regardless of the size of the group, we gather and they are required to ask me 10 questions. This forces us to communicate. Again, I have been talking a mile a minute at them in the session. I need to know if what I’ve tried to convey has reached them. They raise their hands, or I pick on the ones who are trying to hide. Either way, we break the ice and this helps the athletes become more willing to speak to me next time.

It also puts me on the spot. 10 Questions happens several times a day, especially during heavy instruction times. You wouldn’t believe some of the off the wall ideas going through the minds of these athletes. At times they ask questions I’ve never heard before, and it forces me to think. I have had countless “ah-ha” moments mid-sentence while working through an explanation. And if they truly stump me, I have no problem telling them that I don’t know, but will get them an answer as soon as possible.

For those of you who have taken an RKC or HKC where I was the lead instructor, you all know too well about 10 Questions. I do this at every certification I lead, several times a day. 10 questions is beneficial for a deeper understanding, and it quickly creates rapport between the class and myself, but also within the group of attendees. By the end of day one, they have all asked several questions and they naturally become more willing to speak up as the course progresses.

Lastly…

The moment you think you “have it” is the moment you have lost your way. Many of you would faint if you saw my resume, list of experiences, degrees, mentorships and certifications. I’m very lucky. I’ve learned from the absolute best in the world in a myriad of disciplines. My list of mentors is a who’s who of strength and fitness legends. And after all of this, I know that I’m just scratching the surface. The more I learn, the more I realize how much more I need to learn.

Be a student at all times. Listen to everyone—even the folks you think are full of crap. Every time you close your mouth and listen, you will learn something. Approach each day as an opportunity to forge your coaching craft. Read anything you can, attend workshops and certifications on modalities that you might not think are useful. Listen to podcasts and interviews about the movers and shakers in the industry. Refine your coaching to the point where there’s nothing left to correct, then pick it apart and correct it anyway.

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Master RKC Chris Holder is a collegiate strength and conditioning coach professionally for over 15 years having worked at Eastern Kentucky University, Appalachian State University and San Jose State University. He is in his second stint and eighth year at Cal Poly in beautiful San Luis Obispo, CA.

The 2000 graduate of Eastern Kentucky University majored in physical education and earned a master’s degree in kinesiology from Cal Poly in 2005. In February 2012, Holder completed his doctorate in Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy. Under the tutelage of world famous Qigong Grand Master Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson, Dr. Holder conducted groundbreaking research on the effects of Medical Qigong Therapy with athletes in competition. This research has spawned other works and additional studies on the effects of this ancient medical practice and its impact on athletes and athletic performance.

Holder received his American doctorate from the International Institute of Medical Qigong in Monterey, CA, and is also licensed in China to practice medicine from The Western District Qigong Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Institute in Beijing, China.

How and Why to Practice Slow Motion Kettlebell Get-Ups

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Shari Wagner Slow Motion Get-up

At a Dragon Door workshop back in 2010, a Senior RKC taught us how to do slow motion get-ups and my life was forever changed!

In theory, slowing down a get-up sounds simple enough—but you know what they say about “simple but not easy”! When I tried a slow motion get up for the first time, I noticed that I wanted to go through it way too fast. At the workshop, we were instructed to try and take a full minute to get from the floor to standing, and then another full minute to get back to the floor.

I was amazed. Simply slowing down the pace of the get-up amplified every nuance of each step and each movement. The weight is also amplified. At the time, I was able to do a solid get-up with a 16g kettlebell—and sometimes a 20kg. I scoffed when they told the women to use an 8kg kettlebell. Quickly, I realized that when moving slowly, an 8kg kettlebell is no joke! Time under tension is increased—and the whole move is much more difficult.

I found that certain parts of the get-up were excruciatingly had to do slowly—and that the steps requiring mobility in areas where I was tight were the most difficult of all. This slow motion drill was a great lesson. It taught me where I needed to improve my mobility, and where my strength and movement quality needed help.

Shari Wagner kettlebell Get-upSlow motion get-ups are different than doing a get-up at a regular pace and pausing at each step. Perform a slow motion get-up as though you’re watching yourself on video, frame by frame. Definitely pause at each step to check yourself (just as you would in a regular get-up) but move in super slow motion from one step to the next. At first, you may want to try slow motion get-ups with no weight. It’s surprising how challenging this drill can be!

If you find a step where you aren’t able to move in slow motion or where you naturally speed up, then that’s an area that needs some work. You may need to mobilize your hips, shoulders, and/or your thoracic spine. Or, it may be that an area needs more strength and stability. Attack the issue from all angles, but if you feel like your body is stuck, then it’s usually because of a mobility issue.

Another way to improve your technique is to take note of asymmetries in your movements from left to right. These movement asymmetries can also be caused by immobility or lack of strength and/or stability.

Improve Mobility Challenges With These Drills:

When practicing the half get-up (at the elbow or posting to the hand) insufficient thoracic mobility can cause people to slump forward or be unable to get into a tight position with the shoulders packed and the side of the body straight. Another compensation for poor thoracic mobility is compensating by arching the lower back.

Here’s one of my favorite drills to improve thoracic mobility:

Rotational thoracic mobility is also important for the get-up, since the half get-up and half windmill phases are in the transverse plane. Here’s a helpful drill:

For shoulder stability, I love the simplicity of a good waiter’s walk. During the drill, really focus on using your lats to hold your arm overhead. Think about drawing your entire arm and shoulder down into the socket.

The “standing bird dog” is a great drill that delivers a double whammy of shoulder stability, core stability and strength in both areas. Dan John describes it in detail in the Hardstyle Kettlebell Challenge. Start by pressing the kettlebell overhead. Set the arm and shoulder in place, as in a waiter’s walk. Then, lift the leg on the same side (raising the knee up) and hold. When you can no longer keep your balance, put your foot back on the ground and then raise the other leg. Hold then switch the kettlebell to your other arm and repeat the drill.

Good luck with the slow motion get-up and these mobility drills. Please leave your comments below if you’ve tried them before, or if you try the drills for the first time now!

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RKC Team Leader Shari Wagner, RKC-II, PCC, CK-FMS owns Iron Clad Fitness in Denver, Colorado. She can be contacted through her website at IronCladFit.com, email: info@ironcladfit.com or by phone 720-900-4766. Follow her on Facebook: facebook.com/IronCladFitness and Twitter: twitter.com/IronCladFitness.

Rubik’s Get-Up

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Annie Vo Get-Up Rubiks Cube
When I first learned to perform a get-up, I was unsure of its purpose. It seemed almost like a series of random movements, ultimately resulting in getting off the floor. Of course, being able to get off the floor safely has its advantages, but even when progressing with resistance, it was still somewhat of a mystery to me.

Sometimes in order to understand new information, it is helpful to liken it to something old. The use of analogies in teaching has been shown to have a positive impact on the way we process new data. Analogies foster learning by highlighting the similarities between what we already know and that which we seek. The mind is complex.

Over the years I have come to think of the get-up like a Rubik’s Cube.

The Rubik’s Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, the goal is to align all of the color-coded squares on each side through a series of pivots. The shifts of the cube are smooth, tracking on an internal core track until the final destination is reached. The cube is considered incomplete if the sides are not aligned appropriately.

Although it is widely misreported that Dr. Rubik created “the cube” to be a teaching tool to help his students understand 3-D objects, his actual purpose was to solve the structural problems of moving parts independently—without the entire mechanism falling apart! In many ways, the get-up has the same goal.

Each movement in the get-up is a pivot from the body’s core joints—the hips and shoulders. The pivoting should be smooth. Once the position is established, all “sides” of the get-up cube should also be aligned. The spine must be straight throughout the get-up. The body’s center of gravity must be balanced between the limbs. The angles of the hips and shoulders positioned to provide maximum support and stability. Each limb, joint and muscle must be arranged and coiled underneath the weight overhead to create a solid foundation.

As you develop your technique, you are likely to discover information about how you move, including strengths and weakness, balances and imbalances, and which areas should be developed. Your get-up is your sculpture. It is constantly evolving. The way you perform each pivot, swivel and shift can reveal or obscure what is truly beneath the surface. If you rush it, then you’ll miss the point.

As a Senior RKC Instructor, I’ve had the privilege of teaching the get-up to hundreds of coaches and kettlebell enthusiasts, spanning a multitude of backgrounds. Throughout my tenure, I’ve noticed that there are three common places in the get-up where symmetry and alignment tend to get neglected, even among experienced get-uppers. Here they are:

Initial Shift to the Elbow

The get-up begins in a lying position and is initiated by rolling up to your (unloaded) side. It is to be performed without any jerking or momentum. Imagine your trunk is one unbending steel rod that must be adjusted by wedging between the hip and shoulder. The result is a straight, stacked vertical line from the ground to overhead—a track as clear as the pathway of a Rubik’s Cube’s axis.

However, often the shoulder of the planted arm is forgotten in the pursuit of this vertical line, and sags forward. This is usually the result of not knowing how to find the alignment, and overcompensating. In short, it may feel like it’s lined up but it isn’t. If this is the case, there is unnecessary pressure on the front of the shoulder. To avoid this, make sure to preserve your vertical line by employing the support of the greatest shoulder stabilizer you have—the lat.

Problem shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded and relaxed.
Problem shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded and relaxed.
Proper shoulder position—Shoulder is aligned and lat is packed.
Proper shoulder position—Shoulder is aligned and lat is packed.

Shift to the “Tall Sit”

When moving from the elbow to the straight arm seated position, the support shoulder has a tendency to rotate forward, therefore “exposing” itself and falling out of alignment. The support arm is arguably the most important part of the “tall sit” portion of the get-up because it determines whether you will be able to support your overhead weight (and bodyweight) while your legs swing under you. The support arm (and opposite leg) are responsible for supporting the body as it is lifted and rotated like a Rubik’s Cube.

To perform this transition with the greatest mechanical advantage, make sure your shoulder is in line with your planted hand and also rotated back and down, to ensure that the lat muscle is engaged.

Problem shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded forward.
Problem shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded forward.
Proper shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded back and in line with the hand.
Proper shoulder position—Shoulder is rounded back and in line with the hand.

Leg Sweep (both directions)

From the “tall sit” position, rotate your leg under your body, and place your knee on the ground. Sometimes people don’t bring the leg far enough under, on the way up. Remember, the angle of your hips should be roughly 90 degrees. Picture how difficult it would be to twist Dr. Rubik’s contraption if its sides were unaligned.

Conversely, a common mistake on the way down is to place the supporting hand (rather than the knee) out of alignment. It’s important to keep your grounded hand extended just beyond the knee.  A visible, vertical line should begin from the grounded hand, up through both shoulders, and overhead, ending in the kettlebell held firmly at the top.

Problem knee position—The knee is not drawn underneath far enough creating a less than 90 degree angle at the hip.
Problem knee position—The knee is not drawn underneath far enough creating a less than 90 degree angle at the hip.
Problem hand position—The hand is placed out of alignment from the knee.
Problem hand position—The hand is placed out of alignment from the knee.
Proper hand, knee, shoulder alignment—Hips are at 90 degrees and a vertical line is created from grounded hand to KB.
Proper hand, knee, shoulder alignment—Hips are at 90 degrees and a vertical line is created from grounded hand to KB.

These are time-tested tips to help improve your get-up. You’d be surprised how often revisiting these basics can help improve overall performance. Do not lose sight of the fact that your training is constantly evolving and never be afraid to revisit your foundation.

“Mind the edges of the cube or else Hell will literally break loose”
“Mind the edges of the cube or else Hell will literally break loose”

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Annie Vo, Senior RKC, PCC Team Leader is a personal trainer, fitness writer and presenter in New York City. Contact her through her website annievo.com.