Last week, one of my Elite Online Coaching clients told me that their kettlebell clean form needed some work – and sent me a video of themselves doing the move for me to take a look at and give some feedback on.
The kettlebell clean is actually one of the hardest of the basic KB moves to really perfect. I get questions about it freqently from both my online coaching clients as I mentioned above, and from a lot of folks that are just starting to train with us in person at the FVT studio.
See, most folks can pick up / swing a ‘bell into a rack position at the shoulder, and it will resemble something like what we would call a “clean” … however, to really get the movement DOWN, to make it smooth, efficient, and minimize impact on the forearm etc … is quite tricky.
So I thought I’d do a quick video with three simple tips to help you improve your kettlebell clean technique for ‘ya. Hope it helps!
1 – Think around getting your hand around the ‘bell
Most folks clean the KB up, but when it comes around their hand, it just kind of flops over the top and ends up smacking them in the wrist.
If you can think about getting your hand around the kettlebell instead, it will help you slip your hand around and finish in a nice strong position at the top.
2 – Think about zipping up a jacket
The motion your hand should be making is not unlike zipping up a jacket. Think about this next time you do the exercise, and it will help you keep your hand in the proper position.
3 – Land in the proper rack position
When the kettlebell is racked at the shoulder, this is called the rack position. You should 1) be able to touch your thumb to your collar bone 2) have the KB resting on your upper arm 3) also have the KB resting on your forearm when in the rack.
Give those technique tips a try, practice ’em, and let me know how they go for ‘ya!
Train hard, and talk soon –
– Forest Vance
Level 2 Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor
PS – The “Elite Online Coaching” program that I mentioned today is my highest-level, highest-access, most customized online training program available. I design a custom workout and nutrition plan every month for folks that are in it … it also includes unlimited email access, unlimited video form technique critiques, and a LOT more …
Because it is so customized and time – intensive, I can only work with 10 folks in this program at any one time. And many folks who start training with me in this capacity end up training for a long, continuous period, because of the great results that they end up getting …
That being said, I have three clients who have met their goals and their training periods have come to an end … and so I will be accepting applications for the program this coming week, and accepting up to three new online training clients.
If this interests you, keep an eye on your email inbox – more info coming soon! 🙂