Category: Tips and Tricks

How To Instantly Boost Your Kettlebell Pressing Power By 10-20%

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Power breathing techniques can instantly boost your kettlebell pressing strength by 10-20%.  A quick story for illustration:

I had never even seen ‘The Beast’ (the RKC’s affectionate term for the ‘big boy’ 106 pound kettlebell) let alone pressed one overhead … in fact, my previous personal best military press was 7o lbs for a single rep.

But as Pavel led attendees of the June 2009 RKC through a series of breathing and tension drills to maximize our pressing strength, no less than 50% (at the very least) of us set a personal record in the KB press … by the end of the day, I was pressing the Beast with ease!

How could this be?  Pavel states in his book Power To The People:

“It is estimated that an average person can contract only 20-30% of his muscles when trying his hardest.  Even a top lifter uses no more than 50% of his impressive muscles!”

He then goes on to detail his various methods of boosting neurological efficiency for instant strength increases – including power breathing.

Here’s how you would use power breathing to give your KB Press an instant boost:

*Also important to note:  A disclaimer is made by Pavel in the book that this type of breathing generally will be frowned upon by medical professionals and could be pontentially dangerous – so make sure to check with your doctor before doing it!

  • Inhale before you load your muscles – so in a kettlebell Press, right before you clean the kettlebell off the ground.
  • Clean the kettlebell to your shoulder and go directly into a press without letting your breath out.  Maintain tension in your abdominals and throughout your entire body.  Do NOT exhale with the KB shoulder or let tension ‘escape’ in any way!
  • Exhale as you press through your sticking point in the press or after you finish the move
  • Use this technique when doing singles or very low reps only

Our muscles have a lot more contractile power than we use, and power breathing is one technique to tap into additional strength reserves and boost your kettlebell Pressing power instantly by 10-20%.   This post just scratches the surface of these methods – for details of many other high tension and ‘neurological trickery’ techniques from Pavel, pick up a copy of Power to The People by clicking the image below:

DVD 47 minutes Power to the People! Russian Strength Training Secrets For Every American

Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes (part 3)

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Here’s the third and final installment of the Kettlebell Swing Mistakes and Fixes series – in this one, I’ll cover how to fix the common range of motion problem I see in the kettlebell Swing.  If you missed the first two posts in this series, make sure to check those out, too – I’ll provide links to them at the end of this article.

As I discus in the video below, the Swing mistake here is not getting the ‘bell far enough back as the weight comes down between the legs and is ‘hike passed’ back:

The fix to the mistake discussed in the video is to think about getting the bottom of the ‘bell to face the wall behind you as it comes down and back.  This will allow a larger range of motion and enable you further to ‘pull’ on the KB, thus the ability to generate more force – resulting in a more powerful Swing.

The second fix to this problem (that I don’t cover in the video above) is the towel drill.  What you’d do is assume the bottom position of the Swing with a towel in your hands instead of a kettlebell.  You need a towel about 18-24 inches long, and you should be grabbing in the middle of the towel so the ends are hanging down loose.  Freeze in this bottom-of-the-Swing position, and then either have a partner grab the towel from the back, or loop the towel around something directly behind you to anchor it.  Take a small step forward to put tension on the towel – and get the ‘feel’ for that ideal Swing position.

In summary, the third kettlebell Swing mistake is quite simply improper range of motion.  The fix mentioned in the video above, as well as the towel drill, are two solutions to this problem.  Encorporate these two drills into your kettlebell Swing practice to improve your form today – and keep training hard!

Forest Vance, Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor

P.S. If you missed the first two parts of this post series, the links below will take you to them:

Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes (part 1)

Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes (part 2)

P.S.S. Signed up for my weekly newsletter yet?  You’ll get new kettlebell workouts, videos, and training tips delivered straight to your email inbox when you sign up … just enter your name and email address into the box at the upper right of the page to do so today!

Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes (part 2)

On By adminIn Basic Kettlebell Drills, General, Tips and Tricks, Videos8 Comments

I’m going to cover another common mistake with the kettlebell Swing and how to fix it in today’s article; but first, a quick personal story that I think illustrates really well the idea (covered in part one of this post series) of learning a skill correctly the first time:

During my football career, a typical ‘work’ day in the off-season consisted of a workout, a no-pads practice/ walk-thru type session, and maybe watching a little film – we were done for the day by one or two pm.  I had more free time on my hands than I do these days – so a few times a week, I’d fill my afternoon by playing golf.

Since I started working ‘for real’ (although I still don’t consider what I do for a living ‘real work’) about six or seven years ago, I haven’t played much golf at all.  But business is good, my systems are getting dialed in and I’m starting to get a little extra free time to actually do some fun stuff – so I’m getting back into it.  And this time, I want to learn the right way.

That being said, I decided to take a few lessons – and it turns out my golf swing is totally jacked up.  By learning the wrong way and developing bad habits the first time around, it’s going to take much longer to fix than if I had taken the time to learn things right from the beginning.

Point is – if you’re still at this beginning learning phase (like I am in my golf game) with your kettlebell training, do yourself a favor and take the time to learn the right way now – you’ll save yourself a lot of wasted time and effort in the long run.

Now – on to Kettlebell Swing mistake #2:

This mistake involves a Squat and Front Raise Pattern – vs. the correct ‘hip-driven’ Swing where the arms account for maybe 10-20% of the movement.

Here’s a video where the demonstrator is attempting a kettlebell Swing (although they’re actually using a dumbbell) – but from a movement perspective, it’s a great example of what not to do (sorry man, I don’t know you, no offense – your Swing instruction just kinda sucks 🙂 ):

So, to fix this:

1. Think of ‘hike passing’ the ‘bell behind you as it comes back

Instead of squatting down and raising the kettlebell up in front of you, think about hiking it back and snapping it up. The bottom of the ‘bell should actually face the wall behind you or pretty close to it when the KB is hiked back.

2. Think of the arms like ropes

The lower body is what drives the movement; the arms, in a way, are just ‘along for the ride’. A good drill to perfect this is the towel Swing from Enter The Kettlebell. You just do your two handed Swings with a towel wrapped around the horn of the ‘bell and grabbing the ends of the towel; to maintain tension on the towel through the entire movement, you have to use your hips and direct energy efficiently to the ‘bell. It’s a great drill because it’s very self correcting.

Remember, learning a new skill the right way the first time around will save you a lot of wasted time and effort in the long run. This applies as much to the kettlebell Swing as it does to any other skill; and one of the most common mistakes with the kettlebell Swing is the Squat and Front Raise error. Take the tips in this article to correct this common flaw – and I’ll see you next time with the final installment of the ‘Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes’ series!

Forest Vance, Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified Instructor

P.S. My new monthly kettlebell workout membership program is almost finished – the first month’s workout is written up and filmed, and we’re putting together all the final touches right now to make sure the program is even better than advertised. Keep an eye on your email inbox for details – and make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter if you haven’t yet to get first news of when we open the program up to the public!

Kettlebells Leaving Your Wrists Bruised? Here’s What To Do

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Here's A Few Tips To Avoid Bruised Wrists

Sore wrists – especially when you’re first learning how to train with kettlebells – is an unfortunate fact of life.  However, if you slowly increase the volume and intensity of your workouts and you take the time to learn great form from the beginning, you can keep the wrist pain and bruising to a minimum.

Here are a few tips to help you save your wrists and forearms in your kettlebell training:

1. Slowly increase the intensity and volume of your workouts

I know it’s tempting to try all kinds of crazy moves with your new kettlebell (because I’ve made that mistake myself), but if you’re looking to save your wrists and forearms, slowly ramp up the intensity and volume of your workouts.  Don’t do 100 Cleans the first day you learn them.  Do just a few reps of a new exercise each day when you’re first learning it – your form will improve fast, your wrists will get conditioned, and you’ll stay relatively pain free.

2. Perfect your technique

The kettlebell exercises where you have the highest chance of bruising your wrists are the ones where the ‘bell flips over your hand and/or rests on your wrists – like Cleans, Snatches, Presses, and Get Ups.

And as your form gets better, you’ll be able to more smoothly get the kettlebell around your wrist, as well as sit the KB more comfortably in the crook of and/or on the side of the arm.

This video gives a couple of good tips on improving your Clean form – which should go a long way in helping you prevent from bruising up your wrists:

3. Bring your hand and forearm to the ‘bell (instead of the other way around)

The goal on the Snatch is to get the ‘bell to almost float in the air and then quickly bring the hand around and meet it in the air to lessen the impact.

The same goes for the Clean – you want to think about bringing your hand to the kettlebell instead of just letting it come around and plop down on your arm.

4. Loosen your grip

You want to grip the kettlebell just hard enough on the Clean and the Snatch.  The tendency when you’re learning the move is to squeeze the hell of the handle as it comes around your wrist to slow it down; but this in fact increases the impact.  Loosen your grip a bit and see if you lessen the impact of the ‘bell on these exercises.

In summary, a little forearm pain and bruising is inevitable when you’re first learning how to train with kettlebells, but these tips will help you keep it to a minimum.  Keep training hard!

Forest Vance, RKC

P.S. I’m currently putting together a monthly kettlebell workout membership program and, since you’re a reader of this blog, I wanted to make sure you’re the first to know.  Membership to the program will feature a new kettlebell workout every month, including detailed video instruction, a printable workout manual detailing the workout, how to do all the exercises in it, tips to get the most from it, and much more.  Stay tuned for more details soon … and get first news of when the program opens by signing up for my weekly newsletter if you haven’t yet!!

Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes (part 1)

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The industry standard research that experts refer to with regards to motor learning comes from a 1991 book called – you guessed it – Motor Learning by Doctors Richard Schmidt and Craig A. Wrisberg. In this book, Dr. Schmidt states with a flurry of charts and studies that it requires approximately 300-500 repetitions to develop a new motor pattern. Conversely, once bad or inadequate habits are already in place, he states it takes about 3000-5000 repetitions to erase and correct a bad motor pattern.

Interestingly, it seems that folks who are starting from a blank slate with kettlebells – who’ve never touched one in their entire life – are actually easier to teach proper technique to than folks who’ve been training on their own for a while and have learned some of the basics incorrectly.  I’ve observed this ever since I seriously started using kettlebells in my training practice – and the above research confirms this fact.

The moral of the story:  Spend the time to learn your Kettlebell Basics right the first time around, so you can spend more time training and making progress towards your fitness goals than practicing and correcting your technique and trying to avoid injury!

I’m going to take the next couple of posts to address some common mistakes folks make with the exercise that forms the foundation of our HardStyle kettlebell training – the Kettlebell Swing – and how to fix them.

For part one of this Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes series, start by watching the video below:

The mistake we’re talking about in the video above is lack of full hip extension.  If you’re making this mistake, you’re not getting a full application of the power that’s being generated by the lower body during the Swing.  Not only will you be weaker, but doing this puts the stress on the wrong muscles and wrong areas of your body.

Here are a few good cues to help you correct this issue:

1. Stand as tall as possible

If you think about standing up as tall as you can at the top of the movement, this will help you fully extend the hips and get full glute activation and application of power.

2. Pinch a coin

Tighten the glutes as hard as you can at the top of the movement.  Another way to think about this is at the top of your Swing as the weight comes up, if someone were to kick you in the butt, it would be rock hard, not soft.

A lot of folks have what we call ‘gluteal amnesia’ –  they’ve forgotten what it even feels like to activate the glutes.  So this ‘body hardening drill’ – where you actually have a partner kick you in the butt while you do a Plank or Sumo Deadlift – is a great way to get a feel for proper glute activation.

3. Pull the knee caps up

Instead of thinking about locking out your knees, you’re going to tense your quads and pull your knee caps up. This will help you again to bring your hips through and effectively transfer that force to your upper body from the lower body.

Remember, it takes roughly 300-500 repetitions of a new motor skill to learn it properly, but it takes 3000-5000 reps to correct it if you learn it wrong.  So take the time to learn the Kettlebell Swing right the first time around.  This being said, 99% of the technique mistakes people make with the HardStyle Kettlebell Swing can really be boiled down to a select few.  Lack of glute activation and full hip extension is a big one – so if you’re guilty of making this mistake yourself, take the tips in this article and fix your form.

P.S. Don’t forget – my Kettlebell Basics Swing Manual covers tips like these to help you perfect your technique and become a true Hard Style Swing master over the course of 12 weeks. To learn more about it, click the image below:

How Hard Do You Really Need To Train With Kettlebells?

On By adminIn General, Tips and Tricks, Videos3 Comments

Even though this workout video doesn’t feature kettlebells … it’s inspiring and an awesome example of truly hard training! (Make sure to stay tuned all the way ’till the end)

For whatever reason, my kettlebell training facility tends to attract a certain breed of workout enthusiast; we get a percentage of folks (which is probably a higher percentage than you would get in a traditional gym setting) that want to puke during workouts.  That want us to completely obliterate them and walk out destroyed every time …

So this begs the question:  How hard do you really need to train to get great results and reach your kettlebell training goals?  That is … do you have to train so hard you puke, that you’re left in a pile on the floor after your workouts? Or is it enough to just train hard … but actually feel better when you’re finished? 🙂

Looking back at my own training background and experience, I can tell you that generally speaking, the harder I’ve worked, the better shape I’ve been in.  And this holds true for folks I’ve trained that have acheived dramatic physical changes.  I can’t think of a single client I’ve worked with that’s gotten great results and hasn’t worked their butt off.

That being said, I don’t think you need to go to failure every time, to throw up, to get injured, to make progress.  As a general rule of thumb, you should feel better after you’re done with your workouts, not worse.  It’s okay … in fact, it’s good … to occasionally push yourself super hard.  It can actually spur some significant progress if you program it correctly into your overall training scheme … in my kettlebell boot camps, we do a challenge workout once a month (if you’re interested, you can check out an archive of all my challenge workouts here) … and I think that’s a reasonable frequency for workouts like this.  Just know that you don’t have to puke and pass out every time to get good results.

That it for this week … keep focused and keep training hard!

Forest

P.S. Signed up for the Kettlebell Basics newsletter yet?  You’ll get a free kettlebell training video AND a copy of my ‘Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training’ when you sign up … just enter your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page to do so today!

Top 10 KettlebellBasics.net Posts Of 2010

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Hope your 2011 is off to great start!

First, I’d like to say thanks for making 2010 a great year!  This blog has grown by leaps and bounds – and it’s because of you that I’m continually motivated to post weekly workouts, videos, and training tips.

This post is simply a list of the 10 most popular posts of 2010 … if you’ve read them already, they’re worth revisiting … if you haven’t, set aside an hour or two and check ’em out!  I’d be shocked if, in your review, you couldn’t take at away at least one new thing to improve your training from this list.

So, without further ado, here are the top 10 KettlebellBasics.net posts of 2010:

10. Kettlebells – The Perfect Extreme Cardio Tool

Details how you can use kettlebells for ‘extreme cardio’ … complete with two sample workouts

9. Kettlebell Basics Combo #1

First post in a series of ‘kettlebell combo’ workout videos … this one combines the One Arm Swing, One Arm Squat to Overhead Press and One Arm Snatch

8. Kettlebell Videos

Compilation of all the video posts on this blog to date (post was recently updated since original posting)

7. How To Do A Turkish Get Up

Post detailing how to do the Turkish Get Up kettlebell exericse (includes video)

6. Kettlebell and Bodyweight 300 Workout

How to do my kettlebell and bodyweight 300 workout (also includes video)

5. A ‘Big Five’ Kettlebell Circuit Workout

Kettlebell circuit workout that incorporates the ‘big five’ kettlebell moves

4. Kettlebell Exercises

A list of all posts that explain how to do kettlebell exercises

3. A Beginner Kettlebell Workout

A great kettlebell workout for beginners

2. KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide

Shameless plug?  Maybe … but hey, it was the #2 most viewed page on the blog 🙂

Note:  I also have a more recently released, so far very popular workout program in the Kettlebell Basics Swing Manual … check it out if you’re looking for a specific, directed 12 week program to get you started the right way with kettlebell training

1. Kettlebell Routines

Here, you can find all the kettlebell routines I’ve posted on the blog since I started it (almost 100 posts!) listed in once place (this one’s been recently updated as well)

Enjoy … and I hope you get a ton of value from this post!  I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, comments, etc. in the comment section below – ’till next time

Forest

P.S. If you haven’t signed up for my weekly newsletter, make sure to do so now … you’ll get a free copy of my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training when you do so!  Just drop your name in the box at the upper right hand corner of the page.

How To Get Maximum (Kettlebell) Results In Minimum Time

On By adminIn General, Tips and Tricks5 Comments
Are you getting all you can out of your kettlebell training time?
Are you getting all you can out of your kettlebell training time?

Here’s a sad fact I’ve discovered over the years I’ve spent working with hundreds (if not thousands) of personal training clients:

Most folks have no long term plan for their kettlebell training. They have no specific plan, no concrete goals … and so end up not getting the results they should!!

I recently signed up for the RKC II this coming July … and this fact really struck me as I sat down and mapped out a plan for the next six months to get ready …

Having specific goals you’re working towards with your training program is so important. And having a specific plan to reach those goals is the difference between getting so-so, mediocre, average results – and getting results you never thought possible!!

So I’m going to make this super easy for you:  Here’s a kettlebell goal setting ‘action plan’ to get you started – now – on working towards some specific goals with your kettlebell workouts:

1.  Start by writing down your fitness goals. Why are you training with kettlebells? To lose fat? To gain muscle? To get in better shape? To improve sports performance?

2.  Now, figure out exactly what you’re going to do to get to those goals. (Hint: Don’t just hop on the internet and find a workout for the day – because I know that’s what you’re more than likely doing now 🙂 )

Have a planned workout system to help you reach your goals.  There are some free workout plans right here on this blog – just click on the ‘Kettlebell Routines’ link in the sidebar for a bunch of ’em.  You could also opt for a more structured routine – like the 10 week program in the 10×10 Kettlebell Solution.

Whichever route you take to formulate your plan, the main idea is that you’re working towards a specific goal, and all the workouts you’re doing are progressively getting you closer to it.

One more thing:  You’ll want to record your workouts and progress. What I do for all my kettlebell training clients is keep a folder with their info in it; I take their weight, body fat, and important circumference measurements every month; and I write down every workout we do so we can strive to get better every time.  Whatever system you use is fine; just make sure you’re keeping track so you can know where you’re at and get better.

In conclusion, he who fails to plan, plans to fail!  Having a goal you’re working towards with your kettlebell training and a specific plan to get there will dramatically improve your results.  Keep training hard and train smart!!

Forest

P.S. Have you signed up for my weekly kettlebell training newsletter?  You’ll get a free Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training when you sign up – just drop your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page.

Don’t Have A Kettlebell Yet? Try This Workout …

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Maybe you’re on the road (that’s especially true for a lot of us this time of year) …

Maybe you’re at the gym … you gotta work out, and there aren’t any kettlebells!

Maybe you just don’t have a KB yet … you can’t quite justify the purchase price – or simply just haven’t gotten around to buying one.

Whatever the case, there’s inevitably going to be a time when you can’t train with your beloved kettlebells.

Here’s a dumbbell complex workout from my No Gym? No Excuse! Dumbbell Complexes For Fat Loss program that’ll give you some of the fast-paced, time-efficient, fat-burning and extreme-conditioning benefits of kettlebell training – without the ‘bell:

Now the video is simply a demonstration of each exercise in the complex – for the full workout, you’d do:

10 1 DB Goblet Squats (heavy)
10 DB Swings (heavy)
10 1 Arm DB Curl and Press (ea side)
10 DB Sumo Squat Jumps

And repeat the circuit 3-5 times with as little rest as possible.

Enjoy and Happy New Year to you!

Forest

P.S. This workout is from my new No Gym? No Excuse! Dumbbell Complexes For Fat Loss program … to learn more about it (and the special deal you can get the next couple of days), click the link below:

Dumbbell Complex Workouts For Fat Loss

A Kettlebell ‘Practice System’ That’s Helping Clients Learn Twice As Fast …

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This isn’t the ‘practice system’ I’m referring to … but it’s a pretty motivating video, no?

Most people take much, much longer than they should to learn the basics of kettlebell training. And as I see more and more folks that have ‘casually’ done some KB work visit my new kettlebell gym, one of the most common mistakes they make (and, BTW, I typically discover this as we start working out, I break down their form, un-do bad habits, etc. 🙂 ) is trying to focus on too many things at once.

Now, if you’re guilty of this sin, you can rest easy that it’s not your fault – in fact, it’s human nature.  But the problem is that it doesn’t work – so we have to change how you approach your training to fix the problem!

This is something I learned from my first kettlebell instructor – and I’ve used it since with everyone I teach the basics of KB training to.

The key is to stop trying to think about everything at once and start thinking about just one thing at a time.

So, for example, let’s say you’re practicing and refining your technique in the Kettlebell Swing. You’re doing maybe five medium-intensity sets. You might focus on creasing at the hip and pushing the butt back on set one, keeping the upper body tight on set two, squeezing the glutes and pulling the knee caps up on set three, etc.

The bottom line is that you can’t focus – well – on more than one thing at a time. Simplify the move you’re trying to learn, break it down into steps, work on one thing at once, and you’ll be surprised at how fast you start making progress!

P.S. This is a little tip I extracted from my new Kettlebell Basics Swing Manual … if you’re looking for a complete guide that’ll take you from ‘newb’ to kettlebell Swing ninja, and a twelve week Swing-focused program to get you in great shape, master the Swing, and lose a bunch of fat in the process, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t check it out 🙂 Click the link below to learn more about it:

Forest’s new Kettlebell Basics Swing Manual