Tuesday, May 31, 2011

This Week's Routine - Shoulder Blitz

I posted a 5 minute kettlebell routine focusing on total body recruitment, which quickly became very popular on youtube.  So in response to that demand, I turned the video camera on during one of my many shoulder exercise circuits.  Here it is:




Please keep in mind that these are advanced exercises.  If you have not mastered the basic swings and getups, and perhaps even cleans, presses, and snatches (videos to come), I would focus on those exercises first.  For the record on terminology, the video above shows exercises in the following order:
1) Kettlebell Pummel
2) Kettlebell Side Press
3) Kettlebell Bend Press (with some Kettlebell Windmills thrown in as well)

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Kettlebell Classes Canceled Until Wed, 6/1, at 6pm

My wife and I are driving to Indiana for the Memorial Day weekend.  There will be no kettlebell classes on Sat, 5/28 and Mon 5/30.  Classes will resume Wed, 6/1, at 6pm.  Enjoy your weekend.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

This Week's Routine - Double Trouble

One of the things I like to do when I have smaller class numbers is to incorporate double kettlebell exercises.  Having to control two separate kettlebells changes each exercise, requiring greater coordination and neuromuscular control.  It is also an easy way to overload the core and hip musculature without creating modified exercises.  Just by utilizing 2 bells instead of 1, you automatically get more activation of the core, and because of the need for more power, the hips work harder.

 
So here is your workout for the week: 

Double Windmills: (1 bell in each hand) 3 x 5
Clean- Front Squat - Overhead Press:  Blend all 3 into one movement.  5 x 5
Double Swing - 5 mins using Tabata Protocol (20 sec on, 10 sec off)

Perform this 2-3 times throughout the week.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Today's Class Canceled

Sorry to have to do this again, but today's (Mon 5/16)  kettlebell classes are canceled.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Pull Up To Strength

 I know this blog is mainly about kettlebell training, but if you look back in the archives, I try to not limit the content.  That is especially true for training methods that are particularly effective.  Pullups are one of those exercises that everyone SHOULD be able to perform, but most can not do.  Show me any strong human, and I guarantee they can bang out at least a couple of pullups.  Even the 300 lbs heavyweights of strongman, powerlifting, and olympic weightlifting can bang out a solid 10 reps, so I don't wanna hear crap about your weight.

Performing a proper pullup is not as intuitive as you might think.  If you just "pull up", overtime, you will create an overdevelopment of your lats and biceps, which will lead to shoulder problems.  You first need to depress the shoulders during a dead hang, then while keeping them depressed, you drive your elbows down and chest up.  Here is a good video of Dr. Horwitz breaking down proper pull up technique.



So what do you do if you can't even do 1 pullup? Well, you have several options.  First, you can start with jumping up to the bar, and trying to hold yourself close to the bar for up to 20 seconds.  Next step is to try eccentric pullups, which means jumping up to the bar, and then lowering yourself down as slow as possible for several reps in a row.  The third step is to attach a band to your pullup bar, then wrap the bottom of the band about your knees.  This will subtract weight from you, more so at the bottom of the rep, and giving less help at the top of the rep.  Feel free to give any of these training methods a try, but above all else, start doing pullups in your weekly routines.