2. Always be aware of your surroundings.
Train in a place where there are no concerns about property damage or injury to anyone- including yourself. Make sure to train on a flat surface; facing downhill invites back and knee problems. As with basic range safety, make sure there is proper spacing between you and another comrade. The line of fire of your swings and snatches is HOT!

3. Train barefoot or wear shoes with a flat, thin sole.
Wrestling shoes and Converse Chuck Taylors are the best. Not only do cushy tennis shoe compromise your performance; they make it easy to toll forward on your toes during swings and snatches and injure your back.

4. Don’t fight the Kettlebell if a rep goes wrong.
If the bell wants to twist your elbow, shoulder or any other joint in a way that it is not suppose to, or pull you forward on your toes, don’t fight it. Abort! Let it fall and move out of the way if necessary.

5. Practice all safety measures at all times.
Because “practice becomes permanent,” and “under stress we revert to training.” How can you expect to do the right thing during the stressful last rep with a heavy ketlebell if you grooved wrong habits with the easy reps?

A typical mistake is setting the kettlebell down sloppily, with a rounded back and/ or the weight on the toes, following a hard (and often perfect) set of swings or snatches. Don’t! Mentally stay with the set until the Kettlebell is safely parked. Lower the kettlebell in a way you would if you were planning to do another rep. Brace the bell with your body. Then let go, and only then relax.

6. Focus on quality, not quantity.
In the hard style of kettlebell training, like in weightlifting and powerlifting, reps do not reflect one’s ability (if you swing the kettlebell with more power you will not get as many reps, ditto with the total tension in presses) and should not be the end goal.

Focusing on doing more reps will only encourage your body’s innate tendency toward energy conservation and unsafe technique. Emphasize maximum explosion in your quick lifts and maximum tension in your “grinds” and don’t worry about reps too much.

7. Keep moving once your heart rate is high.
Standing still or sitting after completing a hard set can put undo stress on your heart. Continue to walk around, shake out the legs and forearms while your heart comes down and breathing is back to normal.

8. Build up the training load gradually using common sense, and listen to your body.
This does not only refer to weight, sets, and reps, but also to the flexibility requirements. Don’t force yourself into positions you are not ready for; develop your flexibility gradually.

If you bang your forearms during cleans, don’t go clean crazy until you have bruised and swollen forearms. Be patient, continue with proper instruction, and perfect your technique. Same applies for snatches. Although if your cleans are not ‘clean’ then snatches are out of the question.

Practice Hard, Practice Often, Be Patient, & Smart!

I’m sure many of you, whether an exercise professional, or avid gym goer, have walked into a gym and witnessed “incorrect form”. I know I have! I have cringed at the site of some people working out, because I know they can or will get injured, if they continue exercising that way. An outsider looking in on a kettlebell class or training session might think: that has to be bad for your back, stressful on shoulders, hard on the knees, too much weight to control. Understandable that someone, without the education of a Certified Russian kettlebell instructor, would perceive the movements as such. We are here to dispel a few of these myths. So you are educated and feel safe, despite what…

The fitness controversy: The hyper-flexed hips and knees of a deep squat compromise the joints.

RKC = GOBLET SQUAT

When performed during kettlebell training, taught RKC- HARDSTYLE, this deep squat is actually an excellent leg strength and flexibility developer. The Goblet Squat has been declared therapeutic for the knees and hips, since it “opens” the joints. The client is taught to pull the hips back, and push the knees apart on the descent, utilizing the hip flexors and hip abductors. The conscious activation of these muscles “makes space” in the hip and reduces the likelihood of one flagrantly succumbing to gravity. Here the muscles are called on to align the joints and be in charge!

Abdominal pressurization is emphasized throughout the movement, as well. The bracing of the body from the top of the movement to the bottom and reverse, gives one the ability to maintain the balance of the weight shift into the hips. The controlled movement throughout the squat also removes any direct pressure from the knee because the femurs drop away from the knee joint and also create more space. Believe it or not, in such a strength building movement, flexibility is also emphasized. The Goblet Squat deeply lengthens uni-articular hip extensor muscles (such as the gluteus maximus and medius) and hip abductors. Each individual will have different range of motion while squatting, based on their ability to keep a neutral spine throughout the movement.

The fitness controversy: forward flexion puts strain on the low back, which can be exacerbated by adding load

RKC = THE SWING

Forward flexion does not strain the lower back when performed correctly. In the set position of The Swing, the torso is in isometric contraction, strengthening the core’s musculature while maintaining the proper curvatures of the spine. In order to get into the set position of The Swing, the client is taught to hinge at the hips; pulling the hips back while maintaining a 20 degree bend at the knee. Similar to bending over to touch ones toes. This is a functional movement that teaches the client how to move from the hips and utilize the often forgotten and malnourished hip extensor muscles.

When the body is loaded with the weight of the kettlebell, the client still maintains bracing of the core and a neutral spine. At the top of the swing, HARDSTYLE is in effect. Again, the body is braced and proper alignment is sealed. Thus clients learn to transfer the bell from the bottom of the swing to the top, using the hamstrings and gluteus maximus (the agonists of overly tight hip flexors) instead of relying on trunk extensors such as the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum—and avoid potential back pain.

The Goblet Squat and the Swing challenge balance, posture, core activation and stability. Both strengthen while they stretch. So what is the problem? We don’t find one.

Instructions for Performing “The Brettzel”

Lay on your side with your neck supported so it remains in a neutral position. Since your shoulder will be on the deck, elevate your head with a towel or foam pad so that your neck is not downhill, or uphill, but right in line with the remainder of your spine. The neck should be completely relaxed during this stretch. Draw your knees and hips into a fetal position, bending at your hip joint to create as tight of an angle as possible (with your hip flexion exceeding ninety degrees.) If you are extremely flexible, you may be able to place your thigh directly onto your chest wall, but it is important to take up all the available slack. Assuming that you are lying on your left side, hold your right knee close to your body with your left hand. Reach back with your left leg, bringing your thigh as far behind the plane of your body as possible, and bend your knee as much as possible. Try to grasp your left ankle with your right hand. Once you are in position, and not until you have both legs secured, proceed to the next step.

The next step in “The Brettzel” is a maximal shoulder rotation away from the deck and toward the sky. If you’re lying on your left side, try to turn your body toward your right as far as you can. Let your neck remain in a neutral position. And, then, slowly look with your eyes and turn your head to enhance the shoulder turn. If you cannot grasp your left ankle with your right hand, use a small loop or belt to extend your reach until your flexibility will allow. Do not drop the maintained right hip flexion since it will protect your low back and influence the rotation stretch on the thoracic spine.

The benefits of this stretch demonstrate a three-dimensional chain of events that often play off of each other. You will expose yourself to any quadricep or hip flexor tightness on the left leg. You will also expose yourself to any piriformis, glute, or low back tightness with the right hip flexed position. Lastly, once this position is maintained, rotation will expose you to any T-spine rotation deficit. Thoracic spine mobility plays heavily in shoulder mechanics and may be the underlying cause for shoulder problems. At no time should you strain your neck, but only use your neck turn and your “eye look” to complement the shoulder rotation that you are executing.

Once in position, use slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing to relax. To gain extra distance, pull each leg away from the arm that is gripping it without actually coming free from the grip. You’re trying to create an isometric contraction by pulling the legs towards each other against resistance.

Immediately after this contraction of trying to extend the right leg and flex the left leg, at the hip, relax and rotate the spine an extra few degrees, which should be available to you after the contraction. Use your deep, relaxed, diaphragmatic breathing and this contract-relax cycle to achieve maximal stretch in this position.

Obviously if there is any pain, this is no longer a stretch. Rather, it is just an insult to an underlying injury that you may not be aware of. It is advisable and strongly recommended to have a medical professional check this out. Muscle tension and stretching should not be seen as pain, but pain isolated in joints or around tendons should definitely be examined by a medical professional.

Many individuals will not receive a maximal stretch in this position. They may have less of a mobility problem (one joint limitation), and more of a flexibility problem (multi-joint limitation, usually found within muscles that span multiple joints). Since the iliotibial band (which arises off the gluteus maximus / TFL), and hamstrings fit the definition of multi-joint muscle tendon packages, a second variation of “The Brettzel” can be done with a flexed hip and an extended knee. It is advisable to perform both of these positions on one side, and then compare and contrast the differences through the light stretch on the alternate side.

In the absence of pain, asymmetries should be first and foremost addressed and normalized. If this does not change after one stretching session, do not give up. Chances are, it has taken you a long time to create the limitations that you have now discovered and it will take some time to combat them. Remember, tight muscles aren’t bad muscles. You’ve learned how to use those muscles to move in a particular pattern, and your muscles are simply following the pattern you’ve laid out for them. The FMS corrective exercises, of which “The Brettzel” is one, are a means to break those patterns.

You can use “The Brettzel” stretch as a super-set. The definition of a super-set is usually a secondary activity that works a reciprocal muscle group or an alternate exercise that enhances the quality of movement, body awareness and reflex stabilization. The best way to get reflex stabilization and have your stabilizers work automatically is to improve mobility. Most of the times when both flexibility and mobility are limited, prime movers secondarily assume the role of stabilizers. This creates the illusion of tightness and increased muscle tone against stretching.

If you immediately elongate these prime mover muscles and then proceed with stabilization activities, like a single-leg deadlift with the alternate arm, or a Half Get-Up, you will give your stabilizers an opportunity to assume their primary role, thus removing the obligation of prime movers to work in less than optimal range of motion. Eventually, you can combine this stretch with a full Turkish Get-Up to appreciate the benefit of a mobility-stability super-set.

As far as the uniqueness of “The Brettzel”, I cannot recall any instance of seeing this application or stretch before. However, it is entirely possible that this stretch exists under another name, and if I neglected to give appropriate credit for a previous reference of this stretch, I offer apologies for my oversight at this time. However, it is more important to recognize the sequence of events in this stretching application, as well as left-right comparison, and not just focus on a position or a static stretch. Breathing, contract-relax, modification of the top leg for an alternate stretch, and a left- right appraisal are of utmost importance through the application of the stretch. Secondly, it is also important to get both legs positioned before thoracic spine rotation is performed. The opposing hip stretches will serve to protect the low back and target the thoracic spine for rotation. Therefore, they must be set, in place, and on tension before T-spine rotation occurs.

I hope this article has given you some food for thought, a new corrective stretching tool, and an insight into the shenanigans that went on behind the scenes with the making of the “Secrets” Series. Enjoy “The Brettzel”!

RKC Chief Instructor Pavel enjoys the Brettzel

And, not to be outdone, Senior RKC Jeff O’Connor follows suit
Gray Cook MSPT, OCS, CSCS is one of the most sought after lectures in the country, developer of the Functional Movement Screen and consultant to many professional teams and military groups. You can learn more about Gray and the Functional Movement Screen at www.functionalmovement.com

Article Written by Marty Gallagher
May 7, 2009

As I’ve said before, in fitness effort is no substitute for fitness success. Sub-maximal effort is, in this man’s opinion, a complete waste of training time. My idea of aerobic exercise is lung-searing, grunt and pant cardio that forces the individual to equal or exceed some sort of limit, keeping in mind that limits can take many forms. I like running or power-walking while toting a heavy weighted pack; also high on the approved aerobic list would be swimming for miles or hoisting heavy objects for protracted periods. My idealized version of cardio exercise is done outside, sans machines and always resulting in sweat being excreted by the bucketful. Beneficial cardio needs to involve extreme exertion. Man is primordially programmed to run and swim: from the beginning of time until the domestication of the horse, men caught and killed wild game on foot in order to survive? How do you think primal man avoided man-eating predators? If primal man was not physically fit, if he were not a capable runner or swimmer, his life expectancy was significantly diminished. Modern man is the inheritor of primal programming and is a natural runner or swimmer; genetically we are preprogrammed for these activities. There is nothing in our exercise DNA that makes us good stationary bike riders or dancers; there is nothing in our genetic makeup that allows us to reap maximum physical results from minimal physical effort.

I cannot tell you how many times over the past decade decidedly fat men have thrown Pavel’s quote in my face when I have suggested that a little cardio activity might do them a world of good…

Me: “Look here my good fellow; you are fifty pounds overweight and you huff and puff like you’ve just run a marathon after walking up three flights of stairs. You should consider adding a bit of cardio activity to your kettlebell regimen to improve your deficient circulatory efficiency.”

Them: “Pavel says aerobics are disgraceful! (Belch!) Besides I hate cardio!”

Why I would never have guessed. Basically Pavel’s words are being twisted by the decidedly unfit to provide themselves a ‘get-out-of-jail-free without doing cardio trump card.’ How can you argue with this kind of logic? As someone once said, “a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” For this reason I don’t spend a lot of time trying to convince the unrepentant unfit that they need some applied cardio exercise – this reluctance to embrace cardio is doubly ironic: unbeknownst to the aggressively unfit, they already possess one of the greatest cardio devices ever invented: the kettlebell.

Used intelligently, i.e., for high reps and for an extended exercise periods of time, the uber-simplistic kettlebell becomes the AK-47 of cardio devices. Factually and mathematically, a properly used kettlebell trumps the aerobic benefit derived from uber- expensive aerobic machines or the pump-and-groove-step-aerobic class.

In recent years I have worked with obese individuals in an attempt to introduce them to a humane approach towards fitness. One of the goals of any comprehensive fitness regimen is cardiovascular health. When the circulatory system is systematically “exercised,” organ functionality and overall health improves. The heart and lungs are muscles and like any other and when routinely exercised they are strengthened and their pumping power is improved. Intense cardio sends torrents of blood rushing down arterial highways, cleansing and cleaning as the blood-flood blasts through the miles and miles of internal plumbing.

➢ How do we exercise the circulatory system?
➢ Systematically elevate the heart rate for a protracted period
➢ How do we lose body fat?
➢ Synchronize cardio exercise with cleaned up food selections and gradually reduce caloric intake

Invoke and pay homage to the four bullet points and do so for a decent period of time and excess body fat begins melting faster than ice cubes strewn on a hot concrete sidewalk in mid August.

Recently I have been working with kettlebell trainees to improve various aspects of their performance. To satisfy my own curiosity, I suggested one of my hardcore kettlebell athletes “strap up” with a Polar F4 heart rate monitor during his intense sessions. My idea was to see what sort of cardio impact kettlebell lifting generated. I thought kettlebell lifting would prove to be a dynamic calorie oxidizer. My hunches and suspicions were confirmed when Jim Ski began reporting his results: hoisting heavy kettlebells in a variety of methods, using various exercises, generated a dramatically elevated heart rate. Ski’s results pointed out with mathematical certainty that intense and protracted kettlebell training is an aerobic activity without peer. While running and swimming are fabulous cardio activities, and as natural for an athlete as natural can be, lifting heavy weights for high reps burns more calories than either activity.

One critical cardio benchmark, perhaps the critical benchmark is: how many calories per minute are oxidized during a particular exercise? As it turns out, protracted kettlebell hoisting is pretty much in a calorie-per-minute class of its own. The ‘burn rates’ generated during an extended kettlebell session are nothing short of fantastic. I have reprinted a few sample workouts undertaken by Jim Ski to illustrate the awesome calorie-burning attributes of kettlebell lifting…

Sat., 4/11/09 workout I
Cardio Extended Strength – low weight slung for long durations
Warm-up: 75 Bodyweight squats

Two Hand Swings: 20 swings with 24kg K-Bell: 35 seconds of work alternated with 35 seconds of rest for 40 work/rest cycles
Total Swings: 800, Total Volume: 42,400 lbs.

Duration: 52:45 – including squat warm-ups
Intensity: (High)
Blended session heart rate average: 150 beats per minute for 53 minutes equating to 88.7% of his 169 max HR
Max HR hit during the session: 171 beats per minute
Calories Oxidized per Minute: 15.1 calories per minute were burned for 53 consecutive minutes
Total Calories Oxidized: 805 calories in 52 minutes and 45 seconds (1 calorie for every swing)

Here is another representational kettlebell swing workout: this one was shorter and slightly less intense as expressed in cal/per/minute burn…over 33 minutes Jim averaged a 14.1 calorie-per-minute burn rate.

Fri., 4/24/2009

8am
Warm Up: 51 Bodyweight Squats
2 hand swings 20 swings with a 24kg K-bell – 35 seconds of work / 35 second rest for a total of 25 work/rest cycles
Total Swings: 500, Total Volume: 26,500 lbs.

Duration: 33:01 minutes
Intensity: (Light)
%ARHR: 85.2%
Blended session Heart Rate average: 144 beats per minute for 33 consecutive minutes
Max HR achieved during the session: 165 beats per minute
Calories Oxidized per Minute: 14.2 calories per minute for 33 straight minutes
Total number of Calories Oxidized during the session: 469

=============================================

Below are the results from a short, 13 minute and 30 second, one hand snatch workout…
Protocol: a single 44 pound kettlebell is snatched singlehandedly – 10 reps left hand, then ten reps right hand, followed by 40 seconds of rest for ten cycles

Snatches @ 20kg 10 left hand reps then 10 right hand reps then rest (40 sec. work / 40 sec. rest) for 10 complete cycles Total Snatches: 200, Total Volume: 8,800 lbs.

Duration: 13:27 minutes
Intensity: (High) Session average % of age-related heart rate maximum: 91.1%
Blended session average hear rate: 154 beats per minute
Max HR during session: 165 beat per minute
Calories Oxidized per Minute: 14.9 calories per minute for 13 and one half minutes
Total Calories Oxidized: 194

Note that almost 200 calories were burnt in less than 14 minutes…that is a fabulous burn rate – but it gets even better – keep in mind that on both the dual hand swing exercise and the single-hand snatch exercise half the exercise time was spent resting!

The swing protocol was 35 seconds of work followed by 35 seconds of rest for 49 consecutive minutes; the snatch protocol was 40 seconds of work followed by 40 seconds of rest for 13.5 consecutive minutes. This is astounding – in terms of work and work alone, the 800 calories were burnt in 24 minutes of actual work! Ditto the 44 pound one arm snatches – 200 calories were oxidized during 7 minutes of actual work!

The kettlebell seems to be the perfect tool for generating caloric oxidation: the swing is particularly effective and my theory is that the swing strikes a perfect balance between strength and momentum. There is a rhythm and momentum to properly performed swing technique that is conducive for extended performance. The goal of an effective cardio session is to establish an elevated heart rate and keep the heart rate
elevated for an extended period of time. The goal of a sensible cardio session strikes the elusive balance between duration and intensity. The kettlebell swing seems to be the ideal heart-rate spiking exercise in that it is a perfect combination of muscle activation and sustainable momentum. Users are able to ignite dramatically accelerated heart rates yet keep the exercise going for a long period of time.

I would challenge anyone to find any other mode of exercise that can generate a higher, sustainable calories-per-minute burn rate. While you might be able to generate a higher caloric burn rate for a few minutes, try keeping it up for 30 + minutes. Keep in mind that the sustained caloric burn rates I have highlighted were generated by a 50 + year old man weighing 205 pounds – there is zero doubt in my mind that even higher burn rates can be achieved by younger, fitter individuals.

On the other hand without a Polar F4 heart rate monitor you would be unable to determine any of this….I would amend Pavel’s famous statement and say – “there is no disgrace in aerobics – provided they are performed in proper sweaty fashion using the AK-47 of exercise tools.”

The Russian kettlebell owes half of its power to the proprietary RKC training system. The other half is due to the kettlebell’s design, namely a thick handle removed from a compact center of mass.

• The kettlebell is the ultimate in conditioning the body for extreme decelerations. Think of all the sudden stops and direction changes on the football field. If you have not conditioned yourself to handle these forces, you will perform sub-par and run a high risk of injury. Traditional strength training, even the Olympic “quick lifts”, does not address this issue as the weight is either dropped or treated to a slow negative. As Master RKC Brett Jones states, “You cannot swing a barbell between your legs.” You could try it with a dumbbell…at least until the sheer width of it takes your knees out. The compact kettlebell can be dropped from the lockout between your knees and way behind you where it will impact load your hips.

• This dynamic loading sets up the hip muscles for a powerful contraction. The kettlebell is the definitive tool for developing the hip thrust, the power generator in all athletics. Be it a jump, a kick, or a punch, when expertly performed, it comes from the hips.

• The kettlebell will make your back resilient. Unique Russian kettlebell exercises (high repetitions of the swing, clean, and snatch) condition your back from every conceivable angle, statically and dynamically. One would have to take up powerlifting, yoga, strongman, gymnastics, and a couple of other things to half way imitate the benefits of kettlebell training.

• The kettlebell’s offset center of gravity maximizes shoulder strength, flexibility, and health. Most Russians have never heard of “rotator cuffs”. Shoulder injuries are virtually unheard of in the Russian armed forces. They train and test personnel with repetition one-arm snatches with a 53 lb. kettlebell rather than push-ups.

• The Kettlebell is an outstanding grip, wrist, and forearm developer. A thick and smooth handle combined with the ballistic nature of many exercises loads the grip like rock climbing. Bottom up cleans and similar leverage drills unique to kettlebells take care of the wrists.

• The position of the handle allows dynamic passing of the kettlebell from hand to hand for a great variety of powerful juggling type exercises strongly endorsed by the Russian Federation State Committee on Physical Culture. These drills develop dynamic strength and injury-proof the body in many planes unlike conventional linear exercise.

• The kettlebell will give you infinite freedom of lifting. It has been said that kettlebells compared to traditional free weights are what barbells and dumbbells are to machines. Taming a kettlebell is akin to medieval sword, spear, and battle-ax play, liberating and aggressive.

• The Russian kettlebell is a complete, no-compromise, extreme hand held gym.

Kettlebells can have a dramatic impact on the health and overall fitness of a woman. Those females, who have been brave enough to pick them up are walking testimonials. Kettlebells will improve your quality of life. They will increase your energy level and reshape your body. The days of unwanted thighs, saggy butts, and Aunt Anne arms will disappear. No more asking your husband “does this look ok?” or “do I look fat in this?”. Kettlebell classes promote overall conditioning and in doing so jump start your metabolism. When the metabolism “fire” starts burning, the fat and weight start to melt away and QUICKLY. You will be leaner, stronger and love your body!

Everyone is trying to get the most out of their workouts; maximum results in the shortest amount of time. Kettlebells will fit into your hectic schedule because while the traditional exercise prescription for women requires endless aerobic classes, hours on the treadmill and weight training sessions, Kettlebell training covers all the bases. Moreover, this type of training lends itself to a more functional kind of strength. Instead of having the incredibly useful ability to do fifty bicep curls with a two pound weight, you’ll find that the core strengthening provided by kettlebell training will be scads more useful in day to day life. Many women worry that by training with challenging weights they will gain too much muscle mass and start to look masculine. Not true. Women don’t naturally possess the testosterone to build that kind of mass. Men have ten to fifteen times the testosterone level that women do, and that coupled with a massive calorie intake and incredibly hard work will build that kind of body for SOME men. For women, you’ll simply gain much more strength, and a lean, sexy physique.

So does losing weight, sculpting your “troubled areas”, increasing aerobic capacity and having a sexier body sound appealing? Challenge yourself with your workouts.

Do you find yourself making awful faces when drills get tough in your training? Do you get overly tense in your neck and shoulders when stuck in traffic or working on an important assignment for the day job? If so, be conscious of that and purposefully relax your face, neck and shoulders.

We noticed that a good many comrades were extremely tense throughout their entire body in their swings. So the question seemed to be “How ‘hard’ is ‘Hardstyle” in relation to the kettlebell swing?” “Hardstyle” doesn’t mean tense up every muscle in your entire body as hard as you can. There should be a balance of tension and relaxation. If you find yourself swinging with every muscle in your arms, neck, shoulder, and face tightened, you may have an overactive startle reflex. At the top of your swing you’re driving force into the ground with quads and hamstrings tight, glutes tight to lock your hips, abs tight to not leak power and to protect your back. But then what? Your shoulders are connected in to the sockets acting as the pivot point. Connected, but not squeezing so tight to be as tense as possible to the point of inhibiting the movement. Your arms are like ropes and your hands like hooks—not crush gripping the handle. Now check your neck and face. Your spine should be neutral, not allowing your neck to jut out like a chicken or pull back to give you a triple chin and your face should be relaxed, not squished up in what looks like agonizing pain. Losing that balance of tension and relaxation is the first step on the pathway to inefficiency. Once that balance is gone you’ll begin to lose your synchronized breathing, then your posture goes. What are you left with then? Really bad form… And since you get good at what you practice doing, you are getting good at doing really bad swings. Catch the problem on the first step and correct it. By being conscious of tensing when and where necessary and relaxing at the right place and time, your swings will be still tough and effective and you
should feel “ready to battle a kingdom” (not ready to fall over dead) at the end of your training session.

The kettlebell swing is one of the most important of all the kettlebell exercises, yet only a precious few know how to take advantage of its endless benefits. Here is a component of the swing to explore.

Pace. Does it matter how fast, or how slow you swing a kettlebell? You bet it does. Changing the intensity of your workloads is determined by a number of factors, and speed is one of them. Compare how you swing to sprinting versus running a marathon. If your goals are short explosive power, muscular development and athletic speed, then training the swing in 10-30 sec intervals will help you develop these qualities. If you want more endurance, leaner muscles and to train your body to burn fat instead of muscle sugar then 30 sec – 2 minute sets will get you there, while still including a strong muscular component.

The Kettlebell Swing doesn’t discriminate; the Kettlebell Swing is the great equalizer! It doesn’t matter if you’ve never done anything physical in your whole life, or if you’re an accomplished athlete. It doesn’t matter how much you weigh, how old you are, male or female. The Kettlebell Swing is the people’s exercise.

Strength. The burpee is a full body, strength training exercise. With each repetition, you’ll work your chest, arms, front deltoids, thighs, hamstrings, and abs. Trust me. Your legs will feel like they’re pumping battery acid after you complete a set of burpees.

Fat burning. Because you’re using your full body when doing burpees and because they’re such an intense workout, the burpee is one of the best exercises to burn fat. Studies have shown that high intensity exercises, like burpees, burn up to 50% more fat than conventional strength training exercises. They’ve also been shown to speed up your metabolism which helps you burn more calories throughout the day. If you’re looking to get rid of that spare tire, step off the elliptical machine and start doing burpees.

Conditioning. Many men an woman today spend hours a week in the gym sculpting washboard abs and bowling ball biceps. While those muscles look nice, they don’t do much for you when you have to split a giant pile of wood or even save your own life. Burpees are an effective exercise for developing the conditioning and endurance, the vim and vigor to tackle any challenge. They also complement Kettlebell training very well!

Free. There are no fancy gizmos, classes or gym memberships required to perform a burpee. All you need is your body, a floor, and an iron will.

Portable. You can do this exercise anywhere. On the road? Bust some out in the hotel room. Don’t have a gym membership? Get your burpee on at the park.

So many similarities to the bell. We suggest trying a workout consisting of burpees and swings; an equal number of burpees and swings in each set with a comparable rest time.

20 swings, 20 burpees…30sec. rest. Repeat. Duration: to exhaustion! Enjoy Comrades!

It is no secret that kettlebell training will build powerful hips, resilient hamstrings, reliable shoulders, a crushing grip, integrated core, and mental toughness. It’s also no secret that professional athletes don’t like to take risks with their bodies. Nor do professional strength coaches want to risk injuring their athletes. The more athletes and coaches take the leap into kettebell training, the more their peers will see the brilliant results that can be had.

In an attempt to invigorate his body after eight NFL seasons, New Orleans Saints Fullback, Heath Evans started a new training regimen in the summer of 2008, that ditches traditional weightlifting in favor of kettlebells. A native of Palm Beach, Fla., he spent 41 days with Pavel Tsatsouline training with kettlebells. Pavel taught him the overspeed snatch to help improve his vertical jump.
“I don’t think you go away from what you’ve always done, what got you here, but for me this is all about finding new ways to challenge my body,” the 29-year-old Evans said. “[Patriots strength and conditioning coach] Mike [Woicik] and I talk about it all the time, trying to find ways to get stronger in other areas.

“I feel like if I maintain my strength for four or five years, I’m plenty strong enough to play in the league, but this is geared toward perfecting my strength and making my strength more functional on the field.”

Evans uses the bench press as an example. “When do you lie on the field and bench someone off you?” he asked. “The idea of kettlebells is to make the strength more conditioned, more flexible, and more explosive.”

Indianapolis Colts Joseph Addai has worked on his single leg dead lift to correct muscle imbalances and increase core stability.

The Baltimore Ravens website announced that their strength and conditioning coach Bob Rogucki would use kettlebells in the Ravens’ off season training.

NFL powerhouse Tennessee Titans, have also integrated kettlebell exercises into their training regimen.

Titans Kyle Vanden Bosch works with Kettlebells during a group workout.

Titans Craig Stevens learns The Clean and the importance of a tight Rack position.

Jason Jones performs a Snatch.

The group learns The Get UP.

Eagles tight end L.J. Smith has been training with kettlebells.

“It’s the hardest workout I’ve ever had,” said the 6-foot-3, 258-pound Smith. “You do it once a week for about 45 minutes and then you go crash. When you’re done, you think your heart rate might never come down.”

New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlin was seen last year swinging a kettlebell on 60 Minutes.

Kettlebells offer:

• Full-body conditioning.The body learns to work as one synergistic unit linked strongly together.
• Big results by spending less time in the gym. Because kettlebell training involves multiple muscle groups and energy systems at once.
• Increased resistance to injury.
• The ability to work aerobically and anaerobically simultaneously.
• Improved mobility and range of motion.
• Increased strength without increase of mass. Kettlebell exercisers are lean and toned, not bulky—a benefit that appeals to women and men alike.
• Enhanced performance in athletics and everyday functioning.
• Major calorie burning (In a recent study conducted by the highly respected American Council on Exercise, participants burned approximately 20 calories per minute–that’s 1,200 calories per hour).

Because kettlebell lifts are more subtle than traditional weight training exercises, it takes coordination and kinesthetic (body) awareness to perfect the exercises. A single exercise consists of multiple joints and muscle groups moving simultaneously, often in ways that are new and unfamiliar to most people. And because the movements are different than traditional strength exercises, they take practice—and professional attention—to master. When done wrong, there is more risk than just dropping the weight on your toes or bumping yourself. The bottom line is to be safe—and learn how to use kettlebells from the pros.

A kettlebell instructor will teach you how to move correctly. Through correct movement comes an intrinsic action in which your mind becomes one with the movement, so that you no longer think about the action. It becomes similar to riding a bike, once you learn you never forget.

We highly recommend personal instruction when it comes to using kettlebells. With the popularity of kettlebells, a lot of people are learning the basics from DVD’s and YouTube. Watching some of the instruction given on websites and listening to personal trainers instruct their clients, we highly recommend an RKC Instructor.

From our personal experience, “Prior to attending the Russian Kettlebell Challenge we watched Pavel’s videos, read books and then trained on our own. With all our experience as fitness professionals and as athletes we even sustained some nasty bumps and bruises, along with a decent amount of unwanted soreness. It wasn’t until we attended the RKC weekend that we GOT IT! We cannot imagine what would happen to a person with less experience!”

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