kettlebell exercise

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

The “Best” Ab Exercise To Do With Your Kettlebell Workouts

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One thing we rarely talk about in the kettlebell world is this:

If you want to be successful using kettlebells – if you want to maximize your results, you’ll need to do some direct abdominal work.

There’s no way around it.

There are so many exercises to do, where do you start?

Start with this one – it’s the foundation for all the others:

Give it a shot and leave me your comments below.

A 4-Step Formula For A More Powerful Kettlebell Swing

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I ran across a study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (vol.26.1.Jan.2012) on the Kettlebell Swing and lower back pain, by McGill and Marshall. (There were some other exercises in that study too.) For those who aren’t aware of it, Dr. Stuart McGill is one of the world’s leading spine biomechanicists. So when he publishes something, I look at it.

One of the things he found is that unlike traditional barbell lifting, with kettlebell swings, the loads on the spines are “inverted.”

Because of the arc-like trajectory of the Swing, there is relatively high posterior shear forces* in relation to compressive forces.

*In “regular speak” shearing force is a force that can tear. Compressive force is just that – compressing material together until it explodes/ruptures.

In traditional barbell lifting, there are higher compressive forces compared to tearing forces.

So what does that mean?

It means, according to the researchers that you should have sufficient spinal stability – and sufficiently more spinal stability to swing a kettlebell than lift a bar.

So what’s that mean for YOU?

1. Compressive forces are traditionally associated with back injuries – herniated discs. Kettlebell Swings have low compression forces, therefore, when done correctly, they won’t hurt your lower back. They’re more “forgiving” than barbell lifting.

2. Shearing forces can still cause back injury, so if you’re swinging your KB and have back pain, stop swinging! Your pain most likely means that you either have insufficient spine stability and/or your technique is incorrect.

3. If you even suspect you fall into category #2, you need to add in some spinal stability exercises and polish your technique.

Speaking of polishing technique, I thought it’d be helpful to revisit the “hip hinge” which is the basis of the kettlebell Swing. Especially since it’s early in the new year and we want to make this year better than last. Plus, continually working the basics or fundamentals is always a good thing because helps correct any errors in the “advanced” exercises.

Here’s a video from the Kettlebell Burn stash that presents a 4-Step Formula for “perfect” Swings. I’ve found that these simple cues really have made a big difference in my Swings and my clients Swings. Plus the feedback I’ve gotten from Burn customers has been great.

And most importantly, it’ll help clean up your Swing technique, which, if you don’t have a spinal stability issue, will alleviate and back pain or discomfort while swinging.

So here’s the video. (Give it a couple of seconds to load…)

Let me know what you think.

Loading video, please wait…



Now obviously technique is really important to prevent injuries. And most injuries can be prevented simply by using good technique. The problem is, there’s a lot of “opinion” about what good technique is.

After teaching at RKC’s since 2006, I think I’m pretty qualified to offer an opinion on what “good” technique is, including shortcuts to getting good technique. 😉

Here are 10 more videos just like that Swing video to quickly hone your technique and help you prevent injuries on all the major kettlebell lifts.

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts and comments about the Swing video below.

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.)

How To Use Kettlebells To Manage Your Energy And Feel Great In Spite of The Holidays

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So it’s already day 5 of December.

Thanksgiving has been and gone. Christmas and Hanukkah are upon us and the new year is just over 3 weeks away.

That means one of two things is going to happen in the next 3.5 weeks –

1. You’re going to slam your life into hyperdrive to get all the stuff done you haven’t finished this year or this quarter, or

2. You’re going to throttle back and coast til January 1st.

Either way is cool if it works for you but both of these approaches have one thing in common –

The need for Energy Management.

There’s just something about this time of year that makes it almost “easy” to slide out of our good habits and into bad ones – or at least not-necessarily-good ones.

Maybe it’s because we’re all tired and some of us are just plain old burnt out from a long year.

Regardless, there’s a really easy way to keep going these next 3 weeks and make sure you don’t wake up in 2012 fatter and weaker than you planned on. In fact, by adopting this “energy management” approach, there’s a very good chance you could end up stronger and leaner than you are right now, by only committing to what ends up being a few minutes a day to your workouts.

Here’s how this’ll work –

  1. Pick your favorite exercise – KB or otherwise
  2. Pick the most beneficial exercise for you – the one that provides your body with the biggest bang for the proverbial buck
  3. Carve out a whopping 10 minutes a day, 6 days per week, and alternate between the 2 exercises.
  4. Do this until the New Year when you can more effectively evaluate your goals, needs, wants, and desires.

Here’s how this might look –

  1. Favorite exercise – Double KB Clean + Press
  2. Most beneficial exercise – Chin Up
  3. M,W,F – Double KB Cl+Pr, T,Th,Sa – Chin Up

Now what about sets and reps and weight?

Don’t worry about it.

Seriously.

Just do what you feel like doing on that particular day. “Worry” about it when you get there. Just decide what you “feel” like doing and do it.

Want to just go light? Cool. Do it.

Want do heavy sets of singles? By all means go right ahead.

Want to do one long set and walk away? Sure thing.

The point here is to be able to manage your energy so you can redirect it to other things in the next 3.5 weeks and to not stress out about your workouts but also to not ditch them altogether so you end up paying for it in the New Year.

Want some more ideas or something done for you? No problem – check this out.

Now that’s one less thing to worry about this Holiday Season. Instead, you can concentrate on getting all your work done that you haven’t done or finding the “perfect” gift for that special someone.

Me?

I fall into category 1 – I’m going to be busy catching up on all the stuff that needs to get done before the end of the year. And then I’ll be spending the holidays with my in-laws. They haven’t seen Michael since May. It’ll be good to be with family.