• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Contributors
    • Matt Beecroft, Master RKC
    • Martijn Bos, Master RKC
    • Andrea Du Cane, Master RKC
    • Angelo Gala, Master RKC
    • Chris Holder, Master RKC
    • Steve Holiner, Master RKC
    • Dan John, Master RKC
    • Mike Krivka, Master RKC
    • Thomas Phillips, Master RKC
    • Robert Rimoczi, Master RKC
    • Phil Ross, Master RKC
    • Max Shank, Master RKC
  • Workshops
    • HKC Workshops
    • RKC Workshops
    • RKC-II Workshops
  • Find an RKC Instructor
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Forums
    • Kettlebells
    • Products
  • Blogs
    • PCC Blog
    • Strong Medicine Blog
  • Archives

RKC School of Strength

Official blog of the RKC

kettlebell drills

Try This Solo Version of a Classic Kettlebell Corrective Partner Drill

December 28, 2016 By Shari Wagner 5 Comments

Shari Wagner RKC Team Leader Swing Setup

I was working with a personal training client who was having trouble packing his shoulder in the one-arm kettlebell swing, particularly in the hike pass position. He had no problems with this in his two-hand swing, it only happened when he switched to the one-arm swing. So, I used the RKC towel pull drill with him and voila! It taught him the feeling of properly loading in the hike position and it improved his shoulder packing when he went back to swings.

This client trains with me once a week to learn proper kettlebell technique, and the rest of the time he trains on his own at home. How could he duplicate this drill on his own when he didn’t have a training partner or qualified instructor to train with him at home? We needed a solution so that he could practice the drill prior to each set of one-arm swings, at least until he was able to groove the pattern in his swings.

The deadlift drag is a wonderful exercise and I use it quite often. In this drill, you set up as if to swing, but instead, you drag the kettlebell on the floor very slowly, keeping yourself in the hike position and loaded up through the posterior chain the whole time. However, I sometimes find that the deadlift drag doesn’t have the same carry-over into the swing itself. Not every drill will work for every person to correct the pattern they need to correct. In this case I wanted my client to be able to really load up in the same way we do with the towel pull drill since it really worked to help his one-arm swing. I wanted him to have his arm connected to his body as if the kettlebell were behind him like it is in the hike position of the swing.

I came up with a similar drill using a resistance band. I used a band that was about 1/2” wide, that provides about 15-30 lbs of resistance. Keep in mind that you’re using a double thickness of the band when you set it up as I have in the video below. The loading in this drill happens from the front as you are pulling the band behind you, rather than loading from the back in the towel pull drill. But, the drill still worked really well for my client. He got his shoulder packed in the hike position and felt the loading and support that comes from the shoulder position in the in the swing.

We did one set like you’ll see in the video below and it had the same positive effect on his one-arm swing technique as when we did the towel pull drill together at the gym. The best part is that he can now do the resistance band drill when he trains by himself at home. I prescribed for him to do about five pulls of the band, followed by one 10-second static hold before every set of one-arm swings.

https://youtu.be/9Ac8T1bpdpo

I did experiment with this same idea, and we turned around to try and load up from the back, in order to really try and emulate the towel pull. I personally didn’t like this as much as pulling from the front, because I felt like the resistance of the band wanted to pull me backwards and without a partner to brace against in the pull, I didn’t feel like I was in control of the movement as much. I also didn’t feel like I could engage the lats and the hips in the same way or to the same extent.

I invite you to try this drill both ways and let me know what you think in the comments section below!

Here’s a quick workout you can do using this resistance band drill, the deadlift drag, and the all-important single rep swing. Hopefully the combination will really help your one-arm swings.

  • 5 1-arm deadlift drags, left side
  • 5 single rep swings, left side
  • 5 band pulls, left side with :10 hold on last rep
  • 10 1-arm swings, left side
  • Repeat on the right

Repeat for 5-10 sets, resting as needed between sets

****

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.

Filed Under: Coaching, Kettlebell Training, Tutorial Tagged With: how-to, kettlebell drills, kettlebell training, kettlebell tutorial, RKC, Shari Wagner, video

Two Quick, Easy and Effective Kettlebell Exercises for Any Population

May 4, 2016 By Andrea Du Cane Leave a Comment

Andrea Du Cane, Master RKC

There is something to be said about simplicity of movement and reinforcing the fundamental patterns of our kettlebell lifting.

I’ve taken two basic exercises and by using two kettlebells and focusing on the correct alignment and movement, I have turned them into simple and effective exercises for all populations—including your brand new clients, older clients and those recovering from certain injuries.

Double Kettlebell Deadlift Drag

The first drill is a double kettlebell deadlift drag. Normally we do this exercise with one heavy kettlebell. By using two medium to heavy kettlebells (heavy enough to complete the movement correctly with each arm), you open up the upper body kinetic chain. This will illuminate asymmetries from one side of the body to the other. It also allows you to strengthen the weaker side. Start with the same size kettlebell in each hand and then use a kettlebell one size larger on the weaker side.

For the purposes of this article and video, I will be using the same size kettlebell.

Get into the set up position. The kettlebells are approximately an arm’s length in front of you. Grab the kettlebells and pull yourself back toward your heels. You should feel as though you would fall back on your butt if you let go of the kettlebells. Lock your lats down into a packed position and maintain a long and neutral spine. SLOWLY drag the kettlebells back towards your heels with your elbows straight. Feel how the movement is initiated by the lats and the triceps. Do not let your hips drop below your knees, and do not let your spine flex at all!

The key is to not use any momentum. In fact, it is best if the floor you are using is sticky or rubber—the more resistance the floor offers the better.

If you feel most of the tension in the quads, then you are not getting your hips back far enough and are trying to hold your position with your quads instead of your glutes and hammies. The abs must be braced the entire time, and you should use a long firm exhale as you drag the kettlebells back. Release, step back, and re-set for the next rep.

I go the length of my gym, or at least 8-10 drags. Repeat for 1 or 2 more sets as desired. Remember, never let your back round into flexion at any time during this exercise!

Double Kettlebell Straight-Leg Deadlift

The double kettlebell straight-leg deadlift, is another simple but effective exercise to challenge the posterior chain. It is an excellent exercise for the hamstrings and glutes. And as in the deadlift drag above, it utilizes the lats.

There is an interesting difference between these two exercises. The deadlift drag uses the lats to do the work by pulling the kettlebells back toward the heels, while the hips and legs maintain stable strength. With the straight-leg deadlift, the lats are held stable while the hips and hammies initiate the movement through hinging. In other words, the movements and stabilization are reversed, but both are working the same muscles. Pretty cool huh!

Here’s how to do the double kettlebell straight-leg deadlift:

Pick up two moderately heavy kettlebells using good deadlift technique. Stand with your feet between hip and shoulder width apart. Keep your elbows straight and locked, and your lats retracted and contracted. Begin to send your hips back into a hinge. Keep your knees as straight as you can manage while maintaining a neutral spine at all times.

The amount of knee flexion and the depth of your torso forward relate to your hamstring flexibility. The more flexible you are, the straighter you can keep your knees and the lower you can fold forward without any flexion in your spine.

Inhale into your belly as your chest comes forward. Pause briefly at the bottom, keeping the glutes and hamstrings contracted. Tighten a little more and then exhale as you come back up to the starting position.

You will feel a deep stretch/contraction from your glutes down through your hamstrings. This exercise can be considered a loaded stretch for the glutes and hamstrings. It is a very powerful hamstring developer.

As usual, there should be NO flexion in the spine. Start with a limited range of motion until you can use the full range of motion with a neutral spine. You can adjust the amount of knee flexion as well—just don’t allow yourself to turn it into a regular deadlift, you’ll be cheating yourself out of the main benefit of this exercise.

As I mentioned above, the lats, back and core are working very hard to stabilize during this exercise, so they are benefiting too!

Start with 3 sets of 8 moving slow and controlled.

 

****

Andrea Du Cane is a Master RKC Kettlebell Instructor, CK-FMS, CICS, and RIST, ZHealth certified, she has a BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and is also a Pilates instructor. She is the author of several books and dvds including The Ageless Body, The Kettlebell Boomer, and The Kettlebell Goddess Workout.  She has over twenty years of aerobics, weight training and fitness experience, with an additional background in… Read more here.

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Tutorial Tagged With: Andrea Du Cane, deadlift, deadlift drag, double kettlebell, kettlebell drills, kettlebells, master rkc, Master RKC Andrea Du Cane, straight leg deadlift, tutorial, video

3 Ways to Get More from Your Kettlebells

July 15, 2015 By Josh Henkin 3 Comments

Master RKC Josh Henkin Overhead Press

Kettlebells were a big change for me—far beyond just adding swings, get-ups, and squats to my training. The whole concept of kettlebells made me re-evaluate the tools I used and made me reconsider how many tools I really needed to accomplish a specific fitness goal. In many ways, kettlebells got me thinking more about the big picture. Soon, I was solving fitness needs more effectively. I remember when Dragon Door kettlebells only came in three sizes—16kg, 24kg, and 32kg. Back then, most people didn’t consider switching to a lighter or heavier kettlebell to be the default way to make an exercise harder or easier. That’s what I loved about kettlebells in the first place—we were taught to think about them a bit differently, and I want to share that with YOU!

Many people think they will outgrow their kettlebells as they work through various movements and progressions, but I have yet to see that truly be the case. In fact, by not automatically jumping to a different size kettlebell, you will find yourself breaking plateaus and feeling stronger much faster. The following three kettlebell techniques will show you how!

Dead Stop Anything

Since cleans, snatches, and swings are essential in kettlebell training, it’s important to note how to progress these movements. Time after time I am shocked to see how dead stop progressions can change so much about someone’s movements—and how many strengths and weaknesses are revealed.

While the dead-stop technique is definitely beneficial for swings, I find it has the BIGGEST impact on cleans and snatches, because they don’t have any pre-swing to build from the powerful eccentric pre-load. Ironically, since many people love deadlifts for the same reason, I am surprised this technique is not more popular for kettlebell ballistic training. Personally, I have found VERY few people who can double clean two 32kg or bigger kettlebells from a dead stop for sets of five. But, every time I do meet someone who can, the strength transfer to other lifts is pretty amazing!

Stop!

Since many popular fitness approaches are based on completing a workout in a certain amount of time, we often overlook the value of adding specific pauses. The great thing about pauses is that they can add challenge to any kettlebell lift from snatches to get-ups to squats.

It is amazing what the addition of a few seconds pause can do to the weight of a kettlebell. Suddenly, a somewhat light kettlebell can feel MUCH heavier!

But there are more reasons we should use pauses. On a basic level, pauses give us an opportunity to look at our positions and alignment. When people try to fly through their workouts, it’s common to see a loss of proper posture and cheated ranges of motion. Pauses help prevent technique breakdown and also accomplish some of the benefits we discussed in dead stop training. And with pauses, we can hold in a wide variety of positions. There is great value in holding the catch of a clean or snatch, the bottom of a squat, or even specific phases of the get-up. All of these pause examples can help build untapped strength.

Finally, pauses are an opportunity to work on isometric strength, which is valuable but often difficult to add to most fitness programs. Since isometric training is typically only effective in about a 15 degree range of the action, it may not seem worthwhile. But that limitation is a GREAT reason to work on it at both the bottom and top ranges of motion of a given exercise. At the top, isometric strength can do wonders for building great core strength. And the bottom the range of motion is typically where we need the most strength in a lift.

Perform the Underdog Movement!

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to teach an RKC Workshop in China. During the course we always demonstrate and teach “accessory” kettlebell drills. These drills aren’t tested in the RKC, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable. In truth, many of these additional kettlebell drills are just as important as the more popular and tested exercises.

For example, the kettlebell single leg deadlift has amazing transfer to swings, cleans, and snatches. Many people would benefit from performing the single leg deadlift because it builds greater stability and strength in the lower legs, hips, and trunk. It is so easy to catch and correct compensatory movements with drills like the kettlebell single leg deadlift.

Master RKC Josh Henkin Coaching One-Leg Deadlifts at the China RKC
Master RKC Josh Henkin Coaching Single Leg Deadlifts at the China RKC

Bent rows also make this list of “underdog movements”. I’ve heard some people say that bent rows are “too hard” on the back, but I think this row variation is a great foundational drill for all our ballistic kettlebell exercises. Think of the bent row as an alternative plank—if you can’t hold the position with the right posture, then you may not be really ready to produce power.

Rows also help the shoulder joint with all the overhead work involved with kettlebell training. Due to the typical modern lifestyle and training, the muscles on most people’s back sides are typically weaker. While some trainers will say that you just need to include pull-ups in your training to fix this imbalance, our lats are internal rotators of the shoulder and can actually increase the shoulders’ tendency to round forward. Think the shoulders of elite swimmers. Fortunately, bent rows can help many of the muscles which pull the shoulders back.

But there’s a crucial trick—while many people can lift a kettlebell when they row, they might not actually get their shoulder blades to move. We need to see and feel the shoulder blades coming together as you bring the weight upwards. When this happens, we will also sense if you have scapular movement. If you do not have this movement, it can impact your overhead strength and performance.

Since they are important, I don’t want you to just add some of these “other” kettlebell movements, but instead, PRIORITIZE them in your training. The benefits will include increased performance and resistance to injury.

Just Three?

Adding three things might sound easy, but they all take discipline to perform. You may honestly feel humbled by some of the lighter kettlebells you thought you’d bested. But if you truly have the desire to get better, you will never feel like you’ve grown out of your kettlebells after you experience the amazing benefits from these three simple strategies!

***

Josh Henkin, Master RKC, CSCS has been a RKC instructor since 2003 and has implemented kettlebell programs for major Division I programs, SWAT teams, and many different general fitness programs. Josh is also the creator of the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training system where he is a highly sought after presenter worldwide. He can be reached at info@ultimatesandbagtraining.com or http://DVRTFitness.com. Josh Henkin is also the author of DVRT, The Ultimate Sandbag Training System now available in paperback and ebook format.

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Tutorial Tagged With: Josh Henkin, kettlebell drills, kettlebell technique, kettlebells

Kettlebells and Moving Planks

June 10, 2015 By Josh Henkin Leave a Comment

Josh Henkin Half Kneeling Kettlebell Press

If you want core strength, the “Fitness 101” answer is that you must do planks. While the plank is a great starting point and should be well established in any fitness program, it is not nearly the end of smart core conditioning. That’s is why there’s a plethora of plank variations—from the innovative to flat-out goofy!

The biggest problem with the plank is that when practicing it, you CANNOT MOVE! The whole point of the plank in the foundational phases of training is to teach the body how to resist movement by integrating the body’s entire chain. But, MOST of the things my clients and I do require movement.

Think of the plank as a reference point. Of course we want to establish strength in the plank, but we also want to use it as a reminder of concepts we want to use in other movement patterns. The beautiful thing about kettlebells is that they allow us to create many different functional variations of moving planks. We need to produce and resist forces at the same time. I will describe three easy ways to use kettlebells to create extremely functional plank variations.

Overhead Pressing

I love overhead pressing because it is basically an extended plank. If we start on the ground and assume a standard push-up position, we have the beginnings of overhead pressing. By simply walking the hands further and further forward, this straight arm plank variation becomes more difficult. And the problem with continuing on the ground is that we will eventually fall on our faces! Instead, by standing and pressing kettlebells overhead we can train that extended plank.

Of course the other beautiful thing about overhead pressing is that it points out any lack of mobility. Both the hips and upper body can cause us to have major compensations because places which lack mobility will usually cause us to recruit stability from an inefficient place. In other words, mobility issues cause compromised movement.

Assuming we have good mobility, there are so many awesome ways to use kettlebells with overhead pressing. I think of these progressions as similar to moving from a standard front plank before adding more side plank elements over time. You will see this progression in how we lift the kettlebells, and how we stand when we lift the kettlebell—or both! Here is a series you can use to progress from easiest to most challenging variation.

Overhead Pressing Variations Positional Emphasis Type of Plank
Standing Double KB Press KB movement Front Plank
Loaded KB Press KB movement Front/Side Plank
Alternating KB Press KB movement Front/Side Plank
One Arm Press KB movement Front/Side Plank
Military Double KB Press Body Position Front/Side Plank
Half Kneeling Alternating Press KB Movement/Body Position Front/Side Plank

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

  1. What about the Turkish get-up? It’s very different from a plank and emphasizes rolling patterns instead.
  2. Where is the bottoms-up press? It’s a personal preference, but I find that the progressions listed above are accessible for more people.
  3. Where are drills like push presses and jerks? These are all further progressions of plank training. When you add speed, you must have a more reactive core—which is definitely more advanced training.

One more note about pressing overhead. Some people may be wondering about the side lean that some trainees seem to use with kettlebell pressing. While I understand the idea of using leverage to help press the weight overhead, this approach does not build the core strength we can develop with the overhead press and may explain the lack of carryover these same trainees experience with other exercises or implements.

Hip Hinge

I have to credit kettlebell training for raising the awareness of the hip hinge pattern. While I had performed deadlifts and cleans in the past, the emphasis on quality of motion was something I really took home from my first RKC way back in 2003.

The hip hinge is actually a more complex plank variation than an overhead press. We can use it to create the pelvic “lock” used in overhead pressing in the beginning phase of the hip hinge. Because the torso changes angles during the hip hinge, the stress on the core constantly changes.

While most people might think kettlebell hip hinging is only for deadlifts, swings, cleans, and snatches, I am really happy to see the re-birth of bent rows with kettlebells! While it’s not nearly as sexy as many of the other kettlebell lifts, it’s probably one of the most important!

The bent row really challenges our core strength and endurance! Most people can’t maintain the proper hip hinge in the bent row without altering their posture. It’s pretty common for people to creep upwards and end their set more upright, or to speed through their bent rows because they don’t have the core integrity to perform them well.

The bent row should be a cornerstone drill for anyone progressing towards ballistic kettlebell exercises. Having the capacity to tolerate multiple sets of the bent row while maintaining the same hip hinge is a great indicator that the lifter really has excellent core strength and endurance.

Having said that, most people will fatigue in the bent row, so combining the bent row and kettlebell deadlift will allow us to introduce more time under tension without causing bad form from exhaustion.

Here is a series of big “bang for your buck” row and deadlift variations for the hips and plank. Again, move from least to most complex…

Bent Row & Deadlift Variations
Bilateral Deadlift and Row
Bilateral Deadlift with Alternating Row
Suitcase Deadlift with Row
Sprinter Stance Deadlift and Row
Sprinter Stance Deadlift with Inside Row
Sprinter Stance Deadlift with Outside Row
Rear Step Deadlift and Row
Rear Step Deadlift with Inside Row
Rear Step Deadlift with Outside Row

 

Manipulating the body position and which side the kettlebell is on allows us to challenge ourselves beyond just loading. These variations introduce anti-rotational forces, lower leg stability, and many more benefits as we progress. These kettlebell variations allow you to eventually progress and succeed with familiar but advanced drills like renegade rows.

Lunges

You may have expected me address squats next, but I find so much more value in the vital role lunges play in core strength. I know, you HATE lunges, but that’s all the more reason we need to use them. So many of us need MORE lunges in our training. Lunging is much closer to everyday movements like walking, running, etc. than almost anything else we do in the gym. The lunge is a very functional drill!

As soon as we go into the split position, we can almost instantly see where people lose their plank. Remember, the core is not just a fancy word for your abs, but an integration of your hips, and even your feet—one reason that barefoot training became popular.

The popularity of the half kneeling position for overhead pressing should tell us how important lunges are to real core stability and strength. For the sake of this blog post, we will keep things simple and focus on the reverse lunge which is the easiest to progress people. With lunges, we can vary load placement, and direction of the lunge to challenge the movement. For now, we will focus on using different kettlebell loading positions to build some incredibly strong moving planks!

Lunge Loading Progressions
Suitcase Double Lunge
Double KB Rack Lunges
Off-Set Loaded Suitcase Kettlebells
Suitcase Contralateral
Suitcase Ipsilateral
Off-Set Rack Kettlebells
Rack Contralateral
Rack Ipsilateral
Tactical Lunge
Double Overhead Lunge
Overhead Contralateral
Overhead Ipsilateral

 

This is the REALLY cool part—we are not just building MANY more kettlebell movement variations, but increasingly more meaningful progressions. Changing the intent of familiar, and often underestimated movements gives them new meaning and value.

You will never really outgrow the plank, it evolves over time just like kettlebell training. The purpose of the HKC and RKC are to give you a very strong foundation to kettlebell training. Most people underestimate the incredible value and versatility of kettlebells if they get stuck in the habit of just performing a few movements. But, if you understand that gaining proficiency in one drill opens the door to another, you will find infinite uses and benefits to every drill in your kettlebell toolkit.

***

Josh Henkin, Master RKC, CSCS has been a RKC instructor since 2003 and has implemented kettlebell programs for major Division I programs, SWAT teams, and many different general fitness programs. Josh is also the creator of the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training system where he is a highly sought after presenter worldwide. He can be reached at info@ultimatesandbagtraining.com or http://DVRTFitness.com. Josh Henkin is also the author of DVRT, The Ultimate Sandbag Training System now available in paperback and ebook format.

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Tutorial Tagged With: advanced training, Athletic Training, core strength, core training, fitness, functional movements, functional training, Josh Henkin, kettlebell drills, kettlebell training, progressions, tutorial, unusual progressions, variations

Primary Sidebar

Featured Products

previous arrow
BOOK-RKCBookofSnC
HardStyleKettlebellChallegeDanJohn700
BookCoverMasterTheKettlebell1
RKCiconKettlebell512
KettlebellGoddessdv040
next arrow

Recent Posts

  • RKC Big Six Workout
  • The Kettlebell Swing & Low Back Pain
  • Key Kettlebell Exercises To Help You Create Better Balance
  • How to Most Effectively Use Kettlebells to Meet Your New Year Goals
  • 1 Exercise That Checks All The Boxes
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!

Archives

Copyright © 2025

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