« December 2006 | Main | February 2007 »
January 29, 2007
The Westside kettlebell snatch workout
You will push up your kettlebell snatch numbers in three weeks with the
straightforward workout the Westside Barbell Club does for their high
rep dumbbell bench presses.
Do three all out sets of kettlebell snatches. As many reps as you can
with one arm, one hand switch, and as many as you can do with the
other. The standard snatch test as seen in The Russian Kettlebell
Challenge. Rest for five minutes between the sets. Don’t rest
passively, keep moving to help your heart.
Keep a record of how may reps you maxed out with on your first set and
how many total reps you have managed between three sets. You should PR
in weeks two and three.
After three weeks switch to a different routine, ideally one that keeps
your snatch intensity in the 70-80% range. Revisit the above workout
every few months and change the size of the kettlebell every time.
Russian kettlebell power to you!
Pavel Tsatsouline
PowerbyPavel.com
Posted by james at 11:14 AM | Comments (438)
January 8, 2007
"Shaped charge" kettlebell snatches
A shaped charge pierces a tank's armour. The same amount of loose explosive will do the armour no harm.
In the same vein, dumb strength is wasteful. Focus and guide your effort and the effect of your strength will be multiplied. Dr. Stuart McGill has coined the term “steering strength” to emphasize this point.
In Enter the Kettlebell! I explained that in the perfect clean the kinetic energy of the kettlebell is redirected straight down to your feet the moment you rack the kettlebell. The poor alternative is getting knocked back.
You should do the same with your snatches. Even though your arm and shoulder are moving back as you are finishing the snatch, the kettlebell should not be wrenching your shoulder back. Redirect the momentum of the weight straight down to your shoulder socket and then straight into the ground as you punch up. In other words, “tame the arc” not only when the kettlebell is in front of you, but also at the very lockout.
If you have performed the technique correctly even a heavy kettlebell will pause motionless at the top and so will your body. With no effort to stay balanced.
Russian kettlebell power to you!
Posted by james at 1:00 AM | Comments (41)
January 1, 2007
The Russian kettlebell: the tool that gets everything done
Com. Geoff Neupert, RKC, an accomplished Olympic weightlifter and kettlebell instructor has made an excellent point:
“Some people in the fitness industry discount the importance and impact kettlebells have and have had on people interested in fitness and athletes.
“They're just a tool, these people say. I agree.
“But the point my colleagues are missing is that this tool is more appropriate and its use is more prudent than many of the tools they are now using. Therefore I can only conclude that they recognize it as a tool, but don't know how to use it correctly.
“When I was little my dad had this really cool screwdriver. Its handle contained many different screw head tips and it had its own ratcheting technology. I'm not a tool guy, so forgive the poor description, but as you pushed the screwdriver into the screw, it actually turned the screw for you. You could back out a screw the same way. You could also lock the mechanism in place when more torque was needed, like a regular screwdriver. Sure, you could have a whole set of screwdrivers, Phillip’s heads, and flat heads, large and small –but why? Why when you can use just this screwdriver. Oh, sure, it didn't have any really large heads, but it all the normal size heads in the handle.
“The kettlebell is to fitness what my dad's screwdriver was to tools.”
Russian kettlebell power to you!
Posted by james at 10:10 AM | Comments (176)