20 Insider Shortcuts For Faster Kettlebell Results by Geoff Neupert, CSCS, Sr RKC
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!" It!s not about the kettlebell. What? Well that certainly is a strange way to start a special report about kettlebell training! I have had the opportunity and privilege to spend probably close to 10,000 hours training others with kettlebells (and untold hours using them myself). These individuals – my clients and instructor candidates at the Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor course, come from all walks of life – soldiers, law enforcement, professional athletes, coaches, trainers, martial artists, and stay-athome moms, to name just a few. And every one of them when they first get started using kettlebells has to learn the same thing: It!s not about the kettlebell. It!s about how you move, both with and without the kettlebell. The kettlebell, more than any other tool gives you unique feedback about what is and is not working in your body. And because this feedback is so precise, the kettlebell allows you to fix literally any problem you may have, especially if you apply what we teach at the RKC to your kettlebell training and exercise program. The kettlebell teaches you how to find, and use your hips. It teaches you how to stabilize your shoulders to protect your rotator cuff. It teaches you how to find, create, and use space within your body. At first glance these seem inconsequential to somebody who just wants to drop a few pounds and get a good workout. But unless you realize that you are only as strong as your weakest link, and then take active measures to find and fix that link, you will never achieve your long term goals, because you, like most people who start working out, will get injured at one point or another. That!s a real downer, I know. I know from personal experience – the personal experience of severe injuries from chasing strength performance. And I also know the relief associated with finally rehabbing old injuries and performing once again. And all of this was from learning how to move again. And the primary tool I used other than just my body was the kettlebell.
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After learning how to use the kettlebell to move again, you will feel like a kid again. The kettlebell will transform your body. I have seen it over and over and over again and experienced it myself. You will lose gobs of useless body fat. You will develop a lower back of steel. Your legs will become wiry, almost springy. You will develop muscle, but not that bloated, puffy kind, like one of those bodybuilders who oils up and struts around on stage in a pair of black bikini briefs. This stuff will be usable functional muscle that is in all the right places – hips, legs, abdomen, shoulders, and arms. If you!re a woman, you will find your body!s natural great shape, curves and all. If you!re a man, you!ll develop that broad shouldered look and might even get those famed “washboard abs” if you cut back on those cheeseburgers and do enough snatches. The kettlebell will transform your life. Shame it!s not about the kettlebell.
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Master the basics.
In this world of instant gratification, we in the West, especially in America, have developed an interesting phenomenon: Exercise Entertainment. Our gyms are filled with “atmosphere” – pounding, pulsing music, flashing lights, and screaming scantily clad aerobics instructors, designed to distract us from the pain we are most certainly feeling from having to *gasp* take care of ourselves (As if someone would do it for us?) Exercise has become a chore, instead of a joy and an opportunity to better us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We look for every opportunity to be distracted just so we can check the box in our Day-Timers that says, “work out.” Worse yet, we have devised the infamous “Workout of the Day,” which now gives us a daily task to complete for each day. This in and of itself isn!t such a bad thing, if only the WODs had some form of continuity to them. But unfortunately, many of them don!t. So while we get to check the Day-Timer AND get a great sweat, months later we don!t have much to show for ourselves except for maybe some tendonitis in our knees or wrists from performing exercises that athletes around the globe start training before they hit puberty and have to sit around in an office all day.
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And this is where the kettlebell comes in so darn handy. You can distract yourself, have a workout of the day, and measure your progress all in as little as ten minutes, especially when just working on the basics. What are the basics you ask? Although some will argue this point, for 99% of us, the basics are two simple exercises, designed to use every single muscle in your body. They are the Swing and the Get Up. To perform the Swing, you simply grab the kettlebell with both hands, bend over and swing it through your legs, while keeping your lower back flat. When the kettlebell can go no further behind your legs, you stand back up as hard and as fast as you can.
To perform the Get Up, you lie on your back with a kettlebell in one hand, perpendicular to the floor. And then you stand up. Once you stand up, you get back down. Of course it!s a little more complicated than that, but you get the point.
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These two exercises force you to use all the muscles in your body simultaneously. They both strengthen your hips, legs and core. They both strengthen your shoulders. And they both, either separately or together, will get you in the best shape of your entire life. Now arguably, you don!t have to “master” these two exercises – that would take approximately 10,000 reps plus. But spending your first few months of kettlebell practice and working out with these two will go a long way to helping you look and feel much better than you are now. After you feel very comfortable doing these two exercises, then you can progress to the other ones. Since great athletes are great because they continually practice the fundamentals of their sports (the basics), you should routinely plan to come back to the Swing and the Get Up to ensure you keep getting better and better. From a results perspective, this concept makes you more efficient. Let!s qualify that term – efficient. By efficient, I mean you will move better. More of your muscles will be working. If your goal is to burn fat, this means that your body will require more energy to perform these activities, and therefore burn more calories. If you want to put on some muscle, your body will be using more muscle so it just makes sense that there will be more stimulation, and therefore more potential for growth, since stimulation is necessary for growth.
$" Focus on Progress. As I mentioned earlier, the trend today is to focus on “getting a good workout.” For most that usually means breathing hard and sweating profusely. And because so many WODs (Workouts of the Day) constantly shuffle their training variables, and rarely repeat any workouts, you have basically no way to measure your progress. This is bad. (Yes, I know we live in a world where using the word “bad” is frowned upon, dare I say it, even, bad, but some things still have to be good and bad for the survival of society… Anyway, I digress…)
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You can literally go months and fool yourself into thinking that you are making progress. But if you have no markers, or no way to measure, than it is quite possible that you are wasting your time. If you start your kettlebell training with the basics – the Swing and the Get Up – it becomes very, very easy to measure your progress. And making progress equals motivation. Motivation is very easy to keep high when you are seeing results. It!s easy to see progress in the Swing. Just add a few extra reps per set and add up the total. Or add a set every workout. Again, keep track of your total number of reps. For the Get Up, it is also easy to measure progress. Do the segments of the lift become easier? Can you do more than one at a time per side? Can you use a heavier kettlebell? Again, measuring progress is a way to measure your results. Put simply: Progress = Results. Sounds simple enough, but how many people in your gym know this stuff. Sounds intuitive, but are you making progress or just checking the box in your Day-Timer? Speaking of measuring progress…
%" Keep a training journal. At first glance you either have one of two reactions – “Duh!” or “Huh?” The only way you can measure progress, real, honest to goodness lasting progress is if you can look at how far you!ve come over a set period of time. Your memory is no good for that, because quite frankly, you can!t trust yourself. The good times you!ll automatically embellish and the bad times you!ll forget about. So you need a simple method of tracking – A Training Journal. I have training journals from as far back as 1991. I can tell you how much weight I used, how many reps I performed with that weight, the total number of sets, and because of that, I know what my outcome was.
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I recommend you go to the grocery store and get a Memo Pad – one of those cardboard covered 9x7 notebooks with the black and white marbling on the cover. They hold up pretty well – much better than anything spiral – and are easy to carry with you, throw in a bag, keep in the car, wherever. <9)!=)>2!?)+0/2';!
Another alternative, which I like, is the Moleskine brand notebooks. They!re a little more expensive, but probably more durable. <9)!=23)0@/')!?)+0/2';!
Whatever you choose, make sure you get something. When tracking your progress, you need to keep track of a couple of key points: • Date – e.g.: February 5, 2010 • Exercises – e.g.: Swings, Get Ups • Reps per set of each exercise – e.g.: 5 • Number of sets per exercise – e.g.: 5 • Weight used for each exercise, and each set of each exercise • Total number of reps performed per exercise • Total number of reps performed per exercise • Total time to complete workout • Rate of Perceived Exertion – use a scale of 1-10, 1 being easy, 10 being your maximum effort. By keeping track of these variables from workout to workout, you will easily be able to measure your progress, and therefore your results. Here is the key point to keep in mind: !"#$"%&&'()*+(,-%"%.#"%("%&/0,&(1&()(2"#+/3,(#.(4#"%(5#"67( That!s pretty much it. Of course there are some more details than that which we will get into later on.
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&" Follow a plan. This seems like a “no-brainer,” but as a full-time fitness professional, I can!t tell you the number of times I!d ask gym members what they were doing on any particular day. Here!s a typical conversation: Me: “Hey Bill, what!re you doing today?” Bill: “I dunno – I think I!m gonna do some cardio…” Well I wasn!t surprised when a month or so later Bill was nowhere to found. This is because Bill!s general approach was that just getting to the gym was good enough. The plan would be revealed upon arrival. (That!s true if you!re one of my clients…) So, in order to make progress in your kettlebell training, you must have a plan of action. And, honestly, it shouldn!t be one you make up based on your extensive research of YouTube. It should be by someone who is a Certified Kettlebell Instructor. A great place for you to start, if you haven!t done so already is Pavel Tsatsouline!s, Enter the Kettlebell. It starts you off assuming you!ve never seen a kettlebell before let alone touched one. It gives you a complete break down of introductory exercises that you need to be able to do to start using your kettlebell and any “fixes” you might require in order to get started. It also offers two workout plans – a basic introductory plan, which looks quite simple enough, but is very demanding and will have you looking and feeling better within your first 30 days, and a second, more advanced workout to accelerate your gains. You may be very tempted to skip the first and move straight to the second. Don!t. You will regret it very quickly. The second program is built off the first and you will not be able to complete the second successfully if you haven!t done the first. Your other course of action (and actually I suggest you do both) is to find a certified kettlebell instructor near you and learn the fundamentals of kettlebell lifting, especially if you feel at all uncoordinated or de-conditioned. Having a pair of watchful eyes to immediately correct any mistakes you will make will shortcut your learning curve and accelerate your results.
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Set time aside.
In order to make progress, you must set time aside to workout, or to train. Again, this seems like another “no-brainer,” but you!d be surprised at how many “home programs” I!ve helped people set up only to discover that they didn!t get the results they want because they didn!t do the workouts! When pressed for a reason, more often than not it was, “I didn!t have time.” It!s just a well-known fact in the world of personal productivity – Nothing gets done unless it!s scheduled. One of the great things about a kettlebell is that you can use it virtually anywhere. (I say virtually because, although I have yet to try it, I doubt you can use it to workout in the bathroom of a commercial airliner. Have you seen how small those places are…?) This means you can work out in the comfort of your own home. My wife trains with her kettlebells in our spare bedroom. And I!ll grab some light extra workouts up there too. If you stop for a moment to think about just how cool this is you!ll also find that you just paid yourself back in the forms of both time and energy. You just saved yourself travel time because you no longer have to travel back and forth to the health club, let alone wait for that jerk to get off your favorite piece of equipment (Can you believe he didn!t even wipe his crotch sweat off it? Yeesh!) You just saved yourself energy because you no longer have to fight rush hour traffic and all the fun that entails. You also no longer have to “work in” with somebody else at your local health club on whatever machine or piece of equipment. Remember though, even though you just saved yourself time and energy by working out with your kettlebell at home, you still have to schedule it. Because if you don!t something else will take up that void. And just a gentle reminder: Make sure you close the door where you are working out with your kettlebell and everybody, spouse, kids, dog, cat – everybody, knows that this is your time to workout.
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(" Focus on quality. Kettlebell workouts lend themselves to providing excellent feedback about your body. Because of the shape of the kettlebell – the handle is off the center of gravity it forces your body to work harder. Now for those of us who love to work hard, this is good news. But it also comes with a warning label: Too much work performed incorrectly can and will hurt you. Therefore, it becomes critically important to focus on the quality of your kettelbell work before you quantity. (Incidentally, you can still measure progress based on quality.) Let!s take our two basic exercises, the Swing and the Get Up. Both during and after the Swing, you should be aware of your abs, gluts (butt), and hamstrings contracting. As you become more proficient at the Swing, you will also feel your quadriceps (the front of your legs) and your lats (the muscles that form your armpit) contracting too. This is an efficient Swing. Until that point, you can change your focus on each set, as I often do with my clients. One set you can focus on making your abs contract. The next, your butt. And maybe the third, you work to make both of them contract. You would then make notes in your training log about this so you can measure your progress. For the Get Up, one of the purposes is to teach you how to connect the ribcage to the pelvis while producing force – a critical athletic skill. One of the skills necessary is to be able to literally pull your shoulder away from your ear, down toward your hip, with your lat, and keep it there, no matter what position or stage of the Get Up you are in. Measuring quality is as simple as being able to track at which points, or segments of the Get Up you are able to do this and which points you are not. You would then work to be able to do them during all segments. You can also throw in some corrective exercises into the mix and see if they improve your ability to perform the Swing, the Get Up, or both. Although upon reading this, the benefits may not be immediately apparent, just remember, if you can!t move well, you are limiting the speed at which you can make progress and therefore see results. !!"#$#%!&'()*+,()-!./(')00!1234(/2'0%!556%!72+3-!7/-)!8/*9(0!8)0)+:)-;!
Why? Because you are not moving efficiently and therefore are not using as much muscle as you should be. From an efficiency standpoint, it is very important to move well. But there is another lesson to be learned here too: If you don!t move well, expect to be injured. And if you!re injured, you will further limit your ability to move and therefore continue to hinder or limit your progress and therefore your results. So do yourself a favor – plan for the long term and focus on quality. Then you will guarantee your results.
)" Don!t be in a hurry. There is one defining moment in recent history that forever changed the fitness industry. It was Body For Life. You may or may not remember it. It was the first full scale body transformation challenge. There was a book with simple, detailed, easy-to-follow nutrition and workout guidelines. And it worked great. For 12 weeks. That!s it. 12 weeks. That!s only three months out of your life. In the grand scheme of things, that!s nothing. Nothing. Now BFL was a great idea. It challenged a bunch of people, perhaps millions, for a number of years, to change the way they lived – to better themselves and in doing so, those around them. For some, it was a great starting point. It got them off their butts and moving toward a better, healthier life. For many, it was just three months. And therein lies the problem. Since then, just about every single fat loss program is 12 weeks long. What happens after the 12 weeks? Seriously? Life is not a race. Yeah, I know, it sure feels like it sometimes. But you only get one shot at it. And I refuse to believe differently until someone can prove otherwise. So, why not take your time and enjoy the process?
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You have more than 12 weeks – 3 months, to achieve your goals. The world, as you know it, will not stop, or really even change if you don!t do it in 3 months. Now, this sounds like I!m not for planning. I am – very much so. But let!s put a series of plans together. Why not four 12 week programs? That!s 48 out of 52 weeks per year. That!s a week off after every twelve to recuperate. Some of the world!s greatest powerlifters use this template. And they get S-T-R-O-N-G. And apart from the Super-heavies, the rest are strong and lean. Rome wasn!t built in a day, and neither will your brand new body. But if you do it right the first time, you!ll set yourself up for a successful training program from now until the day you die, if you should choose to use your kettlebell that long.
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Focus on actions, not the outcome.
Everybody who starts using kettlebells wants to know how soon they will see results. That of course depends on what you are trying to accomplish. I have had clients who!s goals are to lose fat and they have noticed a difference in the way they look in the mirror and how their pants fit in as little as one week of working out with kettlebells. Everyone!s results will vary based on the starting point. To keep yourself sane, you should measure your progress based on the outcome of your workouts. What is it you desire to do? If you are keeping a workout journal, you will know soon enough if you are “seeing” results. But in this day and age of instant gratification, if we aren!t seeing “results” 24 hours after starting an exercise program, we throw up our hands in disgust and turn the TV back on and watch Entertainment Tonight to find out the next great diet or workout of the stars that will surely work for us this time. Just about everybody who fails in the fitness world is so focused on the outcome of their goals that they fail to focus on the steps, or the actions, necessary, to achieve their goals. You know, A+B+C=D. We!re so focused on D, we only finish half of A, and never get to B and C. It!s like planning your dream vacation but never going. Sure, you know where you want to go, maybe even the exact hotel in which you want to stay, but you never budget the money to get there, so you never go.
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These individuals fail to see that the outcome is the result of action, or more specifically, a series of actions. For example, in order to perform the Get Up, there are a series of steps, or actions to perform it safe and effectively. Sure, you can short-circuit this process, but the results won!t be what you expect. There will be a major disconnect between your expectations and reality. The same is true with fat loss, for example. If you started using kettlebells for fat loss, they are arguably the best tools for the job. But you still have to perform the right types of workouts and fuel your body with the right type of nutrition. So whatever it is you set about to achieve when you started using kettlebells, make sure you focus on your actions, not just your outcome. For example: • • • • •
Make sure you know how to perform each exercise safely and correctly If you don!t, find proper instruction through a RKC Make sure you are following the correct plan. Don!t follow a program for building muscle if your goal is to strip off body fat Have routine “traffic stops” – days to evaluate your progress and make the necessary changes if you!re off course If you do find yourself off course – change direction! If you don!t know which direction to go, get help from a RKC.
This process is really simple. It may take you awhile, but you will achieve your goals if you realize that there is a process. And that process is made up of actions. So, take action! When you take action, there will always be an outcome. When you don!t, you!re just dreaming.
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Invest in yourself.
Arguably the biggest reason most people fail to achieve any substantial fitness results here in America is that they want something for nothing. It is their “right.” And it!s that attitude that leads to failure. The most successful men and women in the world, no matter how you define success, all have at least one trait in common: They invest in themselves. They take their time, energy, and money and reinvest it into their education so they can become better at their chosen endeavors.
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There will come a time when you will hit a wall in your kettlebell training. Your progress will momentarily fail. At that point, you will have two choices: 1) quit and look for the newest, latest fitness fad (hey, maybe it!s Jazzercise…) or 2) you will recognize this moment as an opportunity to learn something new. If you choose #2, you will need to invest in yourself. This may take several different forms: •
•
•
You may have to hire a RKC to check your technique or write a program designed specifically for your current needs You may have to buy another book or DVD that addresses your current needs You may have to spend more time focusing on your training; starting out with 10 to 15 minute workouts may not be cutting it at this point
I recently did just this, although I tend to be more extreme, so my “investment” may be crazy to you. I took two days off work – cancelled training clients – and flew up to a see a friend of mine, Brett Jones, Master RKC, to get help with my left hip, which, had been bugging me for some time. He ran me through the Functional Movement Screen, and found some interesting results. Based on those results, he gave me some specialized exercises to perform on my own.
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Now, that process cost me some serious money – lost income from not training my clients, plane tickets, food, etc. But, the payoff has been tenfold. I took those exercises, applied them, made fast results, developed new exercises, and have added these into my clients! training programs. Their results have been phenomenal. All because of my “problem.” Whatever form your investment takes, be open to it. And here!s why: The more you improve and invest in yourself, the more you are able to give to others, which in turn directly benefits you, because the immediate world around you becomes a better place in which to live. !!"#$#%!&'()*+,()-!./(')00!1234(/2'0%!556%!72+3-!7/-)!8/*9(0!8)0)+:)-;!
That may sound a little too philosophical. But the bottom line is really this – ultimately, you will become a happier person because you will be achieving your goals. The world needs more happy people, so go swing your kettlebell. !
!!" Keep your target in sight. Life is busy, hectic, and even chaotic. We do the best we can to keep relatively tight control on our schedules, but even the best of us get thrown off course. Many times, we lose focus of our goals. And then, before you know it, your kettlebell is just a very heavy doorstop. Keep this from happening by having one major goal – one target. And focus on that target. A great way to improve your focus is to write little reminders for yourself and place them in frequently seen places – on your computer, on your mirror, on the fridge. This keeps your target at the center of your brain. Keeping your target in the forefront of your mind helps ensure that you are actually taking action to reach that target. (Remember: “Focus on actions”…?) Not only that, keeping your target in front of you will act as motivation when the times get tough, as they always seem to do. The path to your target may seem to twist and wind, and you may find yourself taking actions that in the short term don!t add up collectively to help you hit your target. But if you don!t keep your target in site, you will certainly never know. Keeping your eyes on your target is one way to keep anchored amid the chaos.
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When that chaos comes, and it will, you will be tempted to lose your focus, lose sight of your target, perhaps even quit and give up. Here!s a relatively easy way to keep going even amid the worst of times – change your focus. Not your target, just your focus. For me, I!ve spent the last four years attempting to make my way back into competitive Olympic Weightlifting. (Kind of strange for a guy writing about kettlebell training, but bear with me, you!ll see why…) I actually made it onto the platform in November 2007 and came within 10kg of my best snatch. But since then, it has appeared to be downhill as I!ve continually attempted to fix all the major injuries and compensations I inflicted upon my body the first 15 years of my lifting career. My previous focus had been on building up my base strength, but I kept hitting brick wall after brick wall. I was getting very frustrated, because I thought I had all me weaknesses fixed. Previously, I mentioned that I went to see my friend Brett Jones, and he pointed me in the right direction. Since then, my focus has changed, but my target has not. My current focus is not building up base levels of strength, but correcting some weaknesses developed from a back injury seven-and-a-half years ago. (Yes, I am using kettlebells to correct these imbalances.) Once these corrections have been completed, my base strength will be easy to regain, because I will have addressed my weaknesses and compensations. In a similar vein, you may be seeking to lose fat, but your schedule is so hectic you can!t even find the time to work out routinely with your kettlebell. Although your long term target is to lose a specific amount of fat, you will never be able to do so unless you figure out a way to burn off those stored calories, which of course means you must commit to dedicating time to working out. So your first focus must be on clearing time in your schedule to work out and then creating appointments with yourself to do so. You must then keep those appointments. The next time you find yourself off-track, don!t get frustrated. Keep your eyes on your target, just evaluate if you need to change your focus.
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Kettlebell is relatively easy to do, especially if you have an ounce of athleticism in your body. You can get started the same way I did, by purchasing an introductory book or DVD. However, when I first got started, there weren!t any certified kettlebell instructors, so I had to learn and overcome my mistakes the hard way. In case you were wondering, the best book and DVD set is Pavel Tsatsouline!s, Enter the Kettlebell. It starts you off assuming you!ve never seen a kettlebell before let alone touched one. It gives you a complete break down of introductory exercises that you need to be able to do to start using your kettlebell and any !"#"$%&'&()**+),)++&-$.*#/0*1#& “fixes” you might require in order to get ! started. A3(924*9!,(!(9)!B+/(/'*!2C!(9/0!+)D2+(! It also offers two workout plans – a basic introductory plan, which looks quite simple enough, but is very demanding and will have you looking and feeling better within your first 30 days, and a second, more advanced workout to accelerate your gains. You may be very tempted to skip the first and move straight to the second. Don!t. You will regret it very quickly. The second program is built off the first and you will not be able to complete the second successfully if you haven!t done the first. This is a great way to get started and to keep moving. Progress, remember, is the name of the game. However, you may not “get it” from a book and DVD and that!s ok. We all learn differently. (I wish the school system would figure this out…) Your next best bet is to find a local Certified Kettlebell Instructor – a RKC. He or she will able to show you the nuances to kettlebell technique, and this can make a BIG difference in the speed with which you see results.
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I recently saw a novice kettlebell user who had been taking some classes locally. We spent one hour on her Swing technique and we thoroughly deconstructed it. This young lady, a former marathoner and triathlete, was becoming severely winded and sweaty from just 10 reps at a time of the 2-Hand Swing! She was amazed at how much better her Swing felt, how much more she felt her muscles working, and how much more taxing a properly performed Swing was! The bottom line is simply this: Any endeavor we seek to excel or prosper in requires us to seek expertise from those who have already achieved what we are looking to accomplish. You will save yourself massive amounts of time, energy, and Tylenol for your headaches if you just reach out and get help, preferably before you really need it. Remember, your ability to ask for help directly correlates to the amount of progress you will achieve and the speed at which you will achieve it.
!%" Be accountable. Accountability. It!s a word that!s all but been forgotten in our modern culture. We tend to do what we want when we want to do it. It!s this mindset that has diminished our personal productivity and our country!s prominence as a world power. Accountability goes hand-in-hand with dedication. And both are necessary for progress. Accountability means being able to justify your actions, or being responsible for your actions to someone else. This is one of the keys for progress and ultimately success. Your first form of accountability is to yourself. This is one of the reasons I suggested you keep a Training Journal. The second form of accountability is to someone else. This is where your spouse or best friend
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comes in. And hopefully, they will share your enthusiasm for success. But sometimes, this isn!t enough and may even become counterproductive or detrimental, because of the “Crab Principle.” This is where the third level of accountability comes in – a coach or a trainer. To re-enforce your commitment to yourself, there has to be a cost involved and hiring an expert to not only guide you but keep you accountable is often times the lynchpin that determines your success or failure. Most of my clients wouldn!t exercise if they didn!t come to see me. And they know it. And they!ve proven it to themselves on countless occasions, even when they have kettlebells at home and I!ve given them workouts to do on their own. And that!s ok. They know what they need to do to remain healthy and active. Make sure you do the same.
!&" Join a club. Everyone knows what a club is – it!s a group of people that have the one or more of the same interests. Believe it or not, despite their growing popularity, kettlebells are not a fad. They are here to stay. And that!s primarily because of their relative simplicity to use and their ability to produce fast results. That means several cities now have clubs, or facilities, that offer kettlebell classes. If you!re looking for accountability, this is another great way to do it. In fact, according to recent statistics, social support is the number one determining factor in someone!s ability to lose weight and keep it off. That!s why Weight Watchers is so popular and has a relatively high success rate. The benefits of joining a group for kettlebell classes are easy to understand: • • •
Technical oversight in most cases, ensuring proper technique and safety Program design, eliminating the need for much thought of your own – literally “done-for-you” Community of like-minded individuals with a common goal or shared passion
One of my fondest memories of weightlifting was when I belonged to a weightlifting club. We were all there for the same purpose – to compete in the
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sport of Olympic Weightlifting. We spurred each other on, corrected each other!s technique, and fed off each other!s energy. Clubs and classes are a great idea for kettlebell training. They!re not for everyone though. For example, they!re not for me. I couldn!t keep up with most classes. Honestly. I have too many “issues” which preclude me from participating. So I train on my own. (I do have accountability though…) If you struggle with motivation, or like group activities, check out a local kettlebell club or search for a local kettlebell instructor who offers group classes. It may be just the thing you!re looking for.
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Sweat the small stuff.
There are two conflicting adages in our culture: “Don!t sweat the small stuff.” and “The Devil is in the details.” Now I!m not sure what the Devil has to do with details, but I do know this, if you pay attention to the finer points, you will make faster progress. Some may say that a Swing is just a Swing and any Swing will do. These people obviously don!t know how to perform a Swing. If you value your time and your energy, then you know that it just makes good sense to delve deeper into the gist of things. After all, Martial Arts Masters are just that because they!ve spent untold hours studying, practicing, and applying the skills of their arts that require mastery. Kettlebell training is the same way. Recently, world renowned physical therapist, Gray Cook, and Master Kettlebell Instructor, Brett Jones, released a ground-breaking product, Kettlebells From the Ground Up: The Kalos Sthenos. It!s a workbook and 2-DVD set breaking down the Get Up.
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It was actually very controversial when it was released because some people thought that they were making a mountain out of a molehill – taking a simple exercise and making it complicated, all for the sake of product sales. Upon closer investigation, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it has recently been described as “an inch wide and a mile deep.” Simply put, this particular DVD shows you how to improve every area of your ability to move, simply by breaking down the different components of the Get Up and adding in some corrections, fixes, and troubleshoots. Cook and Jones have taken a wonderful exercise, and somehow managed to make it even more beneficial. The results are better movement ability, which directly translates – and in case I!ve lost you here!s the part you need to pay attention – into faster results, both short and long term. So once you have the basics of the basics down through study of a book or DVD like Enter the Kettlebell, or through meeting with your local RKC, go deeper into your kettlebell training.
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Training v. working out.
I briefly touched on this earlier when talking about the whole “Workout of the Day” phenomenon. But in order to be successful using kettlebells, you absolutely must understand the difference between “training” and “working out.” If you played sports in high school or college, you may recall vaguely this concept. If you are reading this and didn!t participate in sports, it!s ok, I!m about to explain. Any coach worth his or her salt will have practice divided up into segments. After the warm-up, he will go over new techniques, then already learned skills, and usually show the connection between the two. After the team practices these, they will apply them in a series of faster paced, or “live” (game speed) drills. Then, as was the case in my sport, wrestling, “live” practice occurs and practice is concluded with specific conditioning. Sometimes all of those parts are included in a practice, sometimes only parts, depending on the time of year and the day of the week.
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The first part of practice is defined as “training” – or learning for a purpose, and the second part of practice was the actual “working out” – applying what you learned in order to be ready to compete. Training with kettlebells should be performed exactly the same way. There will be times when you need to learn a new exercise. When first starting, all exercises are new, so the first month to three months should probably be structured as almost “training.” As you become more proficient and more comfortable, then you can and should add in the “workouts.” Let me just stop right now and address those of you reading this who are wondering if you will get a good “workout” while just “training.” The answer is a resounding “Yes!” Kettlebells are very taxing on the body. They will surprise you. Once you become proficient, you can have “workout only” days and “training only” days. If you approach kettlebell training this way, you will have years and years of sustainable and measurable progress well into your Golden Years. This is the way of learning. It is the path of progress. Try to shortcut it and you will fail, miserably.
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!)" Listen to your body. If I could share one piece of advice and one only, after 20 years of heavy weightlifting it would be this one. The reality is life changes. Meetings are called. Kids get sick. Flat tires occur. Spouses get angry. And sleep is lost. There was a time when I sought to dominate, subjugate, and master my body. Although this can be done, it cannot and will not be done without listening to your body. The results of my follies were quite painful – a back injury, two hip injuries, and knees that wouldn!t bend. My body quite literally revolted. And yours will too if you don!t pay attention to it. The most common form of revolt is “lifestyle diseases” – diseases like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes – ones that are more often than not preventable. But orthopedic injuries are also, in most cases preventable. And in most cases occur because you didn!t listen to your body. Everyone knows of someone in their 40s who went out to play tennis or basketball one day with his buddies only to have the day end in the Emergency Room from a loud “crack” of a ruptured Achilles tendon. These are all preventable if we just take time to listen to our bodies. For example, you have a hard workout planned today of Kettlebell Snatches. But you just can!t shake off that nagging lower backache you woke up with. Maybe it was the way you slept or maybe you overate the night before (Ahhh…now I see the reason behind the hard snatch workout!), or whatever. What do you do? Well I know what you better NOT do – jump right into that snatch workout! (Ask me how I know that…) You would be better served performing an extended warm up to see if your back loosens up. If it doesn!t, don!t snatch. If it does, proceed with caution. And reevaluate after each set.
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If for some reason after a longer than usual warm-up, your back is not feeling any better, stop and go home. Repeat the same process the next day. If there is no change, you need to call your doc and set up the first available appointment. Some would accuse me of being overly cautious here. No, I can assure you, I speak from experience. Nothing is quite as “exciting” as not being able to bend over and having your diaphragm in a weeklong spasm to protect your spine because you thought you had to be a tough guy. The same goes for excessive muscular soreness. Some days, it!s “Game On” and you just want to go for it. So you do. The next day or two, you know that you did. That!s alright, you can still train. Move around and use lighter than normal kettlebells, and just work on mastering techniques. These are great days for the Kalos Sthenos. Listening to your body is one of the keys to long-term success. Guys like Herschel Walker, of NFL fame, and now at 47 a professional MMA fighter, are classic examples of this doctrine. The purpose of kettlebell training is to make you physically, mentally, and emotionally better. Listen to your body when using your kettlebells and keep it that way.
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Become a student again.
There may come a time in your kettlebell training when you want more. You will want to learn more. Many lives have been changed for the better by the kettlebell. Books and DVDs may no longer be enough for you. At that time, you will want to take it to the next level. But before you do, make sure you are really ready for want you claim you want. Scour over your books and re-read your highlighted passages and your notes in the margins. Watch you DVDs again. And again. And again. If you!re sure you want more, go see your local RKC and set up some private appointments. You may also want to go to some one-day workshops or seminars led by RKCs.
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When those are not enough, and you know you need more, it!s time for the major leagues. It!s time for the RKC – the Russian Kettlebell Challenge. The RKC is for most, a life-changing weekend. It!s a three-day physically intensive weekend where you are using a kettlebell for approximately 27 hours. You will learn everything you need to know about how to use a kettlebell and “why” to use a kettlebell to accomplish just about any physical goal you desire. You will learn specifically about the RKC System and why the results it produces are so spectacular. You!ll learn common mistakes in kettlebell training, how to spot them, and how to correct them. You!ll learn how to kettlebell program design – by doing – and how to teach others the basics of kettlebell training. Quite frankly, you!ll come away from the RKC a better man or woman.
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Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.
Productivity Guru, Stephen Covey, is famous for among other things, his quote, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Simple sure. Profound – yes. His point is made very well with the kettlebell. It is simply the shortest, fastest way to get from wherever you are physically, to wherever you want to go. Never forget that. If you have, refresh yourself – go do 40 2-Hand Swings. I!ll wait. Kettlebell training isn!t a panacea for whatever you want to accomplish physically, but it the next best thing. Never forget that the Soviets used to use
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high repetition kettlebell snatches for physical conditioning. Their Special Forces, the Spetsnaz, used high repetition kettlebell clean and jerks. Both forged backs of steel, lungs of a racehorse, and the explosive agility of a tiger. [Note: The Soviet Empire crumbled due to economic conditions, not a lack of strength of their armed forces.] So get back to work, even if it!s only 15 minutes and then tell yourself, “Yeah, right, it!s not about the kettlebell!” ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
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About… Geoff Neupert, CSCS, Sr RKC, has been a fitness professional since 1993. He has trained both himself and his high paying clients with kettlebells since January 2002. He is currently part of the RKC teaching staff and has taught kettlebell instructors both nationally and internationally since 2007. Geoff has over 19,211 hours of one-on-one personal training experience and was the co-owner of Durham, NC!s first freestanding personal training facility, Triangle Personal Training, until 2007. He also opened Durham!s first freestanding kettlebell group training facility Rapid Results Fitness in 2008, which he later sold to his partner. Geoff was a Division 1 Strength and Conditioning Coach at Rutgers University. Geoff is passionate about sharing the benefits of kettlebells with others and helping them reach their fitness goals, inspiring them to burn fat, grow muscle, play often, and live exceptionally. Geoff has put together the ultimate kettlebell resource, Kettlebell Secrets, which provides detailed information about kettlebell training for any endeavor with the world!s elite kettlebell instructors. Geoff!s first book, Kettlebell Muscle, is due out in February 2010. (
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