Kettlebell

Melt Fat Like Raw Meat on a Hot Grill with These 7 Time-Crunched Kettlebell Workouts

June 5, 2013 By Pat Flynn 11 Comments

Workout #1: The Chewie

The scene of this tale is set in my very own home, approximately three days ago, and is the particular account of how I tested the workout which you will find down below on my willfully obedient St. Bernard puppy.

I would have used a human subject, but I didn’t have one handy. I’ve run out, you see.

And so one does what one can. The subject—name: Chewie Patrick Flynn, age: 2.5 months—has a gentle face, a loose jaw, and a congenital proclivity to slobber. He sports a dirty brown coat with a white underbelly. His face hides behind a black mask, causing him to look like a bandit. But then he has these delightful little freckles scattered about his nose. It looks inconsistent. Either way his background checks out. He’s clean. Just don’t ask him to whistle. He can’t. But then again neither can a catfish. Anyways, he lives his life largely in leisure. This is to say he knows more about napping than the fellow who invented it.

“Chewie, come.”

“My dear Sir and Kinsman, could you not plainly see that I am in the middle of something enormously important. What is it that you would seek of me?”

“Good boy!!!”

“Make it quick, jester, I must return to my muttons.”

“Ok Chewie, I just need you to do something for me real quick. It’s just a short little workout I came up with, won’t take long, just a few minutes.”

“I must say the quality of discourse between us has taken a steep plunge as of late. Let us have done with this frivolous talk—advance your proposition at once.”

“Ok here’s what I got. I call it a time-crunched workout. You know, for those times when you just don’t have any time, and need to get in something real quick. It’s mostly made up of kettlebell complexes. Nothing you don’t know. Super for blasting fat, building muscle, and all that, which means it’s got something of the demoniacal in it—WINK WINK! But it’ll be fun, promise!”

“As you wish. But first, be a respectable fellow and deliver me that stuffed giraffe right there, if you please—you can’t possibly expect me to entertain just one bully bone all day, now can you.”

Chewie gave it a few squeaks then whirled it up into the air, like a pancake, where it did a few somersaults. He then began clobbering it about the head, stomping his paws with all the malicious intent of a homicidal maniac. How adorable!

“Ah, that’s better. Now on to business. Please continue.”

“Ok, so the first complex is all double cleans and front squats, but it’s done in a kind of odd sequence. It goes eight double cleans, five front squats, five double cleans, three front squats, three double cleans, two front squats, two double cleans, and one front squat. And I want you to run three rounds of it. Think you got that?”

“Father, please, I can call out a Fibonacci sequence quicker than a terrier can smell out a mole.”

*Complex details:

8 x double clean
5 x double front squat
5 x double clean
3 x double front squat
3 x double clean
2 x double front squat
2 x double clean
1x double front squat

Recommended weight: Males and Females: 2 x 20kg or 2 x 24kg kettlebells

“Ok, Chewie, so, how was it? How do you feel?”

“I must say my contentment is quite complete. I’m so happy I could maim you.”

I stepped back, just out the way of his reach.

“Ok, well, we’re halfway done, next up is the Holy Fiver, you might remember this one from Racked and Loaded, my free eBook containing 101 of my personal favorite kettlebell complexes for blasting fat and building muscle.”

“Never read it.”

“Oh, well, no matter. It’s just five reps of the following exercises: double swing, double snatch, double clean and press, and front squat. Simple enough, right? And again, I want you to run three rounds of it, if you wouldn’t mind.”

*Complex details:

5 x double swing
5 x double snatch
5 x double clean and press
5 x front squat

Recommended Weight: 2 x 20-24kg for males, 2 x 12-16kg for females

“So…?”

“To give a fair account, I will say that in the first round my life-force traveled in straight channels—that is, it followed a smooth and advantageous course. The task was not a burden, and I was not in need of a breather. But on the second I freely admit that I was assailed at all angles. The rapid and repeated contractions of the striated muscles grew to be very nearly unbearable, as if someone had driven railway spikes into my thighs. Hence, the panting. On the third set I am fairly certain that I met God. Please put that down in your notes.”

“Got it. Anything else?”

“Yes, just one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m pooping.”

6 More Time-Crunched Kettlebell Complex Workouts

I’m done writing, for now.

If you have any questions, drop them in the comments, email me at PatFlynn@ChroniclesOfStrength.com, Tweet at me, or come say hi on Facebook. Whichever you’d like.

Workout #2: Swing Mountain

Perform 2-3 rounds of the following complex:
2 x two hand swing
1 x goblet squat
4 x two hand swing
2 x goblet squat
6 x two hand swing
3 x goblet squat
8 x two hand swing
4 x goblet squat
10 x two hand swing
5 x goblet squat

Recommend weight: 24kg kettlebell for males, 16kg kettlebell for females

Workout #3: Fresh Off The Yacht

Perform 5 rounds of the following complex :
5 x one arm swing
5 x one arm clean
5 x one arm snatch
5 x one arm jerk
5 x reverse lunge

Workout #4: The Hellion

Perform 1-2 rounds of the following complex:
2 x two hand swing
2 x one one arm swing
2 x squat to press (aka thruster)
Add two reps to each movement the next time through. Continue adding two reps with each cycle until you reach ten. Then go back down in the same fashion.

Recommend weight: 16-24kg for males, 8-16kg for females

Workout #5: The Viking Warrior

Perform 15 minutes of the following snatch interval sequence:
15 seconds x one arm snatch (right arm)
15 seconds rest
15 seconds x one arm snatch (left arm)
15 seconds rest

Workout #6: The Good Samaritan

Perform 3-5 rounds of the following complex
5 x double military press
30 seconds x overhead hold
5 x double front squat
30 seconds x rack hold

Workout #7: The Great Destroyer

Had to.

Perform 1-3 rounds of the following complex:
10 x double swing
10 x double snatch
10 x double clean and press
10 x front squat
10 x push up

Recommend weight: 16-20kg for males, 8-12kg for females

***

About Pat Flynn: Pat Flynn is a certified Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructor, fitness philosopher, and 7th degree blackbelt in hanging out. Pat is the founder of ChroniclesOfStrength.com and chief contributor to the Chronicles of Strength Inner Circle where he shares his best ideas on how to chop fat and multiply muscle through kettlebell complex training. Pat also offers online coaching. It’s expensive, and certainly not for those who are fragile by nature. Email Pat at PatFlynn@ChroniclesOfStrength.com with the subject line of “online coaching” to learn more.

Using the SAT to Fix Your Kettlebell Snatch

May 15, 2013 By Mike Krivka 2 Comments

Overview

The SAT, or Snatch Assessment Tool, is a tool that I created to help trainers and kettlebell practitioners alike to visually assess and correct their Kettlebell Snatch technique. Working with athletes on a daily basis makes it a requirement to have simple and effective tools in your “trainer’s toolbox” to quickly fix or remediate movement skills. Always on the lookout for new tools that I can use, I was thrilled when I learned about Dan John’s Hinge Assessment Tool and how simple and effective it was. Dan’s HAT or Hinge Assessment Tool inspired me to look at the Kettlebell Snatch in a very different light; interpreting the markers for a great Snatch technique as opposed to a poor Snatch technique. So once again I find myself thanking Dan John… Thanks!

The Snatch Assessment Tool (SAT)

The SAT is comprised of four tests that will allow the user to visually assess the subjects Kettlebell Snatch technique and hopefully lead them to several corrections or technique modifications. All that is required for the SAT is a stick or PVC pipe about six feet long, a bit of open space, and a Kettlebell. Once you have all those things in place you’re ready to go.

The four tests are: Taming the Arc, Trajectory, Transition, and Top Lockout. Looking at each one of these separately and in combination will improve your Snatch technique, make them more consistent and safer, and allow you to move more weight faster and more efficiently.

Taming the Arc

Taming the Arc means that you are using just enough forward swing to mobilize the Kettlebell and get it into the overhead position as safely and as efficiently as possible. What this means is that the forward arc that most people associate with the Kettlebell Swing needs to be dialed back and that energy needs to be translated into upward movement.

To check if the arc of the Kettlebell has been properly tamed you will need to have the subject stand with their arm bent at ninety degrees and the elbow tucked against their body. The fingertips should be extended and the stick should be placed at the end of the fingertips. This will be the testing distance for the Snatch and the subject should not realign their feet once they have found the correct distance. The trainer should stand in front of the subject, holding the stick in place, so that they can observe the arc of the Kettlebell. Have the subject do several Kettlebell Snatch on both the right and left side to see if they can effectively mobilize the Kettlebell within this testing zone.

Trajectory

Trajectory means the path that the Kettlebell takes from the backswing all the way to the overhead position and on the way back down. The trajectory of the kettlebell is important in that it tells a lot about the subject’s backswing, shoulder alignment, pull/punch transition, and hand position on the Kettlebell. Optimally the trajectory of the Kettlebell should be a straight line when viewed from the front. Deviations from this optimal trajectory indicate that there are compensations occurring during the movement that will need to be addressed.

To check if the trajectory of the Kettlebell both safe and efficient have the subject stand with their arm bent at ninety degrees and the elbow tucked against their body. The fingertips should be extended and the stick should be placed at the end of the fingertips. This will be the testing distance for the Snatch and the subject should not realign their feet once they have found the correct distance. In this instance the trainer should pay particular attention as to where the place the stick in relation to the subject. While maintaining the testing distance the stick should be placed so that it bisects the subject’s body; clearly defining their centerline. The trainer should stand in front of the subject, holding the stick in place, so that they can observe the trajectory of the Kettlebell. Have the subject do several Kettlebell Snatch on both the right and left side to see if they can effectively mobilize the Kettlebell within this testing zone. Observe the path that the Kettlebell takes and confirm that it is moving parallel with the stick from the backswing to the overhead lockout position. The easiest way to confirm this is to focus on the thumb of the hand holding the Kettlebell. Do not focus on the Kettlebell itself; watch the hand that is mobilizing the Kettlebell instead. This will give you a truer evaluation of the trajectory than focusing on the Kettlebell itself.

Transition

Transition means the timing between pulling through the backswing and the ballistic punch of the Kettlebell into the overhead lockout in addition well as managing the “float”. This is an oftentimes underappreciated aspect of the Kettlebell Snatch but by studying this part of the technique you can gain insight into how well the person is transferring energy to and from the Kettlebell.

To check and see if the transition of the Kettlebell is both safe and efficient once again have the subject stand in testing position described above. Make sure that you can easily see the subject from hips to shoulders and that once again the centerline is bisected by the stick. Have the subject do several Kettlebell Snatch on both the right and left side and note where the transition from “pulling” to “punching” occurs. In the instance where the energy derived from the backswing and the hip snap are effectively being transferred to the Kettlebell you will notice that the transition occurs above the waist and approaching the shoulders. This transitional zone should be consistent from the right side to the left side in the absence of any other factors. If the transition is observed as being well above the shoulders and almost at the lockout position then the Snatch technique should be evaluated again for leaks in the hip snap or a shortened backswing among other factors.

Top Lockout

Top Lockout means the position of the Kettlebell overhead once it has stopped moving. This is a loaded overhead position and it’s alignment with the shoulder, midline and hand tells a lot about the rest of the technique. Having a good top lockout means that the load from the Kettlebell is being transmitted through the whole body in a safe, efficient and strong manner and that the shoulders, neck and back are not unduly taxed in the process.

In this instance the trainer should stand beside the subject and line the stick up with the subject’s ear. There is no need to “crowd” the subject during this part of the assessment and it is important that the trainer has enough room to make a good visual assessment of the termination of the Snatch. Have the subject do several Kettlebell Snatch on both the right and left side, pausing in the overhead position until the trainer releases them for the next repetition. The trainer should observe the location of both the subject’s hand and the kettlebell at the termination of the Snatch. The optimal position of the subject’s hand should be inline or slightly behind their ear and the stick should make any deviations from this position quite obvious. If the subject is observed stopping the Kettlebell prior to a full overhead lockout position (i.e. the hand in front of the subject’s ear) then the Snatch technique will need to be reevaluated from the bottom to top to see where the truncation of the movement originates.

Summation

The Kettlebell Snatch is a visually simple but technically challenging technique with a host of subtleties involved. Mastering it will take the average athlete thousands and thousands of repetitions to be competent at it while true mastery of the movement will take tens of thousands of repetitions. While this might be daunting to some I hope it is a challenge to others in that is will inspire you to study the technique and find out how to make it more efficient, safe and powerful.

I hope this blog posting will benefit you and I look forward to your feedback and comments.

***

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

Are You Making These Mistakes With This Key Kettlebell Drill?

May 1, 2013 By Phil Ross Leave a Comment

Picture courtesy of Cathy Raimonda, HKC

The Kettlebell Front Squat is a key movement directly applicable to virtually every sport and to ALL sports requiring explosive power and strength positions. The squat is also essential to everyday life. Picking up our child, carrying suitcases, getting up out a chair – to name a few. Many people believe that they can’t squat. However after one short lesson they realize that they can. In most cases, if you can sit on a toilet you are able to squat. We utilize an active negative method of pulling the hips into the squat position. Barring any severe deficiencies or physical limitations, this method has remarkable results – usually the first time it is applied!

Why is the Kettlebell Front Squat such an essential movement? The strength gains from the Kettlebell Front Squat experienced in the legs, hips and especially the core are greater and with a significantly lighter load than required with the back squat. When considering Sports Performance and General Fitness, there is a breakpoint where the training required and the muscle size created actually hinders your performance. For example, if squatting 400 lbs. helps you reach a 10.4 second mark in the 100 meter dash, squatting 450 lbs may not necessarily bring your sprint down to 10.2; you may actually become slower!

Yes, your squat will increase, but your hamstrings and hips will become tighter thus slowing your movement. The aforementioned numbers are arbitrary. There are far too many variables in individuals and sports to effectively assign exact numbers. In order to provide accurate assessments, experimentation needs to be conducted on a case by case basis. However, I will add one caveat; if your goal to have an extremely heavy back squat and you are a powerlifter, you need to perform heavy sets of traditional, back squats. Even though the Kettlebell Front Squat (KFS) will help boost your back squat numbers, you still need to perform the actual movement that you are competing in.

The Kettlebell is placed in front of you, whether bottoms up, racked or bottoms down. Compression and core activation is required to stabilize your truck and and your spine. Compression, tension and an active negative are all employed as you inhale and pull yourself deep into your squat. The spine is kept long and strong with no “tail tuck” as you get to the bottom. A quick, short and forceful exhale shoots you upward to the fully locked position. The strength of your upper torso is also required/developed to hold the Kettlebell(s) in place as you perform your KFS. Proper power breathing and expansion of your intercostals and serratus, not to mention the development of your pectorals, forearms, biceps and triceps. The muscles that comprise latissimus dorsi are recruited to keep your back straight and strong to handle the load in front.

As far as actual weight is concerned, you have to use considerably less weight with a KFS than for a back squat with better results and less chance of injury. On the back squat, the object is to break parallel with the greatest amount of weight possible on your back and then stand back up into the upright position. One’s back is compromised from having to bend forward to get lower and the hips are also overloaded due to the wide stance. This position does not aide you in developing the strength and proper neural pattern for strength development. On the other hand, the proper execution of the KFS lends itself to activating the Central Nervous System to develop incredible strength the legs as well as in the core/stabilizers. By keeping the spine long and strong, you develop a “Tower of Power” enabling you to move resistive loads and push with your whole body.

I could go on and on about the Kettlebell Front Squat, but I’m sure that you only have a limited time to read! You need to get in there and start practicing your KFS! Substantial gains in your leg strength, increased your cardiovascular capacity and explosive power development, while creating a healthy spine and a pair knees, are all benefits of the Kettlebell Front Squat.

Get Strong and Stay Strong!

Coach Phil Ross, Master RKC

***

About Phil Ross, Master RKC, 8^th Degree Black Belt, Specialist in Bodyweight Strength and CK-FMS Certified: Phil Ross’ name is synonymous with Martial Arts and Fitness. He is known as the area’s Kettlebell King and has successfully competed on the National Level in… Read more here.

The Deadlift Row With Andrea Du Cane

April 25, 2013 By Andrea Du Cane 2 Comments

I hope you enjoyed my last post and video on the low or pendulum swing.

The second exercise I came up with during my knee re-hab was the kettlebell deadlift row. This is an incredible back and lower body exercise that again anyone can do. It follows the deadlift/hinge pattern, the key to a lower body killer workout is to keep the shins as vertical as possible and yet drop your hips down as low as possible.

This exercise really targets the mid-back muscles, like the hard to strengthen Rhomboids, as well as lower trap, lats, triceps and biceps. The key here is to keep your chest facing toward the ground at the bottom of the deadlift to be in the proper position for the row.

The secret to a proper row, is to initiate the movement by depressing the lats first. I think of it as pushing my shoulders down away from my ears. This will prevent the movement from being a trapezius exercise.

Then I pull my scapula together and drive my elbows back. The inside of the upper arms should “scrape” against the ribcage and the elbows should pinch together at the top. The chest will naturally push out and forward at the top of the pull. Keep the neck and head neutral.

Slowly straighten the elbows and then stand up from the deadlift. Pause a moment and tighten the glutes, legs, and abs while keeping your shoulders down and and shoulder blades pinching together.

You are ready for another rep. Lower down to the bottom of the deadlift with the kettlebell a couple of inches from the floor and perform the row again. Always straighten your arms completely before standing up again.

I do these as a superset with the low pendulum swings covered in the previous post.

Again I do intervals of :30 work to :25 rest. I’ll also add in dead swings, or single rep swings and regular swings as well.

You’ll love how this drill really targets the upper and mid-back while you are still working your hips and legs hard!

***

Andrea Du Cane is a Master Kettlebell Instructor, CK-FMS certified, CICS certified, Primal Move National Instructor and RIST, ZHealth certified, and has a BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota. She is featured on Breaking Muscle website as the February 2012 coach of the month. She is also a Pilates instructor. She has over twenty years of aerobics, weight training and fitness experience, with an additional background in… Read more here.

The 9-Minute Kettlebell Complex From Hell

April 24, 2013 By Pat Flynn 12 Comments

Complex creation is a delicate art. If not constructed thoughtfully and with a proper understanding of the primary function of the thing itself, you will not have a complex. You will have tapioca. You will be assiduously chugging your way through, sweat beating off your brow, optimistically thinking you’re going to make it, and then, out of nowhere, it hits you with the double snatch and there you are.

I employ kettlebell complexes for the singular function of augmenting metabolic capacity, and I would argue that that is how everyone ought to employ them.

Fatigue is not desired when training strength, as we’ve come to know. But when conditioning yourself, metabolically or otherwise, fatigue is nearly inevitable. To understand this is to know that if we wish to increase the efficient delivery of the metabolic pathways, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, we must then impose a demand upon them blah, blah, blah, blah, blah , law of adaptation, blah, blah, blah. That is, if we wish to NOT get tired so quickly, then we have to make a habit out of tiring ourselves, from time to time.

And it is here that I admit even Crossfit has gained an elementary understanding. What they have failed to understand, however, is that capacity training does not need to be so complex or cluttered to be effective. There are perilous cracks in the system, you see—the inclusion of high rep Olympic lifting is demonstrative of this, and is in large part why I am naturally hesitant to encourage anyone to partake in a Crossfit WOD, less I have something against them.

So, if fatigue is generally unavoidable with capacity training—which it is—then we ought to construct our complexes from movements that are not of such a high technical skill. But this is not to say from movements that are easy—oh no, no, no.

Let us take the swing for example. It is a relatively low skill movement, is it not? I mean, you throw your hips back and then blast ‘em forward like you’re really getting after something. But would you call this an “easy” movement? I certainly would not—even after all these years I still would not call it an “easy” movement. To this very day the swing still presents me with a considerable metabolic challenge. But, since it is of relatively low skill, proficiency may be maintained well into the higher repetitions. Thus, it makes for a safe and convenient component for complex construction.

The same can be said of all the fundamental kettlebell movements, really. Yes, even the snatch. While the “czar of all kettlebell lifts” may be technically more demanding than the swing, it is still a relatively low-skill movement—particularly when compared to something like the barbell snatch.

This is why I fancy the kettlebell for metabolic training to the extent that I do. The movements are comparatively “low-skill” yet remain “high-demand”, not to mention friendlier on the joints than say kipping pull ups or box jumps (both of which are rubbish for capacity training, if you ask me).

Remember, the objective of metabolic conditioning is simply to keep the system as a whole under a prolonged period of stress (the heart, lungs, kidneys, etc) while cycling through various muscle groups and energy systems. This takes a special kind of conditioning to endure, specifically, it is what Arthur Jones referred to as “the metabolic condition”. This is to say that it takes metabolic conditioning to develop “the metabolic condition”. And what I’m saying is this can be achieved conveniently, cleanly, and safely through kettlebell complex training.

I have over at my website a library of metabolic conditioning complexes. I have even put together a free eBook of 101 of my favorite kettlebell complexes for blasting fat and boosting muscle. If you’re into this sort of thing, you may download it HERE.

But today, I wish to share with you one particularly heinous invention of mine.

Did I say invention? Because I did not mean to. No man is truly original—it is an impossible task, can’t be done. We are, in fact, congenitally incapable of origination, not a singular fleeting thought has ever truly been our own. We are ultimately all a function of our outside influences. Through these outside influences we may then make new associations and connections—if we are so able—and turn out innovation, but never, ever origination. We just can’t do it.

So I hereby concede that this is not my invention, simply my innovation. It is merely the consequence of what results when you enter the bathroom with Enter the Kettlebell in one hand, Dante’s Inferno in the other, and read them both in the very same session.

There are a few prerequisites to this complex. The first of which, is that you must own the technique of the all the collective kettlebell techniques individually. That is, you must have proficiency in each movement by itself before you even think about stringing them together. Actually, that’s pretty much the only prerequisite.

There are also a few rules to this complex. The first is unbreakable, and that, of course, is to maintain safe form at all times. If form starts to go, put the bell down at once and rest for as long as necessary. The second is to maintain consistent form; meaning, as you grow more and more fatigued, you must diligently fight the urge to cheat reps—namely, cutting depth in the swing or the squat. I’d rather you rested and continued on with consistent form when you are able than to push through sloppily and disjointedly. Thirdly, work at a REASONABLE pace. Do NOT make an attempt to squeeze as many reps in per set as possible, as this will only lead to some really crappy movement. The idea here is not to try and set any records, just to keep moving the entire time with good form.

For the average male a 16kg or 20kg kettlebell will do fine. This may seem light, but just take my word on it for now. For the ladies, I’d recommend an 8kg or a 12kg.

The complex is as follows:

The one arm swing (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The high pull (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The clean (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The snatch (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The reverse lunge (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The military press (30 seconds left + 30 seconds right)

The two hand swing (30 seconds)

Four point plank (30 seconds)

The two hand swing (30 seconds)

Four point plank (30 seconds)

Push Up (30 seconds)

Hey, I guess that’s really only eight a half minutes. Go figure.

*The source of this complex at present remains unverified. It is likely that it is not actually from Hell as the author claims.

***

Pat Flynn is the founder of Chronicles of Strength, publisher of the Chronicles of Strength Newsletter, and chief contributor to the Chronicles of Strength Inner Circle – a membership site dedicated to helping others grow strong(er) and get lean(er) through kettlebell training and primal fitness approaches. Pat is also the co-author of the upcoming book tentatively titled Paleo Fitness for Dummies.

But that is not the worst. Pat Flynn is also a certified Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructor, and other things of the sort. He talks mostly on how to chop fat and build muscle through kettlebell complex training.

He has an unrivaled capacity to think hard about himself for hours on end – and when at last he is exhausted of the subject matter, he is then in a condition to watch Matlock.

Understanding Kettlebell Ballistics and Grinds

April 19, 2013 By Mike Krivka 1 Comment

Kettlebell exercises can be segmented into two general categories: Ballistics and Grinds. The simplest distinction between the two is that Ballistic exercises are for the most part executed very fast, while grinds are slow. A more insightful and accurate distinction would be that ballistics train the practitioner to generate and absorb power in a dynamic fashion, while grinds train the practitioner to generate full-body power (and tension) in a contracted or sustained fashion.

Whichever way that you look at it there is a big distinction between the two types of techniques and the more you understand about the differences the more successful you will be when learning and perfecting them.

“Ballistics” refers to dynamic, explosive, multi-joint exercises such as the Clean, Snatch, Swing, Jerk, etc. These exercises are normally performed within a wide range of motion (or movement pattern) and incorporate a large number of muscles and muscular chains. Ballistic exercises tax not only the muscles but also the heart and lungs – think wind sprints as opposed to a slow comfortable jog. Ballistics challenge your ability to regulate your breathing, monitor your form, and master the “tight-loose-tight” method of body tension. A note about tension: it is not that Ballistics don’t as much tension as Grinds it is that they take a higher level of mastery of the manipulation and application of tension.

“Grinds” refer to slow, controlled pressing, pulling or squatting exercises such as the Military or Overhead Press, Squat, Deadlift, Side and Screw Press, etc. These exercises are distinguished by the need for constant tension on the muscles or muscular chain throughout the execution of the exercise. Grinds require particular attention to whole-body tension and the regulation of sustained power breathing.

grinder_sandwich — Not this kind of grind!

Grinds will challenge your ability to maintain tension, smoothly transition from muscle group to muscle group, and point out inconsistencies and inadequacies in your structure and alignment. In particular Grinds will show any lacking in positional and transitional strength that you might have and help you learn how to manage the feedback from the movement.

A third possible category for Kettlebell techniques could be referred to as “Hybrids” or “Combinations”. They feel a bit like a Ballistic and a bit like a Grind – think Kettlebell Thrusters, Split or Squat Snatch, Split or Squat Jerk, and the Overhead Squat. These exercises accentuate the best and the worst of both the Ballistics and the Grinds.

They are performed within a wide range of motion (or movement pattern), require you to move between maximum tension and maximum relaxation, tax both aerobic and anaerobic thresholds, require smooth transitions from muscle group to muscle group, and develop the ability to transition from sustained strength to dynamic strength in the same exercise. Hybrids are a lot of fun to perform, but you need to be particularly careful that you don’t keep going after fatigue (and oxygen deprivation) has made mince-meat of your form.

The RKC Level I curriculum gives you a solid foundation in both Ballistics and Grinds with the Swing, Clean and Snatch comprising the Ballistics and the Squat, Deadlift, Military or Overhead Press and the Turkish Get-up rounding out the Grinds. With this knowledge in hand an experienced trainer can devise workouts that can take advantage of all three types of exercises. The only caveat is you need to be cautious when sequencing the exercises, paying particular attention to the number of sets or duration of each type that are performed.

A good rule of thumb is to Grind while you’re fresh and do Ballistics while you still have the breath to do them properly. Trying to perform effective grinds after a lung-searing session of ballistics or hybrids may be detrimental to your health. You might toss your lunch, or drop a kettlebell on your head!

***

Pendulum (Low Swing) Workout

April 10, 2013 By Andrea Du Cane 4 Comments

I’d like to share with you a little story about myself. Last September while traveling in Scotland I fell down an escalator and dislocated my left patella. Not fun! Especially since it was the 4^th time it had happened to my knee since my teens and I was on the road instructing at workshops.

Obviously, all squatting and ballistic movements were off-limits for a couple of months. Yet I still needed to keep my strength in my glutes , legs and back as much as possible. So I came up with a couple of exercises (along with my “go-to” knee rehab exercise the single-leg deadlift), the pendulum swing and the deadlift row.

Today I’m going to talk about the pendulum swing. This exercise is one of the progressions we use in the RKC for teaching the swing. It is used to teach the idea that the lats are very active on the backswing and are necessary to help fully load the hips and glutes at the bottom of the swing.

This exercise reinforces the loading of the butt and legs and the activation of the lats. When done in an interval, your back and butt will be screaming for mercy!

I usually perform them with a :30 work/:25 rest interval. I superset pendulum swings with the Dead Swings, and the Dead-lift row.

To begin, start in your swing stance, using a heavy kettlebell. A heavier kettlebell is easier to use during the pendulum than a lighter bell, the more weight the more it counterbalances your hips. Trust me, if you go to light you’ll end up on your butt!

Grab the kettlebell with 2-hands and “hike-pass” the kettlebell explosively between your legs. Your upper arms will make contact with your ribcage on the backswing.

Just let your arms relax and “float” forward, do not use your arms to swing it forward. As the kettlebell swings to the front stay low and sit back and down. Tighten your glutes and keep your shoulders packed, the kettlebell should still be able to float straight forward. Just do not let your shoulders shrug up or out as the kettlebell swings to the front.

The focus is on the backswing with the arms doing a lot of the work, your lats, triceps and back will really get a great workout. It’s super important to remember you MUST keep a neutral spine throughout the entire set. If you lose the spinal position, immediately put the kettlebell down and rest, before starting again.

As the kettlebell floats/swings forward, the emphasis should be on sitting back and down, not on the kettlebell moving forward. There is a natural rocking motion you’ll achieve as you do this. Rocking slightly from the heels to the balls of the feet. BUT, make sure to keep your feet as rooted as possible while doing this exercise.

Your butt and legs, lats and triceps should be on fire when you’re done.

As I mentioned feel free to superset these with any other swing or deadlift exercises. And use any interval timing that suits your needs and fitness level.

For those with knee problems, this is a excellent alternative to full explosive swings.

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The Dirty Dozen Exercises: Move #2, The Bridge

March 29, 2013 By Phil Ross 8 Comments

Master RKC Phil Ross explains the Bridge

The Bridge, what an incredible exercise! There is no single exercise for developing two steel cable like spinal erectors supporting and protecting your spine than the Bridge. Being a former wrestler, I had the fortune of being introduced to the Bridge at an early age and while training in Greco-Roman Wrestling, I was taught how to go belly to belly with another wrestler, pop my hips and bridge all the way backward, landing my opponent on his back (or head!) behind me. This required a great deal of practice bridging backward from a standing position. We would also “reverse bridge” from that position, coming up to fully upright and regain the standing position once again and repeat. Little did I realize at the time that I was equipping myself with an incredible foundation of strength that would help me with all of my other physical and athletic activities for the rest of my life. Other than gymnastics, very few high school sports develop the spinal erectors and utilize the bridge to the extent of wrestling and gymnastics.

The muscles in the back at the most important group of muscles in the body. The Bridge is exactly what the name connotes, the exercise “bridges” the upper and lower sections of your body together. Your back is also the support structure for your whole body. How many times have you seen (or experienced) throwing your back out and being completely helpless? One can have “biceps like mountain peaks”, they tweak their back and they are as helpless as a newborn lamb! The importance of the Bridge is second to none. Your central nervous system is housed in your spine and the spinal erectors and other support muscles protect and control the the spine and it’s movement. Why would anyone ignore the single exercise that develops the most important muscle group in the body? The Ancient Greeks knew the importance of a strong back. Look at the depictions of the god Atlas. His exceptionally prominent back muscles rippling under the stress of his eternal task of holding up the world!

How do we achieve this? Who does the Bridge work for?

There are many variations of the Bridge. You will find a variation or modification that may be used by virtually anyone at any age. Even people who have physical deficiencies will benefit from doing bridges. I have students that have suffered severe injuries or were born disabled and they have developed great strength in their backs and abdominals through employing bridging techniques. Not only does the Bridge develop the spinal erectors and other back support muscles but it has a profound positive effect on the abdominals, gluteus, hamstrings and in higher level movements, the shoulders and arms as well. The Tall Kneeling Bridge also develops great strength and flexibility in the quads.

The regenerative and restorative properties of the Bridge are unmatched by any other single exercise group. The Bridge develops stability, flexibility and durability like no other. Implement the Bridge into your workout regiment and develop a “Bullet Proof Back”!

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Master RKC, 8^th Degree Black Belt, Specialist in Bodyweight Strength and CK-FMS Certified. Phil Ross’ name is synonymous with Martial Arts and Fitness. He is known as the area’s Kettlebell King and has successfully competed on the National Level in… Read more here.

The Best Kettlebell Exercise You Aren’t Using

March 22, 2013 By Josh Henkin 2 Comments

I typically have a different view on kettlebell training than most. Very few times (on an occasion) did I have clients coming to me with the specific goal of learning kettlebells. Rather, I saw kettlebells as a means to help clients achieve their various goals not only faster than they would ever expect, but safely as well.

One of the biggest traps in any training system though is to get caught into believing you have to teach people EVERY exercise and that you have to teach even specific exercises. The truth is you have to teach people the RIGHT exercises.

This relates to a specific problem I would find with many people when it came not only to kettlebells, but more dynamic strength training. That is the idea of how to move quickly with weights. Not just accelerating weights either, but the ability to decelerate.

You see deceleration is the same as eccentric strength, which basically is the ability to stop! If we look at when most athletes get injured during competition it is during deceleration. When they suddenly have to stop and change direction or are absorbing high eccentric loads. In fact, in Dr. Michael Yessis’ book, “Secrets of Russian Sports Fitness and Training,” he cites eccentric loading as one of the two main ways athletes become injured.

One of the unique benefits of kettlebells is to deliver high eccentric forces to the body without the same impact of training methods such as plyos. However, what makes kettlebells a positive can also make them a challenge, especially for beginners. Learning how to decelerate the kettlebell during drills such as swings, cleans, snatches, etc. is where people are MOST likely to get injured because of the higher forces being acted upon the body.

As many of you already using kettlebells know, the challenge becomes that you can’t slow down the speed of these exercises and in fact trying to do so increases the chance of injury. So, what do you do? The solution is right in front of us with how kettlebells have been used for centuries—change the leverage. Remember, because kettlebells aren’t as adjustable in increments like a barbell, we often use leverage to create progression.

The best example is simply using the drill called the High Pull. The High Pull is a great problem solving drill for many kettlebell exercises. It helps teach the correct path of the kettlebell during the snatch, how to create force with the hips and not the arms, as well as reducing the lever arm so we can safely introduce faster movements to our clients.

Because the High Pull possesses a shorter lever arm than the swing, it also allows us to introduce more complex movements in more subtle and safer means. In the training video below we break down the essentials of the kettlebell High Pull and how you can get more out of your kettlebell training with this powerful drill.

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Josh Henkin, Senior 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

The Dirty Dozen: Move #1 – The Kettlebell Swing

February 13, 2013 By Phil Ross 18 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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