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RKC School of Strength

Official blog of the RKC

RKC plank

The Hardstyle Kettlebell Basics for Hiking

September 14, 2020 By Shawn Burnah Leave a Comment

Shawn Burnah, RKC The HKC Kettlebell Exercises For Hiking

In 2005, I was deployed to Afghanistan as an Infantryman in the Hindu Kush mountains and found some odd shaped weights stamped with “DragonDoor.com”. I did a search and found the book, The Russian Kettlebell Challenge. After reading the advertisement for the program and how it would build strength and endurance for soldiers and fighters I was sold.

After following the manual and video religiously, I was done with the “globo gym” and long runs, as my abilities surpassed my peers’ on the mountainous patrols. I practiced kettlebells and select calisthenics for years and was always more than capable to meet the challenges of rucking and jiu-jitsu. In 2017 I retired and now spend the majority of my free time in the mountains hiking and snowshoeing.

The RKC Plank:

The plank strengthens the body so it can remain upright while hiking under load. Maintaining a strong posture with a pack allows you to enjoy the views—instead of falling into a “pack mule” mode, where your head drops, and you plod along with one foot in front of the other. An upright posture also allows you to keep your lungs open and your focus on footing and route selection.

Shawn Burnah Hiking Climbing Obstacles

The Kettlebell Swing:

The Hardstyle kettlebell swing builds lungs, legs, and back strength as well as a strong core—all which are especially important for hiking. Contrary to popular belief, hiking requires more hamstring than quadricep involvement. Having attended courses which focused on performing a lot of air squats while wearing body armor, many of my classmates were still not prepared for the challenges of the mountains in our training. Fortunately, I had also added a liberal dose of swings in my off time. I practiced Bud Jeffries’ protocol outlined in I Will Be Iron and thrived on the trail while others collapsed in exhaustion.

Like the RKC plank, the kettlebell swing—particularly the one-armed swing (OAS)—builds the strength to keep the torso upright while walking with a heavy pack. The OAS also builds the strength to maintain stability as your weight continuously shifts back and forth from foot to foot. The momentary lock out at the top of the swing is also extremely important. It’s training for the “lock step” hikers use when going uphill that allows the bones to support the load for a brief rest, extending a hiker’s endurance. When training for hiking, consider swinging an RKC Snatch Test sized kettlebell for your weight class for many reps with good form. I was training with several hundred swings! Try to reach your rep goal without setting the kettlebell down.

The Goblet Squat:

Shawn Burnah Kettlebell Goblet SquatWhen we step up vertically while hiking, the quadriceps enter the scene. The quads act as shock absorbers, aid in speed control, and injury-proof your knees during all aspects of hiking, but especially when descending a mountain. The quadriceps are also prime movers for hopping around difficult terrain and help maintain stability when doing so. Practicing goblet squats is also similar to standing up with a heavy pack. Squats benefit hikers, but in a different way than most believe.

The author's son navigating obstacles on the trail
The author’s son navigating obstacles on the trail

The Get-Up:

The get-up mechanics are useful for hikers who are trying to rise from the ground with their pack on. When under a heavy pack like the military uses (60 – 100+ pounds), the ability to stand up smoothly prevents you from flailing like a beetle! By pressing and externally rotating the free arm downward and getting your leg underneath you, you allow yourself to rise evenly and under control. The get-up also increases strength and mobility of the spine and hips allowing you to step up, twist over, and move around obstacles.

The Hardstyle Push-up:

Triceps strength plays a role in scrambling uphill and lowering yourself down from a platform—instead of just dropping down and risking a lower body injury. Practicing Hardstyle push-ups also build the strength you will need to push up and over an obstacle.

The RKC Kettlebell Row:

Strong lats and rear delts assist in maintaining a good posture while wearing a pack. Rows build the strength required to climb up a sharp incline, or to pull a rope, tree, rock etc. The row also teaches you how to brace and pull to assist a fellow hiker up and over difficult obstacles like ledges.

While the exercises taught at the HKC (and through the online HardstyleFit program) may not cover every aspect of hiking, they are a solid foundation for you to start thriving in the mountains.

***

Shawn Burnah, RKC. Contact him through his Dragon Door Instructor page: Shawn Burnah, and Follow him on Instagram @shawn.burnah

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Mobility and Flexibility Tagged With: HardstyleFit, hikers, hiking, hkc, HKC exercises, kettlebell exercises for hiking, kettlebell swing, kettlebell training, kettlebells for hiking, RKC plank

Improve Your Posture with the RKC Kettlebell Swing

June 8, 2016 By Beth Andrews and Jay Armstrong 7 Comments

Senior RKC Beth Andrews Kettlebell Swings

Postural correction is a hot topic. Spending too much time in a seated position while driving or working on a computer will adversely affect our ability to stand up straight.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a time-efficient exercise that could counteract all the time you’ve spent in the seated position and help you develop good posture?

That exercise exists—it’s the kettlebell swing.

Swinging a kettlebell will help you develop strong muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments. It will also improve your endurance. But, one of the biggest benefits of the kettlebell swing is improvement in your posture. The kettlebell swing is a naturally corrective exercise which will help undo the maladaptive effects of too much sitting slumped over with a computer, tablet, or phone.

The following are some of the key postural issues that the RKC kettlebell swing can correct:

Problem #1: Your glutes are not working

Sitting down turns off your glutes. The RKC kettlebell swing includes a “hip drive” or “pop” that moves the tailbone under and drives the hips forward. The hips are a primary source of athletic power for many sports such as golf, tennis, baseball and boxing. This hip drive is fueled by a rapid and intense contraction of the glutes. Swinging a kettlebell can help you reactivate your glutes. Active glutes will also put the pelvis in a neutral position, increasing your athleticism and reducing your chances of developing chronic back pain.

Problem #2: Your back is rounded, and shoulders are hunched forward

When using a computer or driving a car, your arms are front of your body while you’re seated. This inevitably leads to the shoulders internally rotating and the chest collapsing. For most people, this also means they will look like a caveman when they finally stand up. The finish, or top position, of the RKC kettlebell swing features “packed” shoulders. This means that the shoulders are pulled back and down, the lats are activated, and the thoracic spine is in a neutral position.

The kettlebell swing also has the added advantage of teaching you to bend over and stand up into a correct postural position time after time, rep after rep. And each effort is performed under load. Using a weight means that the adaptive changes will take place faster. Even a short RKC kettlebell swing practice session will greatly improve your ability to go from a seated, computer desk position to an erect, well aligned standing position.

Problem #3 – Your core is weak and you cannot contract your abdominal muscles

Bad Computer Posture

Modern office furniture encourages us to relax everything while we type at the computer. This muscular relaxation includes the core and abs. But, when you stand up, your abs remain relaxed, your pelvis tips forward and all of your guts try to fall forward! Not very attractive. At the top position of the kettlebell swing, the spine is lengthened and aligned. In order to accomplish this alignment, the core must be stabilized with a balance of posterior and anterior tension. This simply means that the abs must be strongly contracted for a split second at the top of each swing. What could be a better way to relearn how to stabilize your core and contract your abs then to do this time after time with your RKC kettlebell swing.

One step we use while teaching the kettlebell swing is the RKC plank. Notice that opening your chest, contracting your abs, tightening your glutes and lengthening your spine into an ideal postural position are all part of the RKC plank exercise. The top position of a kettlebell swing should mimic the total body tension and spinal alignment of the RKC plank.

Beth Andrews RKC Plank

Focus on these points as you perform your RKC kettlebell swing. You will see fast and enormous postural improvements.

Stand tall my friend.

Beth Andrews and Jay Armstrong

****

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

Jay Armstrong is a Senior RKC, 6 Degree Black Belt TKD, and Master Z-Health Trainer.  The past 30 years have been dedicated to helping others develop confidence through increased strength and pain-free, exceptional mobility.  His quest for knowledge continues.  He runs The Kettlebell Club in Houston, Texas.

Filed Under: Kettlebell Training, Mobility and Flexibility, Tutorial Tagged With: beth andrews, Jay Armstrong, Kettlebell, kettlebell swing, kettlebell swings, kettlebells, plank, posture, posture correction, RKC, RKC plank

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