Known as a Girya, the Russian Kettlebell is a cannonball with a flat bottom and a cope molded to it. Through history, it became a phenomenal drive tool, so much so that the Russian term for strongman is Girevik or "Kettlebell lifter." Kettlebell lifting in Russia and the old Eastern Block is an international sport with local, national and world championships.
First used in forces conditioning programs, Russian explore done that the Kettlebell is an exquisite tool for enhancing fitness and performance. Kettlebell training is an "old school" fitness tool that holds great promise for current fitness seekers. The style of training used with the Kettlebell returns us to learning how to use our bodies better. All the moves are ground-based and gets the client back on his/her feet, learning to use their bodies to produce and operate force. These are useful skills for any athlete or client. What follows is an introduction to the Kettlebell, two basic Kettlebell moves and suggestions on how to join Kettlebells into a conditioning routine.
Why Kettlebells (Kb)?
o Displaced town of Gravity - The town of gravity of the Kb is six to eight inches below the town of your hand. Barbells and dumbbells town the weight with your hand. The offset of the Kb makes the weight "alive" in your hand and increases the difficulty and benefit of many of the drills. Kbs can do anything a dumbbell can do, even good - but not vice-versa.
o Thick Handles - Thick bar training is a proven way to increase grip drive and the difficulty of clear drills.
o Variety - The estimate of Kb drills is only little by your imagination and safety. One Kb, two Kb and compound drills provide unlimited security from boredom.
o Trains Hip prolongation - Ballistic Kb drills provide an intense load to the hips and posterior chain. Very similar to the vertical leap, this "grooved" hip prolongation transfers to many athletic skills such as jumping, running and throwing.
o Trains Deceleration - When you "catch" the Kb by "throwing" it behind you, the agonists and antagonists must co-contract to produce force discount and deceleration of the weight. This is a skill we use daily when we convert directions while walking or running.
o Balance of Tension and relaxation - Tension is strength; relaxation is speed. An athlete must equilibrium both to maximize skill. Kb training utilizes a equilibrium of tension and relaxation.
o Training Will Power - When the Kb drills are done for high repetitions, they forge an iron will and iron body. Try a 10-minute set of snatches for proof. Enjoy the pain.
o Fun - With the capability to in effect "juggle," spin, pass hand to hand and throw the Kb, Kb training has a fun factor and range not found in former training.
o Versatile- The Kb can be taken and used anywhere, provided that you have sufficient space. It is basically a gym in one hand and it is a total body workout!
o Burns Fat in less time! - Using the Kettlebell will help you burn nearby 800 cals an hour and help you burn fat in less time by the use of Peripheral Heart training (Pha). In Pha the entire body is trained in a way that no localised "pump" is achieved.
The idea is to provide uninterrupted blood flow throughout the body while taking no rest in the middle of sets. (a bit like circuit training) By cutting out rest periods, you can see that you will either be doing the same work in a typical workout, or be doing 4 x the estimate of work in a shorter space of time. This is total body drive and conditioning! And this is the charm of Pha. About 20 mins of Kb training is equivalent of doing an hours workout in the gym!
Benefits to Personal Training Clients and Athletes
Personal training clients finding for that something different in their routines will enjoy the non-traditional nature of Kb training. Most of the Kb moves are very integrated and train the body in a coordinated unit. Women who are afraid of "bulking" up from bodybuilding moves will find these moves a great way to increase drive and conditioning without fear of gaining size because Kb training emphasizes neuromuscular adaptations in getting stronger. In addition, Kb ballistic moves will train clients to produce and operate force at realistic speeds with easy-to-learn movements. Bracing and spinal stability will go hand in hand with the breathing technique described in the swing.
Athletes seek a blend of maximum strength, strength-endurance, flexibility and skill. A program should train these aspects with an eye on time spent on non-sport skills so that skill work for the exact sport can be emphasized. drive training and conditioning creates the potential for athletes to enhance but only if they can translate the improved conditioning into enhanced skill Through practice of the exact sport skills. A conditioning habit should enhance the athlete's skill practice, not replace it.
Maximum drive is a vital component of a program. Mistakes are made when it becomes the only component, and as a result, athleticism suffers. Strength-endurance is exact to the demands of the sport and should be tailored as such. Flexibility and the capability to move Through the ready range of petition (mobility) are essential for a balanced routine. Skill work is preponderant and will allow the change of strength, endurance and mobility into the exact patterns needed by the athlete.
So where does the Kb fit into the mix? The Kb can in effect fit into any of the above categories and should be mixed into former routines.
Incorporating Kbs into a Routine
Kettlebells do come in a range of weights from nine pounds up to 88 pounds in fixed weight and beyond with some shot loadable Kettlebells. You can adjust the resistance, but you can in effect cover the drills with just one or two sizes. The habit will be manipulated by changing other aspects such as the estimate of repetitions performed in a set and/or the total volume of repetitions in a session. Then you can vary the rest periods in the middle of sets and convert the intensity entirely. Performing heavy swings with ample rest will train explosiveness, and working a moderate resistance with an equal work-to-rest ratio will increase strength-endurance.
You can begin Kb training very plainly by learning two of the foundation moves. These two moves, the Swing and Turkish-Get-Up, will teach your clients and athletes any essential skills. Swings will teach your clients to join together to the ground and access the posterior chain. The Turkish-Get-Up will enhance your client's shoulder stability and core stability. The descriptions for both exercises consequent below.
The Kettlebell Swing is the foundation of Kb training (see figures below). It teaches the hip snap (an aggressive hip extension) and sets the basis for all of the other drills. Begin by finding your ideal vertical leap stance (i.e.. Shins nearly vertical, hips pushed back, back neutral to arched). Grasp the Kb (with two hands) and swing it back in the middle of your legs. As it swings back, begin to enlarge the hips as if to vertical leap but don't leave the ground. Drive Through your heels and "snap" the hips in order to change the energy from your hips into the Kettlebell. Scheme the Kb to a point almost head level. At the top of the swing, your shoulder blades are pinched and your abs are braced, forming a solid platform for the swing. You will get some air forced out at the top, and as the Kb swings back in the middle of the legs, you will sniff air in Through the nose against tight abdominals and use intra abdominal pressure to brace the spine as you "catch" the Kb with the hips (this paradoxical breathing or bracing as taught by Dr. Stuart McGill is a key element of back safety). The Kb will Scheme out and up on an arc to almost shoulder height. Then immediately repeat for the desired estimate of repetitions. You will consideration an intense cardiovascular consequent from the swings and a crisp, explosive hip action. Begin with the two-arm swing and then strengthen to the one-arm swing. When performing the one-arm swing, the free hand is either behind the back or off to the side, not on the leg.
The Turkish-Get-Up (Tgu) is performed from a supine (lie on back, face up) position on the ground with the Kb in one hand held at the lock out of a one-arm chest press. The arm will be maintained with a locked elbow throughout the lift. (Bending the elbow could consequent in the Kb contacting the head of the client - not a good idea.) Bend the leg of the same side as the arm keeping the Kb and place the opposite arm out at a 45-degree angle. Drive Through the heel and use the opposite arm as a guide and "punch up" (keeping the shoulder down in the socket) as you move to a seated position with the Kb locked out overhead. With the opposite hand on the ground, shift to the hand and opposite knee on the ground. The leg on the side of the Kb will step into the "lunge" position. From here the athlete will move to a full standing position with the Kb overhead by driving Through the front heel while punching up with the Kb. Reverse the movement by stepping back with the leg opposite the Kb into a reverse lunge. Then find the ground with the opposite hand and sit to the hip opposite the Kb. Once there, it is a "simple" matter of "rolling" back to a supine position.
The Tgu is an exquisite drill for developing core and shoulder stability as well as shoulder flexibility. It simulates an surface load that athletes must often work against to enounce operate of their bodies. in the middle of the swing and the Tgu, an athlete or client will begin to "unlock" the explosiveness of the posterior chain and form core stability and control.
Incorporating the Kb into the comprehensive habit might look something like this:
o Turkish-Get-Up - (description above) 3 sets of 3-5eps
o Windmill 3 sets of 3-5 reps
o 2 arm swings 3sets 3-5 reps
o Weighted Pull-ups - 4 sets of 5 reps
o Deadlift - 3 sets of 3 reps @ 80% (or pick a exact plan)
o Single leg Squats - 2 sets of 5 reps
o One arm Swing - 5 sets of 10+10 (10Left-10Right) 1:1 work/rest ratio
o Flexibility drills/Dynamic mobility
The exact form of your program will be based on the needs of your athletes and/or clients. Begin swinging the Kb with your clients and/or athletes to join the Kettlebell into your conditioning programs. This "old school" tool is a great way to increase force yield and reduction, while providing fun and variety.
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