I have something to confess.

I am easily distracted.

I don’t think I have ADD or anything like that, I think I’m just naturally curious. I’m interested in the world around me. It’s a big, beautiful, wonderful world – famines, disasters, and wars excepted.

And that can be a major problem when attempting to get work done.

For others, we’re easily distracted because anything is better (we think) than our current  situation.

When applied to strength training – kettlebells or otherwise, many of us have a “check the box” mentality. There’s a box in our day-planner that says “workout.” We’re just interested in checking it, not necessarily thinking of getting results. Checking the box is the result.

(I’ve seen this locally with my clients and a lot more recently with the feedback I’ve been getting from my kettlebell fat loss program, Kettlebell Burn. People are actually surprised they’re getting results! This tells me that they have been accustomed to doing any old workout and are accustomed to not seeing results!)

Unfortunately, all this distraction can leave you feeling frustrated, angry, bitter, and even want to quit seeking the goal you’re shooting for.

This can all be easily avoided by evaluating the FA in our equation for instant strength.

Instant Strength = SG + CV + FA + DE

FA = Fixed Attitude.

Please notice that there are two words here we need to key in on.

Fixed and Attitude.

Something that is Fixed, has no movement, no sway, no give. It is – immovable.

And so you must be in order to become instantly stronger. No matter what, you won’t give. You won’t budge. You have a Clear Vision of your Specific Goal and no one or thing can or will sway you from achieving it.

And that brings us to Attitude.

This one is important. VERY important.

I am very big on words. (I like to write, what can I say?)

I believe you can program your mind with the words you speak and think. (Remember, thoughts are things.)

I am always fascinated when I hear people who want to change, when confronted with a possible solution to their problem, respond with “That will be/That is hard.”

Really?

How do you know?

And the reality is, they don’t know. But they think it will be and so it is. And they wonder why they never achieve their goals, and never become stronger.

Your attitude determines everything. Everything.

It’s just like that old saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

If you want to do it, you will. If you don’t, you won’t.

But remember, you can, will, and do program your mind. And it depends on your attitude.

Check this out:

“Attitude” by Charles Swindoll

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.

Powerful.

So, do you want to get instantly stronger?

The decide that’s what you will do.

You will deadlift 700lbs.

You will get 250 reps in the SSST.

You will lose 20 pounds of fat in the next 12 weeks.

You will do whatever it is you’ve decided to do.

No matter what.

No matter what.

So, check your attitude. I’m pretty sure it’s currently fixed. But it may not be fixed in the way you want it to be.

Check your “self-talk.”

How do you speak to yourself – think in your mind?

Do you limit yourself by placing negatives and mental roadblocks in your way?

If so, stop.

Instead, do the opposite. Remove the roadblocks.

Watch for words like “hard” and “can’t” and  instead replace them with their opposites – “easy” and “can.”

I can honestly tell you, when standing behind a heavy barbell, if I say to myself, “This is easy. This is easy.” The weight goes up easily. Usually easier than I expected. And this happens all the time.

Now you go do the same. Watch how your attitude changes for the better. Not only during your workouts, but in everything you do.

Trust me – it’s easy.

]]> http://chasingstrength.com/how-to-become-instantly-stronger-part-3/feed/ 4 http://chasingstrength.com/time-value-money-and-other-answers-to-your-questions/ http://chasingstrength.com/time-value-money-and-other-answers-to-your-questions/#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:57:53 +0000 GEOFFN http://chasingstrength.com/?p=523

When I was fresh out of college, I used to drive an hour away every Saturday and spend it with my weightlifting coach, who mentored me. He is a kind, generous, and humble man, filled with knowledge I’m sure that most of today’s experts have never even heard of. (As an aside, I am trying my best to get him to put that information into a book, but he’s just survived pancreatic cancer and doesn’t have much energy right now…) But, in some ways, and I say this with all respect, he did me a disservice.

Let me explain.

Ok, one of the secrets to getting stronger, and I don’t just mean with your kettlebells or under the bar, is to change, or expand your view and understanding of your life and the way you view it. Sounds deep, and it is to an extent it is.

How Do You Define “Value?”

Let’s take a look at the concept of “value.” What do you value? For many of us it’s time, relationships, and stuff, including money.

But what is most important of all these?

It depends on who you ask, but if we’re being pragmatic, and only talking about expediency, then it would have to be time. And for most of us, we would rather spend the time trying to figure out stuff we’re not good at then paying those who are good at such things to help us out.

Which brings me back to my coach. Since he gave me so much information for “free,” I didn’t value it when I was younger. It’s only after I neglected it, and paid other people to tell me half the story, that I really started to value his time and information. And even more so, the man himself.

With that being said, let’s jump into the first two of today’s questions, which I’ll lump together in their entirety because they have similar answers, important answers.

Dear Geoff,

After hearing you speak of FMS  – I got screened today  – not bad  – The trainer is really capable (he was a strength conditioning coach for the Dolphins). He said that was really tight in my shoulders and chest  – he suggested that I stop kettlebell for while and work on some stretching and muscle massage. He used a handball on my shoulder and it felt better.

This guy is really expensive.  Can I do it on my own (stretching and correcting some of the problems that he has pointed out) with Pavel’s Resilient program????

I like this guy?  He is good don’t get me wrong but at 100 dollars an hour - is it worth it?

From a poor happy guy with kettlebells in his backyard. - Matt Dubocq

and

Hi Geoff,

Last Friday, for the first time in I don’t know how many months, I was able to snatch the 16kg 40 reps without putting down the bell.  Instead of 7 mins for 100 reps, I completed the 100 reps in 6mins.  I feel I am very close.  I want to ask you…before you take your first RKC, did you train with another RKC?  I recently had to let my trainer (he is currently RKC 1) go due to financial set backs.  I want to go for RKC1, what kind of preparation I need to do besides the snatch test? (Name Withheld)

Ok, both of these are very important questions because they deal with the concept of “value.” Both Matt, and the second person, are dealing with financial issues/constraints, which I understand and respect, because I have been there, and to a certain extent, still am (I have one business that is in major negative cash flow mode… but let’s save that for another time, shall we?)

But what is the value of getting expert assistance? In the first case, it’s a trainer who was a strength coach for the Miami Dolphins. At $100 per hour, that’s a steal in my book. This guy works with pro athletes so undoubtedly he’s got a ton of experience.

Matt – I love Pavel’s material, and Resilient is outstanding, but why not follow the advice and instructions you just paid for? I have not screened you nor has Pavel. So anything we say is a shotgun approach, that although it will work for 9 people out of 10, may or may not be applicable to your specific situation. That being said, if you already have Resilient, then you may want to watch it repeatedly and do the drills Pavel demonstrates to open your shoulders. Then after a period of time (30, 60, or 90 days), go back to the trainer and get re-screened and see if the results changed.

And for the “Name Withheld” – GREAT JOB on your Snatches! You are doing something right! But I need more information to answer your question thoroughly – did your trainer design the program that helped you get these results? Are you capable of replicating these results on your own? If you’re not sure, how much time are you willing to spend to investigate and test methods that do help you achieve those and better results?

The RKC is much, much more than just the Snatch Test. That’s just the entry requirement. (We do that first thing on Friday morning.) Brett Jones wrote an outstanding article giving ideas on how to train for the RKC, which everyone planning to attend the RKC should read, consider, and apply if necessary. (Do a google search – I think it was in an issue of HardStyle magazine – sorry I don’t have it at my fingertips…)

There is always a higher price tag for customization, as there should be. It saves time and energy on the consumer’s part.

So here’s the take away point for everyone – you can always, always, always make more money. Always – despite the gloom and doom on the news. It’s a matter of mindset. But once you’ve spent your time, you will never, ever get it back. So, when looking at questions about “is it worth it,” ask yourself this question, “What’s my time worth?” It has been a hard and life-changing and ever evolving question for me to answer.

Alright, next question.

Mental Mindsets For Constant Improvements

Hi Geoff - I am 57 years old -  5′11″ & 171 pounds – decent strength. In 4th week of your training – based on your book.  Can only use 20 lb KBs – will fit in 1 or 2 sets with 25 lb KBs.  Am I a total weakling or is this weight appropriate for someone my age and size.  For next 8 weeks – should I stick with 20 lbs or mix in with 25 lb KBs if up to it or could I possibly gain enough strength along the way to move to the 25 pounders for all sets?  Advice – comments?  Thx – Mike

Mike, I refuse to pass judgment on you and your weights and you should too. The only thing you need to focus on is where you are now and where you want to be. It doesn’t matter how you stack up against anyone else unless you are competing for something. If not, strive to be better. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a negative attitude and go nowhere.

I only compare myself against myself. Even though I want to compete, I’m only concerned with what I can do today and how that stacks up against what I did yesterday and if it’s moving me forward to my goals. Make sense?

And I have to admit, I lied. I don’t know too many 57 year olds who train with kettlebells. Let alone guys your height at only 171lbs. You’re doing lots of things right – keep going! And, oh yeah, stick with the 20lbs-ers, unless they feel way, way, way too light.

Scientifical Stuffs…

Both of these are from Robert Nilsson.

Geoff – In some recent posts on the DD Forum there were some individuals who were asking questions about starting doubles work.  I was going to advocate that they increase their base of experience with unilateral work first so I hit the books to see what I might see.  In my researching I came across the term Bilateral Deficiency (which interested me since I’m way stronger on the right than on the left).  My source indicated that bilateral work decreases BLD.  So my first question is – Can double kettlebell work be considered bilateral?

Great question, Robert. I would call double kettlebell work “semi-unilateral” or “quasi-unilateral” for the following reason.

The stimulus on the body as an organism is very similar to bilateral loading as with a barbell in the legs and hips, but then because the kettlebells move independently in the hands, this affects the arm and shoulder musculature similarly to unilateral loading. Notice I said “similarly.” You will most likely still be able to press more in one hand with one kettlebell than being able to put that same weight in two hands.

For example, if you can press the 48kg for one rep, it does not mean that you can press a 48kg in each hand for one rep. (It doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t either…)

So to get good at doubles work, you most definitely need a base of singles work (less going on in the brain, easier to control and master body positioning, internal cueing, feedback, etc), but you really need to practice doubles work. It’s another “same but different” form of training. I generally, but not always recommend taking the bell you can press for a 5RM and using two bells a size or two below that. The heavier the bell, the bigger the drop I would take.

For example, press a 48kg? Double press 32 or 36kg. Probably 32kg and err on the side of caution.

and

Ligament Strength: I’ve heard this mentioned, but never really addressed.  Why is this important?  How is it developed?

Ligament strength is important because your ligaments keep your bones “tied together” and the more you load your muscles, the stronger your ligaments need to be to keep your bones properly aligned.

There are two ways to develop ligament strength -

1. Heavy loads, especially heavy support loads – squat supports with 120% 1RM
2. Light loads, for high reps – 20-30% 1RM for 30+ reps

That’s all I’ve got time for today.

Got a question that needs answerin’?

Email me at support@kettlebellsecrets.com.

Happy Weekend to you all!

In my last post on this subject, I threw out an important equation on how to become instantly stronger. Here it is again.

Instant Strength = SG + CV + FA + DE

Today, I wanted to take a close look at “CV.”

CV stands for Clear Vision.

At first, that seems kind of obvious, but upon closer inspection, it’s not.

In order to actually become stronger, you not only must have a Specific Goal, but you must, in your mind, see yourself actually achieving that goal.

Read that again.

You must actually see yourself achieving that goal.

Think about it for a second.

How can you achieve something you can’t see clearly?

How can you direct your mind, your focus, your attention and your energy toward something you cannot see?

However, most people don’t think that far ahead.

They stop at setting their specific goal. And they believe that’s enough.

It’s not.

They fail to take the next step – arguably one of the most important steps in the process.  They don’t make a mental image of actually achieving that goal. They don’t take the time to paint that image on the canvas of their minds. There’s no color, no depth, no emotion.

And that right there is the key – emotion.

You must tie that desire to become stronger with an emotion. How will you feel once you’ve achieved that goal? How will your life change once you’ve hit that 700lbs deadlift or those 250 reps on the SSST? No one else has to know, only you. When you can come up with something tangible, something so real you can feel it in your gut, you’re onto something – something BIG.

Here’s an example from my life.

I’ve always wanted to compete at the National Championships in Weightlifting. I qualified to go in 2000 but through being stupid, I failed to go. To say I was disappointed, would be an understatement. Inside, it felt like something died. I had trained so hard to get there and was ready to peak – to pull out a new total, but I never had a chance. I mourned that “loss” for weeks.

Ever since then – and here it is 10 years later – I still have a deep desire, a passion – maybe even an obsession – to get to the Nationals. No matter how hard I try to walk away from weightlifting, I feel the strong pull back – like there’s some unfinished business. No matter what obstacles stand in my way, I am determined to overcome them. I can see in my mind’s eye what it would look like, feel like to be there competing.

As a result, my training has a specific goal – currently it’s to put on as much functional muscle mass as possible – stopping at 240lbs and then re-evaluating. (By functional muscle mass, I mean muscle in all the “right” places for the sport of weightlifting.) How am I doing so far? I’m up 13lbs in the last 5 weeks.

I can see and feel both in my mind and in my body what it feels like to lift big weights, partially because I’ve lifted them before.

Dr. Maxwell Maltz, in his book, Psychocybernetics, details a process called the “Theatre of the Mind,” in which he recommends among other things, you envision the richness of the colors, textures, and emotions of achieving your goal, and then literally play it back in your head repeatedly like a movie.

I strongly recommend you pick up Dr. Maltz’s book and work through this process.

Now imagine how much stronger you will be in 30 days, or 3 months by pairing your Specific Goal with Clear Vision.

Can you see more of it yet? Is it becoming more of a reality?

It should be.

Don’t worry if it’s not. You may just need some FA, which we’ll be discussing next time.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.  ~Ambrose Redmoon

Words.

That’s all the above quote really is – a collection of words until it’s put in context.

Here’s the context:

You’re cold, wet, and scared. You’ve been on a small boat made of plywood with about 40 other men on a choppy sea for three hours. Circling. Circling.

You had a great big breakfast for the task that lay ahead of you – and somewhere around 90 minutes later, you threw it all up. So did your buddies. And now your standing in a mix of seawater and vomit and it’s sloshing all around your lower legs. Your feet are so cold and wet, you can barely feel them.

The signal is given and your plywood boat and all the other plywood boats stop circling and all head out in the same direction.

Overhead, guns roar. Planes scream by.

After what seems like an eternity, another signal is given and the boat slows down and hits what seems to be ground. The metal gangway on the front of the boat drops open like a giant mouth and suddenly, machine gun fire opens up all around you.

Several of the men in front of you collapse like rag dolls under a barrage of tracer rounds that cut them down like a lawnmower.

You have a choice – stay there and face certain death or jump over the side of the boat into the unknown.

You jump overboard into freezing water and instantly go under due to the 70lbs pack on your back.

When you finally get your footing and your head above water there’s the smoke, blood, bodies and the sound of screaming and machine gun fire. The noise is deafening.

As you make your way to the beach, tracer rounds from heavy machine guns whiz by all around you. And all around you they find their targets – your friends and fellow soldiers.

You somehow take cover under one of the “hedgehogs” on beach.

There are cries for “Medic!” Just ahead and slightly to your right you see a soldier with a red cross painted on his helmet run to aid a wounded comrade. He is immediately  mowed down by machine gun fire and crumples in a heap atop of the one crying for help.

Ahead of you, about 100 yards, another soldier heading for the rocky outcropping at the top of the beach, turns back toward you to grab the guy next to him who was just hit and now lay on the beach screaming in agony. He too is gunned down.

Where do you go when death is beside you, behind you, and most certainly in front of you?

What I just described is based on what I learned about in Normandy, the Battle of Normandy, specifically Omaha Beach – Operation Overlord, the start of the invasion of Fortress Europe, to rescue Europe from the jack boot of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi thugs.

The fact that so many men willingly gave their lives in the face of certain death still haunts me.

That is courage.

Here is a picture of Omaha Beach.

Omaha Beach - Weiderstan Nest View

Just above the gentleman’s head is a little square opening. That was a machine gun nest. Just to the right of the second house from the right was also a machine gun nest.

I cannot remember the exact number, but there was something like six to ten machine gun nests that formed a perfect semicircle around the beach at Omaha. So the men who landed on this beach were caught in multiple crossfires.

The carnage was just horrific – beyond anything you could’ve seen in the movies. One veteran recounted that if the beginning of Saving Private Ryan was R-Rated – it wasn’t even close to what really happened. The real thing was X-rated. Horrifically worse.

The death toll after Day 1 was approximately 5000. Only 1000 of those were killed outright. The rest died of wounds inflicted or drowned in the incoming tide.

That was just one beach.

Then there’s Pointe du Hoc.

Pointe du Hoc - Bunker View

This was a target that was tasked to be taken by the newly formed Army Rangers.

Intelligence reports showed that there were four large guns that used to be mounted on trains, big, big guns left over from WWI. This was a HUGE problem because they were all pointed toward the English Channel and could sink the Allied Naval Fleet.

So the Rangers head to the Pointe in five landing craft. One of them hits a mine and they lose 20% of their men. The water is so choppy their gear gets soaked, including the ropes attached to the rocket propelled grappling hooks they need to scale the cliff face.

Running over an hour behind because the tide carried them off course, and presumed “Mission Failed” by the Allied Command because of failure to check in at 0630, and therefore without any re-enforcements, approximately 225 Rangers attacked Pointe du Hoc.

Here’s where it gets crazy.

The average Ranger was a little heavier than the average GI of the day, weighing in at 160lbs. He carried a pack that weighed approximately 100lbs. Remember those wet ropes attached to the grappling hooks? Well because they were wet, when the grappling hooks fired, they fell short of the cliff face. Some failed to fire at all. Each rope weighed approximately 100-150lbs. The Rangers still needed the ropes at the top of the cliff so they cut them from the ships, coiled them around their bodies, and scaled the cliffs with over 200lbs of extra weight attached to their bodies!

And of course, these are Rangers, so many of them scaled the cliff face by plunging one K-bar knife at a time (one in each hand) into the cliff face and climbing up, hand over hand over hand.

And this was done under the watchful eye of the Nazis who rained down machine gun fire on them all the while!

Eventually, the Rangers captured Pointe du Hoc, but not until they fended off multiple counterattacks by the Nazi garrison stationed there and were relieved by a US Infantry division that broke through enemy lines the next day. After all was said and done, there was an 80% casualty rate.

What allows a man to face certain death under insurmountable odds and act above and beyond any call of duty?

Certainly it is necessity.

But it is more than that.

It is the unwavering belief that something is more important than your fear.

For the men who landed on the beaches of Normandy that day, June 6th, 1944, it was a rescue mission. It was a mission of mercy. It was a mission of hope. It was a mission of love. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” That is true courage. That is true strength.

The American Cemetery - Normandy

Somewhere between 14,000 and 19,000 men were killed during the Normandy Landings.

One of their resting places is the American Cemetery in Normandy. Every American needs to visit this place. Indeed, I dare say every European needs to visit. Without the sacrifice of these brave men, today’s world would be a much different place.

A truly moving moment was seeing an elderly woman find the headstone of a loved one – perhaps a father or brother. As I stood there and observed, it appeared to me that it was her first time at the cemetery and she was very relieved to finally have some form of peace. Since we arrived at the cemetery at the end of the day, we were there for “Taps” – where the bugler plays in remembrance of the fallen and the Stars and Stripes is lowered, and folded. This lady must have travelled with her family, because she was presented with the flag in remembrance of her loved one by a member of her family, in what appeared to be a police uniform. It was truly emotional watching the tears of healing flow.

For me, visiting the Normandy beaches, Utah, Pointe du Hoc, and Omaha, has been something I needed to do for a very long time. Fortunately, none of my family died there. I was able to schedule the trip for the 66th Anniversary of D-Day and was able to tour Normandy on June 6th.

There is probably so much more that I could write about the courage exemplified that day by countless individuals, like Major General Teddy Roosevelt (the son of President Theodore Roosevelt) who walked ahead of his men on Utah beach without a helmet.

But the most amazing thing to me and the thing that I will ALWAYS be grateful for is that these men thought of  not only those who couldn’t defend themselves, but of future generations, like me. And you.

And they fought and died for us.

Imagine having the power to do or accomplish anything you wanted. The world would be your oyster so to speak. That 700lbs deadlift PR would fall. That SSST with the 24kg would be an easy 250 reps. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was an exact formula to help you do just that?

Before I tell you about this formula, I know I have some loose ends to tie up.

1. Normandy. I’ve been postponing doing this blog post. It was a profound experience. I WILL get to it, I promise.
2. Your Questions. I apologize – I started this series just before I went on the road. So, I’ll get to them this Friday, although they will most likely be in a format that’s the easiest for me to get you your answers – writing. Video is fun, but time-consuming. Not saying I won’t ever do videos, but just not every time.

Ok, back to the formula.

Instant Strength = SG + CV + FA + DE

SG.

SG stands for Specific Goal.

I know what you may be thinking, “Not another goal setting post…” and the reality is this isn’t. It’s about getting stronger – instantly stronger. Remember, strength isn’t just physical. In fact, the physical manifestation of strength, is yes, mechanical in nature, but also psychological, or metaphysical. It exists first and foremost in your mind.

Napolean Hill, in his timeless classic, Think And Grow Rich, states in the very beginning that “thoughts are things.” Which means that thoughts are real. They exist in time and space. They are the seeds of achievement, and as such, need to be cultivated.

When I was a senior in high school, I wanted nothing more than to win our high school wrestling championships. I thought about it daily, routinely. I thought about how it would feel, what I had to do to get there. I lived in the future as if I had already accomplished my goal. And it wasn’t really surprising when I did win. I had already planned it out in my head.

The same goes for any goal – strength or not. It just so happens that we’re talking about getting instantly stronger, so we will apply this concept to that goal.

So, what is it that you absolutely must do? You’re just dying to do it? Is it that 700lbs deadlift or that SSST with the 24kg? (For me, currently, it’s get to 240lbs – already up to 222lbs from 213lbs four weeks ago – because I have better leverage to lift heavy stuff there. And yes, I want to lift heavy stuff.)

Write it down.

And don’t just write it down anywhere either. Write it down in someplace important – someplace you can see and will see routinely. Someplace that is really important to you.

Writing down your specific goal allows your brain to really focus on the task at hand. More importantly, it allows you to actually have a fighting chance at achieving them.

Don’t believe me?

Take a look at this study done on the 1979 graduating MBA class of Harvard Business School. Researchers asked the following question,

“Have you set clear written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?”

This was Harvard, remember, so what do you think the answers were?

Probably as high as 90% said “yes” right?

Wrong.

Here are the results.

• Only 3% had written goals and plans (!)
• 13% had goals but they weren’t in writing
• And the rest – 84% had no goals at all (!!!)

Here’s the fascinating part of the study.

The researchers caught up with the class members 10 years later and conducted follow up interviews. Here are the results.

• The 13% who had goals were earning twice as much as the 84% who had no goals at all

And here’s the mind-blowing part -

• The 3% who had clear, written goals were earning, on average, 10 times more than the other 97% put together!*

HOLY MOLY!

What do you think that will do to your strength gains??

Imagine where you will be in one month from now. Three months? Six months? One year?

Now go write that down specifically.

In the next post in this series, I’ll reveal what CV is and why it’s vitally important to getting instantly stronger.

Until then, remember, thoughts are things. Go capture your thoughts in writing.

*From What They Don’t Teach You In Harvard Business School, by Mark McCormack, a nice little book my father-in-law gave me about 10 years ago.

It’s no secret – I LOVE the sport of Weightlifting.

Arguably my all-time favorite lifter is Anatoli Pisarenko. He was the Soviet Super Heavyweight who ruled the world between 1982-1984.

He redefined the Super Heavyweight.

He was lean and powerful.

Graceful almost.

Watch this video and watch his body positions. Absolutely amazing!

He Clean and Jerked 583lbs at a bodyweight of around 270lbs.

What can you learn?

What A Great Weekend!

My apologies for not getting to your questions last week. I literally just ran out of time prepping for the RKC2 weekend.

Speaking of which, I just got back from an outstanding weekend of teaching at the RKC2. What a blast!

GREAT Team at RKC2!

My responsibilities were to review RKC Level 1 exercises and to teach the Jerk. It was great to see how many people had practiced the Get Up when we reviewed that part of the RKC Level 1. The Jerk is a great exercise to develop power production and teach deceleration as well as force absorption.

The biggest tone for the weekend was that the RKC is a principles-based system. It’s not just a collection of “cool” exercises. We apply the same principles to all of the exercises.

That being said, I wanted to share with you just a little bit from this weekend so you can apply it to your training.

Movements that Matter.

1. The Shoulder. I’m still amazed how many people do not know what I now admittedly take for granted. In pretty much any activity that involves the shoulder, the gleno-humeral joint needs to be “centrated” – or “packed” as we say in the RKC.

This involves engaging your lat(s) in any pressing or supporting movement, not just pulling movements. Interestingly enough, it’s surprising how many people don’t even do that while pulling!

So here’s what you need to do to “pack your shoulder” to improve your strength and your [shoulder] health:

1. Actively pull your shoulder down to your hip in any pressing or pulling movement to engage the lat
2. Keep it there throughout the motion
3. If you can’t do that, spend time increasing your hip mobility and thoracic mobility

2. The Hip. I am equally amazed at how many people have no idea where their hips are. Your movements should be initiated with a “hip-hinge” – that is – pushing back into the hips first to initiate your Swings, Snatches, what have you.

If you can’t do that, then you need to spend some time working on your hip mobility, and regaining the flexibility in your hip flexors and quadriceps.

If you’re not sure about either of those, then start by re-reading Enter the Kettlebell. Pavel extensively covers the hip-hinge and shoulder packing in there.

If you ignore these concepts along with many others, you can fully expect injuries in your future. It’s not a matter of “if” but rather “when.” So be smart about your training and get these dialed in before moving further.

What’s the Difference?

Ok, admittedly, those two points may seem pretty mundane. But do you know the difference between an amateur and an elite athlete? The elite athlete routinely practices the basics and has mastered them. Even as a Master RKC Instructor, I still focus on at least these two points in every training session I perform. And I make progress every single session. I become even more in tune with my body and move more fluidly because of it. It may not be “sexy,” “fun,” or “exciting” at times, but the results are.

One year ago, I couldn’t do a Get Up without pain in my knees or a hip. Today, I can do a full Kalos Sthenos style Get Up with a 48kg. Admittedly, part of that was from seeing Brett Jones back in November, but the rest is from taking my time and focusing on the basics.

What could you do by mastering the basics?

Switching it up a little bit today…

Let’s try the video format – could be interesting.

Let me know what you think…

And the rest of them…

I’ll be teaching at the RKC 2 next weekend, but leave me more of your questions and I’ll figure out how to get you answers for next week…

Have a great 4th of July weekend for those of you celebrating!

I think most of us are interested in our abs, right? Insomuch as we don’t want them hanging over our belts or dragging on the ground.

Bad A$$

Here are two articles that are must reads about your abs and how they affect not only how good you look nekkid, but more importantly (shocker!) how well you lift your kettlebell, barbell, or whatever.

The first is by my also good buddy, the “Redneck Ninja,” Jeff O’Connor, Master RKC (pictured above – just love that pic…) Jeff is one of those guys who rarely speaks. He just “does.” But when he does speak, WATCH OUT! Cause it’s 100% pure content!

It’s here. (Check out that picture – it just screams “Bad – A$$, doesn’t it?)

The second one is by my also good buddy, Brett Jones, Master RKC.

It’s here.

I’ve walked the road he’s talking about in that article… Make sure you don’t.

Enjoy!

“Don’t sweat the small stuff” it’s been said.

But what if the “devil’s in the details?”

Little things make a BIG difference.

Here’s one for example – weight distribution in the feet when pulling or squatting.

Here’s another – head and eye position when pressing overhead.

And another – the idea of “neutral spine” – does it have more than one meaning?

Ok, in fact, here’s a list:

• this one bugs me – the “arthrokinetic reflex” – does it really exist, or is it manufactured?
• eye, head, and neck position while pulling
• eye, head, and neck position while squatting
• joint mobility – what’s the real definition?
• core function and popular programming
• program design and proper sequencing
• arguing semantics – changing the definitions of words to match your definition of what you want something to mean

Now, I’m sure you can think of more than I’ve come up with here, but these are just a few.

What are some of your little things? I’d love to hear about them.