Today's Workout: Fighting without throwing a punch

The following workout will help you understand how kettlebell training is the closest you will come to feeling like you are in a fight without throwing a punch. In fact, if you are a fighter (MMA, Martial Arts, etc...) then with a little imagination you can use this routine to improve your fighting spirit, hip drive, and specific strength for keeping your hands up.  To give you an idea of the intensity and difficulty of this workout one kettlebell victim who survived it came up with the following names for this routine: "DeathScalator".  The name needs some work, but it gets the point across.

This workout is a combination or chain of four basic kettlebell techniques The Clean, The Press, The Squat, The Snatch.

You will perform one rep of each technique, then two, then three then switch arms & repeat. Without setting the kettlebell down switch back to the arm you started with and climb back down the ladder: 3 reps each, 2 reps each, 1 rep each. Switch arms and repeat. Then perform again climbing up to four reps then back down, then up to five reps and back down. Finish with 10 minutes of hardstyle swings. This workout can take around 30-45 minutes depending on the amount of rest taken.

I recommend a light kettlebell for this routine. I find using a 16kg/35lb kettlebell for this routine to be quite challenging yet I've completed 200+ 24kg snatches in 10 minutes and use the 36kg for press ladders.

Recommended Size Kettlebell:
Guys: 26lb, 35lb or 44lb kettlebell
Ladies: 14lb, 18lb or 26lb kettlebell

The Routine

Left Arm

• 1 Clean, 1 press, 1squat, 1 snatch
• 2 Cleans, 2 presses, 2squats, 2 snatches
• 3 Cleans, 3 presses, 3squats, 3 snatches

Switch Arms & Repeat
Switch Arms

• 3 Cleans, 3 presses, 3squats, 3 snatches
• 2 Cleans, 2 presses, 2squats, 2 snatches
• 1 Clean, 1 press, 1squat, 1 snatch

Set the kettlebell down & rest (Fast & Loose, Back Bends etc...)

Left Arm

• 1 Clean, 1 press, 1squat, 1 snatch
• 2 Cleans, 2 presses, 2squats, 2 snatches
• 3 Cleans, 3 presses, 3squats, 3 snatches
• 4 Cleans, 4 presses, 4squats, 4 snatches

Switch Arms & Repeat
Switch Arms

• 4 Cleans, 4 presses, 4squats, 4 snatches
• 3 Cleans, 3 presses, 3squats, 3 snatches
• 2 Cleans, 2 presses, 2squats, 2 snatches
• 1 Clean, 1 press, 1squat, 1 snatch

Set the kettlebell down & rest (Fast & Loose, Back Bends etc...)

Left Arm

• 1 Clean, 1 press, 1squat, 1 snatch
• 2 Cleans, 2 presses, 2squats, 2 snatches
• 3 Cleans, 3 presses, 3squats, 3 snatches
• 4 Cleans, 4 presses, 4squats, 4 snatches
• 5 Cleans, 5 presses, 5squats, 5 snatches

Switch Arms & Repeat
Switch Arms

• 5 Cleans, 5 presses, 5squats, 5 snatches
• 4 Cleans, 4 presses, 4squats, 4 snatches
• 3 Cleans, 3 presses, 3squats, 3 snatches
• 2 Cleans, 2 presses, 2squats, 2 snatches
• 1 Clean, 1 press, 1squat, 1 snatch

Set the kettlebell down & rest (Fast & Loose, Back Bends etc...)

10 Minutes of Kettlebell Swings

• Perform 20 reps with a light kettlebell
  then 
• 10 reps with a kettlebell twice the weight of the light kettlebell. 
• Rinse & Repeat for 10 minutes.

Notes:

• Feel free to use any variation of the squat such as a front squat, lunge, overhead lunge or overhead squat.
• Feel free to rearrange the order of the techniques and place the technique that you find to be the most challenging at the beginning of the combination. 
• Focus on quality repetitions & Never go to failure. Your last rep when you are completely smoked should like identical to first and freshest rep. Train and reinforce clean movement, do not tolerate sloppiness. Stayed mentally focused throughout the entire routine, if you are not mentally engaged by the routine your kettlebell is too light or you are too distracted for this routine. 

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.