Todays Workout

Here's my workout for the day. It's pretty simple... I refrained from double KB drills today because I'm feeling some muscle soreness.

1. Halos (16 kg KB)
2. Pump Stretch
3. Sumo Deadlifts (28 kg KB)
4. Getups 2 each side (28 kg KB)


5. Clean, Military Press Ladders & High Pulls (28kg KB)
   Note: I've been experiencing soreness lately so I'm going to back off and start with 3 ladders, 3 rungs with a 28kg bell.
   
   1st ladder: 4 rungs left/right
   2nd ladder: 3 rungs left/right
   3rd ladder: 3 rungs left/right
   


6. Snatches
   Note: I've not done my Monday Snatches since the RKC certification to let my hands heal.
   It's been a while so I had to determine my current 1-minute maximum number of snatches with a 24kg KB. I performed 15 reps with my left in 30 seconds and then without resting another 15 with my right for a total of 30 snatches with a 24kg KB in one-minute. I've never tried to do more than twenty in a minute before so I was suprised that I could do 30 with such ease. I got the idea of using 30 reps a minute as goal for building up to 10 minutes of snatches... that would mean 300 snatches in 10 minutes!!!! I think it will take me a while to acheive that one ;)
   
   I rolled an 8 on the dice so I performed 8 minutes of Snatches at 50% of my all out pace. That meant 16 reps every minute x 8 minutes for a total of 128 snatches in 8 minutes. I performed this part of the workout with ease. My hands were unphased. It looks like my conditioning is holding up.
   


7. 16kg Single Leg Deck Squats / a.k.a. "Pistols"
   Didnt keep count, got interrupted a few times. Focused on doing negative pistols then stood up using two legged squats.
   


8. Get down > Getup > Windmill > Swings > repeat.... several minutes with a 16kg KB (lost track)
   


9. Russian Twist / Hot Potato Situps with a 16kg KB5 sets of 40 reps
   


10. Pump Stretch

A new trainer at the YMCA introduced herself and asked questions about the Kettlbell. I took a few minutes and showed her Getups, Swings and the Windmill... actually I had her perform them while I spotted her. She's hooked and is planning on attending my 10am group class in the morning.

How I have benefitted from Kettlebell Training

Kettlebell training has ...

Re-Habilitated a severely sprained ankle of mine.
A little over two years ago I severly sprained an ankle. In fact, when it happened I was convinced that I had broken my ankle. Despite a solid year of intense jump rope conditioning my ankle still bothered me. Then about two months ago I discovered the Kettlebell 1-legged "Maxercist" row. While performing my regular kettlebell press/pull routine I replaced rows with one-legged rows. Almost immediately I noticed an improvement in my ankle strength. My ankle has not bothered me since.

Given me a new enjoyment of the outdoors...
While training for the RKC graduation exercise I spent a lot of time outdoors performing double kettlebell drills on the soccer fields outside the YMCA. For years I avoided the outdoors due to severe allergies. Somehow, allergies I've had my entire life have nearly disappeared. The extra dosage of sunlight has greatly affected my mood and improved the quality of my life by combating symptoms associated with depression. Now, I cant wait to take a pair of kettlebells to the nearest park and create a killer workout and I feel sorry for all those people stuck lifting weights in a dark concrete room somewhere.

Given me new level of body control, mastery, self-confidence ,strength and conditioning beyond anything I've had previously. One legged deck squats, strict one-arm pushups, one-arm pullups, improved forearm and grip strength, stronger back and abs than I've ever known. Since I began Kettlebell training I cant tell you how many times I've outlifed larger, stronger and more experience traditional weight lifters by accident. It usually starts with a casual conversation about kettlebells and then leads to a demonstration... I choose a weight that I assume the larger, stronger person should be able to handle and demonstrate a press, or getup and the other party fails miserably when they attempt the same. They always comment that the Kettlebell feels heavier than it looks and they are amazed that I could do what they could not.

Given me the Ultimate Cardio exercise that is safe on my knees and feet.
Being in martial arts I am very protective of my knees. Even when I was 25 running killed my knees and Jumping rope kills my feet. On some level I've always felt that running/jogging was one of the most destructive exercises a person could participate in and the trade off between cardio and impact on the joints was unacceptable to me.
Kettlebell swings, cleans and snatches are the ultimate replacement for running, they are far more challenging, more interesting, more intense and never leave by knees or feet feeling sore. Now whenever I see someone running on a treadmill or jogging outdoors I almost feel sorry them.

Given me a desire to exercise daily. The number of exercises and stretches that you can perform with Kettlebells are limited only by imagination. It's almost impossible to look at a kettlebell and NOT pick one up and discover new exciting ways to challenge and test my strength or flexibility.

A new understanding of strength as a skill. This more than anything has motivated me practice daily. It's something I could understand instanlty... I've understood this intuitively in martial arts but never thought about it's application to weight lifting. Simply grinding away daily at technique, greasing the groove, with mindful practice has made rapid improvements in my ability to lift more and more weight. It's very exciting and rewarding to see how refined technique and smart training pays off in lifting heavier weights, enhanced fitness, increased energy levels and improved body control. On several occassion I've outperformed stronger, larger more experienced lifters using the RKC approach to technique.
Additionally, so much of the RKC hard style technique directly relates to martial arts practice. It's nice to find something that I can actually refer to as effective cross training and believe in it's applicability 100%.


24kg/53lb Upside down press

Tabatas & Kettlebells

The Tabata method is 4 minute drill that is supposed to the most effective method of developing both aerobic and anaerobic endurance. "Tabatas" are performed like so...
Select any exercise that allows to you do 8 or more repetitions in 20 seconds such as Jump Rope, Mountain Climbers, Pushups. Perform 8 rounds of 20 seconds work and 10 seconds of rest. I love this drill because it is easy to talk yourself into working out for 20 seconds at a time yet a 4 minute drill will leave you sucking wind and you heart racing.

Recently my favorite Tabata drill is to perform Half-Snatches with a light Kettlebell (16kg). A half snatch is where I perform the snatch but stop the movement so that my arm finishes parallel to the ground. The KB touches lightly against the back of the wrist then I immediately pull the KB downward to begin the next rep. The combination of using a light Kettlebell and a half snatch allows me to move at a much faster pace and perform more reps without worrying about a heavy weight overhead.

Some tips for maximum effectiveness:
Select Exercises that are safe to perform when fatigued.
Count your reps and always try to meet or beat your last number.
After ten seconds rest begin your next set immediately be ready to perform your first rep before the next 20 second interval begins. You must actually perform 20 seconds of work and not waste precious time starting your first rep.
Multiple Tabatas can be performed back to back... 4 minutes of one exercise, 4 minutes of another and so on.

Enjoy the Pain!

Evil Double Kettlebell Drills

While preparing for the RKC Certification I stayed true to the Enter the Kettlebell Rite of Passage and did not waiver. For Eight months I stayed on a steady diet of Clean and Press / High Pull ladders for strength and Snatches and Swings for killer cardio.

With my martial arts background I can relate to the concept of mastering the basics but also recognize the value of being creative in the drills used to practice them. Staying true to one of the ETK & RKC mantras I have incorporated double kettlebell drills making my routine "same but different."

When performing my Clean and press ladders I will use two 24kg bells or two 16kg bells. The first time through the ladder I like to perform double kettlebell presses, the second ladder I may perform alternating "see-saw" presses and alternate in this fashion on successive ladders. Presses are followed by double high pulls.
Sometimes I'll include double KB squats or pistols.

Double swings are great for low reps but for high cardio I've been experimenting with double cleans, alternating cleans, anchored snatches, alternating snatch/cleans (one arm performs a clean while the other performs a snatch... very mentally demanding).

My Hands were pretty torn up from the 2nd day at the RKC certification so I've been taking it pretty easy on the snatches by incorporating what I call "half snatches" into my workouts. A "half snatch" is where I perform a snatch at shoulder level finishing with my arm parallel to the ground. These are easier on the shoulders and grip but allow me to compensate by moving at higher speeds.

One of my new favorite "ab" exercises is to simply hold two 24kg KBs in one hand and stand still... this gives my obliques an incredible contraction. I'll hold it for as long as possible and drop the weights (outside whenever possible).

Finally I've been playing with a double getup using two 16kg bells. I can get up off the ground into a standing position "easily" enough but getting down is a problem. I haven't discovered a good way to do it gracefully on the way down yet so I'll just re-rack the bells, set them down and start again from the bottom position.

So... what's my point? Kettlebells provide endless variations. I'm still performing the standard cleans, presses, pulls, swings, snatches, squats and getups but I'm using two KBs to mix it up. The exercises take on a whole new level of difficulty and now it's possible to get an even more intense workout completed in less time than before.

Kettlebells: The perfect workout?

The more I practice Kettlebell lifting the more I enjoy it. I've never participated in any other form of exercise where I see so many benefits and looked forward to working harder than before.

Kettlebell skills and results carry over to other endeavors.
Kettlebell lifting allows for a greater range of motion than free-weights resulting in increased flexibility, strength and muscle control through my entire range of flexibility.
Low-Rep grinds such as the military press and upside down press have resulting in tremendous gains in shoulder,foream, lat and ab strength.
High-rep Ballistic moves such as swings and snatches have resulted in phenomenal cardio, endurance and explosiveness.
For the first time in my life I am developing lats and all from the negative portion of the Military Press-RKC style.
Through the use of one legged rows, and presses my sprained ankle has become far more resilient and core strength has gone through the roof.
My mood is consistently better, I am looking forward to each day and I can't wait to share Kettlebells with the people I meet.



One of coolest things about kettlebells is that you can train with them absolutely anywhere and anytime. Today I practiced a brief RKC workout at a nearby park. Aside from dodging dog droppings it was one of the most enjoyable workouts I can remember.


Here's today's workout

Practiced double cleans, Double Military Presses, double swings, double front squats with two 53 lb kbs
A few presses of the 62lb KB

Using a light 16kg bell and 28 kg bell
30 seconds: L arm clean & press > 30 seconds R arm clean & press > 30 seconds goblet squat > 30 seconds rest > repeat 3x

30 seconds of L rows > 30 seconds Right > 30 seconds of figure 8's to a hold > 30 sec rest > repeat 3 times

30 seconds of swings > 30 seconds rest > repeat 6 times

A few rounds of 30 second snatches
Walking with KB in racked position
Farmer's walk

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