kettlebells

I Love Kettlebell Swings

Quick Tips

Over the years I have found that I like certain movements more than others.

My favoritism toward kettlebell swings has nothing to do with my swing technique, efficiency, any muscular dominance, body composition, etc.

I just like kettlebell swings.  Actually, I love kettlebell swings.

Talk to anyone who has been training for any length of time, and their disclosure initially might be that a balanced program is the best approach (which it is), but dig a little bit deeper and they will spill the beans that they have favorite exercises also.  It’s natural.  Just as people tend to favor certain brands of clothing, so do we favor and enjoy certain movements more than others.

—>  I wasn’t a jumper, but now I am…

I used to be the guy that would watch other people jump off the bridge first.  I would watch them hit the water, then determine if I should jump based on their experience.

What I’m saying is that I used to have mentality that was rather conservative when it came to training tactics.  Eric Cressey mentioned in a recent post on T-Nation that he is approached with a lot of crazy workout shit at conferences.  Some of it has worth and makes sense, and some of it is flat-out nuts.

I thought kettlebell swings looked flat-out… nuts.

That was the strength coach mentality in me though.  Any new method or piece of equipment was required to make it through a very fine mesh filter before I ever thought about implementing it into our programs.

—>  Humbling myself with swings…

My first experience with any “swing” type movement pattern involved a 45lb dumbbell mixed into a circuit.  I can remember it like it was yesterday.  I was working out with a friend and colleague in Michigan, and we thought we would mess around with a modified swing to see how it felt.

Honestly, it felt good.  It felt unnatural, but that was because it was new.  The new feeling was to be expected.

Fast forward a couple of years, I finally got my hands on a kettlebell at a Perform Better conference in Chicago.  The heaviest bell they were selling was a 20kg, which equates to about 44lbs.  It felt heavy as hell.

Keeping my pride intact, I didn’t dare swing it at the conference.  I saved that moment for my return to the hotel room.  I will say that carrying that little guy through the sky walk out to the parking garage really sucked.  It was basically a 3/4 mile farmer, waiter bear hug carry.  Makes me laugh just thinking about how disgustingly sweaty I was.

Once I returned to the hotel room, I geared up and worked my way through a proper warm up.  I had no idea how to swing a kettlebell, but I understood movement:  hip hinging, breathing, etc.

That 20kg buried me.  

This is the same 20kg that buried me a few years ago.

  • My grip strength felt inadequate.
  • My hip snap (hip extension) felt inadequate.
  • My conditioning felt inadequate.

—> I had a Lance Armstrong moment…

Now I know that implementing new training methods can make a person feel somewhat deconditioned.  A perfect example of this would be the transition from cycling to running.  Take Lance Armstrong for example.  When he got off of the bike and took up running, everyone thought (based on his world-class conditioning) that he would finish quite high in the New York Marathon.  He finished with a time of 2:59:36 in 2006 and commented that, “without a doubt was the hardest thing physically that I have ever done”.

Lance Armstrong, despite whatever feelings you have toward him after confessing to taking PED’s, is a world-class athlete.  Even without PED’s, he is in the top 1% of athletes in the world.  Don’t forget that.  He is world-class physically in his sport.  But, the interesting thing here is that the transfer of his bike conditioning into his running conditioning helped, but not nearly as much as many sports performance experts thought.  Based on endurance related stats on him, he should have finished in the top 20.

—> Back to my love of swings…

Short story long (yes I just said that)… that is exactly how I felt swinging that piece of cast iron that day.

Since that time, I have submerged myself into the kettlebell world, trying to get a true grasp of what place the tool has in the fat loss game, strength and conditioning for athletes arena, and generally seeking to acquire a larger respect for the tool.

Kettlebells are a device that aren’t going to disappear.  They are here to stay.  Gyms across the world are starting to offer their members access to kettlebells.  I think that’s both very cool and very dangerous.

Cool because we are introducing people to ground based movement.  Dangerous because a lot of people can’t move properly without kettlebells, much less with kettlebells.  There definitely is a danger factor there.

I typically swing 3-4 days per week.  The volume of swinging varies from workout to workout, but I value the kettlebell swing so much that it now has a permanent place in my daily warm-up and workout.  In the workout, I have used swings as an important puzzle piece in complexes and circuits, and also as the ONLY puzzle piece on occasion.

Yes, sometimes my workout will only involve kettlebell swings and I love that.

A kettlebell swing ONLY workout puts the simplicity back into training and staying lean yet functional.

A single movement workout puts the “art” back into training because my focus is on one thing and one thing only… my swing technique.  I have really come to appreciate the discipline required to put sooooo much effort into perfecting a movement.  Maybe I will be a world-class kettlebell swinger, maybe not.

What I do know is that the kettlebell swing is an incredible movement worth learning more about.  If you’re an evidence based exerciser, go grab a bell and swing it for 4-6weeks with decent form and tell me what happens to your body composition.  “Evidence base” that you turkeys.  I maintain my stance on the results-based approach.

—>  A nice little kettlebell article…

There was a kettlebell article that came out a few years ago that showed the effectiveness of kettlebell training, and you can find that paper by clicking on the link below:

—> Twice the Results in Half the Time?

*Please just read what the researcher found and not the program that they recommend, yikes.

kettlebell training picture

Zoning in on the perfection of one movement reminds me of my days as a youngster participating Tae Kwon Do (yes I am a black belt… or was a black belt).  The martial arts are an incredible example of progression, discipline and art.  High level martial artists practice the same movements over and over and over and over.  Most people would fizzle out on that in short time.  The mind control required to perfect the basics in order to earn the right to progress to the complex is such an admirable thing.

The modern-day strength coach will roll his/her eyes at this, but hey… I could give a rip because it’s my blog.  Don’t like it?  Change the channel.

As for the rest of you… give the swing a try.  Don’t judge it until you try it, and when you finally do try it, take the time necessary to learn the technique.  Your technique will not be perfect on the first set.  However, progressing at a reasonable pace with attention to detail will quickly put you in a position to integrate the kettlebell swing into your own training programs.

Cheers to swinging the fat off your body…

KG

Minimalist Fat Loss Training Kicks Ass

Quick Tips

I love working out on the cheap, particularly minimalist fat loss style training that is highly metabolically demanding using short, intense, SAFE workouts.

I can warm up, workout and cool-down in a matter of 30-40 minutes on most days.

Sure, some days are shorter or longer in duration, but in general, it’s about a 30 minute time frame that I need to finish a high quality training session.

Over the years, my views on training have changed quite a bit.  I think it’s been a healthy shift in methods and ideas for me.  There will always be the staple principles of fitness that I may never let go of, but to remain stubborn to the idea of change is career and physical development suicide.  You’ll get what you always got if you do what you always did.  Change can be brutally painful, but sometimes it is necessary.

I’d like to take a few minutes to chat about minimalist fat loss training means to me.

There are two perceptions that people tend to have about working out:

1)  You need a gym membership and expensive equipment (maybe a trainer)

2)  You don’t need any equipment and can get it done at home with no equipment.

Flat out, #1 is false.  I actually despise the gym these days.  Why?  Because I hate waiting for equipment and it hinders my workouts because of it.  I also can’t handle the amount of questions I get when working through a set of Turkish Get Ups.

You can take the most cleverly designed fat loss program on the planet, and if you cannot execute it according to how the author originally designed it, you’ve already effected the results that you’ll receive from any amount of effort that you put in.

Programs are written the way they are for a reason.  If the rest periods say 30 sec between movements, then it needs to be 30 seconds between movements.  What happens when you finish your round of chin-ups, rest for 30 seconds, then you need that ever popular pair of 50lb dumbbells that some guy -who spends more time talking than working out- hogs for 20 minutes while he discusses last Sunday’s NFL results.

If you have ever been in a gym in your life, you have inevitably run into this.  It’s a major headache.

In a nutshell, that was reason enough for me to start training at home (among other things).

AT HOME, I NEVER WAIT FOR EQUIPMENT WHICH HAS ALLOWED ME TO EXECUTE MY WORKOUTS EXACTLY AS THEY ARE DESIGNED.  PRICELESS.

As for #2, I think this is an extreme view-point also.  The minimalist footwear running craze swept the nation a while back, people traded cushioned full support shoes for un-cushioned minimal support footwear, or even barefoot in some instances.  Some people benefited, some found themselves crippled over time from the adjustment.  Attempting to pound the pavement for the same mileage while going cold turkey on footwear caused an extreme overload for the feet.

I share this story because I feel that the minimalist running craze has a relationship to the idea that you need ZERO equipment to burn fat.  While I agree that there are great bodyweight fat loss programs available on the market today, I will also caution you that bodyweight training is JUST A TOOL.  You could train bodyweight style for the rest of your life, but honestly, what fun is that?

On the performance and progression side of things, how much fun could it possibly be to perform 200 push ups and 200 squats and 200 lunges and 200 burpees 4 days a week just to get some kind of training effect?  Good for you for putting up those kinds of numbers, but man o man is that boring!  Lack of variety will hurt your desire to WANT to exercises over time.  No one looks forward to something that is boring.  You’ll start avoiding the daily training session like the plague because you know that it will be boring.

Also, keep in mind that the body adapts quickly and you have got to add load at some point.  Angles and variations are great, but you have got to add load.  If bodyweight training is your end game, your last stop, you may find yourself disappointed in your results sooner than later.

Minimalist fat loss training means maximizing workout/program design with the equipment that you have available to you.  Give me one kettlebell and I can bury myself in a brutal training session.  Give me a suspension trainer or rings, I can do the same with that.  I encourage the purchase of simple equipment.  I highly encourage building a simple gym.  It’s inexpensive and can provide years and years of high quality training in the comfort of your own home.

So, after that long scenario…  Let’s ask a simple question…

What equipment should a newbie to home training have on hand???

1)  Suspension Trainer ($100)

2)  Kettlebell of a challenging weight ($65-$100)

3)  Interval Timer (Free-$20)

I am going to beat this equipment concept into the ground on this blog, so strap in for that.  It will come up time and time again until I feel I no longer have nothing more to say about building a quality home gym.

If you own a treadmill, elliptical or universal home gym, sell that crap on Craigslist and purchase the equipment I listed above, 1 through 3, with money you receive from your sale.  I am serious here.

If you own a gym membership, consider canceling it.  Money, time and travel are great reasons to cancel it.  On the low end, your membership will probably cost you around $300-$400 a year, which will buy you a bunch of home training equipment that will accelerate the fat loss beyond what you ever get out of being a member to a commercial big box gym.

IMG_0562

Suspension trainers are such a dynamic piece of fitness equipment, it is hard not to encourage the purchase of one.  A suspension trainer should be strung up from the ceiling in every single home in America.  Well, at least the homes of those who have aspirations of getting fit. The suspension trainer is a logical step up from simple ground based bodyweight training, with endless variations of movements and the angles of those movements, they really are a revolutionary training device.  It’s amazing the amount of uses you’ll find for a suspension trainer once you have a suspension trainer as a resource.

Image

Kettlebells weight, resistance, external load.  I don’t care what you choose to refer to a kettlebell as.  A kettlebell in the arsenal means the opportunity to build strength and power. Strength and power are the new modern day language for “skinny”.  Strength doesn’t mean bodybuilder-like bulk, it means strength.  Don’t confuse the two.  Kettlebells provide the opportunity for free-flowing 3-dimensional movement.  Functional strength is desirable strength.  Also, who could pass up the opportunity to integrate high-powered moves like kettlebell swings, snatches, presses and the almighty Turkish Get-Up in one’s program.

Assuming you properly educate yourself on how to execute these movements, you’ll feel great and look great.  I love kettlebells not because they are kettlebells and they are a trendy piece of fitness equipment right now, but because of  the number of doors that open once you adopt them into your training regimen.  Very unique piece of fitness equipment.

Gymboss Interval Timer

Interval Timer.  An interval timer should be called an “honest timer”.  Just as people grossly under-estimate the amount and quality of food that they consume daily/weekly, so do they grossly air ball on the amount of time spent resting between exercises.  The first time that you work through an entire training session paying strict attention to your rest periods, you’ll realize that you have been slacking on that front.  The “honest timer” keeps you focused on your training.  There are multiple FREE online interval timers… just type free online interval timer into Google and you’re golden.  If you want a portable timer, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the Gym Boss.  Simplicity and effectiveness of monitoring your work sets and rest periods for what should be a one time fee of $20.

Like I said, I am going to ignite a home training movement.  People are already promoting it and have been for years, but I am going to perfect it.  The benefits outweigh any possible negatives.

Soon, I will be posting a “Day Old Workout” series and I want you all to follow along.  I practice what I preach and I would never ask you to do something that I haven’t already done. Period. End of story.

 

2013 is the year of connecting with people for me, so let’s do this.

 

 

Cheers from “Party Central USA” Eau Claire, WI,

 

KG

Buy a Gym Membership or Build a Home Gym???

Quick Tips

I draw ideas to write from every little conversation and every daily experience. 

I recently had a longtime friend ask me this very question:

“I am just getting back into working out, would you recommend getting a gym membership or should I buy some simple pieces of equipment from a sporting goods store”.

This is a really good question actually.  The funny thing is that if someone would have asked me this 5 years ago, I would have said get the gym membership.  

Why?

Home gym equipment sucked.  Honestly, home gym equipment was really shitty.  You were stuck shelling out thousands of dollars for a treadmill or a elliptical trainer, or maybe a universal gym that companies touted as the “greatest thing ever”.  

The problem is two-fold for this type of equipment:

1)  You’re buying a $2,000 coat rack.  Most people buy a treadmill and 2 months later they are using it to dry their laundry.  This might be some of you reading this blog right now.  Same goes for a universal gym or elliptical.

2)  It provides an inferior training effect.  We know this!  You only have to maintain the speed of the belt on a treadmill with zero ground force production and a universal gym is a machine with fixed angles that place a much lower demand on crucial stabilizing muscles that fire in reaction to daily physical demands (whatever they may be).  A weight machine has very little real world carryover.  

Fast forward to my response to him today…

Without a doubt, I said go with the home gym set up.  I have been training at home for the past 5 years and it has been refreshing.  Absolutely refreshing.  I don’t like being around people when I train.  I don’t like the little conversations about my “toe shoes”, I don’t even like people asking if they can work in with me or when I am projecting to be done with the equipment that I am using.  I don’t like the music they play in gyms, blah blah blah.  

I just don’t like it.

Now, the second reason that I recommended the home gym is because quite frankly, home training went to another level with the introduction of:

  • Suspension trainers
  • Kettlebells
  • Dumbbells (Powerblocks)
  • Jump Rope
  • Weight-vests
  • Battling Ropes
  • Sand bags
  • Sand-bells

These are some of the more popular pieces of training equipment that is widely available to the public today.

Now, you’ll spend a decent chunk of change if you bought one or two of all those items that I listed, so will trim down the list to what I believe are the most impactful pieces of equipment.

1)  Suspension Trainer

2)  Kettlebells

I would go with those two items.  If you’re a male, start with a 12kg and a 16kg kettlebell (be prepared to make a quick jump to a 20kg) and a LifeLine Jungle Gym XT suspension trainer.  Females, start with a 8kg and 12kg kettlebell (be prepared to make a quick jump to the 16kg)   The exercise variations that a person can come up with from just these three pieces of equipment will blow your mind.  Endless combinations, workouts, etc.  Total body training that lends itself to not just stripping fat and building a lean physique, but also promotes the building of athleticism.   

The suspension trainer alone will keep you progressing for months.  It’s the single best piece of home training equipment on the market.  The portability and simplicity of a suspension trainer make it ideal for those who travel or those who wish to initiate the home training experience on a budget.  I love suspension trainers for folks that have banged up joints from years of grinding it out lifting big weight.  Reputable brands are TRX and Lifeline Jungle Gym, although i can’t say enough about the quality of the Jungle Gym XT and it’s unbeatable price point ($99 or less).  Watch for sales.

I buy my kettlebells from Lifeline also.  They are high quality, great surface finish and the customer service makes ordering a breeze every time.  Plus Jon Hinds is local to my location so it feels good buying a product from someone in my own backyard.  Trust me, it is possible to buy a shitty kettlebell.  Buying kettlebells is just like buying everything else.  You’ve got quality and then you’ve got imitation, then you’ve got plain old cheap.  Stay away from the latter two.  You’re only buying your kettlebells once, so make the purchase count or I can promise you that you will wish you had.  At least your hands and wrist will wish you had.As for the durability of suspension trainers and kettlebells…  you should have both for a lifetime.  The only reason the suspension trainer would crap out on you is if you were using it improperly, maybe having excessive loads on the straps or stringing it around a coarse/sharp edged anchor point, which would cut through the straps.  Shouldn’t be an issue if you use your head.  

Image

Kettlebells are a one time purchase that will last forever.  Period.  Well worth the money.  

The bottom-line is this…

The options for training at home were terrible even just a couple of years ago.  That has all changed with the evolution of improved equipment options.  More and more people are seeking alternatives to the commercial gym, and I fully support this movement.  Obviously the best approach is to analyze your budget and what you desire from your training efforts.  I would also evaluate your personality.

Are you the kind of person that can give an effort without anyone watching?  If not, home training is not for you.  At least not yet.  

If you can, and you have the money to invest in some simple gym equipment… well… welcome to the club.

 

 

Respectfully,

 

KG

Kettlebell Training For Beginners

Kettlebell Training

In my 4 year training hiatus away from traditional gyms, I have learned a lot about strength and conditioning.

I’ve learned that fancy equipment is NOT a necessity, and that a small investment in large ROI (return on investment) tools like the kettlebell are well worth the money spent.

I was introduced to kettlebells through the internet.  Honestly, the first time that I ever witnessed a person swinging a kettlebell was on YouTube while in Detroit, MI.  I have to admit that I was stubborn in my training philosophy then, so I hated them.

“Another exercise fad! That’s insane and dangerous!”

I believe that to be my initial reaction that after watching the video clip.

Kettlebells weren’t a thought in my mind until a year after watching that clip.  What a mistake.

Perform Better and Gray Cook…

While attending a Perform Better conference in Chicago, I decided to listen in on Gray Cook’s seminar as he raved about the kettlebell’s versatility when it came to rehab, strength and power development.  Gray isn’t known for being a fat loss guru, but he made a point to touch on the effectiveness of kettlebell training for burning fat.

One point that Gray made was an experience that he had working with the Indianapolis Colts, having 260-320lb NFL athletes try and walk 50 yards with a 53lb (24kg) kettlebell held in full extension over their head.

Not one guy could do it.

Pound for pound, we are talking about some of the strongest athletes in the world.  Many of these guys can probably press 100+ pounds vertically, yet not one could overhead carry load half of that (53lb) for 50 yards?!?!

No shoulder stability.  Many of these guys were ticking time bombs for injury.  Very interesting.

After Gray’s seminar, I ventured over to the product display table where they had a 20kg kettlebell out for trainers to play around with.  As soon as I picked it up, I felt like I hadn’t trained in years.  The feel of it was so unique.

One short, awkward, off-balance kettlebell workout later that night in the hotel room and I  knew that there was something incredibly valuable about the kettlebell.  The rest is history.

Here are some reasons to love KB’s…

Kettlebell Design…

The weight of a kettlebell is off-center that of the handle, unlike a dumbbell where the weight is evenly distributed on either side of your hand grip.  First impressions after picking up the 20kg bell at the convention told me that I needed to give it a shot.  I purchased a 20kg kettlebell and my introduction to alternative training methods began.

Most of the kettlebells that I recommend purchasing as made of a cast iron mold.  Lifeline and Dragon Door are the two major players, with companies like Perform Better and Art of Strength having a market presence also.

You are going to find two different styles of kettlebell on the market today.

1)  The first is the competition kettlebell and looks like this:

2)  The second (and more common) kettlebell that you will often see is what is known as the “hardstyle” kettlebell.  This kettlebell design was used by the Russian’s to condition their military for years.  Pavel Psatsouline pioneered the kettlebell craze in the Western world in the early 2000’s, and his methods have since grown like wild-fire in popularity.

Here is what the “hardstyle” kettlebell looks like:

Flow…

The flow of kettelbell training is what makes it so addicting.  Virtually every movement in a kettlebell workout is completed in standing position, so transitioning from a 2-handed swing to a 1-handed swing to a 1-arm clean into a vertical press… is actually quite simple.  It’s all about grace and flow while maintaining enough muscular tension to move the bell through space.

Ground based training with constant transitions from movement to movement is total body in nature, and extremely fatiguing.  The indirect core training that occurs as a result of a vertically standing posture is one of the many perks of ground based training.  Muscles are called upon to contribute as they would in a real world situation.

This is functional training.  No gimmicks, just amazing real world carryover from the workout to life.

Relaxed-Tension…

Kettlebell training is a skill and an art.  Creating tension where it is needed yet remaining relaxed is something the is so non-traditional compared to traditional strength training methods.  Sure, you can perform the grunt lifts, but the balance of “relaxed-tension” is something to be marveled at with a kettlebell workout.  Martial artists have known the value of relaxed-tension for hundreds of years.

Relaxed-tension demonstrated in the Bottom’s Up Turkish Get Up

Basic movements, huge training effect…

Simplicity will trump everything with kettlebell training.  A steady diet of kettlebell swings, cleans, snatches, vertical presses, bent rows, reverse lunges, turkish get ups and carrying variations will keep you progressing for months both aesthetically and athletically.

Forget about fancy moves from the get go.  Train the foundational movement patterns listed above and you’ll develop strength while consistently decreasing your waist circumference.

A lot of people struggle with sticking to a training regimen because they get paralysis by analysis.  Men’s Health and their trivial information sends people in 10 different directions, which often times causes the tiring spinning effect in a training

Stick to the basics.

 

Stay tuned as I load this blog up with more videos and demonstrations.

Time to move more and sit less people.

Here is a two movement basic kettlebell workout that I still use to this day…

Is a 15 Minute Workout Realistic???

15 minute Workouts

60 minute workouts for fat loss are old news (so it seems).

Heck, in some circles, 45 minute workouts for fat loss are considered yesterday’s methods.

I have thought long and hard about my position on the judging a workout’s effectiveness or quality based on the time it takes to complete it.

While I was in Detroit, Michigan working with high-end athletes, our training sessions would take AT LEAST 90 minutes.

Why 90 minutes?

That is the amount of time it took us to from start to finish, working through this simple template:

1)  Foam Roll

2)  Static Stretch/Mobility

3)  Activation

4)  Dynamic Warm-Up

5)  Explosive (Plyometrics/Jump Training)

6)  Olympic Lifts/Power

7)  Strength/Core (Tri-sets)

8)  Conditioning/ESD (Energy System Development)

Total Time: 90min

This athletic based template was fast paced and continuous.  The breaks between each section were for water or timed rest periods.  Building an athlete requires focused development of a number of different qualities, and this template proved to be rock solid when it came to getting things done in a timely fashion, and most of all… getting results.

Now,  I know that most of my readers are not current athletes.  You may have been an athlete at one time (as I was), but reality is creeping up on you with regard to time available to workout.  It’s ok.  Life happens and we have to make adjustments to accommodate our daily activities.

Some fitness fanatics think that life should be built around your workouts, however, I tend to believe based my own testimonials and my own personal experiences… that your workouts should be designed to fit your lifestyle.

I know that some people are going to take advantage of my last statement, trying to bend the rules to the point where they begin to develop habits of never working out and letting themselves go, but I would hope that most of you choose to maintain a strict training regimen.

In my effort to adapt my workouts around my career and other business ventures, I began to look hard a Javorek’s complex training for fat loss and all around strength and conditioning.

I liked the idea of performing a large volume of work in a small window of time.  Javorek’s complex training is perfect for this as it is ridiculously effective for stripping fat in record setting time (15min or less).

Here are some of the training tools that I have used in the past for a complex:

–  Kettlebells

–  Barbells

–  Dumbbells

–  Suspension Trainers and Weight Vests

KB’s, BB’s and DB’s are what I have found to be the most effective.  You can adjust the loading easily with these training tools to fit your strength and conditioning and experience level and quite honestly… the movements just feel more natural using KB’s, BB’s, and DB’s.  Sometimes you have to go with your gut when you are designing workouts/programs.

Nothing against suspension trainers or weight vests, but trying to adjust the length on a suspension trainer or remove a weight vest while your eyeballs are popping out of your head from oxygen debt isn’t ideal.

For 3 months straight, I tested the idea that I might be able maintain my body composition and performance levels using just one simple complex template.  In the back of my mind, I wondered if I could actually improve my body composition and performance, but I didn’t want to set my hopes too high.

Here is the basic total body workout template overview that I used…

3 months is a long time to use the same general training format, workout after workout.  I have to admit that I worried about developing faulty movement patterns or flat out overtraining from the repetitive nature of the self-experiment.