The Kettle Bell Users Manual, 2006-11-29

Introduction. The Kettlebell Users Manual The Kettlebell has been around for many years, some would imply that it was the low-tech strength tool of the former Soviet Union. They would also have you believe that they were first used only a few hundred years ago. Stan Pike of the United Kingdom Kettlebell Association recently unearthed evidence that shows that one of the early Andean cultures possessed implements of porcelain that are virtually identical to the Kettlebell, (this implies that they may have been patterns for the casting of bronze or iron implements) that date back over three thousand years. The ancient Greeks used implements of a similar nature to the Kettlebell as training aids and as tools to assist in their athletic endeavours over two thousand years ago. As the saying goes, there is nothing new beneath the sun and Kettlebells are no exception. When the first plate loaded barbells and dumbbells were rolled out into the market place in the early twentieth century, Kettlebells and old time strongman globe barbells with fixed weights fell by the wayside. It has taken maybe fifty years for the Kettlebell to make its triumphant return to the mainstream. The reason for this is that for all of the marketing hype of lesser products in recent years The Kettlebell actually does what it says it will do. If your aim is to lose weight or lower your body fat, tone up and get fitter, then the Kettlebell will enable you to do this. If your aim is to become stronger without getting bigger, then the Kettlebell will enable you to do this. If your aim is to get bigger and stronger then the Kettlebell will also enable you to do this. And if your aim is to totally reshape yourself with elements of all of the above, then the Kettlebell can enable you to acquire the physique of your dreams. Having said that, if you expect the Kettlebell to miraculously change you without you having to do anything, then you are sadly deluded! Since the fitness explosion of the late nineteen sixties and early nineteen seventies entrepreneurs have been devising ways of separating the gullible from their money by promising them a transformation in a pill, or a machine that requires you to do very little (a good example is the toning table, where you lay on a table and the motors move your limbs for you as you lie back and relax). The sad fact is that if you are unhappy with the way you look and feel, then it can probably be attributed to the sedentary activities / lifestyle and the poor food choices you make. Kettlebell training is honest; they give you no room to hide that is to say, they make you accountable for your actions either positive or negative; which in turn make you honest, either way you are held responsible (not the magic pill, not the diet you couldn’t handle or the training routines you never finish). If it doesn’t work it is because you didn’t work. NO EXCUSES! Not doing much as a form of exercise will get you nowhere pretty fast. The machines that dominate every gym and health spa in the western world also require that you sit back, relax and then strain. If this reminds you of a toilet-based activity, then you may have reached an understanding of the benefits of a machine-based routine. Now I am not saying that fixed lever machines have no benefits when it comes to exercise, because they have a very useful role in injury rehabilitation and for local hypertrophy of a muscle or group of muscles. The trouble is that they have taken over and the average training routine now looks like a rehabilitation programme. Let me explain, the human body has evolved to move through three dimensions: in space and time, whilst at the same time supporting our weight on our feet. The planes of movement are the:

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Sagittal plane: This is the plane of movement concerned with forward and backward movement. Frontal plane: This is the plane of movement concerned with side ways movement. Transverse plane: This is the plane of movement concerned with rotational or twisting movements. No machine can truly mimic human movement because when you sit or lie down and let a fixed lever machine guide your movements you are no longer supporting your own weight. They also, generally fix you into one plane of movement, which means that your stabilising or tonic musculature becomes redundant. This allows you to put all of your effort into pushing the weighted handles or pads with your movement or phasic musculature. As you come close to positive failure, the point where you can no longer move the weight without squirming around in your seat and finding fresh muscle fibres to allow completion of the exercise. This is because humans never just move in just one plane, we move from one to another and back again as the situation dictates, and we do this unconsciously. So being forced to move in only one plane is not only unnatural but also dangerous. You will have built strong looking muscles that basically have no foundation on which to actually be strong. In effect you have built your “castle on sand” and your foundations are dangerously weak. An interesting note to consider are the rates of injury between Olympic weight lifters, and body builders is stacked against the body builders. Olympic weight lifting is on the face of it a much more dangerous endeavour than machine based body building, because if you get the movement wrong then being crushed by the weights or dislocating your shoulders and elbows is a very real concern. Body builders train in stable environments with controlled and isolatory movements but because their “castle is built on sand”, they injure themselves when they leave the gym and go into the world and encounter unstable environments with movements that require whole body co-ordination. Injuries also occur in the gym from pattern-overload, which is a phenomenon caused by being fixed into a position and then forced into only one plane of movement and doing the same movement over and over with no real variation to the movement. Dumbbells and Barbells currently rate as the main means of free weight training, and are low-tech in comparison to machines and provide the user with one more plane of movement. They also require the practitioner to stabilise their own body, unlike a machine, but once upon a time not so many years ago the Kettlebell was also held in equal esteem as both the barbell and dumbell by those who knew what was what. The reason why the Kettlebell is so good is that the Kettlebell requires that the user must first stabilise and be able to sink into their stance in order to root them-selves to the ground. It then requires the user to become ballistic and co-ordinated at the same time. The ballistic movements require timing and skill, which in recent unrelated studies have shown can open up new neural pathways creating greater synaptic links within the brain. This is great news for the older practitioner because one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s and senile dementia is an inactive mind, “use it or lose it”, as they say. Beyond all these great advantages the Kettlebell provides that the user become proficient in a third plane of movement.

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The implications for total health is that most able-bodied people can become fitter, stronger and healthier just from the use of one implement. The athlete, sportsman and fighter can build routines that have specifics that carry over to their particular field of endeavours. This is why currently in the U.S. most law enforcement and military organisations are switching to the heavy Kettlebell protocols because of the specific carryover to their jobs. The Kettlebell is back! And I hope it is here to stay, it is all that you have heard, and if you can find the strength within to become proficient then the rewards will always eclipse the effort

I sincerely hope that this will be the start of an enduring love affair. Stay strong, train wisely and have fun.

Guy Jones. 2006.

This is a 360° stronger™. ©Publication 2006 3

Table of Contents Introduction. The Kettlebell Users Manual

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Chapter 1. The aims of Kettlebell training

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Chapter 2. Warming up and joint mobility

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Internal pressurisation and the Valsalva manoeuvre. Chapter 3. The Basics The Two-handed Swing The One-handed swing. The Clean The Clean and Press The Snatch.

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Chapter 4. Intermediate / advanced moves

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The Bottoms up clean and press The Flip & Shot press

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Chapter 5. Moving on swiftly The Windmill The Double Windmill The Side Press The Bent Press The 2 Hands Anyhow The Good Morning Turkish get ups Chapter 6. Working the Legs The One-hand Clean and Front Squat The One-hand Snatch and Squat The Overhead Squat Dragon Twists Appendix. Putting it all together An example of a fat burning program An aide memoir for a Fat burning program An example of a Strength program An aide memoir of a Strength program An example of a Hypertrophy (Muscle building) program An aide memoir of a Hypertrophy (Muscle building) program Final thoughts. Complexes, Circuits and High-intensity Cardio. Allwyn Cosgrove

58 58 64 66 71 77 82 86 90 91 96 98 99 104 106 107 108 109 111 112 113 113

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Chapter 1. The aims of Kettlebell training The aims of this manual are to provide the reader with much more than a base for the correct application and performance of the exercises contained here in. I hope it is also an awakening of sorts, in the sense that for the last 30 plus years we the gullible gym frequenting public have been conned into believing that bodybuilding is the only way to get big, strong and fat free. Reality couldn’t be further from the truth, but the bodybuilding magazines and by extension the fashion-led mind rot magazines that litter the end of aisle spaces at the supermarket would have you believe otherwise. Dig a little deeper and really open your eyes and you will notice that these publications are little more than catalogues for dubious ‘health’ products. The sports supplement industry is worth 3 billion US dollars worldwide at time of writing; most of their products are useless and just lead to expensive urine. The bodybuilding notion of isolation exercises being superior to whole body movements that have proliferated into the mainstream in the form of toning and shaping routines fit for both his and her programmes also encourage this mentality. No-where in this publication will you find isolation movements because they are un-natural; the body works as a single unit, all parts working for the greater good of the whole. There is no toning or shaping routines in here either, all the exercises emphasise whole body co-ordination, strength and flexibility. This philosophy may fly in the face of the modern interpretation machine based training, but if you read the many training courses from before the Second World War (written by men who were stronger than even the strongest of today) you will see that the vast majority favoured short sessions that emphasised whole body exercises. But then they weren’t trying to con you out of your hard earned heavily taxed money. To conclude the aims portion of this manual, I will say that my main aim is to open up a world of novelty and enjoyment to a new generation of folks who would like to be fit, and strong but above all ‘healthy’; there is no room for steroidinal in this endeavour and no need for the latest magic potion from the P.T. Barnum’s that litter the supplement industry. The Kettlebell does it all without the need for stimulants or excuses.

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Chapter 2. Warming up and joint mobility I have found that the following sequence should essentially be performed as part of any training programme; although it is the individual’s discretion. I myself perform a qi-gong (chi gung) style joint mobility sequence which takes me about 15 minutes prior to the start of my training practice. It entails gentle top of the body to the bottom movements working all of my joints through a full range of movement, which then leads to looser muscles and less popping of joint capsules through the main practice. If you combine these movements with controlled breathing and a ‘qi’ cultivating mind set you will not only feel a lot looser and with greater suppleness, but your breathing rate will have lowered and calmness and intense focus will be your ally. From there I move onto some light work that increases in weight as I go through the sets. There is absolutely no need for a quick jog or bike ride to bring your respiration rate up; or warm the muscles, tendons and ligaments. The preliminary sets do this for us but in a manner that is specific to the efforts that are to follow (sports specific). It makes no sense to me at all to jump on a bike to warm up our muscles when the lighter weight work will do this for us anyway: unless you are still very sore from any previous exertions. This is just another fitness industry fad that has entered the health club milieu and is I feel more to do with keeping people from getting bored, but more likely to stop the personal trainer from becoming bored by keeping them occupied than for any valid reason. At the same time if you like jumping onto a bike or treadmill and getting a 5-10 minute graduated warm up then go for it, ‘what ever floats your particular boat my friend’. But be aware that a lot of what we are told is ‘The way’, comes from magazines that are dedicated to ‘your health’ and are no more than supplement catalogues padded out with articles that back the ‘science’ that confirms the validity of the particular supplement they want you to buy. Stay open-minded and remember there is more than one way to skin a cat and more than one way to warm up prior to training.

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Horizontal flexion and extension of the neck This movement should be relaxed and timed to your breathing.

Look down.

Look up

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Horizontal flexion and extension of the neck This movement should be relaxed and timed to your breathing.

Look over your shoulder.

Drop your chin down onto your clavicle (collar bone).

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Look over your other shoulder.

Drop your chin down onto your opposite collar bone.

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Lateral rotation of the neck This movement should also be relaxed and timed to your breathing.

‘Don’t worry about double chins; it’s better to have more than one, than none!’

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Forward shoulder rolls. These movements can be done at speed once you have mastered them, to begin with you should aim for maximum mobility and focus on removing blockages or restrictions within the movement. Shrug your shoulders up

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Roll your shoulders forward, aim for as much movement as possible.

Roll your shoulders down as deep as they will go without pain.

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Reverse shoulder rolls. These movements can be done at speed once you have mastered them, to begin with you should aim for maximum mobility and focus on removing blockages or restrictions within the movement. Shrug up

Roll your shoulders back.

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Continue rolling your shoulders back and down.

Press your shoulder girdle down as far as you can go without discomfort

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Shoulder shrugs. Elevation of the shoulder girdle should be timed to a deep and gradual inhalation; pause whilst holding your breath for up to one second and then release the breath with a sigh as you allow your shoulders to drop. The aim of these movements is to release tension in the neck and shoulders where, unfortunately due to our 21st century lifestyles, we store most of our tensions. Shrug up as you inhale through your nose..

Hold the inhalation momentarily and then exhale forcefully through your mouth and drop your shoulders simultaneously.

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Shoulder swings. These movements should be performed in a relaxed and natural manner, breathing should be done through the nose unless otherwise stated or you have a restriction. As you perform this exercise, focus on moving energy down your arms and into your fingers. Swing your arms forward and maintain loose limbs throughout.

Swing your arms back as far as they will go and allow them to spring forward, remain relaxed throughout. You can perform upwards of 100 repetitions.

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Wrist rolls. These movements should be performed in an extremely slow fashion. One should aim for the feeling of your hands moving on their own with no muscular involvement. Focus attention on moving the energy (chi) down into your hands and then to the tips of your fingers. Bring your arms up in front and remain loose limbed.

Slowly rotate your hands at the wrist, focus on the movement and slow your breathing to match. This is super-chilled, try to feel the (chi) jump from hand to hand.

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Tree huggers and hip rolls. These movements should be performed slowly, with your middle fingers almost touching. Focus your attention on the gap between your middle fingers, if during the forward flexion phases of the movement you notice tension or tightness at any point then work on that area for a few seconds. Make like you are hugging a tree, (hence the name).

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Push forwards with one hand and one hip; you should feel a nice stretch on the pushing side. The aim is to move your arms in conjunction with your hips, forwards and back, if you are rotating your body you are performing this movement incorrectly.

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Time your movements to your breathing push forwards on one inhalation and then pull that side back and push forward with the other side on the exhalation.

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As you perform the push and pull phase; begin to flex forwards, as you find tightness continue to work that area until it loosens comfortably.

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Continue on down as low as is comfortable and controllable, but don’t get stuck!

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When you have reached your limitations slowly return to the start point. One corollary with this exercise and by extension all the others in this publication, if it is painful then don’t do it!

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Knee rolls.

Sink into a flexed knee stance; place your hands on your legs, above your knees to provide support. Perform the knee rolls in small circles. The aim of this exercise is to gently stretch the muscles and connective tissues and lubricate the articular surfaces of the knees and not to stretch the collateral ligaments. Bend your knees two inches and place your hands above the joint, avoid putting pressure on to your patellae (knee caps).

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Rotate your knees slowly and under control, small movements are all that are required.

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The aim of this movement is to stimulate your synovial membrane of your knee joint into producing synovial fluid, (this is not unlike greasing a hinge) and to lightly stretch the muscles and connective tissues, not the collateral ligaments at the side of the knees.

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In this instance less is definitely more!

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Ankle movements,

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Down (plantar flexion);

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Up (dorsi flexion);

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inside (adduction);

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Outside (abduction)

Circles one way and then the other (internal and external circumduction). These should be conducted slowly and with the aim of performing the movements perfectly so as to remove any blockages of energy and muscular tensions.

Plantar flexion

Internal circumduction

Dorsii flexion

External circumduction

When all of these movements have been performed you should feel relaxed and focussed on the tasks to come. This also has the effect of placing you in an emotionally neutral state. Many times in the past I have had work or relationship problems that have crept uninvited into my training sessions and ruined them. Utilising these techniques has enabled me to overcome them through slow controlled movement combined with focussed breathing, equals a still mind; it has been a definite boon to my training and health. In fact I highly recommend you to investigate the benefits of Tai Chi (a martial art that emphasises slow controlled movement), Qi gong (breathing and movement combined with meditation) or Yiquan (standing meditation) for yourself. All of these gentle practices have wonderful health, psychological and spiritual benefits beyond description in mere words.

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Internal pressurisation and the Valsalva manoeuvre.

Health Warning! You should always consult your general practitioner before embarking on any lifestyle changes, especially the more robust training protocols that the author promotes. Breath holding can lead to increased blood pressure. If you are already hypertensive or have chronic heart disease then performing a valsalva or breath holding manoeuvre may not be conducive to your health and should be avoided. When lifting a heavy object it is natural to hold ones breath for the duration of the lift, this is the pneumo-muscular reflex. Modern physicians are trained to believe that by holding ones breath during exertion is a dangerous endeavour. This is only true if you have a heart condition, or one that may be affected by you holding your breath whilst under loaded conditions. Unfortunately in this day and age the medical profession is only taught to treat illness and not to promote existing health to higher levels, so the weaker members of society get to be the benchmark for public health, hence the training routines that resemble a rehabilitation protocol. On a personal note since I stopped listening to the mainstream medical establishment and ceased regular visitations with my doctor, I have never been healthier. By allowing the rules for the weak to also be the rules for the strong we weaken ourselves and allow doubt in where none existed. An excellent example is the recent ‘Bird flu epidemic’ scare of the winter of 2005. Millions world wide scrambled terror stricken to their doctors in the hope of receiving a life saving shot. Millions world wide had large doses of mercury laced vaccines injected into their bodies in the hope that they would survive the coming plague. But as history played out, it never came to pass. I for one never succumbed to the hysteria and I also didn’t contract bird flu. This is just one example of the medical and media organs driving people towards accepting weakness as inevitability. Yes as we age our bodies will eventually give up the ghost, but that should be at the end of our lives, when we are old and tired. Not when we are still in the prime of life and by prime of life I include those older, bolder residents of mother earth who refuse to grow old gracefully and still try to improve physically, mentally and spiritually. You have my greatest respect. So no excuses people! If you have ever engaged in traditional Karate or kung fu you will be aware of the spirit shout or ki-ai as it is known in Japanese. This is a manoeuvre whereby the practitioner strikes his or her target and shouts or forces air outward on contact with their target. This is a dynamic use of the pneumo-muscular reflex and it is believed that you can amplify your striking power by up to 25% with this technique. When we increase pressure in our abdomen we also amplify the tension within our respiratory muscles the

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intercostals (muscles between the ribs, on a pig they are the ones that taste good covered in barbecue sauce) and the diaphragm (the strongest and most overlooked muscle in the body). This amplification of pressure also causes an increase of muscular tension for a moment. This can then be transferred to the striking limb in karate or the moving limb in a Kettlebell exercise. To perform the abdominal pressurisation exercise you must first push the air in your lungs down into your abdominal cavity which will cause your diaphragm down and your viscera outwards, then pull your navel back towards your spine by an inch and close your glottis, if you have no idea where this is located just swallow. The feeling of a lid closing at the top of your throat, below the back of your tongue is your glottis. Practice this a few times before attempting it under load and then employ it as a natural part of your lifting practice.

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Chapter 3. The Basics The Two-handed Swing The first thing you must remember when training with Kettlebells is to ‘pick up the weight with good form’. What this means is you take a shoulder width stance then square your feet off, so that your toes are in line with each other. Look forwards not down because looking down can cause your spine to flex forwards placing you in a potentially injurious position. Reach down as you look forwards and with both hands, pick up the bell and stand up.

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The basic two handed swing start position feet should be wider than shoulder width. Your knees should be unlocked and your glute’s (bum muscles) do the lion’s share of the work.

This is the pull through position It is necessary for the triple extension of your ankles, knees and hips, which generates the necessary power to take the Kettlebell above your head and the further extensions at the shoulder and elbow joints.

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As you swing the bell up you must thrust your pelvis forwards, (if you are married think back to your wedding night) and squeeze your glutes at the top of the hip extension. Internal pressurisation is also a must.

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For those who have ridden or currently ride horses the next movement will be familiar. Holding on to the bell, sit back and down somewhere between 2 - 4 inches, then stand back up thrusting your hips forwards and squeezing the large muscles of your bottom (gluteus maximus) whilst driving through your heels. At this stage we need not worry about arm involvement. Just focus on the rhythm of the movement, sit down and back, then up and thrust your hips forward and then push through your heels. As you become more comfortable with these movements you can start to move the bell with your arms, this will change the dynamic and force you to stabilise harder and employ internal pressurisation. Begin by bringing the bell up to waist height for 3-5 repetitions. At this stage you can either take a break or continue swinging higher up to between chest and head height. When you have mastered this phase you can begin to swing the bell above head height. Be careful not to swing too high because if the bell flips over at the top it can be most uncomfortable on the hands, the higher you swing the bell up the further through your legs you will be required to swing. This phase of the swing is known as the pull through and requires huge amounts of core stabilisation, which boils down to a better six-pack and a stronger more stable spine.

TEACHING POINTS! •

Stand with feet shoulder width and drive through your heels.

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Keep your head up and don’t look down.

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Inhale on the downward phase, hold that breath and exhale at the top of the movement.

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At the top of the movement push your hips through and squeeze your glute’s.

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The One-handed swing. This is pretty much the same as the two-handed swing except that you are now being forced into a rotational pattern of movement. Pick up the bell with one hand and swing it up to chest height. When the bell reaches the apex of the swing bring your other hand up beneath the handle and let go, allow the bell to drop into the under hand, then as the bell begins its descent turn your hand so the palm is now facing the floor and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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This is the basic one-handed swing position the same principles apply to this stance as with the two handed swing. The main difference between the two is that you are rotating slightly and so therefore you will be hitting your oblique’s much harder (muscles above your pelvis and below your ribs). Swing the weight up from the pull through position (back between your legs) to gain momentum for the first phase of extension.

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I used to use a handover hand protocol (both palms facing down towards the floor) with beginners because most find it easier to begin with, but I have since come to realise that the former method is superior (bring your other hand up beneath the handle and let go). This is because there is much less interference during the change over from the receiving hand and therefore less chance of dropping the weight onto yours or someone else’s foot, Plus you perform a greater all round movement due to the rotation of the hand which further translates through the thoracic spine leading to trunk rotation and a greater requirement from the musculature of the core to stabilise.

Swing up to chest height.

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Once you have swung the weight up to the desired height bring your opposing hand under the handle, drop and allow the bell to swing back into the pull through position between your legs and then repeat for the desired number of reps.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Stand with feet shoulder width and drive through your heels.

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Keep your head up and don’t look down.

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Inhale on the downward phase, hold that breath and exhale at the top of the movement.

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At the top of the movement push your hips through and squeeze your glute’s.

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When you initiate changeover bring the opposing hand under the handle and drop the weight and allow gravity to go to work.

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The Clean The clean is an excellent upper back exercise that also phasically* utilises the musculature of the whole posterior kinetic chain or the muscles that run from your heel (calcanium) to the top of the back of your head (occipital lobe or occiput). This also requires the isometric (when a muscle contracts without lengthening or shortening, which translates as stronger tendons and ligaments) assistance of the musculature of the anterior kinetic chain or the muscles that cover the front of your body. From this brief and extremely simplistic description it is easy to see that the Clean is a whole body exercise that also benefits the legs and the abdominal muscles. We will see that, due to the explosive nature and sub-maximal loads required to perform these movements (weights that are around 50%-80% below your maximum one repetition effort, or the maximum amount of weight that you as an individual can lift once). Greater speed and stability can be achieved for the sports you perform especially martial sports and explosive contact sports such as Rugby, whilst safer than the traditional performance of these movements which utilise the barbell, because there is less torque on the wrist’s when using Kettlebells. Adopt the basic one hand swing stance.

*

Muscles used for movement as opposed to muscles used for stability which are known as the tonic musculature).

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To begin with we go back to the execution protocols for the 1 handed swing, as the Kettlebell comes to approximately head height you must ‘Triple extend’ through your ankles, knees and hips. Thrusting your pelvis forwards hard and squeezing your glute’s hard. As this wave of extension continues up through your spine you need to pressurise your abdomen to support and protect your spine; then extend at speed through your shoulder girdle. As you do perform this movement your arm needs to be quite relaxed, maintaining a flexed elbow punch up, flip the Kettlebell so that it is now on the back of your forearm. At this point drive your elbow down and in towards your ribs (be careful not to wind your self). Extend through your ankles, knees and hips, and come up to standing with straight knees. Swing the bell up to the rack position.

If you have access to a full length mirror when you exercise be aware of your shoulders and try to maintain a level shoulder girdle, this can be achieved by taking your weight free hand away from your body, if you clench both of your hands the tension from the working hand will radiate through to the non-working hand causing greater central

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nervous system activation and greater contractions from the muscles of the whole upper body, leading to even greater all round strength. This is known as the ‘Phenomenon of Radiation’, if you are involved in karate then you will be familiar with ‘Sanchin’ Exercises where you breathe deeply into your stomach, at the same time locking off your anus and aiming to shorten the distance between your anus and your navel, you then tense all of your muscles whilst performing movements at slow speeds. With the dynamic Kettlebell exercises, going slow is a no-no so the Radiation of tension phase will only last a moment, which means that you can tense harder than you can for a longer period of time, as in ‘sanchin’ exercises and Kata’s. I wholly recommend you perform these advanced techniques as and when you can. Try to perfect them and then utilise them in any other activities or exercises that you feel may be relevant. Then watch as your strength levels rocket and your muscles harden over night. And extend the arm until it is straight. As the weight lands and you punch through to meet the bell dip your knees to lower your centre of gravity to absorb the impact and share it over your whole body rather than standing rigidly and taking the full force of the Kettlebell through your spine and shoulder joint. As the Kettlebell settles into the rack position exhale forcibly through pursed lips making a Pffsst noise. To complete the repetition dip your knees, flip the weight up and over, returning it to the swing. Allow the weight to swing between your legs and then repeat for the desired number of repetitions. On returning the Kettlebell to the start position, rather than bringing the weight to your shoulder and then to the waist thus creating a slow, graduated and un-dynamic movement, Dip your knees, generate power through your hips and flip the bell forwards. At this point in the proceedings the bell will be falling to earth and picking up speed as it goes, your job is to decelerate the bell and to bring it under control allowing you to go straight into the next repetition.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Stand with feet shoulder width and drive through your heels.

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Keep your head up and don’t look down.

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Inhale on the downward phase, hold that breath and exhale at the top of the movement.

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At the top of the movement push your hips through and squeeze your glute’s.

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Once the weight is in the rack position of the clean, ensure that your forearm supports the weight. Also ensure that your elbow is tucked into your side.

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Make sure your wrist is straight and not cocked and that the ‘thenar eminence’ of your thumb is pressing into your sternum. Think of Dick van Dyke doing his chimney sweep dance and twanging his bracers, (suspenders in the U.S.) from the film Mary Poppins.

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The Clean and Press The Clean and Press begins with the same procedure as the basic clean. Once you have secured the Kettlebell in the rack position dip your knees slightly and then thrust your arm up and overhead. Locking your arm at the elbow and flex your Latissmus Dorsii at completion of the movement exhale through pursed lips creating the Pffsst sound. Swing the bell up to the rack position at the shoulder.

From the rack position press up, if you need to dip your knees to get a leg drive, go for it.

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The press position. Lock your elbow, and pull your arm into it’s socket but don’t slam the joint.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Stand with feet shoulder width and drive through your heels.

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Keep your head up and don’t look down.

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Inhale on the downward phase, hold that breath and exhale at the top of the movement.

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At the top of the movement push your hips through and squeeze your glute’s.

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Once the weight is in the rack position of the clean, ensure that your forearm supports the weight. Also ensure that your elbow is tucked into your side.

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Make sure your wrist is straight and not cocked and that the thenar eminence of your thumb is pressing in towards your sternum.

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Once in the rack position it is a mistake to pause for more than a beat because the longer you wait the harder it becomes to complete the press.

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Dip your knees, pressurise and press using a leg drive if necessary then exhale through a small aperture at the top of the movement.

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The Snatch. To begin with we go back to the execution protocols for the one-handed swing, as the Kettlebell comes to approximately head height you must ‘Triple extend’ through your ankles, knees and hips. Thrusting your pelvis forwards hard and squeezing your glute’s hard. As this wave of extension continues up your spine you need to pressurise your abdomen to support and protect your spine; then extend at speed through your shoulder girdle. As you perform this movement your arm needs to be quite relaxed, maintaining a flexed elbow, punch up, flip the Kettlebell so that it is now on the back of your arm and extend the arm until it is straight. As the weight lands and you punch through to meet the bell dip your knees to lower your centre of gravity and facilitate the straightening of your arm overhead. At this point you should exhale through pursed lips making the Pffsst noise, Your swinging arm should be straight and locked at the elbow. Your arm must be allowed to sink into your shoulder joint and your Latissmus Dorsii should be flexed

For demonstration purposes I am using 2 Kettlebells, this is optional and not compulsory; neither is closing your eyes! creating a ledge or shelf effect. To complete the lift, straighten your legs and push your hips forward and squeeze your glutes. On returning the Kettlebell to the start position, rather than bringing the weight to your shoulder and then to the waist thus creating a slow, graduated and un-dynamic movement, Dip your knees, generate power through your hips and flip the bell forwards. At this point in the proceedings the bell will be falling

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to earth and picking up speed as it goes, the next task is to decelerate the bell and to bring it under control, allow the Kettlebell to swing through and between your legs allowing you to go straight into the next repetition.

A good tip is to glance up to where you want the bells to stop; where the mind has been the hand (s) will go.

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Finish in the press position, follow the same elbow and shoulder teaching points as with the clean and press.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

As with all of the previous movements we come from the swing.

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Draw the weight up in front of your body.

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Keep a slight bend in your arm then as the weight passes your face dip at the knees, and then punch up.

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Allow the bell to flip up and over so that it comes to rest on the back of your forearm.

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At the completion of the movement straighten your arm and lock your elbow, then allow your upper arm (humerus) to sink into your shoulder socket.

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At the same time as the last point is being completed push your hips forward and contract your butt muscles. Then exhale.

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Chapter 4. Intermediate / advanced moves The Bottoms up clean and press The performance of the Bottoms up clean, starts in the same way as the regular clean, in so much as you begin with the upward swing. When it comes to the catch phase instead of flipping the bell over onto your forearm, you are going to half flip and then grip the handle in an effort to halt the weight half way through the flip. At this point you should have a Kettlebell that has come to the stop point and is above your hand, with the horns of the handle pointing up. If you catch it right first time, then you not only have excellent co-ordination but you also have masterful crushing grip abilities. Once the weight is halted in the ‘horns up position’ draw your arm into your side and consolidate your stance, it helps to keep your eyes on the Kettlebell throughout this manoeuvre because it forges a much greater mind muscle link. Once the bottoms up clean has been consolidated you can then attempt the press. Which once you try it, it will prove much harder than you think. Once again this is an endeavour that may take a while to perfect, but once you have perfected it you will notice that the removal of lids from jars is a doddle.

Begin the Bottoms up clean and press with the basic one hand swing.

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This one’s a real challenge, pop it up from the swing and grip the handle. Once you have the bell stabilised, attempt to press it………..

I told you this was a challenge.

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Be aware that if your grip doesn’t rip then the bell is going to slam back down, ouch! This is quite a simple exercise but one that is far from easy, this statement I feel sums up the art of Kettlebell training and for that matter all of the various strength disciplines, should be chanted as your mantra for success (simple versus easy), in the pursuit of robust health and strength acquisition. For those who missed it I will say again ‘simple doesn’t mean easy’, some times this pursuit will confound and irritate because you just can’t seem to improve or move on to where you think you should be. At this point don’t give up and/or blame it on some plausible excuse such as ‘I don’t have enough time’ or, ‘I want to focus more on shaping the muscle’. These are used to excuse from the arduous endeavours required to forge a functionally strong body. Instead of scuttling over to the pec-deck and pump out 12 reps with an easy weight, with a need to feel the blood gorging through your muscles and the burn from the lactic acid

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that has been produced by the fruits of your labour; ultimately feeling content in the knowledge that the job is done. In reality, all that has been achieved is an irritation of the sarcoplasm† within the muscles, and any growth that has been experienced is due to that inflammation and will very quickly disappear, feeling disappointed but eager to pump up again in pursuit of that elusive pump and burn.

Einstein once said “the definition of insanity is doing something repeatedly and each time expecting a different result”. Strength training isn’t an instant gratification endeavour; there seems to be a modern disease of, ‘If I can’t have it now I don’t want it attitude’. It may take you years of diligent struggle to get to your goal. But when you achieve your goal it will be real, you will have achieved it by your own efforts and when you look at your self in the mirror you will be able to smile back at your reflection and say ‘yes this is real’. And not have to live the lie as so many steroidal bodybuilders do every day of their lives!

TEACHING POINTS!

†

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The set up is the same as the swing.

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Flip the bell half way and then grip the handle for all you are worth.

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Once you have stabilised, pressurise, squeeze the bar and then press upwards. If you lose control, be careful not to smack yourself in the knee, as this can be quite painful.

The cytoplasm of a striated muscle fibre.

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The Flip & Shot press The Flip and Shot press, in its entirety, is a very technique based exercise so we shall break it down by first placing the weight into our up turned palm; this should be at approximately shoulder height. The stabilisation for the ‘Shot press’ is completely different from any of the other movements we do because instead of gripping the handle using a crush grip we hold onto the base or side of the Kettlebell using an extreme range pinch grip. If you don’t know what that means in technical terms, it will become more than obvious as you perform this exercise. Once you are satisfied that the weight is stable you then press up to a straight-arm, pause and then return to your shoulder.

This one is also harder than it looks. The full movement is to swing it up and catch the base or side of the bell. Once you have stabilised press up, an instant hit.

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The full movement is to swing it up, let go and catch the base or side of the bell.

A real grip challenge.

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The full ‘Flip and Shot press’ involves a flip as the name implies. As with most of the exercises we will be covering in this manual we start with a swing. The movement will be more to the side than the regular normal swing and as the weight comes to shoulder height you must let go of the handle and get your palm, with fingers splayed underneath the weight. Catching it at the zenith of the arc and then drawing your arm into your side stabilise and then press as in the photograph. The less time spent in the rack position the better because this will only drain you of energy for the press, but at the same time don’t rush! As I said before this is a very technical lift and requires elevated levels of both core and shoulder girdle stabilisation.

TEACHING POINTS! POINTS •

Start with a normal swing

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Flip the bell and get your hand underneath it.

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Once the bell is gripped pull your arm into your side.

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Look up at where you want the bell to go and press.

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On the return phases lightly throw the weight up flip it so you can catch the handle.

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Complete the movement by following through with the swing.

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Chapter 5. Moving on swiftly The previously explained exercises were all ballistic in nature and therefore required speed and power to perform them; a decent level of strength doesn’t hurt either; but that will come with the practice. The next level of movements are what are known as ‘Grind‘ exercises, because they require greater levels of stability and core strength. While at the same time extremity strength must also be on the ball.

The Windmill The windmill is an excellent movement that requires high levels of balance, stability and core strength. Unlike the previous exercises that we have covered this movement doesn’t use explosive strength in its execution, but rather very high levels of intra-muscular co-ordination. The breathing and timing of the movement also require greater levels of co-ordination than those exercises previously outlined. Taking your chosen Kettlebell, you will be required to hoist it overhead, either by the clean and press or snatch method, as previously outlined. Once the Kettlebell is overhead ensure that the elbow of the arm aloft is locked. Actively pull your arm into your shoulder socket; this should have the effect of tightening that side of your body. The next part is slightly harder because you will be required to flex your Latismus dorsii muscle. The Latismuss dorsii or ‘lat’ muscle is situated on the back and side of your body, the origin comes from your spine and it inserts into the inside of your humerus (upper arm bone) at the bicipital groove and down onto the pelvis. The ‘Lats’ share the bicipital groove insertion with the large muscle of the chest known as ‘Pectoralis major’ also commonly referred to as the ‘Pecs’. When flexing the ‘Lats you will probably also feel the contraction spreading into the ‘Pecs’ due to their common insertion. Most people can flex their chest where as flexing the large muscles of the back can prove problematic at the first attempt; so to facilitate an effective Lat contraction it is often wise to first contract the Pecs. As the contraction spreads from the chest into the back take note of the feeling and try to isolate the Lats. This may take some time to achieve but it is well worth the effort because this technique, which can be used on any muscle, will allow you to achieve a much greater mind-muscle link. This will further allow you to selectively isolate muscles within any given kinetic chain. The end result of this is greater muscular control and therefore greater strength and power. It is also my contention that if we perform selective muscular contraction on a daily basis we will also benefit by lowering our chances of contracting Alzheimer’s disease. I have no proof of this and I haven’t as yet come across any published literature to confirm or deny this belief; but other studies that I have heard of claim that learning complex new skill’s does regenerate brain tissue and can create new synaptic pathways. My belief comes from the observation that those who don’t use it (the mind) tend to be the first to lose it. The mind is linked to the brain and the brain is the control centre for the body. So

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if you use your mind to command your brain to contract a muscle or muscles at will, does that not constitute a potentially new synaptic link? Once you have your Kettlebell hoisted over head and you have flexed your lats and that whole side of your body is rigid; take the foot on the non Kettlebell side of your body and turn it to face in that direction, so for example if you have the bell in your right hand ensure that your right foot is pointing forwards then take your left foot and point it to the left. Keep your right side rigid and that includes your right leg, look up towards your right hand or the base of the Kettlebell and then start to bend towards the left. You must continue to look up at the Kettlebell through out the movement. Your left hand should run down the inside of your left leg palm facing outwards, so as to give you a tactile guide as to your location. When you become confident at this, as you bend laterally toward the left you can begin to bend you left leg and at the same time begin to twist at the torso, this will be inevitable if you are looking at the base of the Kettlebell or your hand. During this phase of the movement you should be exhaling slowly through pursed lips, when you have reached your comfortable limit of flexibility, which may be all the way to the ground or only 2-3 inches from the perpendicular dependant upon your level of flexibility. You must be the judge and always stay within your own comfort zone when using movements that place the spine under compromising circumstances. When you reach the bottom of the movement, take a sniff of air and hold it. Keep looking up at the bell and then calmly return to an upright position, exhale swiftly through pursed lips. Well done! You have completed your first repetition of the windmill in the highhand position. An easier version of this exercise is to place the bell in the lower hand and as you bend laterally, you then pick it up with your guide hand. This serves as a warm up or confidence booster to the high hands.

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Start by getting the bell into the press position.

An easier version of this exercise is to place the bell in the lower hand and as you bend laterally, you then pick it up with your guide hand. This serves as a warm up or confidence booster to the high hands

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The high hand position Windmill.

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The low hand position Windmill is an easier variant to the full windmill.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Once the bell is held aloft with a locked elbow look at the base of the bell or your hand, this will ensure tension radiates down that side of your body.

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Maintain a locked knee, this will also ensure tension radiates up that side of your body. If you bend your elbow or your knee, or move your head away from looking up and to the side you will create a break in the chain and you will falter or fall.

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Always return to the perpendicular standing position.

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The Double Windmill A more advanced version of the windmill is the double windmill; this exercise is a combination of both the high and low handed versions and requires two Kettlebell or one Kettlebell and another weighty object. This exercise serves as a warm up and confidence booster for the two hands anyhow, which will be described further on in this chapter.

The high and low position

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TEACHING POINTS! POINTS! •

Once the bell is held aloft with a locked elbow look at the base of the bell or your hand, this will ensure tension radiates down that side of your body.

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Maintain a locked knee, this will also ensure tension radiates up that side of your body. If you bend your elbow or your knee, or move your head away from looking up and to the side you will create a break in the chain and you will falter or fall.

•

Always return to the perpendicular standing position.

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The Side Press The side press is very much akin to the windmill, I would suggest that no-one attempt this exercise until they are satisfied that they have the windmill down pat. To begin with take up a starting position that is identical to the windmill, but instead of holding the bell at arms length hold it in the rack position on your chest. From there turn slightly towards the bell and look at your hand. The next part is the hardest to visualise and will require no small amount of practice before you perfect the movement, but when you have it will lead to rapid gains in strength and co-ordination. The side press involves a more dynamic torso movement than the windmill because you will be falling away from your hand whilst at the same time you will be extending your arm up and away from your torso to a locked arm that is perpendicular to the ground. Once you are confident that the weight is held solidly aloft and there is no imbalance in the torso region you can then complete the lift by standing erect. It is imperative that you maintain a locked elbow and that your arm is perpendicular to the ground through out the practice. When you have completed the movement return the weight to the shoulder and repeat for the desired amount of repetitions, complete the same amount each side so as to avoid muscular imbalance. If you are unable to complete the desired repetitions in one go don’t worry, take a small break and then continue until you have completed the full amount.

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Begin the side press by adopting the same feet position as the windmill. Take the Kettlebell up to the rack position and then quarter turn towards the working hand.

Look up towards the place where you want the weight to go and then drop away from the bell as you extend your arm up. At this point internal pressurisation is imperative for spinal stability.

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Lower your torso and rotate laterally as you descend, only go as low as you are comfortable with. Aim to increase the range of movement as you become more proficient at the exercise

If you find yourself becoming unstable you can use your elbow to support yourself.

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If your flexibility allows go all the way to the ground, take a sniff of air, pressurise and return to the standing perpendicular start position.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Adopt the same starting position as the windmill.

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Quarter turn towards the bell.

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Extend your arm as you drop away from the working hand.

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Return to a perpendicular torso before lowering the bell back to the rack position.

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The Bent Press The bent press is virtually the same as the side press except that the legs are kept at shoulder width or slightly wider and the toes are pointed forwards, unless this feels unnatural. Complete the dynamic portion of the exercise in the same fashion as the side press, to begin with maintain a slight bend in your knees so as to take the stress from the ligaments of the hamstrings and share it around more. As you become stronger and more proficient at this exercise you can begin to experiment with straightening your legs and pulling yourself up to standing with your glute’s and hamstrings, when you do this you will never go back to the leg curl machine. Remember to maintain a tight, pressurised core when going through the return to standing phase of the movement. When you have completed the repetition in good form return the weight to your shoulder and perform further repetitions up to the desired number, change sides and complete the same number with the other arm.

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Half turn towards the working hand.

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Lower slowly and under control, rather than flexing forward hinge at the waist and push your butt away from you. Think of a gate opening.

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Lower yourself as low as your flexibility will allow.

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This is an excellent exercise for the whole body and will seek out weakness and force it to become a strength. This was the favourite exercise of 19th & early 20th century Strongman Eugen Sandow.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Position your feet at shoulder width or slightly wider, then bend both knees.

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Quarter turn towards the bell.

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Extend your arm as you drop away from the working hand.

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Return to your torso to a perpendicular position before lowering the bell back to the rack position.

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If you decide to straighten your legs ensure that you maintain a tight core, or else you will be contributing to your chiropractors new Porsche.

Eugen Sandow

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The 2 Hands Anyhow The two-hands-anyhow is basically a bent press where you pick up another Kettlebell, dumbbell, block weight or anything else that takes your fancy, remember this isn’t bodybuilding in the modern connotation of the word and so there are very few hard and fast rules, “Do what thou will, shall be the whole of the law”‡. When you have bent-over and picked the weight of your choice from the floor, use your closest leg as a fulcrum and curl the weight up to shoulder height, pressurise and come to standing, blow out some of your air at the top of the movement. Take a sip of air dip slightly at the knees and the power the weight up to arms length. At this point you can either carry on with lowering the weight just lifted and do further repetitions on that side or else you can see-saw the weights by lowering the weight on other side and continuing one for one until the desired repetitions have been completed on each side.

This is very similar to the bent press. ‡

A moral utterance found in the Thelemic foundation scripture, referring to the philosophy of life: see Aleister Crowley

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Curl the lower weight up to your shoulder, pressurise and then come to a standing position.

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Look up and then press the lower bell up to join the other weight.

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Once you have completed this extremely challenging exercise you too will have something to smile about.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Position your feet at shoulder width or slightly wider, then bend both knees.

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Quarter turn towards the bell.

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Extend your arm as you drop away from the working hand.

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When you raise the second bell to your shoulder maintain maximum inter-abdominal pressure.

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Return to your torso to the perpendicular position and then press the racked bell up to join the other. Before lowering the first bell back to the rack position.

In 1905 Arthur Saxon performed a 455lb 2 hands anyhow that is still to be Equalled, let alone beaten.

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The Good Morning The good morning is an excellent extensor chain integrator, great for bringing lazy hamstrings into the game and works well as a warm up for many of the grinding lifts such as the windmill, bent press and the two hands anyhow. Begin by standing erect and tighten your core musculature, then taking the bell to arms length lower it two handed behind your head and let it settle in the groove between your shoulder blades. If your flexibility is on the plastic side (as opposed to the elastic) then you may find that this is slightly beyond your current abilities. If this is so then disregard this complimentary exercise and concentrate on the clean and press and the snatch, which will loosen up your shoulders considerably. I can say this with confidence because once upon a time I was unable to perform the barbell snatch because I was unable to get my head forward of the bar when it was held aloft. After a few months of single-handed Kettlebell and dumbbell snatching I was miraculously able to perform the barbell snatch with considerably more speed and weight than I would have expected to be able to. If the good morning is not for you but you would like to experience the benefits of this movement then you could perform the Romanian deadlift. This is virtually the same exercise as the good morning except that the weight or weights are held at arms length which allows for greater safety, and if the weight gets too much you can drop it with little to no danger from injury. If you are able to perform the preliminary set up, take the weight with both hands and ensure it is centrally located on your back. From here you will slightly bend your knees, so as to avoid over stressing the tendons of you hamstrings. Begin to pivot forwards at the waist, as you do this maintain your gaze on the same spot throughout the movement. The aim of this is to keep your back flat which has the double benefit of protecting your spine and also placing the majority of the stress onto your hamstrings, glutei’ and transverse abs of your core. Keep your elbows fixed in the same position throughout the exercise, this is done so as to maintain the weight in the same position and will also benefit you in so much as it will stretch out the muscle of your scapulae, upper latismuss dorsii and your deltoids and pectoralis major. In performing this exercise one only need lower as far as comfort and flexibility dictate, at no point should you flex at your thoracic vertebrae, as this could lead to over balance and potentially serious injury. On the return to the starting position pressurise and move in a quick yet controlled fashion until you are once again standing erect.

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The Romanian deadlift

When the requisite number of repetitions are completed return the Kettlebell by the same route, take it to arms length above your head, lower to your shoulder or take it one handed above your head and then swing the weight forwards and down.

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The Good morning.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

When you initiate the exercise focus on a point at eye level, remain focussed on this point throughout the exercise.

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Do not fold or flex at the waist instead fold as though you were a gate hinging open, push you butt away from you.

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Only fold forward as far as you can maintain perfect form. If that means you only move six inches then so be it. Always protect your spine!!

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Turkish get ups The Turkish get up is an excellent exercise that heavily targets the muscles of the core whilst at the same time requires high levels of shoulder strength and stability and general body co-ordination. Execution of the exercise begins by lying flat on your back; ensure that the weight is close to hand. I personally find that placing it close to my shoulder enables me to get into the set up position more easily than if I were to place the bell away from me. Take the bell so that the weight is resting on the back of your arm, squeeze the handle hard and press it to arms length. If you are using a bell that is challenging then it is wise to use you opposing hand to assist. Keep your shoulders flat on the ground at the beginning of the movement. Once you are satisfied that the weight is stable above your head you can begin the execution phase. Look up at the bell and maintain your focus on the bell throughout the movement, this ensures that the muscles of the neck are taut, which will radiate tension into the working shoulder and down through the relevant muscles providing the required level of stability. At this point you need to bring the leg of the working side (if you are holding the bell in your right hand you move your right leg) over your other leg which will have you twisted at the waist. Keep looking up at the bell and bring the opposing hand under you and raise your self up onto it, you should now be in a seated and rotated position. Keep looking up at the weight and raise your self up onto your feet, once you are stable pressurise and then stand up, blow out at the top of the movement. You are now at the half waypoint of the first repetition; the return to the start should follow the same path as you followed on the way up. At this point you can change hands and do a repetition or multiple repetitions in seesaw fashion each side or you can perform multiple repetitions on one side before doing an equal number of repetitions on the other. This exercise is a great one for hitting the oblique muscles, which are concerned with rotation at the waist. All movements emanate from the waist and begin in rotation. In the modern gym milieu rotation has been all but eliminated. If you are an athlete and you don’t work heavy rotation exercises into your programme then that will be the plane of movement that you will be injured in. Incidentally if you are a martial artist, boxer, play Rugby or American Football then this exercise should be high on your list of priority core exercises.

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The Turkish get up position 1

T.G.U. position 2

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T.G.U position 3

T.G.U Position 4

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T.G.U. position 5. Once you are standing you will be pleased to know that that is the halfway mark of the repetition, you have to get back down again. Aim for 3-5 reps each side and expect to have the strongest core muscles imaginable.

TEACHING POINTS! •

Focus your attention on the base of the weight or your hand; do not lose the tension in your neck by looking around.

•

Pressurise and exhale at the top of the movement.

•

Keep your elbow locked throughout the exercise.

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Chapter 6. Working the Legs So far the emphasis throughout this publication has been on the muscles above the waist. There has been much involvement from the lower limbs, considering as they are more powerful and therefore provide much of the oomph for the ballistic movements. Nevertheless, we haven’t taken them through a full range of movement. This is okay up to a point because whatever range of movement you employ at any joint, will have a stabilising and strengthening affect over a further 20° beyond the end of range. Unfortunately, this leads many to believe that you don’t need to work a joint through its full range of movement and nothing could be further from the truth; and I personally feel that it is part and parcel of the age of the excuses that we find ourselves living in. These excuses are generally backed up by solid science, often ignoring the whole of the findings and focussing on the aspects that back the theory. This is then disseminated through the usual channels and generally becomes set in stone until someone successfully challenges the notion. We currently find ourselves living in an age when many consider a half squat expert to be a full range squat and that a parallel or an Olympic style full range squat is dangerous. It is much akin to the well-meaning folks who told the pioneers of rail and combustion engine travel that it would be lethal for a human being to travel faster than 25 miles per hour. That was proven to be twaddle and hopefully you will also come to realise through your own experiences that if you can squat in the ‘Arse to the grass’ style you should. Squatting is a natural function of Homo sapiens, we are the only mammals that have an ascending colon, which means that we have to push our poop up hill before it reaches our transverse colon ready for the down hill ride in the descending colon. One of the main assistance movements for pushing our poop up hill is… yep, you guessed it; Squatting. If you observe people from primitive cultures in their natural habitat, you will notice that most of the work they conduct be it preparing food or making weapons so they can hunt their food is performed on the ground. To get into a position to perform these tasks they have to squat down onto their haunches. This is a good exercise you can perform without weight to allow you to ease yourself into the desired depth for squatting. Incidentally, when Thomas Crapper successfully launched the first flushing toilet onto an unsuspecting world at the end of the 19th century the incidence of constipation rose by 200% in the U.S. alone, and that is what you get when you only perform the half squat so be warned!

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The One-hand Clean and Front Squat The performance of the clean and squat will be broken down into its component parts; to begin with you will be required to perform a clean. Once the bell is secured and stable in the rack position lift your elbow away from your ribs so as to allow you to breathe, then take your opposing arm out to shoulder height and make a fist, this will provide radiated tension across your upper body. Take a deep breath and hold it, descend into the squat and only go as low as you feel comfortable with to begin with, if you are not going very deeply then this is an area that must be worked upon. Ensure that your spine is flat and that your navel is drawn in by 1-2 cm. You should also take note of, if and when your knees bow in or out or if your pelvis tucks under when you squat deeply. These are all visible examples of tight muscles, which for the sake of your joints must be stretched out. When you have reached your desired squat depth, push through your heels and ascend. When you reach the top of the movement push through with your hips and squeeze your glutes, begin to exhale through pursed lips so as to increase interabdominal pressure, which will protect your spine and aid you avoid a hernia. The exhalation should be as loud as you can make it, this is not an isolation exercise it is a dynamic one and embarrassment due to grunting and sweating and swearing out loud should be ignored. Being shy and retiring will only get you hurt. Complete as many repetitions as you have planned to do, then change hands and repeat for the same number of reps.

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Begin by starting in the one-handed swing position.

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Swing the bell up into the rack position.

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Maintaining the weight in the rack position squat as low as your flexibility will allow.

For a challenging addition to the clean and squat, press the bell overhead this is known as the Sott’s press.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Once the bells are secured in the rack position, lift your elbows so as to allow uninterrupted respiration.

•

Look up at a slight angle.

•

Pressurise your abdomen. To protect your spine.

•

Squats should be visualised as sitting down

•

Once in the deepest part of the squat hold your breath until you are past the sticking point and then release your breath through a small aperture.

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The One-hand Snatch and Squat The Snatch squat is also broken down into two phases. The first is to snatch the weight to arms length overhead, ensure that your arm is locked at the elbow and that your upper arm (humerus) is pulled into your shoulder joint. When you are sure that you are stable its time to begin phase two. Phase two is simply the squat phase, breathe deeply into your abdomen pull your navel 1-2cm towards your spine, hold your breath and sit back and down. Aim to control your descent and only go as deeply as you feel comfortable with to begin with. Aim to increase your squat depth as and when your strength in the movement increases. On the ascent follow the exact same protocols for the clean and squat, when you have finished the repetition return the weight back to the start position by swinging it down and using the momentum produced to start the next repetition. When the desired number of repetitions are completed change hands and complete the same number of repetitions with the other hand.

Perform a one-handed snatch and then squat down; keep looking up at your hand. This will aid and maintain total body tension.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Keep your elbows locked when the weight is secured above your head.

•

Look up at a slight angle.

•

Pressurise.

•

Squats should be visualised as sitting down.

•

Once in the deepest part of the squat hold your breath until you are past the sticking point and then release your breath through a small aperture.

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The Overhead Squat The overhead squat commences in the same manner as the snatch and squat but instead of performing a snatch between each squat you leave the weight at arms length. All other considerations are the same as both the clean and squat, and the snatch and squat. When the desired repetitions are completed on one-side change hands and complete the same number of reps as the former side.

Using two Kettlebells is optional, but when you start using two that is when the magic starts to happen.

TEACHING POINTS! •

Keep your elbows locked.

•

Look up at slight angle.

•

Pressurise.

•

Squats should be visualised as sitting slightly back and down.

•

Hold your breath until you are past the sticking point and then release your breath through a small aperture.

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Dragon Twists This is an exercise I have borrowed from Qi gong, in ancient China. The Dragon was associated with the Emperor and it was punishable by death if anyone who was not the emperor identified themselves with the Dragon. Luckily we live in age when doing a particular exercise is no longer a crime. The Dragon twist is a movement that in the daoist tradition is used to raise high levels of ‘qi’. I personally find it to be more knee friendly than lunging. To perform the Dragon twist you can clean the bell to your shoulder, or snatch the weight and hold it over-head, which will increase the difficulty and effectiveness of the exercise. You can even perform this exercise without weights for high reps, remember that this is an energy cultivation exercise and could replace your morning coffee. Once you have decided on weighted or non-weighted clean or snatch position you will then stand feet shoulder width apart. Then turn to one side, pivoting on the ball and heel of each respective foot. From there keep turning until your legs are crossed, then lunge down until your back knee is 2-3 inches from the ground. Stand up rotate to the opposite side and repeat until all the requisite repetitions are completed. This exercise can also be performed in a walking fashion, forwards and backwards.

Begin the 2 Kettlebell dragon twist in the two handed rack position, rotate heel and toe to one side and then go past the position until your legs are crossed.

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Once you are stable lunge down until your knee is 2-3 inches above the floor.

Lunge back up and then rotate to the opposite side…….

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And repeat.

A cool and challenging variation is to perform the dragon twist with a Kettlebell in each palm……

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… It makes breathing a bit tricky.

You can also do the dragon walk where you walk forwards or backwards, if this proves too tricky do it without the weights. The strengthening and balance benefits are well worth the effort.

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TEACHING POINTS! •

Maintain an upright posture throughout the exercise.

•

Ensure that you cross your thighs at the end of range of the movement.

•

Do not let your knees touch the floor.

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Appendix. Putting it all together Once you are confident that you can perform these exercises without the need for supervision, it will be time to start constructing your own exercise routines. Keep a training log of: exercises performed, reps aimed for and achieved, sets aimed for and achieved. The time it took to complete and a brief description of how you felt the workout went will help to build a map of the territory you will encounter in the future. You don’t need to buy yourself an expensive leather bound tome for this, a simple hard back note book with enough pages to cover at least three months worth of daily workouts, will suffice. I personally like to use a diary, because for one thing, my dad always gets me one for Christmas. and the other, it has the date, day and time already written in there. This is one of the things that you must implement today, just as getting to grips with your personal nutrition issues. You can also use the diary to take note of what and when you ate and how it ultimately made you feel, this will allow you some control over what you eat. We are all individuals who oxidise our foods differently, and require different nutrients at different times. It also allows us to eliminate those foods that make us feel bad, no matter how much we believe we like them. We are often physically and emotionally addicted to the things that are worse than bad for us. These things must be addressed today, as they say “there is no time like the present”. The first question that you have to ask yourself when constructing an effective routine is, ‘what do I want to achieve?’ The reason for this is that not all exercises and not all routines are created equally. For example, if advanced fat loss was your target then, moderate weight with a focus on a high volume of sets. You will notice that I don’t say a high volume of reps per set; this is Kettlebell training and not the diluted bodybuilding routines of the last two decades. Except for the swings, (which do lend themselves, to higher reps of up to twenty reps per set with up to twenty sets), all other exercises we are going to aim for, go no higher than five reps a set. When performing single limb sets that would require you to perform five reps on one side and five reps on the other (this ain’t rocket science!). The duration of the practice should total no more than an hour, with an ultimate aim of compressing the session into forty five minutes or less, three to six times per week. Designated rest between sets would begin around two minutes, dependant upon your starting fitness. From there you will drop thirty seconds from each rest period until you are down to thirty seconds. As I am sure many of you will want to go straight to the hardest sets and reps scheme you can perform, but I caution you to allow for a period of adaptation. There are two good reasons to back this up. The first is if you have never used Kettlebells or performed the quick lifts before, then you are probably in for a pleasant shock where delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is concerned. And secondly, any journey should always start at the beginning, what I mean by this is, if you start at ten or twenty kilograms beyond your comfortable level, you risk minor injuries and major soreness that could slow or even halt forward progress. When you start light you allow you central nervous system (CNS) to gently uptake the new skills, and to form new muscle engrams while staying in control of the movement (there are muscle movement programs that are hard wired into the CNS, it is believed that there are gross or large programs that we are born with, but the subtle or fine motor controls need to be learned). This is achieved, through practice and repetition of the movement, remember that only

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perfect practice makes perfect. This is why we only do low repetitions per set ensuring that our practice is perfect. Fatigue ultimately leads to sloppy execution, and if the last thing your CNS remembers is a poorly performed movement, then that will be the new engram.) Alternatively, I have had great fat burning by only resting when I have to. What I mean by this is doing one set after another until I absolutely have to rest. I then rest as much as I have to and begin again until all of my sets and reps are completed. This has an added bonus of giving you more time in your day to play with, obviously to begin with, most of that time will be spent sitting or lying and sweating in shock with a thousand yard stare that would rival a crazed lone gunman with a grudge. (For an example of a fat burning protocol see Table one.)

If on the other hand, you were trying to get stronger, but weren’t worried about the aesthetic aspect that most people are obsessed with, then you would aim to use the heaviest Kettlebell’s you can handle for three to five sets of three to five reps of three to five exercises (3x3x3, 4x4x4,5x5x5). The duration of the session would range from as little as fifteen minutes to as much as half an hour, three to five times per week. Alternatively, if you were to aim for maximum strength, you would aim to work two to three times per week working your maximum weights for one to three reps per set with three to five minutes of rest between sets. (For an example of a strength protocol see Table two.)

If you would prefer to build muscle and burn fat, then doing a combination of the other two protocols will work for most. Aim for a total of twenty to thirty sets per workout; use a variety of different weights working from light up to heavy. Aim for somewhere between forty five and sixty minutes total time and work three to five times per week. (For an example of a hypertrophy protocols see Table three).

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An example of a fat burning program Table one. Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Set 10.

2 handed swing Snatch

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Clean and Press Windmills

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Exercise

Notes.

H2H swings

5

5

In the above table we have a row of sets, in the upper part of each set box there is a number. This number corresponds with the requisite number of repetitions per set, remembering that if the exercise is single limbed that you must perform an equal number of reps with the other arm, below the line you write in the weight you are going to use. Aim for no more than 90 seconds recovery between sets; aim to limit rest to 30 seconds.

For example: 10 reps / with 16kg.

With all of these protocols I have used the same exercises or close to the same to emphasise that the exercise used is not as important as the intention behind them. Obviously, that only applies to whole body exercises and not isolation exercises such as lateral flyes performed with a dumbbell, or leg extensions performed on a machine because these exercises derive their existence to rehabilitation programmes and the muscle pumpers of the 1950’s and steroid babies ever since.

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An aide memoir for a Fat burning program

Exercise

Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

2 handed swing

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

Snatch

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Clean and Press Windmills

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

H2H swings

Notes.

60 - 90 seconds recovery between sets.

2 handed swing

Snatch

Hand -2 hand swing

Clean and Press

Windmill

NOTES:

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An example of a Strength program Table two

Exercise

Set Set Set Set Set 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

2 handed swing

10

10

10

10

10

Snatch

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

Clean and Press

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

Windmills

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

H2H swings

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

Notes.

3-5

This routine should be performed 3-5 times per week, utilising the heaviest weights possible. The practice should take between 60 to 90 minutes.

The Farnese Hercules

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An aide memoir of a Strength program Set 1.

Set 2.

Set 3.

Set 4.

Set 5.

2 handed swing

10

10

10

10

10

Snatch

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

Clean and Press

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

Windmills

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

Exercise

H2H swings

3-5

3-5

3-5

3-5

Notes.

3-5

2 - 5minutes of recovery between sets.

2 handed swing

Windmill

Snatch

Clean and Press

Hand 2 hand swing

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NOTES:

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An example of a Hypertrophy (Muscle building) program Table three.

Exercise

Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

2 handed swing

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

Snatch

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Clean and Press

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Notes.

This programme should utilise a variety of different weights, starting with the lightest and pyramiding up to the heaviest and should take no longer than 60 minutes but should aim to be done inside of 45 minutes. Because Kettlebells don’t tend to come cheaply, one protocol that I like to use has me working up to my heaviest weights and then dropping back down to one away from the lightest that I used initially. From there I once again pyramid back up to my top weight.

For example: 8kg x 5 reps per side, 16kg, 20kg, 25kg, 32kg, and 40kg.

Then back down to 16kg and working back up to 40kg again.

Da Vinci’s anatomy of a back

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An aide memoir of a Hypertrophy (Muscle building) program

Exercise

Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set Set 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

2 handed swing Snatch

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Clean and Press

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

2-handed swing

Snatch

Notes.

Clean and Press

NOTES

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Final thoughts. Complexes, Circuits and High-intensity Cardio. All aerobic exercise is cardiovascular, but not all-cardiovascular exercise is aerobic.

Allwyn Cosgrove One thing that most people who come to me for Kettlebell training, seem to find that this type of training gets you breathing heavily and sweating bullets. That sounds very much like the effect you get from running or biking or any other traditional aerobic training modality. The difference is that you don’t have to run for miles and suffer from shin splints or plantar fasciitis§. Another benefit from this type of cardio is that you can get an excellent workout for a minimum investment of time and accelerated fat loss. When I am using my Kettlebells for a cardio session, I tend to blend bodyweight exercises, short sprints and heavy sandbag work into the mix. Although, you could take the strength training protocol above and turn it into a cardio workout, just by lowering the weight used, to a moderately heavy one and performing each exercise one after the other, (until all of the exercises are completed). Then, you rest for a pre-determined time and begin again until all of the rounds are completed, rather than performing one set of each exercise with rest inbetween. One round of each exercise is known as a Complex. A complex is generally performed in one spot going from one movement to the next, without going anywhere. You could place out each exercise station such that you have to run from one to the next in a circuit style, or have exercises placed a short sprint distance (40-100metres apart). You then perform one or more exercises, and then sprint the pre-determined distance and complete another set. Now jog or walk back to the start; this would be one set and you would perform as many as it takes to fill up 15-25 minutes. I call this kind of training High Intensity Cardio or Hic-up training™. Because I used to tend to Hic-up till I sickup, which doesn’t happen very often anymore, but it is still worthwhile doing most of this extreme form of training outside for obvious reasons, but if you have to do it indoors you might want to put a bin liner in your waste paper basket, and keep it close at hand, One of the many things that I love about Kettlebell training is the distinct lack of rules. Unlike the low-intensity (don’t exert yourself), or high-intensity training bodybuilding routines (that are heavy on the rules of intensity and isolation of the muscle); Kettlebells allow you to create workouts that work the whole body quickly, and that are extremely enjoyable! If you are enjoying yourself when you train, then the laborious nature of exercise can be replaced with a sense of joy and meaningful purpose. That is when practice becomes play; the mental, physical and spiritual benefits of play are well documented. §

An inflammation of the dense fibrous membrane at the sole of the foot, which lies beneath the skin, with a superficial layer of fat that binds together the deeper structures. Thus, causing pain under the heel.

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There is also a cult of personality that has evolved in the exercise world, many high level trainers sign their names to a particular training formula and start with the attitude of “my way is the only way”, with the marketing to match. Hopefully, I have shown you that this is completely absurd, you identify your desired goal then find the way that works for you, and then allow your training to evolve as you evolve. I have one warning though, and that is, if you stick to the exact same programme with the exact same weights and repetitions for more than a few weeks, then you will ultimately stagnate. You must always be striving for more; more weight, more sets. When you become bored of a particular routine change it. Just moving your exercises around will create a whole new training effect and completely changing your exercises will have you gaining again.

If you would like to read more of my work then log onto www.dieselcrew.com Click onto articles and scroll for “Guy Jones Dip pt, Nlc1”

Eugen Sandow performing a full dumbbell curl, a little different to today’s efforts.

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360° STRONGER, HIC-UP TRAINING TM and this publication are the intellectual property of Guy Jones.

© Guy Jones 2006

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