This Week's Routine - Heaven and Hell

So I have gotten good feedback from this routine. There are many different versions of this, with the basic premise being, to change levels with each exercise, and continue moving for some serious calorie burning.  The slight changes in angles allow you to continue exercising with less muscular fatigue, especially when you keep each exercise around 5 repetitions . 

Circuit Instructions - Perform 5 reps of each exercise on one arm (one side of the body), complete the active rest with both hands afterward, and then cycle through again on the second arm (other side of the body).  The circuit will take you about 2-3 minutes on each side, so depending on your fitness level, complete 2-3 circuits on each side, for a brief and intense training session!

Metabolic Circuit :
Swings x 5
High Pulls x 5
Snatches x 5
Clean and Press x 5
1 Arm Squat x 5
Suitcase Deadlift x 5

Active Rest between Sides (arms)
Pass Arounds x 5 each direction
Figure 8's x 5 each direction

Stop Doing All Those Crunches!

Kettlebells are awesome.  In terms of efficiency, I believe the tool can not be beat.  And just training with kettlebells alone will give you a strong midsection.  Anyone who has performed hundreds of correct swings can vouch for how much the core must work during the movement, effectively transferring the kettlebell's energy back and forth.  With that being said, most people should still include some extra "core" training. 

When I say "core", most people immediately think about crunches and their many variations.  Not me.  The crunch analogous to the bench press in terms of real world strength carryover.  Both are worthless.  Besides, that repeated flexing of the spine is likely to create a disc herniation.  Don't believe me? Start following the work of the most renowned spine biomechanist in the world, Dr. Stuart McGill.  Spend some time on his site, or read his many books and published articles, then try to argue with me about how awesome you think your crunches are!

So if I am not talking about crunches, then how else can you train your core?  By performing the many variations of planks and bridges silly!  Throw a couple of sets of both in your kettlebell routine, or use them as part of your warm-up (you are warming up, aren't you?).  Refer to my video below on how to perform your planks and bridges correctly.



The majority of your core training should center around exercises that lock the rib cage and pelvis together.  Any separation between the two body parts will not only lead to injury, but will decrease your strength due to the energy leakage.  Sure, you can still throw in your crunches from time to time, but keep them to a minimum.  There are much better ways to stroke your ego!

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)

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.

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.

Today's Class Canceled

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

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.

Do NOT Forget to Warmup!

After having a few discussing with people who have been training with kettlebells for a while, it has come to my attention that people often skip a warmup.  The excuses given usually have something to do with time, and the belief is often that spend those 10 minutes doing more kettlebell work will get them in shape faster.  Sadly, the only thing it is likely to do is get you injured. 

A proper warmup loosens the joints and prepares the muscles and nervous system for activity.  A good warmup will improve your performance and drastically lower your risk for injury.  In many cases, spending those 10 minutes warming up will often improve your performance in whatever routine you were planning on doing.  That means that even though you spent 10 minutes less on training, you got more out of it!

So here are some ideas for warming up: 

NO CLASSES TODAY

KETTLEBELL CLASSES ARE CANCELED FOR TODAY, Monday, 4/25/11

Tabata Intervals for Kettlebell Training

The days of endlessly grinding away at long duration, low intensity aerobic exercise to burn fat are gone.  Isn't that what you were told to do back in the 80's and 90's?  Long duration aerobic exercise burns fat, while weight training makes you bulky and tight.  Well, both are crap, and we have come a long way in exercise science to better understand how the body utilizes fat for fuel.  The fact is, your body composition will become much leaner if you regularly engage in high intensity interval training.

Never heard of the Tabata Protocol? Created by Izumi Tabata, the Tabata Protocol is simply the best supra-aerobic cardio workout every discovered. As Dr. Tabata states, "the rate of increase in V02max is one of the highest ever reported. Fat burn is greater when exercise intensity is high. With only 8 minutes (give or take) every 3 days, you can turn your body into a fat-burning super-engine." And while that may be a bit dramatic, the science is solid.  Short duration, high intensity intervals will lead to serious decreases in bodyfat over time, and the Tabata Protocol is just one of many such version of interval training.

Putting it into practice is simple.  Pick a few exercises that involve a lot of muscle, like swings, squats, snatches, pushups, and pullups.  Perform 20 seconds of an exercise, rest 10 seconds, and repeat for at least 8 intervals.  Every 20 second work period can be the same exercise, or you can make them different exercises, as in a circuit training routine.  The bottom line is, try to find a way to use it in your training, as it is a powerful tool, and works great when you only have 10 minutes to train!

Here is a sample video of using the Tabata Protocol with kettlebells: