kettlebell ballistics

The Kettlebell Snatch – Protecting Your Elbows And Biceps From Injury

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The Kettlebell Snatch.

The only thing that jacks people’s elbows up more is the kettlebell clean.

Here’s a quick video of a technique, called, The Elephant’s Trunk Snatch.

Yeah, I know, pretty goofy name. I don’t know what else to call it. I didn’t come up with it, I just named it.

Anyway, watch the video and try this version out to see if it works better for you than what you’re doing now.

 

Want to know more about proper kettlebell technique? Check out Kettlebell STRONG!. It’s over 3.5 hours of instructional DVDs providing you with step-by-step instructions on how to perform the more advanced double kettlebell exercises.

It also includes and 89-page book with the common mistakes most people make and how you should fix them.

Get your copy here.

Almost forgot – this is the fourth part of a 4-part video series. If you missed any of the other videos, here they are below:

Kettlebell Exercises – Avoiding Injuries Through Correct Posture

Kettlebell Exercises – Avoiding Injuries Through Proper Set Up

Kettlebell Exercises – Avoiding Injuries On The Kettlebell Clean

Get A Crisper, Stronger, More Explosive Kettlebell Swing With These Bodyweight Exercises

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I’ve got a little secret to let you in on.

My Swing, the Center of the Kettlebell Universe – always felt a little out of orbit, so-to-speak. It just never really felt right.

Not until recently.

It always just felt a little bit – well, “off.”

Like I just couldn’t get that final hip lockout position.

Sure, I could Double Swing a pair of Beasts with ease, but they never felt right.

As you probably know, I’ve been on a bodyweight kick for the last 6 months or so. And because of that time spent on some bodyweight mastery and coordination exercises, I’m happy to report that my Swing feels virtually effortless now. Like it should.

I can finally achieve the crisp hip lockout position.

And I must say that it feels great!

The primary exercise I used was the L-Sit and variations of it.

Here’s a pic –

"L-Sit for Six Pack Abs"
Classic L-Sit - An Abdominal Killer

The other staple in my training was the L-Sit Chin Up.

(Pictured below.)

"L-Sit Chin Ups"
The L-Sit Chin Up - Another Ab Killer

These were massively powerful for my body. This is primarily because it was the exact opposite motions that my body was used to. I spent almost all my work moving from flexion to extension. So doing the opposite – moving from extension to flexion really helped me out tremendously. (More so than any joint mobility work I’ve ever done.)

The last exercise I spent a lot of time on was the Parallel Dip, again, most of the time performed with and L-Sit, which makes these monsters particularly demanding for me. Especially since I’ve got a tricky right shoulder, so I needed to get these just right.

So How Do You Incorporate These Bodyweight Exercises?

Really simple – I’d just alternate lower reps sets of moderate sized kettlebell Swings with one of the L-Sit exercises of choice.

Example:

A1. L-Sit Chins x5

A2. 2H Swings x10

Repeat 3-6 sets.

Rest as needed, where needed.

Another Good Kettlebell/Bodyweight Combo Variation To Try

Another good exercise to alternate your Swings with is any form of “Plank” – whether it’s a Yoga Plank (Push Up position), An RKC Plank, or even a Push Up.

Give one of those a shot if the L-Sit exercises seem a little too daunting.

Example:

A. Yoga Plank x 30s

B. 2H Swings x 30s

Rest 1-2 minutes.

Repeat 5-10 sets.

Why This Works

There’s a very simple reason why these bodyweight exercises work to improve your Kettlebell Swing- They activate your abdominals.

Trunk and hip flexion controlled and/or facilitated by the abs is still very freshly imprinted in your CNS, so performing a set of Swings afterwards helps integrate the “new” pattern – using your abs isometrically to tilt your pelvis “up” and “back”. (Quasi-posteriorly.)

This is what is known as “complex training” (Not to be confused with “complexes”). It’s where you insert or pair different skills together in your training session so one feeds the other. In this case, the stronger abdominal activation/recruitment helps make the Swing stronger.

So give one or two of these a shot and let me know what you think.

They make for quick but effective workouts, especially this time of year. And you’ll be making your Swing even better, which of course makes the rest of the kettlebell ballistic work even better too.

Here are some other quick and effective 15-20 minute workouts you can do this time of year too. (And the rest of the year too.)

The 2 Best Bodyweight Exercise To Add To Your Kettlebell Workouts

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I’ve written pretty extensively over the last 4 to 6 months about the benefits of bodyweight training. In fact, I just finished up about 4 months of almost exclusively bodyweight training – centered around pull-up varations, pistols, and parallel dips.

I’ve gotta tell you, I haven’t felt this good in a long, long time.

I can basically roll out of bed and do a pistol on each leg. I believe this is an important litmus test – as the Pistol is a key indicator of your “reflexive stability.”

And that was something I couldn’t do before I focused on bodyweight training.

Bodyweight Exercise #1: The Pistol

For that reason alone the Pistol is my #1 bodyweight exercise you should look to incorporate into your kettlebell training.

It’s a key indicator to your overall health and performance.

I don’t care how strong you are with a bar or pair of kettlebells, if you can’t do a bodyweight Pistol – without counterbalance – you’ve got some work to do. In the long run, you’ll be stronger.

And as an addendum, you might be wondering just how strong you can get by doing bodyweight Pistols. I recently just put a pair of 24kg kettlebells in the rack and did a Pistol on each leg. (It was a 9 out of 10 on the RPE scale.) So really, the sky’s the limit.

I’ve written at length about the Pistol – click here to check the ol’ archives.

Bodyweight Exercise #2: The Chin Up

Not the Pull Up, the Chin Up. It’s performed with your palms facing you.

And there are several good reasons for this.

1. Most people type or write all day.

This places a long duration load on their shoulders, internally rotating them. The lowly Chin reverses that loading and aligns the wrists and elbows.

2. Loaded stretching and combination cinching of the front of the body.

This is actually pretty cool when you think about it. The front of the body becomes short and tight from sitting all day long. You can very easily stretch it out and then load it by doing Chins. You can also decompress the spine and increase your spine health. Once you can get strong enough you can add weight to your Chins. This will make the front of your body contract in a healthy way, unlike sitting.

Here’s an interesting side note:

We in the fitness industry say that loading the posterior chain is good for countering sitting. I agree to some extent.

But I also disagree.

You have to address the abs too. And not just all the trendy counter-rotational stuff that’s being popularized. You actually have to get some trunk flexion and rotation in there too. (If you don’t believe me, go back and study your child development…)

So the Chin Up is a way to help get this done.

3. Functional Antagonistic Balance (FAB?)

I can’t remember where I first learned this – probably Gary Gray or Vern Gambetta about 15 years ago. However, I forgot all about it until Jedd Johnson of the Diesel Crew reminded me about this in one of his bending DVDs.

Essentially, it’s performing the opposite movements to your main sporting and/or exercise/training movements.

The Chin Up is a great FAB exercise for pretty much all kettlebell training. Here’s why:

KBs.                                      v.                    .Chins
– palms pronated                                  – palms supinated
– feet loaded                                            – feet unloaded
– spine loaded                                        – spine unloaded
– posterior chain emphasis                – anterior chain emphasis
– extension dominant                          – flexion dominant
– lower body intensive                          – upper body intensive

And of course there’s my current favorite version of the Chin – a Chin with an “L-Seat.”

This is where you raise your legs so they’re parallel with the floor and then hold them there throughout your set. Great stretch on the lats, great load on the abs.

How To Incorporate Chins And Pistols Into Your Kettlebell Workouts

There really is no right way. But here are some simple ideas.

1. Work the Pistol and its variations before all ballistics work.

Treat it like practice and you’ll actually open up your hips and make your Swings, Snatches, and Cleans that much better.

2. Work the Pistol in combination with the Get Up.

Do a set of GUs, then work Pistol variations. Go back and forth between them. Each will make the other better.

3. Do a set of Chins after all upper body kettlebell work, like Presses.

This is a great pairing for double kettlebell work.

4. Do a set of Chins after all ballistics work.

Again, another great pairing with exercises like the Double Swing or Double Front Squat.

There are some ideas to get you started.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

THE CONCLUSION – How To Out-Snatch A Donut, Part 3

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In my last two posts I’ve talked about strategies to outsnatch a donut without actually talking about Snatches or really even donuts.

So let’s get down to brass tacks here – let’s talk about the obvious, Snatches and donuts.

Part of this, remember, is to give you an overall strategy to implement so that you can eat those donuts (yes, it morphed into a three-part strategy from a two-part one. Sorry – what can I say…?).

So the first part was:

Eat as many whole, organic, natural foods as possible, focusing primarily on lean red meat, poultry, fish (especially cold water fish), berries, fruits, and vegetables.

And part two was:

Implement Intermittent Fasting.

Here’s the third part:

“Hedge” the Donut(s).

If we’re completely honest with ourselves, most of us know when we’re going to eat junk. We have to either by it at the store and take it home, or plant our butts in Mickey-D’s (or the drive-thru). Most of the time these are cravings that form in our minds. So we know we’re going to eventually break down and give in. Why not just be prepared for it?

So that’s what we’ll do.

Feel that craving coming on?

Cool.

Go do 10-20 minutes of Snatches or Swings (kettlebell ballistics are key here – burn more calories than grinds in most cases). 20 minutes is actually better. It’ll enable you to burn off more stored carbohydrate in the short term and increase your metabolic rate after you exercise (EPOC), allowing you to burn off more fat in the long term.

(This will also give you “space” for the junk calories you’re about to eat.)

Then eat the donut(s). (Notice how there’s an “s” on the end there? Very few of us can eat just one.)

The next day, do the same thing – 10-20 minutes of Snatches or Swings. Not only will you have burned calories pre-donut eating, and probably more than the donuts actually cost, but you will burn off extra the next day. (If you use the Viking Warrior Conditioning Protocol for 20 minutes on each day, you’ll at least burn off two donuts – and probably two more due to EPOC.)

Pretty cool, huh?

So that’s how you Out-Snatch A Donut – EVERY time.

I hope you enjoyed that 3-part series.

I think that it’s important to eat healthy to give our bodies and our minds energy, but it’s also important to cut loose once in awhile without feeling guilty about it.

The key is having strategies in place that let you do that. If you want the specific plan that my clients and I use that let us eat all of our favorite foods each week and still lose body fat – something that’s easy to use and let’s you still feel satisfied – then check this out.