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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 ONE Thing…

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The first week of the new year is almost over.

For some, the exuberance and promise of potential change is wearing off as they face the mundane routines of daily life.

Bummer.

Here’s the ONE thing you can do and it’s the ONLY thing you need to do in order to achieve your goals –

MEASURE.

It’s that simple.

I think it was Peter Drucker, a social ecologist, who said, “What’s gets measured gets managed.”

Where do you want to go?

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know where you currently are.

Take fat loss.

It’s a popular topic this time of year. Lots of people are not only trying to lose those extra pounds they put on over the past 6 weeks of 2010, but also those same 6 weeks in 2009, 2008, 2007…

And there’s a lot of confusion about what diet to be on, what workouts to do, etc.

But none of that really matters if you don’t have a starting point – or more importantly, the most accurate starting point available to you.

For fat loss, the traditional form of measurement is the scale. Which is ok and better than nothing. Another form of measurement is the tape measure.

What Do You Have To Measure?

The important stuff.

The stuff that matters.

The stuff that actually creates change.

Stuff like –

– Food portions
– Weight used in workouts
– Sets and reps in workouts
– Rest

Simple things.

Bad News – Good News

The bad news is that when you look at those types of things you may panic.

How are you going to fit all that stuff into your current hectic schedule – work, kids, meetings, kids, time with spouse, kids, “honey-do” lists, on, and on, and on…

The good news is that if you pause, take a deep breath, and think for a minute, you already do these things – you know how much money is in your bank account, how many groceries you need each week, and how much gas is in your car.

And if you just take what you already know, what you already do, and apply it to your quest for a leaner, meaner, tighter, lighter you – you’ll be massively successful.

How To Get Measuring Now

1. Find your starting point. Step on the scale. Measure your waist with a tape measure.

2. Record that number. Preferably right next to your target or goal number.

3. Measure how much (in calories) you need to eat each day. This of course will be less than you are currently eating.

Good starting points are –

– bodyweight *13 if 10lbs or less
– bodyweight *12 if between 10-20lbs to lose
– bodyweight *10 if between 20-30lbs to lose
– bodyweight * 9 if more than 30lbs to lose

And then actually measure the amount of food you eat each day. (If you don’t know for sure, you’re just guessing…)

4. Measure your workouts by recording the sets, rest, weights, and reps in a log. If you don’t have one, get one, otherwise, how will you be able to tell if your making progress?

5. Repeat this process as often as necessary.

– Weighing in: 1x week
– Measuring food: Every meal
– Recording workouts: Every workout

“But It’s So Inconvenient!”

I know what you may be thinking – this will be really inconvenient and take too much time.

Yeah, it may be, but you know what’s REALLY inconvenient?

Flying to your parents house in a foreign country and having to take unpaid leave to do so because your dad has to have heart bypass surgery.

What most people don’t know is the heart bypass surgery is actually “elective” not “necessary.”

You see, you can “elect” to avoid it or you can choose to have it.

The choice to avoid it is based on making those minor inconveniences now as opposed to inconveniencing your spouse and your children when the doctor tells you that your shortness of breath is due to your excessively high levels of bodyfat and blood pressure that can no longer be “controlled” with just a pill (or 5).

That’s inconvenient.

Another inconvenience is when your admitted to the hospital to have one of your organs removed (like a kidney) because it’s riddled with cancer due to the choices you made earlier in life.

(It’s also very inconvenient for your family…)

The point is, you can choose when you’ll be inconvenienced – now or later, but the point is, you will at some point be inconvenienced.

The Solution.

Fortunately, there are really lots of solutions.

They’re pre-written kettlebell programs – just pick a kettlebell program and follow it.

Just one is fine. Don’t try to outsmart the professionals who wrote the programs by mixing this program with that one. Just follow one. And measure your progress.

(Here’s a great fat loss program with kettlebells.)

The important point is that you actually follow it, and measure your results.

And that’s it – the ONLY thing you need to do to start achieving your goals – MEASURE.

What Is The “Kettlebell Sandwich?”

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When I was a kid, and even well into college, I lived off sandwiches. My favorite as a child was Oscar Meyer salami, Velveeta cheese, and Kosciusco mustard (if that’s how it’s even spelled – it’s been so long). Man, I could eat tons of them! In fact, there was awhile when I was a wee one that it was the only sandwich I remembered that I would eat! So good!

In college I moved on to more exotic things, like Gyros from the “Grease Trucks” at Rutgers. Man that tsziki sauce is great! But I never did man up and get a Fat Cat – 2 burgers, cheese, fries and some other stuff all on a sub roll.

Of course you have your favorite sandwiches and of course you’re probably wondering what sandwiches have to do with kettlebell training, if anything at all.

Lots, actually.

The “Sandwich” is #4 on the list of “5 Ways To Successfully Mix Kettlebells And Barbells.”

4. The “Sandwich”

Essentially, the Sandwich is placing kettlebell work before and after your barbell work – “sandwiching” your barbell work between them.

My current favorite Kettlebell Sandwich is to use the Get Up as “movement prep” – actually more of  a “systems check” – to ensure that everything is working correctly, most times, it is. But on the off chance that something is stuck or glitched up, the GU lets me know where to go to fix it. Then, when my barbell work is through, I use the GU again as yet another “systems check” – to let me know that I didn’t do anything stupid under the bar and if I did, what to correct. More often or not, the Get Up is a powerful correction in and of itself anyway.

But that’s just me.

If I was really into “conditioning” right now, I’d toss in some Swings after my barbell work and hit some intervals. I may even throw in some Snatches and see what I could get in a certain time period.

It doesn’t matter really how you do it, as long as you do what’s right for you at this current stage and phase of your training. Mixing kettlebells into your barbell training shouldn’t be haphazard – it should have a purpose and that main purpose is to move you further ahead to achieving your goals.

Here are three samples of how to build your own Kettlebell Sandwich:

1. Movement Prep/Finisher. You warm up with some movement prep pertinent to your main goal, then perform barbell work du jour, then pick your favorite kettlebell finisher to end the training session to focus on conditioning.

Here’s an example:

A. Movement Prep: 1/2 GU, 1/2 Kneeling Windmill w/ Press, Get Up

B. Barbell Work: Heavy Pulling – High Pulls, Rows, etc

C. Finisher: H-2-H Swings, 10 minutes, as many as possible.

2. Movement Prep/Movement Recap. Touched on this with the Get Up. But you could also use other exercises like the RKC Armbar, the Windmill, the Single Leg Deadlift, etc. Here is an example:

A. Movement Prep: RKC Armbar, 1/2 GU, SLDL, Windmill – 3-5 reps each.

B. Main Training Session: Heavy Pushing. Barbell Press. Barbell Incline Press. Board Presses.

C. Movement Recap/Screen: RKC Armbar, Get Up – reps by feel.

3. Feeder/Finisher. You could use kettlebells as feeders for your barbell work (see this post) and after your barbell work was done, use the kettlebells as finishers.

I’m sure there are many more ways to build your own Kettlebell Sandwich, but these three should be a good start for you. Agian, let me once again say, that you should sandwich your kettlebells around your barbell work in a way that makes sense for your goals. It shouldn’t be willy-nilly. (Did I just type “willy-nilly?” Wonder where that came from…?) There should be a point and you should be able to measure progress from it, in both the kettlebell work, your ability to move, and more importantly, your barbell work.

Next time we’ll be invetigating the idea of “blocks.” It’ll be good. It’s my favorite way to mix kettlebells and barbells.

Part 1 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-with-barbells/

Part 2 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-and-barbells-part-2/

Part 3 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-and-barbells-part-3/

Real v. Self-Imposed Limitations

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Have you ever wondered what your true limitations are?

Have you ever wanted to really find them? I don’t suggest you do, but if you want to, compete in a sport. It’ll tell you a lot about what you think you can do, versus what you actually can do, and then you’ll have a map to follow in your training.

But what about after you’ve found them the hard way – by testing them too often and under the wrong conditions?

Maybe that’s happened to you – you’ve gotten injured, maybe badly, and you’re now “gun shy.”

I experienced this yesterday. (Of course you probably figured that out already since I’m writing about it…)

As you may know, I’ve spent half the last decade rehabbing injuries. That’s a long time for sure. Unfortunately, I think I may have become “over-cautious.” I don’t want to become reckless and nor do I suggest you do so either. That’s not what I’m suggesting at all. But what about a periodic “gut check?” Maybe just a little test of the ol’ mettle based on what you think you can do now?

I stumbled upon this quite by accident yesterday. I spent the better part of the day between emails, faxes, and phone calls with my insurance company. By the end of the day, my aggravation levels were sky-high.

So what’d I do?

The only exercise I know of that is really a “cure-all” for me – the Back Squat.

Yup, I just got my pattern back last week – the old, strong pattern. So what I do yesterday? I tested myself on it of course! No, I didn’t RM or anything that stupid, but I did “gut-check” myself. As part of the baseline that tells me that I’m getting in weightlifting shape, there’s a certain load and volume in a certain time period that I can hit as the start of my pre-competition training. It’s the baseline of the baseline if you will.

So yesterday, I just said, “You know what, this is stupid. I’ve been training smart lately. I should be able to hit those numbers without even thinking about it, let alone training for it.”

So I did.

And I learned something.

I learned the following:

  1. My training lately has been exactly where it needs to be – it has served me well.
  2. My body is firing on all cylinders – I’m keenly aware of  all the right muscles that worked as I type this.
  3. That I have been conservative in my training – and it has helped me.
  4. That I had a self-imposed mental limitation – I didn’t think I was ready for that workload. But not only was I, it was of the highest quality and it surpassed my expectations!

So what’s the take home for us?

  1. Have a plan that you can follow that balances your goals with your current abilities and your limitations.
  2. Don’t “workout” – Train. Have a plan. (Did I say that already…?)
  3. Be confident enough to step outside your comfort zone every once in a while – set up some sort of test or challenge. I suggest it somewhat mirrors your training plan – don’t go run a 5K if you’re training for a powerlifting meet…
  4. Expect that your plan is working and then keep working the plan.
  5. Don’t set limitations on yourself – think BIG!

As for me, I’m still thinking big. My numbers are moving right along and if everything goes according to plan, I should hit some pretty big numbers – PRs by Christmas time, if not before.

What are you training for and have you set realistic expectations or self-imposed limitations?

“I’m Finished!”

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At least that’s how you may feel after these types of training sessions.

5 Ways To Successfully Mix Kettlebells And Barbells – Part 3.

3. Finishers

What is a “finisher?”

It’s something you do at the end of your workout/training for a variety of reasons, such as metabolic conditioning, mental toughness, fat loss, general conditioning, or some combination of any of the aforementioned reasons.

My favorite finisher of all time, ever, involved a heavyweight wrestler, a hill, and two 100 pound plates at Rutgers during the summer of ’98.

But some of my other ones involve using kettlebells.

There are many things you can do with kettlebells at the end of your training session. Here are some ideas:

  • Swings for time or sets or reps
  • Snatches for time or sets or reps
  • Get Ups (just as brutal as Swings at the end)
  • High rep Clean and Jerks
  • Complexes or Chains
  • Carries – Farmer’s, rack or overhead

Let’s take a closer look.

  1. Swings for time or sets or reps. Grab a medium kettlebell and decide if you’re going to swing for a certain time period with or without rest – say 10 minutes, swinging every 30 seconds and resting for 30 seconds. Or maybe you’re going to hit 20 reps and then rest for a certain period of time. Or maybe you’re going to hit 20 sets of 10 reps. You get the idea.
  2. Snatches for time or sets for reps. Same thing as the Swings – only easier. Why? Because you get to rest at the top in the lockout position!
  3. Get Ups. Again, any combination of time, reps, sets… These are tough to do, especially for sets of 3 to 5 at the end of a session. They force you to use precise movement with fatigue already in the system. Also a good “systems check” to ensure you didn’t go so hard during your training to throw something out of whack. The good news is, if you did, the GU will usually help fix it.
  4. High Rep Clean and Jerks. One hand or two hand, but not for the “feint of heart.” Best used after a lower body day, as I like pairing finishers opposing the main focus of the training session. These are just brutal on the heart and lungs and the upper body musculature.
  5. Complexes or Chains. Easy enough. String a sequence of exercises together and repeat til done.
  6. Carries. The most under-rated and overlooked finishers ever, in my book. Take a kettlebell or a pair of kettlebells and carry them for distance or time or both. Hold them in your hands by your sides – Farmer’s carry. Hold them on your chest – Rack carries. Hold them locked out at arm’s length overhead – Overhead carries. These are phenomenal for improving conditioning, especially of the “core” musculature and the shoulder stabilizers in the lockout position.

How do you pick which one is right for you?

Don’t worry about it so much. Mix and match and see which one requires the most from your body. That’s probably the one you need more than the others. When that becomes relatively easy, try them all again and once again find the most challenging of them. Again, spend the time there. Repeat the process until you get to where you want to go or no longer have any weak links – or both.

Part 1 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-with-barbells/

Part 2 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-and-barbells-part-2/