WALK!
This is a fitness lesson I will never, ever forget.
I used to train a gentleman, Frank, who was 100 years old. This is not an exaggeration. He was born in June of 1909. I began training him in June of 2008, at a commercial gym, shortly after his 99th birthday.
I remember one day waiting for him, one of the few times he was late. He was usually at least 10 minutes early. One of his sons was in town and drove him to the handicapped parking spaces right at the front doors of the gym. There was a blue handicapped parking permit hanging on the rearview mirror. He got out and we began our usual training regimen of dumbell presses, squats to a chair and medicine ball tosses.
Since Frank always parked around the side of the building – as far from the front doors as you could – I asked about the handicapped permit, and who required it.
He told me that he was issued the permit years ago, but refused to park in the handicapped parking spaces, preferring instead, to force himself to walk as much as possible.
He said he had done this his entire life wherever he went.
Sofia McKibben – Strongsport S-20 LongCycle 34 reps in 4 minutes.
To my knowledge, Sofia (Idaho Kettlebells Superwoman) is the first person in the State of Idaho to make rank with the World Kettlebell Club. On November 18th she attained the rank of S-20 in the LongCycle event.
To do this, Sofia had to clean and jerk a 44lb kettlebell 32 times in 4 minutes – 16 reps per hand – without setting the kettlebell down, and only switching hands one time. She threw in an extra rep per hand just in case, to make 34 reps in 4 minutes.
The World Kettlebell Club ranking system is the most stringent in the world, and she worked very hard to get there. As her coach, I am humbled by her perseverance and hard work. She is an inspiration to everyone who steps through the doors of the facility, including her husband Mike, who is making inhuman progress currently (more on that amazing transformation later).
My ranking is pending. I submitted a video shortly after Sofia did, because I have to put my money where my mouth is as her coach! I should know in a few days how my attempt went (fingers crossed).
-Jim www.idahokettlebells.com
Recently, someone asked a question regarding my choice of exercises for heavy strength work.
Question:
Jim, In your training logs I notice that you only use barbells for deadlifts, but use kettlebells and bodyweight for most other things. Why is that?
Answer:
There really is no implement besides the barbell that enables one to progressively load as much weight, so they are necessary for building maximal strength. I find that I can get most of what I need with heavy kettlebell presses and weighted pullups for maximal strength work, but to really load up the lower body I need something more.
The reason I choose the deadlift for my “big lift” is because it carries over into so many other activities and puts a huge demand on your system. This is necessary to get stronger. Since heavy deadlifts will help me run faster, jump higher and punch harder, it is on my list.
I have recently added double kettlebell front squats more for flexibility and core stabilization than for added strength work.
I do not want to start a squat -v- dead debate, but I personally do the deadlift instead for the following reasons:
* I don’t need a spotter or to use the squat rack. I can just drop it if I need to.
* The deadlift works more muscles than the squat (i.e. forearms, traps, etc.).
* The deadlift is all concentric, which is important in avoiding hypertrophy and soreness. My legs are big enough already, and I don’t like being so sore that it affects my martial art or other training. If I was looking to add 20lbs of muscle, I would definitely hit the heavy squats.
* Lifting is an activity people do every single day. One of my main reasons for including this is to prevent injury. The better I am at picking heavy things up, the less likely I am to get hurt doing so.
I do not specialize in this type of training, but add it in a few days per week for balance, and because it carries over into every other type of activity. This is really a “bare minimum” selection of max strength exercises, meaning they cover most of the bases with only a few exercises. I should also add that I rest from 3-5 minutes between each set of each exercise on these days.
December Turkish Getup and Kettlebell Swing Challenge.
December is right around the corner. Last year a few hardy souls from the Kettlebell Inc. forums accompanied me on a little personal goal I’d set forth for myself involving nothing but Turkish Getups (TGU) and kettlebell swings for the entire month of December. We completed one TGU for every day of the month, and 7,000 swings.
So, one on December 1st, two on the 2nd, up to 31 on the 31st of the month. One rep is from floor to standing with the kettlebell fully locked out, on both sides. This equals hundreds of reps of this exercise by the end of the month. We allowed one “Amnesty Day” per week from the exercise, to be taken any time. I think this year, two days off per week is acceptable.
I usually work with kettlebells from 16kg-40kg. Each day I would begin with the 16kg and “run the rack” up to the 40kg, then start back on the 16kg, until I reached the required number for that day.
Swings were completed as follows: 1,000 week #1; 1,500 week #2; 2,000 week #3 and 2,500 week #4, to be broken up in any way, with any weight. Any swing variation was permitted.
Why the TGU?
Some of you may recall that from October 1-November 6th, I did 5,000 kettlebell snatches. This was the third year for this goal.
In case you are wondering why I didn’t publicize it too much, it is because some people simply are not ready to snatch a kettlebell and injuries will likely result in people that are not ready to complete that kind of volume with that particular exercise. It is not very forgiving.
The Turkish Getup is another story. I don’t think you can do too many of them if you are doing them correctly. Yes, you can be stupid and do them with too much weight, too fast, or fail to pay attention and injure yourself. It is far from an “idiot-proof” exercise, that just anyone should attempt without quality instruction. But, since a good number of kettlebell instructors rightly focus on the TGU from the outset of kettlebell exercise, it should be accessible to most beginners.
Other benefits are that it is possible to work around an injury with the TGU. If someone is not able to complete the full movement, then perhaps only progressing to the sitting phase of the exercise (the Half Getup, as it is sometimes called) is appropriate. Also, being as the Christmas season is likely to be chaotic for many, who might not have access to kettlebells all the time, the TGU can be completed with any object. Dumbells, shoes, sandbags, or even just bodyweight work just fine if no kettlebells are available.
Repetition is the best teacher.
There are some lessons that only lots and lots of correct reps can teach. A martial art master once noted that 10,000 reps of each basic strike, block and kick is enough to attain a rudimentary understanding of each movement, but it takes 100,000 reps before anything like mastery occurs.
I recall that during a period in 1997, I went through a phase during my martial art training where I was completing almost 2,000 reps of each basic technique each week. I also recall tournament fighting during that period and being able to strike an opponent before I even realized I’d done so. I won’t over-intellectualize something that works, all I can do is work hard to somehow get the same result again.
I have found that the TGU is sort of “self-correcting.” Meaning, failure to do things like activate the lat and “seat” the shoulder will become obvious after enough reps with enough weight. Again, quality instruction is key here to avoid injury in the beginning, and to ensure that you are doing the movement correctly. I would advise using different weights throughout each training session.
The kettlebell swing is also something that is very basic, and while proper instruction is absolutely essential in the beginning, lots and lots of reps will be the best teacher. I think you’ll find that it is almost impossible to do 7,000 swings in one month with any appreciable weight incorrectly.
Benefits of the TGU and Kettlebell Swing:
Here is where things get a little subjective. When I did this last year, I noted that every muscle in my upper body stood out, and I felt stronger in every movement. I kick myself now for not taking detailed stats before and after, but I didn’t expect the gains to be so pronounced.
For lack of a better explanation, I felt like my whole body moved much more fluidly. I felt zero pain in my left shoulder, which had been bothering me for several months. It was like I had just given my body an overhaul.
I view the TGU as an injury prevention, flexibility and stabilization drill, not as a stunt or “max load” type of exercise. It is about making your body injury-proof.
Jeff Martone, of Tactical Athlete, credits this exercise with rehabilitating a laundry list of shoulder injuries, and says that it is rumored that the old time strongmen (the guys in the leopard skin tights and big mustaches) didn’t teach aspiring strongmen any exercise until they could do the TGU with 100lbs. Check out the link below for an article by Jeff on the TGU. The Turkish Get-up
I know that the volume of kettlebell swings I did had something to do with it, as well. The legs, glutes, abdominals, back and cardiovascular system are taxed heavily during the swing. The final week includes almost 500 per day.
How many people do you know lose a pant size between Thanksgiving and Christmas? I didn’t, because I was already pretty lean, but I will say that at least one person reported that kind of result.
Super Simple Nutrition Tips for Weight Loss:
Here are a few quick nutritional tips. I am a kettlebell strength and conditioning coach, kettlebell instructor and licensed fitness trainer, not a nutritionist.
These are just a few suggestions for those looking to lose weight through exercise. Any weight loss goal is at least 80% nutrition. You can’t out-train the dinner table.
I know there are other things that could be included, but these are a few that I know that people routinely struggle with. They are presented in no particular order.
You have to be accountable for everything that goes in your mouth.
Most people have no idea what “one serving” of anything is. I know I didn’t at one point. Studies have shown that people underestimate portion sizes by up to 40%. Whatever the actual amount of underestimation, the fact is you will de-rail your weight loss goals if you don’t measure everything accurately. This includes drinks. Drinking calories destroys a weight-loss goal. This includes alcohol. Alcohol is guaranteed to sabotage you.
Get a food scale and measure everything. Don’t make excuses.
“Too busy” is not acceptable.
I know that measuring, planning and accounting for every food and drink item takes time and effort, just like any other worthwhile accomplishment. Everyone has other commitments, such as work, family or school. You just have to find a way. Period.
Poor eating is usually a factor of poor planning.
Take time to plan your meals. I loosely follow The Warrior Diet, in which I starve myself most of the day, and then pig out at night. This is my personal choice, and I do not have a weight loss goal. This is not for everyone.
Plan your meals based around a lean protein source and some fruits and vegetables. This protein source could be as simple as whey protein mixed in water.
Along with poor planning, comes eating out. Let us just be safe and assume that everything you eat at a restaurant is horrible for you, even if it is presented as something healthy. This means you have to pack things with you. Go get a small cooler and get ready to pack things that do not need to be cooked.
Yes, once per week or so you can have a cheat meal that you indulge yourself with. This should only be once per week. Go ahead and plan your cheat meal and enjoy it!
If you can’t eat it raw, don’t eat it.
This obviously does not include meat, fish or eggs. You have to cook these things or you will get sick and die (or wish you did).
This includes things like any vegetable, nut or fruit. Eat only whole, raw nuts. No roasted nuts.
This doesn’t mean you can’t eat things that are cooked. It just means that you should be able to eat it raw if you had to. Take potatoes, for example: You could eat a raw potato. It would taste terrible, but it wouldn’t kill you.
No processed grains.
Consume nothing containing any form of wheat. No bread. No bagels. No pasta. None. These things are all horrible for you. Get your carbohydrates from things that grow straight from the ground, like vegetables and fruits.
Drink lots of water.Keep a water bottle near you at all times. Try to drink at least 3-4 litres of water per day. Everyday. Don’t be afraid to drink more.
Keep a food log that you can track portion sizes and calories consumed with.
This is extremely important. Write down everything you eat and the amount immediately. Don’t wait an hour or until the end of the day. Write it down as you eat it. You will forget otherwise, and you will take in more than you intend to.
Filed under: Uncategorized — jbeaumont@idahokettlebells.com @ 2:34 am
Kettlebell Training -vs- Kettlebell Lifting
To many, these two terms are interchangeable. Trust me, they are not.
Kettlebell Training is exercise with a kettlebell, which includes exercises like the Turkish Getup and the 2-arm swing.
Kettlebell Lifting is the practice of using a kettlebell in a precise way during the three competitive kettlebell lifts: the clean and jerk, the snatch and the jerk.
The difference between these two is like the barbell exercises performed at your local gym, versus the weightlifting events during the Olympic Games. Kettlebell Lifting is very precise, and skill is paramount. This does not take away from the benefits of Kettlebell Training. I will never quit doing the Turkish Getup, for example. It just makes one aware that there is another dimension of kettlebell fitness, that exists beyond what you normally see practiced in this country.
I recently spent three days at The Ice Chamber fitness facility in San Francisco, learning from the absolute best kettlebell lifters in the country. This particular facility has produced four Masters of Sport, which is more than any other location in this country. Master of Sport (MS) is a kettlebell sport ranking, which is attained during competition. Women use one 44lb kettlebell for a 10-minute set for a designated number of reps, and men use a 70lb kettlebell or kettlebells, depending on the event.
All three grueling days were spent on the clean, the snatch and the jerk. These movements have many small details, and 20 of us from around the world practiced them for 100s of reps in front of Head Coach Valery Fedorenko (who has standing kettlebell lifting records from the former U.S.S.R) as well as 4-5 other MS, including America’s first MS Cate Imes, and Master Trainer and Master Coach Steven Khuong.
I am now certified as a World Kettlebell Club (WKC) Kettlebell Strength and Conditioning Coach and WKC Certified Kettlebell Fitness Trainer. Neither of these certifications were easy.
While I have been working these techniques myself for the past year, since receiving my coach certification, I will now begin sharing these techniques with others.
Why change?
Because in life and in the fitness world, you either move forward or backward. There is really no maintenance.
At some point, shear physical will is not enough to produce maximum work capacity. Technical details must be addressed. I have found that in kettlebell fitness, the kettlebell sport lifts are the safest way to train with kettlebells, which translates into more work done. I simply had to learn from the best in the world, and Valery Fedorenko is it.
While I was familiar with the accomplishments of some of the Russian kettlebell champions, I had never witnessed them firsthand. At The Ice Chamber, I personally watched Valery Fedorenko snatch a 70lb kettlebell for 150 continuous reps with only one hand switch. Every rep looked identical, and he was barely winded at the end. This is truly an amazing demonstration of physical power, but this power was channeled through perfect technique.
Technical excellence was duplicated by MS Surya Voinar-Fowler, MS Maya Garcia and MS Sara Nelson at different points on both days, proving that his methods are repeatable.
I will slowly begin to implement some of these technical changes into my training methods in the best way I can.
-Jim www.idahokettlebells.com
“”I have been coached by major league baseball players and highly credentialed strength and conditioning coaches in my college softball and fire fighting careers, and no one helped me reach my strength and body composition goals like Jim.
I dropped almost 5% body fat lifting kettlebells and conditioning with Jim. I have never been able to experience strength gains and cut out body fat without my legs and glutes bulking up too much until I started the Idaho Kettlebell workouts. Jim understands the different demands placed on the body in both athletic and tactical movements and has helped me strengthen my shoulder tremendously. As a former Olympic Lifter and Power Lifter, I did not expect the results to be the same from kettlebells, but they were even better and healthier for my body. Working with Jim will give you better strength and power than Olympic lifting and will protect and strengthen your joints instead of beat them down.
I am a personal trainer and have a BS in Exercise Science, but I have learned what it takes to be a great trainer from Jim.” – Katy Luetke BS Exercise Science, Personal Trainer, Firefighter I -CalFire, College of Idaho Softball Alumni
New Article in Kettlebell Inc Online Magazine.
I recently had an article featured in Kettlebell Inc’s online kettlebell magazine. It contains an awesome 4-week kettlebell press and swing workout.
Visit Kettlebell Inc to download the entire magazine, including a great new article on kettlebell training for new parents.
I have used this exact program on a wide variety of people and they all have had similar results: Increased strength, lost body fat, cardiovascular efficiency, increased flexibility and even better posture.
This has been the case for everyone: Firefighters, high school athletes, grandmothers, doctors, paramedics, and everyone in between. There has not been one exception.
This has led me to make every new trainee at Idaho Kettlebells start on this program as soon as possible. My success rides on their results. This does not fail to deliver.
Katy (pictured above) is one example. Her lean physique is mostly due to kettlebell training, using my methods. As a firefighter, her goal is to be as strong and fast as possible, at the lowest possible bodyweight. Since her life could depend on her cardiovascular efficiency, she also looks for a way to gain every possible advantage. Kettlebells deliver. Form follows function.
Here are a couple new videos from Idaho Kettlebells:
Overhead lifting is the ultimate test of full-body strength.
Since before the first Olympics, lifting heavy objects overhead has been the ultimate test of strength.
Every part of the human body is placed under load while lifting a heavy object overhead, such as during a dumbell or kettlebell military press.
Forget the bench press. The bench press is an artificial, gym creation. Lifting something heavy from the ground overhead is not.
Seated or machine presses are not the same.
What about “military presses” on a Smith rack or other machine? Isn’t that the same thing? They smoke they shoulders, and you get a great burn in your deltoids and triceps.
No. Machine presses are not even the same thing.
Anything done in a machine or seated does not require nearly the spinal stabilization or central nervous system demand lifting an actual object overhead does.
And, if you want to gain strength, forget about the “burn.”
There are lot of things that burn. Placing a hand on a hot stove burns, but does not make you stronger. Training for the burn is bodybuilder nonsense, not strength training.
Furthermore, the military press is only done from a standing position, with locked knees. It is not performed seated, nor in some kind of pussified machine.
Traditionally, it was done with the heels together and feet facing out at a 45-degree angle, as if standing at attention in a military formation. It has, however, changed so that any locked-knee overhead press is known as the military press.
Overhead lifting can be done with any implement
Overhead lifting can and should be done with a wide variety of implements. My favorite is the kettlebell. The kettlebell’s offset center-of-gravity requires a great deal of stabilization, which challenges every muscle from the fingertips to the toes.
No kettlebell? No problem. The dumbell military press is a great exercise.
No dumbell? Still no problem. Overhead lifting can be done with a sandbag, medicine ball, or whatever you can imagine.
The barbell military press is a great exercise, and is considered by many to be the ultimate test of upper-body strength, with much more carryover to other activities than the bench press; however, it is significantly more technical than a dumbell or kettlebell press and should be only attempted after careful study and/or professional coaching.
What about cardiovascular conditioning?
The demand placed on every muscle group that comes from lifting a heavy object from the ground to full overhead lockout is incredible. When done for high reps, it equals a cardiovascular workout unmatched by literally anything.
Doubt this? Then try this for size. Find a dumbell or sandbag you can lift from floor to overhead lockout for about 10 reps before failure. Find a quarter mile track, or just take it right next to your treadmill at your local gym.
Clean and press the weight 5 times. Then run a quarter mile as fast as possible. Repeat for rounds for 20-30 minutes.
That’s it. No “abs” at the end of the workout. No idiotic bicep curls or tricep extensions. No boring “cardio” session afterwards. You’re done. Cooldown, stretch and then eat.
Overhead lifting is safe if done properly.
An often-cited reason for not including overhead lifting in a strength training program is because it “hurts my shoulders” or fear of injury.
Unless you have some prior injury, there is no reason not to include overhead lifting in your exercise, if you do it properly. I have women senior citizens clean and press 26lb kettlebells overhead on a regular basis with zero injury. On the contrary, increased range-of-motion and injury resistance are to be expected with correctly-done overhead lifting.
At the same time, I know young, otherwise strong women that cannot lift ½ that amount safely. It is all about proper technique and preparation.
If it hurts, you are probably doing something wrong, or have some flexibility issues that must be addressed, whether you plan to press overhead or not.
Get some training from a legit trainer. Correct overhead lifting takes practice and technique, something usually not covered in a multiple-choice trainer certification, or part of some corporate gym’s “sales” training.
And no, overhead lifting does not cause rotator cuff injury, but improper overhead lifting can cause any number of injuries, just like any exercise done with too much weight, too soon or lack of attention to correct technique.
Strength is a skill
Overhead pressing requires skill and body-awareness. That means you have to actually pay attention and focus while performing this activity. Watching the TV in a cushy commercial gym while attempting to barbell press your bodyweight is a recipe for disaster, and possibly a good Youtube video.
Focus and learn to use your body. Learning to use your body more efficiently should be part of any exercise routine.
Learning a challenging activity like pressing weight overhead will build neuromuscular efficiency that will pay off in almost every aspect of your strength and health.
