kettlebell technique

The Standing Power Band Plank

April 13, 2016 By Robin Sinclear 2 Comments

Robin Sinclear Standing Band Plank

Solidifying the top and bottom positions of the kettlebell swing are key components to teaching someone to swing correctly. I have two go-to drills: one is part of the RKC manual and curriculum (the towel pull drill), and the other is something I had been using as a core activation drill. I found the standing power band plank had a lot of carryover for teaching the top position of the swing.

The Standing Power Band Plank:

With good cueing and proper positioning, this drill can teach rooting to the floor, solid core engagement, shoulder packing, and how to “breathe behind the shield”.

Here’s how to do it:

Loop a thick resistance band around a pull-up bar. Stand facing the resistance band with your feet hip distance apart. With your arms extended straight out in front, place your hands inside the band with your palms facing down—just like they are at the top of the swing. From this point, the cueing is nearly identical as for the Hardstyle plank.

Your body should form a straight line from the top of your head down to your heels.
Flatten your lower back. Imagine that you are bringing the tailbone and belly button together. Lift the pelvic floor.
Squeeze your glutes tight.
Pull up your kneecaps, and tighten your quads.
Now, engage the lats and upper back by pressing down on the band, while packing and pressing the shoulders down and away from the ears.
Breathe shallowly into a tight stomach.
Hold this position for 10- 30 seconds.

Follow the standing power band plank with an isometric hold of the towel-pull drill from the RKC manual.

Quick review of the towel-pull drill:

Robin Sinclear Towel Pull Drill

Have the student hold each end of a towel and pass the center section of the towel between their legs, pretending they are on the backswing. The instructor grabs the center section of the towel. Using one hand to brace the student on the low back (so they don’t fall backward), the instructor pulls the towel until the student’s hips are fully loaded and most of their weight shifts toward their heels. Holding this isometric contraction for ten seconds or more can help the student feel where the bottom position of the swing should be. You would also choose the towel-pull drill as a corrective for someone who fails to load the hips and hamstrings.

Use the standing power band plank as a corrective drill for anyone who is…

Not contracting their glutes maximally at the top of the swing
Leaning back at the top of the swing
Not packing the shoulders
Using their arms to lift the kettlebell

After teaching the hip hinge and deadlift, performing a few isometric holds of these drills can help lock in the proper top and bottom positions of the kettlebell swing. Incorporate some one-arm isometric holds as well. Happy swinging!

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Robin Sinclear, RKC-II, is the co-owner of Velocity Strength and Fitness in Chico, California. Her website is VelocityChico.com. She can be reached by email at velocitystrong@gmail.com or by phone at 530-520-2297. Follow Velocity Strength and Fitness on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

HardStyle Breathing: On and Off

April 6, 2016 By Florian Kiendl 16 Comments

Florian Kiendl breathing

Breathing is an important key to performance. If you neglect it, you leave a big piece of the performance puzzle on the table.

If your mission (like mine) is to reach the apex of your physical potential—or get as close as possible—you should consciously use your breathing to reach your goals.

Why is breathing so important?

Our nervous system is divided in two parts: the autonomous nervous system and the cerebrospinal nervous system. These are complicated words for a fairly simple distinction. The autonomous nervous system (ANS) basically works on its own. Some of the tasks of the autonomous nervous system include your heartbeat, digestion, metabolism and the workings of your internal organs.

The other part of the nervous system, the cerebrospinal nervous system, is the part we are concerned with in our training. It enables us to consciously interact by:

Perceiving our surroundings with our senses
Reacting with the muscles in our bodies

If you ask a doctor, he probably will tell you that breathing is a function of autonomous nervous system that runs quite fine without conscious interaction on your part. While this is an objectively correct answer, it is not the whole picture. Unfortunately, many trainers leave it at this, and are ignoring the huge potential for performance enhancement.

The problem is, your autonomous nervous system does not know about your plans or your situation. The ANS reacts instinctively on perceived threats—if you encounter a dangerous situation, the ANS releases adrenaline to raise your heart rate, increase your breathing frequency, and to prime your muscles for the fight and flight response. This mechanism helped our ancestors survive to produce the next generation. However, the ANS reaction is not always the best option—especially not for athletic endeavors where energy management is often critical for success.

The RKC Snatch Test is one of those situations where breathing can easily fail you, if don’t take control. Anybody who has taken it knows that it is a staggering experience. Your energy consumption suddenly goes through the roof as a heavy iron kettlebell beats down on your body. If you are not accustomed to it, your nervous system will perceive the situation as an immediate threat, and trigger an adrenaline reaction. Initially, this will help you to use more of your strength. But if you do not take control, you will overexert yourself in the first three minutes, and probably fail in the end—or at least it will make it all much harder than necessary.

The benefits of taking control of your breathing:

It allows you to consciously manipulate certain functions of your autonomous nervous system (i.e. keep your heart rate down).
It ensures you do not prematurely overexert yourself.
It gives you extra power when you need it.
It helps you to relax.
It quickens your recovery.

How to do it correctly…

In the RKC, we have explicit instructions for breathing in each of our main exercises. The basic idea is to inhale during the negative phase of a movement, where the least power and stabilization is needed. The short and forceful exhalation should optimally be timed with the moment of highest demand in power and/or stability during the active phase. This principle creates a very distinct rhythm for each exercise. The two major categories to differentiate exercises are ballistics and grinds, but individual exercises also benefit if the breathing pattern matches the exact demands.

The Inhale:

There is a saying in the martial arts:
“When your opponent inhales through his mouth, victory is almost yours.”

I’ve made this observation in many sparring matches. Whenever I see my opponent’s mouth opening, I throw a few fast kicks and punches his way. Usually, the match will be over in seconds. My Taekwondo grandmaster, Son Jong Ho, even stated only the first and last breath should be through the mouth.

Practice nose breathing deeply into the abdomen to create pressure below your navel. When you use this technique in a kettlebell session, you will be able to keep your heart rate much lower, which will give you more endurance and power. When you begin to practice nose breathing, you will soon feel the urge to open your mouth, but try to resist it! The longer you practice, the better it will feel.

A little experiment: Lie on your stomach with your forehead resting on your hands. Inhale deeply through your mouth. You will feel your chest expanding during each breath. Now switch to breathing through the nose. You will immediately feel your belly pressing into the floor and your chest will stop heaving. The difference is that while breathing through the nose, your diaphragm will pull your lungs down into your abdomen, increasing the pressure in your lower abdomen. If your core muscles are engaged—as they should be whenever you touch a kettlebell, this will lead to much more core stability and therefore safety. On the other hand, an inhalation through the mouth mainly engages the chest and shoulders. If those muscles are tensed during a kettlebell swing, your breathing will be severely constricted. If you need more oxygen while breathing through the mouth, you will need to inhale more often, reducing the time oxygen will be processed in your lungs. Eventually, this will lead to hyperventilation and a breakdown of your performance.

Pressurized Exhalations

Breathing is a very versatile tool. When used correctly, it can benefit you in many different situations. For our purposes, we need it to enhance stability and power during our kettlebell workouts.

We use short, pressurized exhales like hisses or shouts to increase tension and avoid losing too much air. If you fully exhale, your abdomen is completely emptied and your core muscles have nothing to hold against. Imagine a car tire. When it is filled with the correct pressure, it is hard and sturdy, but the stability goes away when it starts losing air. Stability is completely lost when it is empty.

When exhaling during kettlebell drills, do it with your lips almost closed and the tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. If this makes a hissing sound, you are doing it right.

Breathing Patterns for the RKC Kettlebell Exercises

As each exercise demands a different pattern of stability and power, the optimal breathing pattern for each exercise will also be different.

Breathing for Swings

The most basic ballistic kettlebell exercise is obviously the swing. This exercise gives the kettlebell its unmatched effectiveness and safety.

The passive phase of the swing, when the kettlebell drops freely from the apex of the swing, requires almost no effort until it is caught in a deep hip hinge. Therefore, this is the time for a deep inhale to the lower abdomen, the area where we need the most internal pressure. This also provides the necessary stability during the catch. For the optimal intra-abdominal pressure, you will need to inhale through the nose. When you start practicing this, you might get the impression that you are not getting enough oxygen, so take your time and adjust the intensity of your training. With practice, you will find that you can inhale much more deeply and get much more oxygen.

When catching the kettlebell from the drop, hold your breath for maximum intra-abdominal pressure. The exhalation should be as short and forceful as you can make it and timed exactly for the moment when your hips lock out at the top of the swing. In the kettlebell swing, the time between the hip snap and the moment when the kettlebell reaches its apex is almost identical. It will be more explosive if you focus on synchronizing the exhale with your hip snap.

Breathing for Cleans and Snatches

The basic movement pattern of the clean and snatch should be identical to the swing. The inhalation and exhalation also follows the exact same principle. Be aware that with the snatch (especially) there is significant time between the hip snap and the arrival of the kettlebell in the overhead lock out. The right timing will make an even bigger difference than in the swing.

But, there is also another difference between the swing, and the clean and snatch that we need to consider for the optimal breathing pattern. This difference is the built-in pause at the top position of both exercises. While the swing is a closed-chain exercise (meaning that every rep is immediately followed by the next without a discernible pause), the clean and snatch are not. After the initial rep, which starts on the floor, each clean or snatch starts and ends at the top. How you handle breathing with this pause will depend on the context of your workout and the exercise.

If you do short sets of snatches for instance, you can simply hold the air and wait for the drop. In a situation where you are doing many snatches in a short time (i.e. Snatch Test) you might need to use this pause to exhale more, thus enabling you to refill with more fresh oxygen. You could even decide to prolong the pause for additional breathing cycles to combat oxygen debt.

If you clean for reps, then you can use the same strategies as in the snatch. If you clean for squats or presses, you should hold your breath in the top position to conserve the tension from the clean.

Breathing for the Get-Up

The get-up is an exercise category in itself, and it needs it very own strategy for breathing. The first challenge is that the get-up (including get down) takes at least 30 seconds (though 60 seconds is recommended). Either way, you will obviously need to breathe several times during one single rep. The second challenge is not to lose tension within the entire rep. To accommodate both demands, you need to shallow breathe while keeping your abs tight at all times (breathing behind the shield). The hardest parts of the get-up are the transitions from one position to the next. To give you the necessary strength, time small but pressurized exhalations with each transition. Refill (inhale) through the nose when you are in a static holding position.

Florian Kiendl split press

Breathing for Presses

Military presses are high tension drills. The more tension you generate, the stronger your press. As already mentioned in the section on the clean, it is essential to conserve the tension generated from a good clean for your press. Make sure not to exhale while you catch the kettlebell in the rack position. Depending on the cardiovascular effort, you may wish to refill your lungs by inhaling again before you actually start the press.

For the press itself, the breathing pattern will depends on your objective:

If you press a light to medium kettlebell for high reps, exhale on the way up, and inhale on the way down.
If you are working with a heavy weight, exhale on the way up, inhale while the bell rests in the lock out, then exhale again while you are actively pulling the kettlebell down. Obviously, you will need to inhale again before you start the next rep.

The inhalation for the press should be through the nose to the lower abdomen as already explained for the other exercises.

The exhalation will last longer than in the ballistic exercises, but will require even more pressure. Make sure not to lose too much pressure!

Breathing for Squats

For a fairly simple exercise like the squat, it is funny that the breathing pattern is (in my opinion) the most complicated for all RKC drills!

First, let’s analyze the squat:

Usually you start with a clean. Do not lose air while catching the kettlebell.
Lower yourself into the squat.
Hold the lowest position until the downward momentum dissipates.
Press yourself back up to the standing position.

The moment you start to rise from the deep squat position (like in the deadlift) is when you need to get the dead weight moving again. It is also when you need to be strongest. To give you some extra tension, initiate the ascent with a forceful grunt followed by a short pressured exhale on the way up.

The purpose of the grunt becomes obvious when you squat heavy, but practice it even with light weights, so you build a habit for when it counts.

During the descent, you will need the least strength. But to best prepare yourself for the ascent, your abdomen should already be pressurized, and you need to get as tight possible. It is easier to fill your abdomen while it is not under strain, so inhale deeply while still standing then hold your breath during the descent.

Breathing During Rests

In the last section, I wrote about breathing while performing kettlebell exercises. If you did not control your breathing during your kettlebell work until now, using the above information will improve your performance considerably. However, there may still be a missing link to your overall performance: breathing patterns for rest periods or in between sets.

The better your breathing pattern fits the demands of your chosen exercise, the more power you can produce and the more continuous reps can you do.

When you set the kettlebell down and release the tension, your body will immediately try to reduce the oxygen debt. For reasons unknown to me, the preferred method to increase the oxygen intake is to suck in air through the mouth. The higher your oxygen debt is, the faster your breath will come. The problem with this method is that it leaves you winded until your oxygen has leveled out. For a martial artist, this would be a good way to lose an encounter. In kettlebell training, it leads to longer recovery periods and a reduced overall work capacity.

Whenever a candidate decides to set the kettlebell down during the RKC Snatch Test, breath control is the crucial factor for the outcome of the test. Almost all candidates who give in to the reflex of sucking air in through the mouth will fail their test because it will take them longer to start snatching again.

Between Sets

Immediately after you set the kettlebell down, the need to suck in air is the strongest. You may even have a sensation of choking! If you open your mouth and start sucking in air, the feeling subsides almost immediately, but it becomes very difficult to return to controlled breathing once you let that happen.

My suggestion is to leave your mouth shut and inhale deeply from the nose down into your groin. If you can stand it, also exhale through the nose. If not, let the air out from your mouth, but close it again before the next inhalation.

With this strategy you can start your next set much faster and keep your heart rate considerably lower.

After Your Training Session or Long Rest

If you opt for longer rest times or have finished today’s workout, the goal is not to start your next set sooner, but to get the most out of your recovery time and release the tension you accumulated. When your oxygen level is back to normal, keep breathing deeply, inhale into the groin and try to exhale slowly while letting loose all tension. You can even close your eyes and focus completely on the airflow through your nose. This will speed up your recovery.

HardStyle Breathing

The techniques I described in this article are by no means the ultimate solution or the only right way to breathe. As mentioned above, breathing is an incredibly versatile tool. There are many breathing techniques out there that do wonders if executed properly for the right purpose. The techniques I’ve described are explicitly aimed to make your kettlebell training safer and more effective.

Please share your experiences down in the comment section below.

Train safe, stay healthy – Florian.

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RKC Team Leader Florian Kiendl is a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and runs a Martial Arts Gym in a small town close to Munich (Germany). He made it his mission to help his students to improve their movement and overall health. In his search for ways to overcome the movement restrictions of his students (and his own) he found the RKC and now works together with Master RKC Robert Rimoczi and others to help as many people as possible to gain back their Strength and Agility. He writes a regular Blog at blog.kettlebellgermany.de and offers workshops all over Germany teaching the RKC kettlebell exercises: KettlebellGermany.de. If you have questions or comments on the article feel free to email him at florian@kettlebellgermany.de.

Don’t Ignore These Two Common but Crucial Kettlebell Mistakes

February 3, 2016 By Keira Newton 8 Comments

Two Kettlebell Mistakes Keira Newton

As a Master RKC, I travel a lot. I love my job because I get to visit other gyms and teach people how to teach kettlebell technique according to the highest standards in the industry—RKC standards. In the past few years of teaching, I have noticed two commonly missed mistakes. These are simple fixes in my eyes, and easy to teach. So lets get started.

The Deadlift:

The deadlift is the basis of almost every kettlebell lift. It IS the foundation of what we do. However, I have seen people skip the deadlift altogether… (How will they learn the swing? How will that work?) Or they simply miss the most important part of the deadlift: the set up and how to work underneath the kettlebell.

In my experience, I’ve observed that people who are given a small kettlebell, are tall, tight in the hamstrings, or tight in the hips will round the low back to pick up the kettlebell. The cure for this? RAISE THE FLOOR. It’s such a simple fix, but it will help 99% of your students. I use it with almost all of my new students. The video below includes a short demo of this technique. Give it a try.

The Swing:

I think it is safe to assume we all know the kettlebell swing can be fantastic if performed correctly—and deadly if not. This is no joke. When training a client, or in your own training, you must know exactly what happens with this ballistic lift. The most common mistake I see from my clients and students (which is also the most missed among new trainers) is in the TIMING of the swing. While watching someone’s swing, if it looks like they are moving to the toes, swinging below the knees, or lifting the kettlebell with their arms, then their timing is off.

To fix the timing, tell your client to wait until the kettlebell has passed below the belly button, or their arms have touched their ribs after swinging the kettlebell forward before moving their hips back. It will seem almost as if the kettlebell will hit you where it hurts, and you get out of the way just in time. But, let’s make sure that happens okay? 🙂

Hope the video below helps you understand. Enjoy!

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Kiera Newton, Master RKC, Level 3 Z-Health, MCT, PCC. 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.

Fine-Tuning the Get-Up

January 27, 2016 By Andrea Du Cane 14 Comments

Master RKC Andrea Du Cane Get-Up Lead Photo

How and when to use the high bridge and when to use the “step-across” instead of the “windshield wiper”

At every HKC and RKC, I’m asked why we test the low sweep instead of the high-bridge. I also get a lot of questions regarding the “windshield wiper” vs. the “step-across” to transition in and out of the kneeling windmill to the lunge position. It’s time to explore each movement and gain a deeper understanding of some of the benefits of the get-up.

When I first became certified and started teaching the get-up, it was referred to as the “Turkish get-up”. Here’s the criteria that was given and tested at that time:

Keep both shoulders packed.
Keep the wrists neutral at all times.
Keep the elbow locked at all times.
Keep your eyes on the kettlebell.

Oh and well…. get-up! That was it, get up anyway you can.

Let’s just say the get-up has come a long way, baby. It’s transitioned from having very little explanation and direction to (for a time) elaborate direction, with a focus on corrective uses and advanced movement patterning.

You can say that now we have found a happy medium, erring on the side of explanation and points of movement. But, we have also found a good balance and an easier way to teach the get-up to newer kettlebell instructors and users.

The High Bridge or the Low Sweep

One area of confusion with the get-up is whether to use the high bridge or low sweep.

First, let me explain where the high bridge came from, and why it was initially introduced as a teaching and testing skill. The high bridge came from the FMS concept of using movement as a screen. When it was first introduced into the RKC curriculum, the high bridge was used as a screen for tight hip flexors. However, we began to notice that when people were doing the high bridge, their lumbar spine was actually in hyper-extension instead of full hip extension. I remember discussing this with Gray Cook, and he agreed with that it was one problem with using the high bridge as a screen, since it is easily cheated. It does not actually demonstrate whether the person is in full hip-extension or hyper-extension of the lumbar spine.

Secondly—and more importantly—you would not put a client, with a kettlebell in their hands, into a high bridge and then say, “Aha! You have tight hip-flexors”. Of course not. Long before they do that high bridge, you have deduced that they have tight hip-flexors from other screens. And from a safety perspective, you would not let someone perform a high bridge until they had opened up their hip flexors and could perform the movement correctly without a kettlebell.

Since one of the end goals of the get-up is to go heavy, for the purpose of safety and efficiency, you will want to pull your leg back and get your hips under the load as quickly as possible. The high bridge takes unnecessary risks with a heavy load during the transition.

That said, the high bridge is great with a moderate to light weight for a more advanced kettlebell user. Done correctly, it demonstrates shoulder stability, hip flexibility and control.

Master RKC Andrea Du Cane Get-Up Kneeling Windmill

Performance Tip: Think of the high bridge and sweep through as a tall side plank. When moving into a high bridge, post over towards the side, your shoulders should be stacked over each other. The hips will rotate slightly upwards, but the shoulders and t-spine are stacked vertically. Practice lots of side planks from the elbow and tall side planks, before moving onto the high bridge.

The “Step Across” Variation

Moving on to the next modification, using the “step across” instead of a windshield wiper. As stated earlier, the body needs to transition from the tall-sit position smoothly and with control all the way to lunge. That means the hips need to get under the kettlebell as quickly and safely as possible—this includes the sweep through and transitioning to the lunge.

From the kneeling windmill position, the torso is moving from a horizontal position to upright, as the hips are coming under the torso and kettlebell. The hips need to fully extend with the glutes tight as you move into the lunge position. That’s a LOT of movement happening at the same time. The more stable and connected to the ground the body is, the safer and smoother the transition.

That is why the windshield wiper is taught and tested. Both legs remain firmly on the ground and the hips easily and fully extend.

Performance Tip: think about finishing at the top of a swing. The glutes contract hard and fast and the hips fully extend, allowing your body to find stability in the lunge position as soon as you hit it.

A potential problem with this movement is the pressure and friction placed on the knee. Obviously, if the knee is feeling pain, this could jeopardize the movement. The ground you are training on becomes an issue, and individual knee sensitivities should be taken into account as well.

One way to solve the issue is to use the “step-across” modification. From the kneeling windmill, you simply lift your torso up and then step your loaded foot across into a lunge position. This will take the windshield wiper out of the movement and “save” the knee.

The downside to this modification is the inherent lack of stability as you lift your loaded leg up and step it across. You are also changing the orientation of your head and body, which can also cause us to lose stability and control. Lastly, it is much harder to keep your glute and hip tight and contracted as you move the leg, leading to another possible loss of control.

As we say in the RKC, “safety trumps performance”, so if you have sensitive knees or are training on a hard or rough surface, the step-across is a modification you can use to protect your knee and stay in control.

My personal recommendation is to buy a $20 pair of knee pads or have your clients purchase them for training. I do a lot of kneeling training and take knee pads with me everywhere to use for all kneeling training and stretching. $20 knee pads are a cheap and easy way to protect your knees and increase the effectiveness of your kettlebell training.

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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.

Miyagi Pinball: Tilt Your Kettlebell Snatch!

September 16, 2015 By Steve "Coach Fury" Holiner 27 Comments

Steve "Coach Fury" Holiner Kettlebell Snatch

“You’re the best around. And nothing’s gonna ever keep you down”. That’s what they’ll be singing after you apply the following tips to your snatch technique. The following tips will improve your kettlebell snatch and help you destroy your snatch test if your RKC Workshop is coming up.

The kettlebell snatch is actually a fairly simple move, but people love to overcomplicate it. Over the years, I’ve broken down the technique into two simple words that pack a punch—or a crane kick—MIYAGI PINBALL! (Remember The Karate Kid?)

Two super common errors you’ll see with the Hardstyle kettlebell snatch are:

Rotating or corkscrewing the kettlebell around the wrist as the kettlebell travels up and down.
The arm staying straight during the entire snatch.

This is where “Miyagi” comes in. You have to paint the fence! Imagine you are Daniel-san standing in front of a fence. Your hand is an imaginary paintbrush. You’ll begin to paint upwards with the back of your fingers, then as you near the top of the fence, you’ll spike your fingers upward. The palm of your hand faces outward in this position. Now reverse the same motion on the way down. This will eliminate the first common error (corkscrew rotation) I previously mentioned. Painting the fence will also dramatically decrease the wear and tear on your hands when performing high rep kettlebell snatches.

Steve Holiner Kettlebell painting the fence — Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner in motion while demonstrating the kettlebell snatch “painting the fence” cue.

Do the following to fix the “straight arm” issue: Stand facing a wall, feet together, and with your right arm fully extended. Make a fist then move close enough to the wall that your arm is still straight and your knuckles are making contact with the wall. Now take a half step forward and allow your arm to bend. Paint the fence from this position. We’ve just shortened the arc of your kettlebell snatch, and that’s a very good thing.

Please note, that it is possible to try and shorten the arc too much. This will cause the kettlebell to travel almost straight down the body, forcing the elbow and shoulder to snap almost like a whip. We want to shorten the arc, not eliminate it, and you’ll still need some space to allow for a smooth transition into the backswing.

So, grab your kettlebell and go “Miyagi” on it! Hike the kettlebell back, snap your hips, let the elbow bend, and “paint the fence” until the kettlebell is locked out overhead. Reverse and repeat. If that feels different then you’ve earned that Karate Kid black belt from JC Penney.

Now, here’s where “pinball” comes into play. Having completed, witnessed, and administered over one hundred snatch tests, I’ve noticed another common (and fatal) flaw. Many people will allow their hinge to get shallow as they snatch—and they lose the ability to generate a TON of power when this happens.

Steve Holiner Pinball Backswing

Your hips are a pinball hammer. The kettlebell is the pinball. Pull your hips deep into the hinge (always while keeping the shoulders above the hips, and hips above the knees). As you “paint the fence” into the downward eccentric phase of the snatch, “pull the hammer back” by deeply hinging, then squeeze your glutes hard and fast, drive your feet into the floor, stand tall and “paint that fence”! The kettlebell will soar overhead.

Here’s a combination to help practice the “Miyagi Pinball”:

Heavy dead swing x 5
Snatch x 5 per arm *Remember to “Paint the Fence”.
Heavy dead swing x 3
Snatch x 8 per arm
Heavy dead swing x 1
Snatch x 10 per arm

Here’s why it works:

The kettlebell snatch is about efficiency. Shortening your arc means that you will have to project the kettlebell over a lesser distance to get it overhead. Shortening the arc also allows you to cut the kettlebell’s momentum as it approaches the lockout. This drastically reduces the risk of wear and tear on your shoulders. Using your hips to project the kettlebell will also keep your shoulders and back healthy, while cutting back on undue fatigue during high rep snatches.

Do you think any above would help you crush an RKC Snatch Test?

I do.

A fellow coach at MFF, Laura Smith had this to say about “Miyagi Pinball”:

“After Steve told me to “paint the fence” (karate kid style of course) I never had hand issues again. After months of my hands tearing every time I did a snatch test, this was life changing.”

There it is gang.

Try it and let me know what you think.

-Fury

Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner’s superhero headquarters is Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC. Fury’s a Senior RKC, a DVRT Master Chief, and an Original Strength Instructor. He is available for classes, semi-privates, instructor training and programming at MFF. Check out coachfury.com, facebook.com/coachfury Instagram @iamcoachfury and Twitter @coachfury for more info.

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.

The Single Rep Dead Stop Swing, Clean, Snatch Workout

July 1, 2015 By Andrea Du Cane 13 Comments

Master RKC Andrea Du Cane and Senior RKC Timothy Spencer Demonstrate the RKC Arm Bar

As I travel around teaching HKC and RKC workshops, I notice a common problem (theme – challenge), the sloppy start/stop of a kettlebell ballistic lift.

Imagine this scenario: someone is getting set up to swing; it doesn’t matter if it’s 2-handed, single arm or double. They stand over the kettlebell, lift it up, and rock it back a couple of times between their legs and THEN swing it back far enough to load their hips and explode up.

What’s wrong with this picture? The set-up was not correct. It was not focused or properly executed. There must be an intention and preparation before the start of the pull—before anything happens.

I like to say in regards to all kettlebell lifts, “You’re only as good as your set-up”.

Here is the correct way to start a swing (clean or snatch):

Place the kettlebell a foot or two in front of you.
Bend forward and grab the kettlebell handle.
Pull the kettlebell slightly toward you, while engaging your lats.
Set your weight way back on your heels, while keeping your feet planted & spine neutral.
“Hike” the kettlebell back behind you—fast.
Explode your hips forward and feet down into the ground. Let your arms be propelled forward by the force of the hips.

That’s it. Simple. No lifting the kettlebell up and rocking it a couple of times before hiking it back and exploding up. One crisp explosive hike pass and forward movement is all it takes!

This is the same for ALL the kettlebell dynamic lifts; including double kettlebell swings and cleans.

Scenario #2: someone has just finished a great set of swings, but on the last rep they fall forward while rounding their back and then dropping the bell down in front of them. They nearly topple forward.

No further explanation is needed here, this is simply dangerous. The most common time for an injury to occur during any kettlebell exercise is on the last rep or while the kettlebell is being set down.

In both cases—the first rep or the last rep of a set—the lack of focus, intention and safety is to blame.

The answer to this problem is to training your single-rep or dead-stop swings. In essence that is what the single-rep is: the start and end of a swing, clean or snatch.

Programming single-rep sets is an easy way to reinforce good technique throughout a set of any ballistic lift.

The truth is, they are HARDER than continuous reps because you lose the assistance of gravity during the backswing. With single-rep workouts, each rep is initiated by the power of the lifter. The hips and lats have to work that much harder to generate the force to project the kettlebell up. Hence, an additional bonus is increased force production and explosive power. So this type of training is perfect for any athlete.

You can also modify single-rep workouts for any level kettlebell lifter.

Single-rep 2-handed swings are a progression to learning continuous swings, but for the advanced lifter, doing single rep heavy cleans or snatches or double swings and cleans, puts the burn in your butt!

Here are some workout examples (note: “SR” stands for Single Rep):

Beginner:

SR-Swings: 2-handed for 5 reps

Continuous: 2-handed for 10 reps

Repeat as long as you wish

OR use timed sets for 25-30 seconds of work to equal rest

Intermediate: (proficient with cleans and snatches)

SR-Swings 1-arm 5-10 reps left/right

Continuous 1-arm 10 reps left/right

SR- Cleans 1-arm 5-10 reps left/right

Continuous 1-arm 10 reps left/right

Repeat as long as desired or timed sets

2^nd workout

SR-Swings 1-arm 5-10 left/right

SR- Cleans 1-arm 5-10 left/right

SR-Snatch 1-arm 5-10 left/right

Repeat as long as desired or timed sets

Advanced

SR-double swings 5-10 reps

SR-double cleans 5-10 reps

Repeat as desired or timed sets

***

Movement and Learning the Get-Up

June 3, 2015 By Paul Britt 1 Comment

Paul Britt Coaching Get-Up

movement (ˈmuːvmənt)
noun
Movement –

The act or an instance of moving; a change in place or position.
A particular manner of moving.
A series of actions and events taking place over a period of time and working to foster a principle or policy
A tendency or trend
An organized effort by supporters of a common goal.

Movement is the back bone of athleticism and life. But, as a society we do not move the way that we did in youth. We are tied to desks, vehicles, and entertainment that requires us to just sit and become one with a chair. I started this post with the definition of movement as a beginning reference point.

The first two parts (a & b) of the definition are easy to cover and understand. We all move, and each of us has a particular way of moving. The question is, are we moving well? Most people seem to live in a position of flexion. We sleep, eat, drive and watch television from a bent and hunched position. We slouch and sag all day long. Guess what? Our bodies will take the path of least resistance and will stay in the posture that we live in. We were not created to just sit around; we were created to move, run, jump and play.

The third and fourth parts (c & d) of the definition describe what we need to change. We need to change our daily actions and events so that we restore the movement potential we were given at birth. It is time to get off the couch, up from the desk and actually start moving. We need to change our daily habits to allow our bodies to re-learn the movements and positions that we were born to do. Our kids are becoming slugs, thanks in part to videogames and constant visual entertainment. I have seen some kids play twelve hours of PS3, all while slouched and bent into weird positions. What happened to being outside all day, every day until the street lights came on?

The positions that we’re in all day do not help us live a full life. They prevent us from being able to run, play catch, or to live everyday life in the most efficient manner possible. We are held back by being bent and twisted in a life of sitting down. Sitting has been shown to increase the risk of death. Research has shown that sitting is associated with a higher risk of death after controlling for factors including age, gender, smoking status, physical activity, education, body mass index, and living in an urban/city environment.

I know that everyone wants to be active with their friends and family, and stay pain free and mobile into old age. I know I do! I want to be a pain in the rear of my family as long as possible! I think the best way to do this is to be 90 and move so well that no one can catch me!

We should move as much as we possibly can. Better movement allows us to have fewer injuries, live longer and have more productive lives. It is the cornerstone for our overall health.

How Do We Improve Movement Quality?

I teach the get-up as an antidote to improper movement and posture. The get-up is one of the best ways to battle the less-than-ideal positions our bodies grow into from our daily life of texting, sitting, and while working at most jobs. I find that while the get-up works wonders as a transformational exercise, many clients have a hard time learning it. Some even need to earn the right to perform it.

I teach the steps a little different than most trainers. I like to teach the get-up from the bottom to the middle, and from the top to bottom. This approach seems to work really well for grooving the correct patterns into the neurological system.

Get-Up Tall Sit

I start from the Pick Up to the Tall Sit position. In the first step, roll from your side to prone. This strengthens a primal rolling pattern. Rolling patterns are great tools for teaching the body how to engage the core and stabilize the body under load. Why is this important? It allows the body to develop its innate stability and to connect the lower body to the upper body for more strength.

The next step is the Tall Sit. It allows you to work on shoulder mobility and stability. It will reinforce the connection the core has with the upper body. This is often the step that most of my clients need if their mobility is compromised. I kept one client at this stage for nine months while we worked on improving his thoracic mobility and core strength. During that time, the heaviest weight he used for the training was 4kgs. If we had forced the issue, he would have been injured. He was 60 when he began, and last I checked, he was using a 20kg kettlebell for full get-ups at age 63.

I teach the Hip Lift only as part three of the movement. I find that the movement becomes a little harder for my clients to perform after that point. They cannot initially get the idea of the moving from the low sweep to half kneeling or they do not have the proprioception to make the transition.

The next step that is taught is from standing down to half-kneeling. This allows the student to develop leg strength and improve their stability. It has been my experience that many clients lack stability in the lunge position. By working from standing to half kneeling, then moving through the reverse lunge under control, you can train stability while detecting any asymmetries the student may have. This lets us correct the asymmetry before continuing and possibly causing an injury.

Coaching the Get Up

Once the student has practiced the get up from the floor to low hip lift, and standing to half kneeling, it is time to teach the entire get up. I start from the top and have the student work from the standing position to the half kneeling position. We add the low sweep to the tall sit at this time. They finish the get up to the prone position. Then, they stand back up (not doing a get-up, they simply return to a standing position) and repeat the sequence a few times on each side. The student will perform the get up from standing to prone before reversing the process and performing the get up from the pick up to standing.

I have found that this approach has helped my students learn the get up much faster. By working on these pieces as needed, their mobility and stability has improved even on their first day. This sequencing seems to be less threatening and neurologically taxing for my students, which also allows them to learn it faster.

If you look back at the definition of movement at the beginning, the get up fits it to a “T.”

***RKC Team Leader Paul Britt has been an RKC kettlebell instructor since 2006. He trains clients at Britt’s Training Systems, his award-winning Hardstyle Kettlebell Training Facility in Rockwall, Texas. Paul has served as an assistant instructor at many RKC and HKC Courses, is a Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Specialist (CK-FMS) and works with some of the top Chiroprators in North Texas. Please visit his website brittstrainingsystems.com for more information.

The Sweaty Beast Workout

May 13, 2015 By Beth Andrews 4 Comments

Beth Andrews Senior RKC

I live for a great workout. Do you? This is one of my favorite workouts and it’s a hit with my students as well. I thought I would share some of the kettlebell love and sweat with you. This workout is challenging, fun, will leave you in a pool of sweat and feeling like a beast when you’re done.

You can take this workout and grow with it by challenging yourself with heavier weight. I would first suggest you complete it with a kettlebell that’s your snatch test weight. When you can successfully do that, you can advance to the next size kettlebell. 🙂

Most people are familiar with the snatch and goblet squat, but are unfamiliar with the one arm chest press. Here are a few things to remember when performing the one arm chest press, a few options for the workout, a quick video tutorial and a demo sample of the workout.

1.There are many different ways to do the one arm chest press. My preference is to perform it with both legs down and both arms off of the floor, in the video below. This variation requires more body control/core stability. If you can’t keep your low back flat and your bum tight, bring one or both knees up. I prefer both knees up or both down. Please option it out if needed. See pictures below.

Beth Andrews Chest Press Legs Up option — Yes! Legs up, bum tight, low back on floor.

BethAndrews Chest Press Legs Down Option — YES! Legs down, bum tight, low back on floor.

No! We want to prevent arching the low back.
Focusing on squeezing the glutes and pulling
belly button up to chin. This will help bring low back to the floor.

2. It can be challenging to chest press with your snatch test weight. No worries, just drop down to a lighter weight for that exercise.

3. You have 25 min to complete the workout. This workout is not about beating the clock, the timing is to keep you focused. It is all about good form, you gain nothing by racing through and taking shortcuts with form. Finish strong, my friends!

4. There are two ways I like to mix up the reps: a 10-1 countdown on all exercises, in a circuit fashion, or stay with 5 sets of 10 reps on everything for a beastlier challenge.

Check out the One-Arm Chest Press video tutorial:
(All kettlebells in the videos below are official Dragon Door kettlebells that have been painted)

Now you’re ready to give the The Sweaty Beast Workout a try! 🙂

***

Beth Andrews is a Senior RKC, PCC Team Leader, and CK-FMS. She leads HKC and RKC certifications, and assists at the PCC. She became the 5th Iron Maiden in 2013. Beth owns Maximum Body Training and a successful online training business. She has over 25 years of training experience. For online training or to host a certification, email Beth at: bethandrewsrkc@gmail.com. For more training tips and workouts subscribe to her YouTube channel, Beth Andrews RKC or visit her website at maximumbodytraining.com

The Who, What, Where, When and Whys of the Hinge and Wedge

April 15, 2015 By Nick Lynch 6 Comments

Margaret Domka Goblet Squat — Margaret Domka, 2015 Women’s World Cup utilizing the Goblet Squat

Three Examples of World Class Athletes Who Hinge and Wedge:

As seen above, Margaret Domka is performing a kettlebell goblet squat in her training for the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Goblet squats and hill sprints. She sprints when the goblet squat is correct, but not until then. First one must obtain the wedge and a proper hinge before sprinting. Margaret has shown a proper hinge and wedge which is why she’s fast and strong and therefore, going to the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Hurrah!
Nathan Mackinnon is ranked as the fastest skater in the NHL. Chris Hamelin is a gold medalist in speed skating. Both of these world-class athletes faced off in a short race. Both utilize a very strong and present hip hinge. To actually see what I’m talking about, take a second to search “Nathan Mackinnon vs. Chris Hamelin”. Pause the video when both athletes are in their starting stance. Take note of the hinge!
Nine-time gold medalist in sprinting, Carl Lewis, clearly utilizes both the hinge and wedge. His body is connected as one. Take a second to Google Carl Lewis and you’ll see a 0:54-second video. Watch how Carl moves his lower body without breaking the hinge. Carl runs like a 9-time gold medalist, not like a bulldog.

Carl Lewis, Margaret Domka and Nathan MacKinnon are not the only great athletes to have utilized a powerful hip hinge and wedge technique. Spend a few minutes watching the greats such as Michael Jordan in his defensive position, 2014 #1 center in the NFL Alex Mack, and so on. There is a secret which has been exposed thanks to all of us and you within the RKC community and that is this; Hardstyle training works for both high level athletes and pretty much everyone else too!

What is the Hinge and Wedge?

Hinge: move through your hips with minimal flexion through the knees. Stand on your right leg and raise your left knee up to 90 degrees–that left hip would now be hinged. Optimal hinge is approximately 80 degrees as seen on the image below. We hinge to load the largest and most primary muscle groups in the body, the gluteal muscles. Because we’re utilizing primary muscle groups during a hip hinge, our explosive power is greater. Bigger muscles provide bigger output. This is also the main reason why people who use Hardstyle kettlebell training techniques burn so many calories per minute. “They were burning at least 20.2 calories per minute, which is off the charts. That’s’ equivalent to running a 6-minute mile pace.” -Dr. John Pocari, UW-Lacrosse. These large muscle groups require much higher caloric output to function.

Andrea Du Cane, the longest standing and first female Master RKC is showing an approximate 80-degrees hip hinge with the single arm swing.

Wedging: is tensing the whole body while in a standing position. Your shoulders are packed, hips and knees are locked out, and abdominals are at maximum tension. We wedge to connect our lower body with our upper body. When the lats are contracted they pull down on the shoulders and bring our upper body closer to our center of gravity and hips. Wedging connects the upper and lower body as one! Think of a standing Hardstyle plank. It’s possible to achieve an almost constant wedge-like posture throughout the movement with enough practice. You know who utilizes such a posture with sports? Only the best!

Two Awesome Exercises for Hinge and Wedge

Two exercises which enhance the hinge and wedge are the Hardstyle swing and Turkish get-up. Regardless of your skill level with kettlebells, the Hardstyle technique will enhance your overall athleticism. With 8/10 runners in America injured, it’s clear we have some serious imbalances which need fixing. First we’ll need to get strong enough to hold the wedge while running and performing other physical activities. Ever seen a bulldog walk? Ever noticed the similarities between a bulldog’s stride and someone jogging down the street? Arms are crossing over the torso while the legs are flopping all over the place. Not good!

3 Tips for Enhancing the Wedge and Hinge in the Turkish Get-up

Hold the each stage for 5-10 seconds while packing the shoulders and pushing your knee out
Shrug and re-pack each stage of the get-up
Squeeze the handle as hard as you can at the pause in each stage of the get-up

TGU at Milwaukee RKC Workshop

If hinging your hips and wedging your torso is good enough for the best athletes in the world, I think it’s safe to say it’s good enough for you, me and our loved ones. When I get a room full of athletes at the start of another season and tell them we’re not touching any weights until we get the hinge and wedge down they look at me like I’m nuts. But after 4-6 weeks of hinge and wedge practice they double their mobility, speed and strength. Although they still look at me like I’m nuts they’re happy with their gains. Start simple; train simple and the results will be simply amazing!

I’ll leave you with a picture from the 2014-2015 MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering) Men’s Hockey Team. We started the season with loads of injuries, a losing record and 14 freshmen. We’ve finished the season nationally ranked, zero injuries, beat the #1 team in the country and went to the semi-finals in the toughest conference in the country. We hinge and wedge!

MSOE Hockey Team

***

RKC Team Leader Nick Lynch is a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Milwaukee School of Engineering University (MSOE). He owns Superb Health Milwaukee, a kettlebell studio in Milwaukee, WI. Most recently, he became an RKC Team Leader. He has 13 years of full-time training and coaching experience and a lifetime of wellness education. Nick lives in Milwaukee, WI with his wife Natalie and son Weston.