kettlebell training

Getting the Most Out of Your Turkish Get-Up

March 11, 2015 By Sebastian Müller 11 Comments

Sebastian Muller Kettlebell get up

The Turkish get-up… beginners hate it and experienced kettlebellers praise it. The TGU is one of the most fundamental movements because it progresses from lying to standing with a kettlebell. Along with the Hardstyle kettlebell swing, the TGU is one of the basic exercises which will prepare you well for all of the other exercises of the RKC training system.

My earlier post about the get-up was more philosophical and discussed the five things the get-up teaches you about life. Today’s post focuses more on the practical aspects of this movement pattern and how you can implement it in your training to get the most out of it.

Your body learns to work as a whole unit when performing a Turkish get-up.

This exercise integrates every muscle in your body. If there’s a weak spot somewhere, you will find it very quickly—this is also one of the reasons why beginners especially have a hard time with the TGU. The same goes for athletes who are used to training isolated muscles. I have seen many trained 100 kg guys struggling to do their get-ups with a 12 kg kettlebell.

But, this is also what experienced kettlebellers love about the TGU: when you take the time to learn this movement pattern and can flawlessly perform get-ups with a 24 kg kettlebell, many good changes have already happened within your body. The TGU creates flexibility and mobility in the joints along with the basic strength you need to playfully get up from the ground with weight.

Over 200 years ago, Turkish wrestlers already knew that the TGU could prepare them for many things in life. Back then, wrestlers were required to get up while holding half of their body weight in one hand before they could even consider participating in training specific to wrestling. This is also why the get-up is often called the Turkish get-up.

The TGU Consists of 9 Positions, Making It a Complex Exercise.

Take a look at this video of Gini, one of our coaches, doing a 32kg (50% of her body weight) TGU:

What will you gain from frequently practicing and performing Turkish get-ups?

Improved shoulder stability and flexibility
The ability to train the whole body as one unit
A strengthened mid-section improving the reflexive stability of the core, and providing improved injury prevention
Improved interaction of the muscular chains, intramuscular coordination, and improved interaction between the brain and muscles
Improved fat burning capacity as large muscle groups are activated causing high calorie demands

Gray Cook, physical therapist and co-founder of Functional Movement Systems refers to the Turkish get-up as “Loaded Yoga”.

There are Tons of Possibilities for Using Turkish Get-Ups in Your Training.

Performing the TGU without weight or with a light weight is a perfect warm-up exercise, or as a component of active recovery/regeneration days. Performed under heavy load, the TGU is one of the best full body strengthening exercises on the planet. For men, a goal of 50% body weight and for women 33% of body weight are absolutely realistic. But as you saw in the video above, these guidelines are relative and can be exceeded!

Another thing that I really like about the get up is how it allows you to lift a weight overhead that you might not be able to press yet. Here is a get-up variation that can help you prepare for heavy presses: choose a weight you can’t (yet) press and bring it over your head by performing a Turkish get-up. Now go take a walk with the weight overhead. By doing this, your body gets used to the weight being in lock-out position overhead and will automatically learn how to stabilize it.

There are tons of get-up variations which provide different focuses on many training aspects. Another variation is performing a bottom-up Turkish get-up to challenge and improve your grip. Hold the kettlebell in a pistol grip (the bottom of the kettlebell will be pointing at the ceiling) and get up from the ground. This is also a great variation for using kettlebells which would ordinarily be too light for your training.

Finally, I have a variation perfect for everyone who has just learned the TGU. This variation will help to “grind” the single positions—it is called the Pyramid. You’ll only need a light kettlebell for it, because you will perform each position repeatedly. Also, be sure to always move into each single position perfectly, and always work in a very controlled manner.

Generally, the Turkish get-up is About Working Slowly and Controlled, Eventually Under a Great Load.

Maybe the get-up is simultaneously so loved and hated is because it can help you get a great deal better, stronger and healthier while rigorously pointing out issues that still need work. Together with the Hardstyle kettlebell swing, it can help you to constantly get constantly stronger, more flexible and even improve your overall endurance.

Hopefully my examples have shown you what an incredibly versatile exercise the TGU is, and that it’s always a good thing to continue improving your get-up.

***

Sebastian Müller, RKC Team Leader, PCC Instructor, FMS, and Primal Move Instructor, trains and instructs at the KRABA location in Wiemar, Germany. He can be contacted by email at: info@kraba-erfurt.de and his website: http://www.kraba-erfurt.de. His Blog is Vereinfachedeintraining.com

Five Things The Turkish Get-Up Teaches You About Life

January 14, 2015 By Sebastian Müller 7 Comments

RKC Team Leader Sebastian Muller performs a TGU

Try to imagine an exercise that could make your life easier—a “magical” exercise that improves your response to everyday challenges and can make you into a better human being? Would you include it in your training?

That exercise exists, it’s the kettlebell Turkish get-up.

For more than four years, I’ve been doing heavy Turkish get-ups with kettlebells at least once a week. Besides the Hardstyle kettlebell swing, the Turkish get-up is a basic exercise in RKC kettlebell training and one of the reasons I ending up training with kettlebells.

Even though it is pure fun and constantly provides new training stimuli, over time I became aware of the other benefits of the get-up, that also apply to life in general.

You’ll need to be flexible and work on your weaknesses
You’ll learn to set up for the next step, instead of just staying put
The more resistance you encounter, the stronger you’ll get
Consistency and discipline always pay off
Training is life

These are all things you need to realize when working on a solid and strong Turkish get-up and these same ideas also help in everyday life.

Be Flexible and Work on Your Deficits

If you’re thinking about performing a Turkish get-up with half of your body weight, everything must fit. You need to be flexible and stable in your joints, and have the necessary strength—along with a strong will.

If one of these things is problematic, it will pay off in multitudes if you work on that deficit. Otherwise, you’ll probably plateau at some one point or weight weight sooner or later.

Two personal examples:

With Turkish get-ups, my thoracic spine mobility has always been a problem, but now it is almost perfect because I kept specifically working on it for a long time.

Another thing – when I started kettlebell training over five years ago, the English language was a big problem for me. There were practically no articles about kettlebells written in German. Even now, I almost exclusively read in English, and not just about training. Now I have completed many certifications in English and have even held entire training sessions in English. Working on these deficits paid off very well and made me a lot better.

Learn to Set Up for the Next Step Instead of Just Staying Put

Eventually, after the floor press (you’ve pushed the kettlebell overhead with your arm) you need to decide whether you want to stand up or to stay put. If you decide to get up, you have many exhausting steps ahead of you. You’ll need to get up from a prone to standing position with a kettlebell overhead making it difficult for you. There are no exits and no shortcuts.

The same is true in life. Will you stand still or take the next step forward? One thing is for sure, the more resistance you meet, the more it usually pays off if you keep going forward. This brings us to our next point…

The More Resistance You Meet, the Stronger You’ll Get

If you use a heavier weight with your Turkish get-up, you’ll get stronger. “Progressive (Capacity) Overload” are the magic words with this concept. If you keep working with the same weight all the time, you’ll get used to it, and it will no longer be a challenge. Your body won’t receive new stimuli to force it to become stronger. You strength will plateau, because there is no reason for your body to adapt to a new task.

There is some truth to the German saying, “You grow with your tasks”. When you stop facing new challenges in life, you will stop growing. Of course it’s nice and safe in your comfort zone, but that doesn’t mean you should make yourself comfortable in it.

Heavy Turkish get-ups will be mostly outside your comfort zone, and the feeling of accomplishing these challenges is awesome. It’s just the same in life!

Consistency and Discipline Always Pay Off

I want to be straight with you, to conquer a half body weight Turkish get-up won’t happen overnight. You’ll definitely need to be persistent. If you’re not afraid of that, it will eventually pay off, guaranteed! There will be days when it’ll be hard for you, and days when everything will happen easily. The most important thing is to stay persistent. The best part of all this is the journey itself—your way, your personal records, and the moment you realize the little improvements toward your goal.

Sebastian Muller Spotting Student performing a get up

A Turkish get-up with half your body weight is an absolutely realistic aim, but it doesn’t have to stop there!

While you should celebrate your small, but important achievements in training, you should also do the same thing in your life! Focus on your goal, but be aware of all the things you have already achieved on your way to get there. This is an incredibly important thing to do! Be thankful for what you have already mastered, then it will be easier to focus on the bigger goals in the future.

Training is Life

At this point, you should have realized one thing, training is life or should be at least be a regular part of it. You probably also noted that the individual components of training and life have a lot in common, and together they form a bigger picture. Just like the Turkish get-up—where all muscles need to work together as a unit and you need to consider every aspect on your way to more weight—it should be the same in your life. Take a look at the whole picture. Everything is part of your life—work, training, spending time with your family, and the time you’re on your own. If you harmonize these things, nothing in life can stop you.

The Turkish get-up taught me many things during the past few years. Today I train my body as a whole, and according to how I use it in everyday challenges. I train my body because it is a part of me and therefore a part of my life.

***

Team RKC—Restoring Freedom, Respecting Individuality, Realizing Full Athletic Potential, Rewarding Skillful Effort

December 31, 2014 By John Du Cane, CEO and founder, Dragon Door 13 Comments

2014 was a banner year for Dragon Door’s resurgent RKC, with 26 3-day and 28 1-day certification workshops in almost as many cities worldwide. And we already have 31 RKC workshops scheduled for 2015…

Just as significant has been the intellectual output of high-level training advice, with 19 of our RKC leadership contributing 46 information-rich blog posts, not to mention numerous fine articles for our site, over the last year.

Now the numbers are nice, but it is the soul that matters more. The ethos—the soul and spirit of the RKC—has evolved to be friendly, supportive, fun-loving, stimulating and at the same time professional. Inspirational excellence is the motto…

The beginning of a fresh new year is always a good time to remind ourselves of why we do what we do. Why choose Dragon Door and the RKC ?

Here are four reasons why:

RKC Restores Freedom

We can be second-class citizens in our bodies, shackled by poor posture, restricted in our movement, weak-jointed, slow, sluggish, low-energy and fat. Or we can enjoy the freedom of erect posture, free-flowing mobility, resilient joints, explosive power, boundless energy, functional strength and a sleek, muscular physique. RKC’s system rewards you with all of these physical freedoms in spades. It’s what we do and what we stand for.

True freedom physically takes great discipline—and a devotion to a multi-functional approach that does not divorce strength from health. RKC recognizes that need and delivers a complete program to simultaneously boost power, build strength and ensure quality movement.

Within the essential discipline of the system, RKC releases you from the tyranny of dogmatism and from an outmoded, authoritarian, faux-militaristic style of teaching. We are all adults here, as it were—and you are accorded the freedom to learn as adults.

Free body = free spirit = free to grow = free to develop…

RKC Respects Human Individuality

We, the RKC, are PEOPLE first. We are not faceless robots robbed of all personality—to be shoehorned into the rigidities of a dehumanized Brand. That path leads to a gray and soulless world where people are seen as dispensable parts of an uncaring machine. The RKC recognizes and respects the right of the individual to express himself as a complete personality—not be a voiceless pawn in someone else’s end game.

Come to an RKC or HKC and you’ll see what we mean: Soul-in-Action. The RKC instructors are passionate about helping you reach your strength and health goals. They care deeply that you succeed and they do their utmost to realize your dreams. Within the very real discipline of the RKC system, experience the warmth and care of instructors who have their clients’ wellbeing close to their hearts.

Dragon Door celebrates its RKC leadership as individuals who each have something unique to bring to the party. We have chosen our leadership for their personal qualities as much as their skill and physical accomplishments as athletes and trainers. Life is short. Let’s enjoy it and be human about it!

RKC Helps You Realize Your Full Athletic Potential

The evolved RKC takes a sane approach to helping you realize your full athletic potential—instead of attempting to enforce arbitrary strength standards that lead to frequent injury, poor movement skills and the sacrifice of your overall health and wellbeing. Because the RKC’s curriculum emphasizes safe progressions and regressions, each person can train and develop themselves as complete all-around athletes, rather than being one-dimensional.

If you are looking to cultivate your full athletic potential in a healthy, safe manner, based on a pragmatic approach, then the RKC is the place for you.

RKC Rewards Skillful Effort

When we train strength at the RKC we train the skill of strength, not the stupidity of strength. Same for power, mobility, flexibility and endurance. The RKC’s goal is to graduate skilled instructors who—while modeling a high level of physical accomplishment themselves—have the competencies to properly train others in the absolute fundamentals of fitness.

We believe that consistent, skillful, diligent effort trumps the reckless bid to be strong whatever the cost.

2015 is shaping up to be one of great growth for the RKC. We invite you to join us in that journey…

From Broken to Team Leader

December 17, 2014 By Paul Britt, DC 2 Comments

Paul Britt Double Press At RKC

I was broken in October 2012 at the RKC-II. It happened because I was stupid and I let my ego get the best of me at the certification. I thought that I only had a minor training injury prior to arriving in St. Paul for the workshop. I had been working on heavy double presses on a day that I was tired, but due to having to attend this particular cert, I stayed with my “program”. In the middle of my final set, I felt a sharp pain on my left hip and back. I dropped the kettlebells and decided to take a few days off. It was still bugging me a few days later, so I went to a chiropractor. The consensus was that it was just a minor strain and that I would be okay to attend the certification. So off I went, with some kineseo tape to hold me together for the three days ahead of me.

I knew the snatch test would probably put too much stress on my back, so decided that I would wait till the last day to take it. I was able to get through all of my Level 1 skills and the half-body weight press on day 1 without too much trouble. But, I had a few problems with stability that I should have paid more attention to during the skills test. I noticed that I struggled with my foot on the left side for the get-up as it did not want to stay locked down as I moved through the different parts of the movement.

I initially started out with lighter weights than normal, just to allow me to get through the certification. I had a past Master RKC give me a hard time about the weight and I let my ego override what little sense I had and I bumped my weights up. Sometime during the day, I felt a pop in my back on the left side. I did not really feel a lot of pain at the time, so I kept on training. I got back to the hotel in a lot of pain and barely slept. When I got up the next morning, I literally had to drag my leg as I walked down the hall to find some Advil. I ended up buying eight packages and using four to get to breakfast and the first half of the cert. I had to take the other four to get through the rest of the day. The last day was even worse, I thought about just quitting, and I should have. Unfortunately, I am a little stubborn and hate to give up. At that point, nobody really knew what was going to happen to the RKC after that weekend, so in my head, I had to get through the weekend and earn what could possibly be the last RKC-II certification. So I pushed through and passed all of the tests except for the Jerk and the Snatch test. I knew that I had 90 days to send the video into someone to pass those two skills. Turns out that was not going to happen for a long time.

I knew as soon as I got off the airplane in Dallas that I was not right. I struggled to get out of the seat, get to my bags and walk to my car. I ended up getting home and telling my wife that I had screwed up and was badly injured. The pain was pretty constant, so I took off from all training for what was supposed to just be November, but it ended up being a nine month break. I had to train my lead coach, Justine Deets RKC, to pass her HKC and RKC skills without being able to perform them myself. She was my gym replacement while I was recovering. I hosted an HKC in January, but was unable to assist because even picking up 12kgs caused me a lot of pain.

I was not healing, so after the first of the year, it was time to see someone about it. I ended up being referred to the top spine doctor in the area. At my appointment he told me that I had herniated discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1, both on the left side. He informed me that it was a lifelong injury and that my days of heavy lifting were over. To say that I was not thrilled by that was an understatement, so I decided to show him that I would be back to heavy lifting again. I went with a non-surgical solution for the problem and had a series of injections into my back that gave some minor relief. While the injections did not allow me to start lifting again, they did allow me regain some everyday quality of life. It was at that time I met Dr. Steve Horwitz, DC (and now RKC instructor). Dr. Horwitz worked with me on my nutrition and showed me how to ease the inflammation and pain with proper supplementation. Once my nutrition was dealt with, I was able to start healing and training again.

I had scheduled an HKC/Primal Move Certification Weekend with Master RKC, Andrea Du Cane and Senior RKC Jay Armstrong, but was not really doing much in the way of training yet. Andrea knew about the injury, so she would not let me do much during the HKC. I was the ‘go-fer.” While I was finally moving better, I was still in pain with bad movement patterns most of the time. I was able to participate in the Primal Move Certification that weekend and found that it was life changing for me. I was able to go through the workshop pain free. It was amazing how much better I felt just going through the workshop. The one day workshop was like a reset button. It was the first time I was pain free during my day to day activities of living. It improved my movement, eased my pain and that definitely helped my outlook. I had been in a depression since being injured because I was unable to train and burn through my day to day frustrations.

Andrea and Jay also showed me a few drills, including pendulum swings. I also started playing with Figure 8’s as they allowed me to strengthen my posterior chain without moving through painful patterns and positions. I also went to town with Primal Move and added in Convict Conditioning on a daily basis. I would train something every day, but never to failure or into pain. That was my training program for about 3 months and every day I felt better, moved better and got stronger. My focus was on healing and avoiding pain. I spent lots of time on the pullup bar, doing handstand pushups and Convict Conditioning skills on top of daily Primal Move work.

In October of 2013, I hosted an RKC with Andrea Du Cane, Master RKC leading the workshop. She asked to see my skills as an Assistant. I hadn’t trained with any weight over 16kgs in any of the RKC Basics prior to the certification weekend. This was one year after blowing out my back and I figured that it would be ugly. I had not even attempted any of the skills with my snatch test weight prior to this attempt. I was actually scared when I was asked to do it as I knew it was going to be a hot mess. I was pain free and nailed my skills test. After that it was as if I had been freed from a dark hole. Andrea had to keep me reined in all weekend because I was so excited that I was able to train again. She told Shane England RKC, that they had “unleashed a monster”, I could not stop playing around with the kettlebells. I participated in as many of the drills as the attendees did as I tried to fix the bad habits that got me into the position I was in.

After that weekend I continued to train and work on a lot of rehab style work to get back to a decent level of strength. In that time, I was able to host and assist at several HKC’s and RKC’s. I improved my skills and movement at every event I attended. Andrea let me assist at every event and she helped me improve my skills at every certification. If it had not been for her friendship and mentoring, I would not have been able to train or teach at the level I am at now. In July, I was promoted to RKC Team Leader, based in part on my ability to come back as a better instructor because of my injury. It forced me to re-evaluate everything that I was doing as an RKC. Prior to this, my skills were not as good as they should have been. The injury made me a better coach, and I became stronger because of it. I have to use the RKC Principles correctly to avoid being injured again.

Paul Britt Coaching

I was able to get to the point where I was able to press half bodyweight again and knew that I had to try RKC-II again. In October, I hosted the RKC-II at my gym. We had a great group of strong people in attendance. Like the last time, Day 1 was RKC I and our strength requirement test. I felt that it was the easiest and best RKC recert test that I have ever performed. My skills were dialed in and the snatch test was by far my best one that I have ever completed, it was almost easy (the snatch test is never really easy). I passed RKC-II after a long weekend of heavy lifting. I had gone into the weekend with some trepidation, because I had been hurt. It was probably harder for me mentally than physically due to my last attempt ending so badly. I was nervous going into the testing as I did not fully believe that I could get through it without being injured, but I only had a slight issue with my left side pistol stability.

RKC-II Group Photo in Texas

What did I learn from all of this? I learned a lot, though I wish I had learned it without being injured. I was once taught that experience came after you needed it. I hope that someone uses mine to avoid taking the same path. Do not terrain into pain. If you are injured and your life is not in danger, take a break and heal. Do not let your ego cause you to do stupid stuff. There is no certification that is worth permanent injury and we hold a lot of certifications during the year. That is why I am glad that I chose to stay with the RKC. Dragon Door and the RKC’s focus on being a great instructor and their focus on the safe building of your skills is why I am proud to be a part of this community.

What’s next? I am training for the Beast Tamer. The plan is to do it for my 48th birthday at the October 2015 RKC led by Master RKC Andrew Read. There is still room and time to sign up for that certification.

***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.

Successful Training with Kettlebells–Four Things to Consider

December 3, 2014 By Sebastian Müller 6 Comments

Sebastian Muller Kettlebell Bottom Up

When I started training with kettlebells, and right after I went to a beginner’s kettlebell seminar, it was really frustrating for me to only have a very restricted number of exercises for my training.

I asked myself, “How can I train my whole body with only these few exercises?”

Well, back then I had no clue and had not yet learned the “real” kettlebell training principles. I was taught the basics at the seminar, but I didn’t totally comprehend them. Understanding them took a much longer time.

So I started training by myself, and it ended up taking me a year or longer to fully understand kettlebell training and how I could really use it.

Here are four things that helped me get much more out of my kettlebell training:

1. Strength is a skill.

“How obvious is that slogan?” I thought when I’ve heard it for the first time. Of course, strength is a skill, just like endurance, speed, and mobility. It’s also a matter of how in shape or fit you are. Why are the guys making such a fuss about it?

“Train with kettlebells and you’ll become stronger”, I always thought. But when I understood that I had to train the skill of “strength” to become strong, that’s when I started to get the real benefits from the training. I stopped counting sets and reps and started to practice, to grind movement patterns. I worked on improving my technique and listening to my body while I was practicing.

A good example to explain this “skill” approach is the handstand. When I want to start training handstands, I can’t just start off with the idea like, “Today I’ll do 3 reps of handstands, where I stand for 30 seconds unsupported in the middle of a room”. That’s not how it works. Instead, you should practice handstands. You need to feel what’s important for doing a handstand—when, where and what muscles need to be used. Even if that means 20 attempts at 3 seconds against a wall in the beginning. If you are paying attention, you’ll know when you need to stop, your body will tell you the exact moment (and I don’t mean total muscle failure).

It’s the same with kettlebell strength exercises. If you want to improve your strength efficiently, you need to first master the movement itself. When you’ve learned what and when to contract, and how this movement pattern feels with a certain weight, it is easy to develop strength. If you can’t press one weight it means you’re only allowed to practice that movement with lighter weights.

2. Quality before quantity.

Quality before quantity counts especially when practicing. Once you’ve mastered a movement with weights, movement quality should always be at the forefront. If quantity is more important to you, then reps and sets will always be more important to you than the quality of the movement and body perception.

If you are doing 1 set of 10 reps with a perfect technique, followed by 2 sets with 10 miserable reps just to get to 30 reps, what will your body learn from this session?

I’ll tell you. Your body will get really good at forcing itself through routines. No matter if it needs to compensate here or there, over time, the faulty pattern will be reinforced. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what you see with many recreational athletes. This quantity approach will work until the unavoidable injury and then it’s too late.

What the head commands, the body will always carry out!

So, practice and train smart. Quality is king!

3. Kettlebell training trains the entire body.

At first, I always thought that many different exercises were necessary to ideally train the whole body. That was why I was not satisfied after my beginner kettlebell course. This idea mainly came from my own training history. Today, I know that I can train my entire body with just a few exercises with better results than when I was using 10 different exercises for the same purpose.

There is a big difference in knowing that kettlebell training equals training the entire body and understanding kettlebell training equals training the entire body.

Often, people will ask for more exercises after a few reps of double swings followed by double clean & presses. Instead they should relax, because they have already trained their whole body.

I can’t stress that idea enough—if you practice and train correctly, you are using your whole body on each kettlebell exercise. All muscles need to work together efficiently. Sure, you can always focus on a specific body part, but you are always demanding your body as a whole.

Sebastian Muller Kettlebell Press

4. 80% is enough.

This concept is from Master RKC Max Shank and it changed my training forever.

If you can do 5 reps, only do 4. If you can do 10 reps, leave it with 8. Unfortunately, when I write about not training to muscle failure, people sometimes take that literally and just put themselves into their comfort zone. Then 80% quickly become 50% or less.

When I write about 4 instead of 5 reps, I mean your absolute maximum of possible repetitions. If you can do 5 repetitions and not a single one more, then these are your maximum repetitions in this progression or exercise. Or, 100%.

I keep seeing clients who sometimes spare one rep of their 50% maximum. That’s unfortunately not how this principle works, and it often happens subconsciously. If you don’t know your numbers, it’s hard to know where you stand.

For that reason, it’s a good thing to test where your maximum is once in a while (always with a good spotter, please). Otherwise, it’s very likely that you will keep the reps you do too low, which is as counterproductive as always training to 100%.

Earlier, I wrote about the meaning of practicing, and here, the 80% idea works perfectly. Listen to your body. Sets and repetitions are overrated. I would view them more as flexible guidelines and not carved into stone. Your condition on a given day will always effect your training, and should not be ignored.

If you grimace horribly during training, can’t breathe during an exercise, or your technique falls apart, chances are you were training to your 101%. Pay attention and stop before this happens. Just because your plan was to do 5 sets of 5 reps with weigh X today, it doesn’t mean your condition on that day will allows it to happen.

Let me tell you something—you will still have a good session if you only do only 4 reps in the third set and possibly two in the last two sets. If these reps were your 80%, then congratulations, you suppressed your ego and trained intelligently. And another thing, the kettlebell does not excuse foolishness.

Sebastian Muller Challenge

Save your 100% for competitions or challenges when it’s all or nothing, and perform your training sessions at 80%. If you are not in a competition sport, challenge yourself once a month. Try to set a record on an exercise. That will also help you to know your numbers. You are keeping a training journal, right?

It took me forever to incorporate these points into my kettlebell training, which was probably due to my training history and ego. Maybe you’re not as spoiled and have an ego knows it’s place in everyday life. If so, then get going, get yourself a kettlebell, learn the techniques, and start training!

***

3 Traits of Those Who ‘Have What It Takes’ for Kettlebell Training

November 19, 2014 By Nick Lynch 5 Comments

Nick Lynch RKC Team Leader Committed to Kettlebell Training

To properly train your body with kettlebells, you must continually enhance your skills. Correct me if I’m wrong but the Wright brothers crashed many model planes before they actually took flight, right? That’s because they were learning something new. Since each day brings new challenges, each day’s training session is a new opportunity for growth. The kettlebell requires commitment, consistency and willpower for that growth to occur.

Commitment

Has anyone started a new job without any sort of onsite training? Sorry, but we don’t come out of the womb with a tool belt, construction hat, and the know-how to build a house! To build your first home, more likely than not, you’ll collapse a few walls, stub some toes, nail a finger or two to the wall before your dream stands sturdy and proud. If you’re really serious about getting started with kettlebell training or continuing your path of training, commitment is mandatory. A practice regimen of once per week won’t cut it. Kettlebell training is a 7-days-a-week commitment regardless if you’re swinging, pressing or just working on mobility. During your training, all your thoughts and movements should be focused on enhancing your skills.

I recommend picking up Max Shank’s Master The Kettlebell. Read it! Now read it again. And then? Read it again. Hire a local RKC Instructor and have them teach you the basics. At first, go light to go right. Don’t worry, I assure you the beast tamers who may have inspired you started just like this on Day one.

Senior RKC Robert Miller pressing a kettlebell twice the size of his head!

Consistency

It may not be a good fit for everyone to lift weights 7-days per week. Your body will tell you if it’s a day to go crazy or a day to stay away; waving loads is essential when training consistently. One must be skilled in knowing when to go heavy, when to go light, or when to not to go at all. Programming with consistency is what kettlebell training is all about! I’ve seen the best results with a Monday/Wednesday/Friday routine: Monday’s light, Wednesday’s medium and Friday’s heavy. I practice swings, calisthenics and mobility on the days in between to prepare myself for the next lifting day.

What is consistency? Consistency is following though with a training schedule. Our lives are centered on some sort of schedule. Each commitment requires a consistent schedule to succeed. You have to train your body properly everyday if you want real results. Set a schedule that works for you and don’t let anyone or anything get in the way. Consistency allows you to achive progress and is essential for growth.

Willpower

If we’re all being honest with ourselves, we will admit that it takes willpower to consistently commit to any type of program. Kettlebell training is complex and requires both commitment and consistency. Regardless of what your goals are, you’ll need willpower. You’re going to have that coworker who guarantees what you’re doing is a waste of time. You may even have some friends who are upset that it’s Friday night and while they’re on shot #3 and beer #4 you’re busy with Turkish Get Up #4 on minute #3. Willpower is required to stand up to the inevitable temptations. Remind your friends that you want to enhance your health. Who can argue with that? By surrounding yourself with things and people conducive to your goals and tuning out the rest, willpower grows!

Cultivate willpower, become consistent and be commited to your kettlebell program. If you don’t know what to do, hire a local RKC Instructor. If you don’t have a local RKC, hire one via the Internet. With commitment, consistency and willpower prepare for some serious strength and conditioning gains! Thanks for reading and feel free to ask some questions in the comments section below. I’ll do my best to answer or point you in the right direction!

In the following video, I press a 36kg kettlebell after years of practicing with commitment, consistency and willpower. For these long legs and skinny arms this a most excellent feat of strength!

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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.

The 3-6-9-12 Program

October 29, 2014 By Josh Henkin 1 Comment

3-6-9-12 for Athletic Training

It is when you feel like you can break.

You have put everything on the line.

Heroes have been made, dreams have been dashed.

It is the fourth quarter. I remember playing basketball that time, the time when everything came down to how you prepared. How well could you execute even though you were shaky, exhausted, and had been competing your hardest for three previous quarters.

The fourth quarter is when you knew if you were really ready. All the theories get tested, only results win! You had to be strong, you had to be fit, you had to be mentally tough.

The idea of the fourth quarter helps remind me what our training should really be teaching us. Being able to hit a PR is awesome, lifting big weights, terrific, but if they can’t be used when we need them the most what is the point?

Sports aren’t the only places where we see the fourth quarter mentality. Overworked parents, stressed out jobs, they all challenge us to find inner and outer strength to perform. Can we do it though? Is it possible to have great fitness and strength?

Can We Have It All?

Having extremely high levels of strength or endurance takes some very specific training. The truth is that most of us are looking for really good levels in both. The reality is we can have it all with smarter programs.

Lifting maximal weights is awesome, but life and sport rarely happens on a platform. The truth is, most activities look at how you can repeat high levels of strength and power. In fact, renowned strength coach, Robert Dos Remedios, considers power endurance and work capacity the KEYS to athletic success:

“I’m often asked about my goals in my conditioning programming and my answer always seems to come back to one thing, WORK CAPACITY. If we can continue to turn the knob up and get more and more out of our athletes we will build their ability to keep pushing, to improve their all-important strength and power endurance. In essence we are assuring that over time, we will also be able to train harder and harder for longer periods of time with greater intensity. Perhaps most importantly, work capacity building sessions helps to forge amazing confidence…this is often the psychological variable that can be the difference between victory and defeat.”

Don’t misunderstand Coach Dos, they lift hard, they lift heavy, but they understand how to combine all the elements to being successful beyond the weight room! Can you do it over and over again? Do you have that fourth quarter strength or do you fall apart? Sorry, a few sled runs and pushes don’t do it either.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting the strength endurance crowd has it all right either. Many people think that to develop strength endurance that you simply have to perform outrageous repetitions or destructive workouts. Unfortunately, so many of these people fall prey to really low levels of strength and the engine to their endurance ends up being quite low. Not to mention the amount of overuse injuries they often incur!

The Smarter Fitness Program

When DVRT Master and RKC, Troy Anderson, shared with a much better way of training I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it myself! Troy is no novice to tough training, having played football, served in the military, competed in strongman, and growing up on a farm in Wyoming, Troy knows fourth quarter strength all too well.

The concept is relatively simple. Four sets, increasing repetitions, minimal rest. Well, that’s nothing new right? The structure of this program has important principles that need to be adhered to in order to succeed.

Each series has four intermittent sets of 3, 6, 9, and 12 repetitions. The lower repetitions are designated for heavier or more complex movements, where nine and twelve allow us to work on other fitness qualities. The key is to only give yourself no more than about 20 seconds from one series to the next. Let me give you a few examples using hardstyle and Ultimate Sandbag movements.

Workout 1:

Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift x 3, rest 20 seconds
Ultimate Sandbag Clean and Press x 6, rest 20 seconds
Goblet Squats x 9, rest 20 seconds
Body Rows x 12, rest 1-2 minutes

The above workout showed how we got to load a specific movement pattern (the hip hinge) with heavier loads and as we went through the series went to less complex exercises involving other movement patterns. We began with the hip hinge, moved to an vertical press, then squatting pattern, finally a horizontal pull.

The series began with the drill with the most stability when the body was freshest. That means we are still getting elements of maximal strength and not neglecting strength endurance. After the cycle rest 1-2 minutes and then try to repeat. The goal is to hit 3-4 total rounds.

How would other workouts look? Here are few examples….

Workout 2:

Pull-ups x 3, rest 20 seconds
Ultimate Sandbag Rotational Lunges x 6 per side, rest 20 seconds
Spider man Push-ups x 9, rest 20 seconds
Kettlebell Swings x 12, rest 1-2 minutes

Workout 3:

Get-ups x 3, rest 20 seconds
Ultimate Sandbag Lateral Step Cleans x 6, rest 20 seconds
Renegade Rows x 9 per side, rest 20 seconds
Bear Hug Paused Squats x 12, rest 1-2 minutes

During these workouts you should definitely try to use a challenging load. However, you are going to need to make sure you can repeat your efforts and not have too much of a drop off. For example, if you see more than a 20% drop off in weight you can use, the weight was probably too much. The same can be said if you see a 20% drop off in reps you can complete.

Can You Modify 3-6-9-12?

Of course! You can make it more specific to a training goal. For example, if you really wanted more of an emphasis of strength or power, you could make it 1-3-5-7.

Want to build that type of work capacity and power endurance that leads to championships? Take this challenge from Coach Anderson. Take your 3-6-9-12 plan and after each round (completing the entire 3-6-9-12 series) add a repetition to the next.

Example:
Round 1: 3-6-9-12
Round 2: 4-7-10-13
Round 3: 5-8-11-14

You would still take the rest after each series, but you may have to drop a bit of weight.

Will it be a challenge? Absolutely! Is it designed to destroy you? Not really. If you find it incredibly difficult you might find you had been neglecting the fitness qualities that can really help you make that next jump in your fitness.

Fatigue has been shown to be somewhat movement and muscle group specific. By changing the movement pattern we are taking some stress off the system and muscles. In other words, you should be able to continue high levels of work even in spite of some accumulating fatigue.

I know there will be some that argue that strength should be done without any fatigue, to them I say that isn’t the real world. If functional training is meant to prepare us for the sport and every day life then neither is perfect or ideal. You don’t have to sacrifice great training to grow, rather evolve the way you see fitness!

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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.

Improve Your Windmill

October 1, 2014 By Beth Andrews 1 Comment

Beth Andrews Kettlebell Windmill

The windmill is an excellent exercise to increase mobility, flexibility and core strength. As an added benefit, it also increases shoulder strength and stability. It’s a unique exercise because it engages multiple muscle groups and takes the body through a combined range of motion. Windmills are a great way to get heavy weight over your head in a challenging movement pattern, building the core as strong as the mighty oak tree.

Here are a few tips to improve your windmill:

Beth Andrews loves to paint her RKC kettlebells, to indicate the different sizes. To each his own with color choices we say, but there are a bunch of good reasons that Beth trains exclusively with the RKC brand🙂 –JDC

This next video shows two disadvantages. 1-reaching out, 2-reaching down. The third shows the advantage of focusing on hinging deep into the hips and squeezing shoulders blades together. This creates proper alignment which allows you to stack your body under the weight to gain all the benefits of the kettlebell windmill.

***Beth is a RKC Senior Instructor, PCC Team Leader, Primal Move Certified, and CK-FMS, She leads and certifies HKC and RKC certifications, assists at the PPC. She became the 5th Iron Maiden in 2013. Beth is the owner of Maximum Body Training and has over 20 years of training experience. She also has a successful on-line training business. For on-line training or to host a certification, Beth Andrews can be reached by email at: bethandrewsrkc@gmail.com. For training tips and workouts subscribe to her channel on YouTube and visit her website at maximumbodytraining.com

Smart Kettlebell Training for Competitive Endurance Athletes

September 17, 2014 By Aaron Pierson Leave a Comment

Erika Woolsey RKC from Fort Collins, Colorado running the Boston marathon — Erika Woolsey, RKC from Fort Collins, Colorado running the Boston Marathon

For endurance athletes, time well spent is time working toward a specific goal. Unfortunately this often means strength training takes a back seat or becomes obsolete. In the world of strength and conditioning we like to believe that getting stronger solves all our problems. How much strength does the endurance athlete really need?

For those looking to take on the challenge of completing a 50 or 100 mile run, a 100 mile mountain bike race, the Iron Man, or marathon the specific training alone consumes most people. No amount of time in the gym is going to replace the time spent on the road or trail. Taking time and energy away from their specific training to focus on building a bigger press or deadlift, is time wasted. These people don’t need to focus on raw strength. Instead the focus should be spent developing relative strength. Remember they only need to be strong enough to avoid injury.

If we already know that preparing for endurance events requires a lot of time on the road then we must assume there is very little time for other forms of training. This is where the kettlebell can become a quick and easy tool of choice.

Goblet Squat (with a pry):

The goblet squat is great exercise for many of these athletes. It allows the athlete to maintain or improve their squat pattern, build leg and core strength without excessive weight to overly fatigue the legs. By adding the prying element to this squat we allow the athlete to work on the hip mobility which so many runners and cyclist struggle with.

Turkish Get-Up:

The Turkish get-up is a must for any athlete especially those who require a great deal of core strength to get through the later stages of an endurance event. The get-up will also provide a great deal of thoracic mobility as well as increased stability in the trunk and hips.

Single-Leg Deadlift:

The single leg deadlift might be the single most important skill for injury prevention in these athletes. Improved glute and hamstring strength, balance and rotational stability is going to pay dividends when it comes to IT band issues.

Kettlebell Swing:

I prefer to train the swing primarily in the off-season due to the excessive fatigue of endurance training. The swing is an outstanding exercise to develop powerful hip drive and strong legs. It is also one of the best ways to build strength endurance in the core which is something every endurance athlete requires.

When we combine these exercises with basic push-ups and pull-ups we are creating a successful recipe for almost any endurance athlete. Remember the goal is not to be the best in the gym. The goal is to keep them healthy and injury free so they can put in the miles and time required to succeed outside the gym.

***About Aaron Pierson RKC Team Leader: Aaron has been apart of the RKC since 2010. He currently works full time as an EMT and owns Fundamental Strength in Fort Collins, Colorado. He can be reached at aaron@fundamentalstrengthllc.com or by visiting www.fundamentalstrengthllc.com