Posts Tagged ‘kettlebell’

Here are a couple of Kettlebell tips for you…

One concerns push-pull training. Basically when performing an exercise such as the over head press you want to counter that with a pulling exercise such as the pullup hanging from a bar.
Neglecting to do so overtime will reduce the gains from the exercise by weakening the joint and muscular balance. This in turn affects the crucial nervous connection that fires the muscles.

Always balance your workouts on the day with push-pull. Another good example is super setting heavy bench press with heavy lat pull downs. This is how I built my muscular back – always pinching the shoulder blades through the entire bench press. I got up to 400 lbs on the bench machine and over 250 lbs on the lat pull down.

Without the counter balance push-pull I would not have achieved such heavy weight. I have taken a break from this super set for some months which is good from a long term perspective. Right now my bench will be much less than 400 for reps but I will return to the training eventually and get it above that level.

My second tip refers to Kettlebells and saving a bit of cash. Here in New Zealand my new kettlebells cost me about $100 each. But as you can see from the photo, simply duct taping a 2 KG plate to the base allows you to increment the weight without buying a new KB.

I would think you can add 1, 2 or 3 2kg plates in this way giving you a maximum 6 additional KG’s which means you can miss out a weight level for your next kettlebell purchase.

Say you have a pair of 24’s like I have. You can add weight making them 26, 28 & 30 KG’s. Then buy a 32 KG pair when you are ready – not needing to buy a 28 KG pair. Hence $200 saved. The 2 KG increment is much more comfortable than 4KG too.

Duct tape is so handy.

Here I am with my 90 lb kettlebell having cleaned it into the rack position…

I love lifting the heavy bell and can clean it OK but am still unable to press the 40 kgs overhead. Some work with 24 kg turkish get ups should enable me to press and snatch the 90 pounder after some months.

Here are a few pics with the 40 lb weight vest and two 50 lb kettlebells…

Here I am completing an overhead press with the two 50 pounders…

This is the tricep move for the shrug – you can also bend over at the waist and do it as a row

Decided to do a quick session today with two 24KG kettlebells.

I do quite a lot of double presses and cleans as I want to get good at long cycle – it will take me 3 years I’m sure.

I also like to throw in some easy shrugs…

When doing these you can hit the triceps by bending the elbows back.

Here I am cleaning the bells …

…and in the rack

The swing is a great exercise for when you are stuck indoors. Its quiet – even silent. So if its the middle of the night & you need a quick exercise fix its ideal. Its also a great cardio workout.

Many folks soon learn that Kettlebells are not like regular weights. With Kettlebells you can go for volume in a way not possible with a barbell & dumbbell.

The guy in the video above is Rob Russell.

Here is a guy doing 6000 swings in under 2.5 hours

His form is fully lame ass though – can you really call that a swing ?

Here’s a good PDF program to get you started http://occupyfirstplace.com/KB10K.pdf

I think Swings are the fundamental Kettebell exercise – certainly the easiest but nothing is easy once you get beyond a few hundred reps.

Wow the Kettlebell long cycle rocks. This is the clean & jerk done with two kettlebells for 10 minutes continuously. You don’t put them down but can kind of rest in the rack & overhead.

Of course it means there is no real rest for the full time. The top guys do this with two 40kg KB’s which is diabolical. I’m a beginner on long cycle but I really like it. I like it even more than one arm snatch.

I do get a better endorphin hit off snatch though.

This exercise is deceptively difficult. You may watch these guys doing it and think yeah I can do that. Well straight off the bat I doubt it. Here is a video of one of the sports top athletes passing out at 214 reps.

That’s Sergey Rachinskiy a top world champion.

Here is a good video showing proper form…

Here’s the main man Steve Cotter giving some long cycle instruction…

Finally a nine week program training long cycle 3x per week

http://kettlebellfitnessdk.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/9-week-kettlebell-long-cycle-training-program/

OK its been a while since I posted – been working on my kungfu book. Today a review with zero ulterior motive. This is my honest opinion of the product – I make no money.

GET THESE DVD’s !!!

They are far and above the very best in Kettlebell training available. This guy Steve Cotter is highly professional. He is also a world Kung Fu champion so although the guy is soft spoken he is certainly an outstanding athlete.

More importantly he is an outstanding fitness coach. Pretty much every Kettlebell exercise you will ever need is covered methodically and in depth – really you cant expect much more from a training DVD series.

Get’s FreeFitnessGuru’s ***** 5 star award *****

Weight vest training has begun to make a change in my physique. I am a lifter of 26 years but have a smooth midsection. I don’t enjoy running at all. It feels good at the end but I don’t think the muscle fibers in my legs are suited for it. At 100 kg its not so good either.

I’m a weight lifter not a runner.

I tried jump rope which is more effective but again I am just not made for it. I thought jump rope was the most strenuous cardio workout but I was wrong.

Kettlebells and weight vest training combined will change your training regimen. I get an extreme endorphin hit doing this training. It puts a grin on my face and I am now highly motivated to do cardio. The main exercise with kettlebells for cardio is the snatch. Look up the “viking warrior conditioning” program.

This is just plain killer cardio that takes you well into the red zone – nearly heart attack material.

It really is very strenuous – but so damn good.

So being an ex-grunt I have to add the weight vest. Fatigue and stamina are pushed to the limit.

Get a 16 kg kettlebell, a weight vest, a doctors seal of approval (seriously) and be prepared to do battle. Really this is military grade training fit for any combat soldier.

My body weight is unchanged at 100 kg but in the last two days both my gym instructor (who I never ask for instruction) and a complete stranger have commented on my physique. The stranger asked me how to lose abdominal fat. Well I am far from ripped but it wont take long training in this way.

I still do my regular weight training with barbell & dumbell but add 2-3 weight vest sessions per week preferably with the kettlebells.

Deadlifts are also killer with the vest on.

Yes I convinced the gym instructor at my gym some months ago to buy some KB’s.

Coz they ain’t cheap – right ? I used them a bit but found it a little lame. Well having got my new weight vest it seemed the KB’s may be a good combination.

Some barbell work is inconvenient with a vest (like bench press) – dead lifts are excellent though.

Same with machines – its not quite what the vest was designed for.

Kettlebells’s and the weight vest give the most killer intense workout you can imagine. Throw in some dead lifts and barbell curls and you will be sore the next day.

I like to use my vest for 3 hours at a stretch. Normally this will include a weights workout and a good long walk.

THIS IS NOT ME (I’m handsome) LOL

Image from : http://swingsnatch.blogspot.com/

Really training with Kettlebells alone is lame – once you have hit them with a vest there is no turning back.

Weight vests are serious kit – DO NOT RUSH !!!

Be very careful to break in to using a vest – no plyometrics for the first 3 months. No running or jumping for the first 3 months.

You want your hips, spine & knees to slowly adapt to the added weight. Do stretches and joint strengthening to adapt to the vest. After some weeks you can slowly add more movement oriented exercise.

Weight training and walking are fine for the beginning as are low impact calisthenics like push ups and pull ups.

After time you can add weight and plyometric moves.