Less is More

One of the things I appreciate most about RKC Hardstyle Kettlebell training is the concept that less is more. Today's morning kettlebell class featured only two techniques: windmills and snatching yet it was an intense whole body workout that was simultaneously challenging and invigorating.

This morning's class featured two techniques:  Windmill variations and the hardstyle snatch.
Both techniques are whole body movements that will challenge you from toes to finger tips.

• The Windmill, cousin to the getup, part overhead lift, part single leg deadlift,  is a slow strength move that will challenge your balance, hamstring flexibility, glute strength, stability through the midsection, shoulder strength, grip and thoracic mobility.
   
• The Snatch is the ultimate whole body explosive movement. The kettlebell is held overhead in a lock out, dropped and pulled powerfully backward between the legs then the movement is explosively reversed returning to the lockout position. High repetition snatches with a light kettlebell (35lbs for men, 18lbs for women) performed to specifically structured intervals have been proven to burn 28 calories per minute, improve vertical jump, improve endurance, grip endurance, VO2 max, lactic acid tolerance and more. 

 Today's Workout

• Warmup
• Joint Rotations, Pump Stretch, Halos, Slingshot
• Bodyweight Windmills 5 left/ 5 right
• Weighted Windmills
• Windmills with the Kettlebell held in the bottom hand 5/5
• Windmills with the Kettlebell held overhead 5/5
• Windmills with two kettlebells one held in each hand 5/5
• Windmills with two kettlebells held in the bottom hand 5/5
• Two Hands Anyhow( A windmill with the 1st kettlebell held overhead, descend, curl a 2nd kettlebell into the rack position, stand up, press) 5/5
• Snatches
• VO2Max Cadence Test (5 minutes)
• 36:36 Snatch Protocol (15 minutes)
  
  36 seconds of snatches with one arm at 60% of the reps achieved in your 5th minute of the CMVO2 Snatch Test, 36 seconds rest, repeat.  Today I did sets of 20 reps with the 35lb kettlebell for each 36 second interval.
• Cool Down
• Putting the Kettlebells away
• Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
• Pump Stretch

Swinging a cast iron-weight overhead requires highly specialized technique and good judgement.

Kettlebell training can be exceptionally intense and should NOT be attempted without the consent of your physician.

Kettlebell training is best learned under the supervision of a qualified Kettlebell instructor.

The popularity of Kettlebells has resulted in the fitness market being flooded with unqualified trainers who offer kettlebell instruction without ever having been trained with kettlebells properly themselves.
Unqualified trainers are easily recognized by the steady stream of injuries and bruising that occur in their classes on a regular basis.

Consult the RKC Kettlebell Instructor Database to find the highest quality and most qualified kettlebell instructors in your area.