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09-30-13 01:36 PM - Post#783846
Two things that didn't make the article:
Focusing on one aspect of technique
The swing, being ballistic, can’t be thought through as you go. It is a powerful, dynamic move and the harder you work, the better things will be, but you will go absolutely nowhere from all your hard work! That’s why I love it: it trains the most important human movement in sports performance (the hinge), roasts the metabolism and you don’t move an inch.
So, we focus on a technical idea each set.
• On the tens, we focus on the aggressive “Hike Pass,†the part where you throw the bell at your zipper.
• On the fifteens, we focus on the aggressively forward “throw†of the bell. If there is one overlooked corrective for swings, this is it. The idea is to think of launching the bell forward, but don’t. This is the tackle in football and the delivery in throwing sports. This will also straighten the arms, pack the shoulders down, and generate the right mental focus. It will also make it clear why doing swings correctly keeps the bell from floating up too much and protects the whole back.
• On the twenty-fives, we focus on the plank. Drive the heels to ground, snap your glutes, drive the top of your head to the ceiling. The harder you throw the bell forward, the more float you get on the bell, but you are striving to NOT let it happen. When Steve Rowe did his historic 10,000 swings in a day, his heels hurt the most the next day.
• The Fifties are hard on the grip, so we focus on the breathing. Count out loud every rep. Now, I find that sixteen is “sssss†and seventeen is “seeeeesssss,†but this is fine. Practice your matched breathing technique here.
This leads us to the great GAG of Swings: Glutes, abs and grip.
On the tens and fifteens, we are working hard on the glutes as the big engine driving the movement. On the 25s, we will experience the abs. I teach how the abs work with a simple drill. In my training language, a “heartbeat†is when you grab the kettlbebell by the horns and hold it on your chest, now explosively snap the weight out and back like a bench press from a gun.
Good. Now, drop into the deep position of the Goblet Squat and repeat the heartbeat. That quick cramping of your abs is how they are supposed be trained …like the fast twitch muscles they are and not by slow, high rep crunches!
The 25s teach the abs to be abs again.
The 50s show us what I learned when I first met kettlebellers: I asked them simply, if KBs were to disappear, what would you miss? The answer: the grip work. There are plenty of ways to train your grip, but this way also cuts fat and makes you a better athlete.
Equipment Needs
One Kettlebell that is the right load for you.
Bare feet or “minimal shoes.†No heels at all!
Suggested:
Heart Rate Monitor
Clock (to really just keep you on track)
A whiteboard or some method to check off the sets.
Determining the Right Bell
Although one could make a sweeping statement that men should use the 24K and women work with the 16K, many trainers are under or over belled. In a training group, one person is sprinting and one person is walking with a “one size fits all approach.†Because we are looking at 500 reps a day, Heart Rate is an interesting way to determine the right bell size.
Generally, though, the 24 and 16 recommendations are pretty good, but these two tests can really give some insights.
First, I have a complex way. You need three friends to help and one of them, at least, has to be a competent instructor.
Put on a chest strap heart rate monitor. Assistant number one will stand behind you the whole time and monitor your heart rate holding the watch. The HR monitors we use have a chest strap and a wrist watch that gives you the information. During swings, I don’t want you stopping and looking at your wrist.
Assistant Number One will be looking for two numbers:
When your HR hits 180-age, this person will give the command to stop swinging. Assistant number two will now note the time.
When your HR hits 160-age, assistant number one will give the command to begin swinging again. Assistant number two will note the time.
For those who don’t understand this, 180-age is to take your age (you should know this) and minus it from 180. If you are 30, this will be 150.
Assistant number three is the key (and it rhymes). This is the experienced person. You will do three swings and then assistant three will start hitting the bell down towards your zipper in what are called “Spike Swings.†Don’t “guess†what you think this is, by the way. Have someone who has been taught to do this and understands it. The additional ballistic hit is stunning to the movement and the HR goes up a lot.
Stop the test when the swinger doesn’t come back down to the 160-HR number for a minute and a half or two minutes. This is vague, but it depends on so many factors.
Too complex? The following is almost exactly what most people find to be the same as this:
Two hand swings for 15 reps. Be SURE to attack both the hinge and the plank.
You need to finish this set either exactly at 15 seconds or a shade under that time.
Rest 15 seconds
Two hand swings for 15 reps.
Rest 30 seconds
Two hand swings for 15 reps.
Rest 45 seconds
Two hand swings for 15 reps.
Rest 60 seconds
Two hand swings for 15 reps.
Stop. Now: Check HR every 30 seconds. If it comes back to 160-HR
Under 30 seconds: Seriously? Grab a real bell. Just kidding, but most people are underbelled by a lot for swings.
60 seconds: You might need to go probably four kilos or so more on your bell. Test again soon.
90 seconds: For now, you are right “there.†This is the bell for you.
120 seconds plus: Don’t die. You went “over†on your weight choice.
Daniel John
Just handing down what I was handed down...
Make a Difference.
Live. Love. Laugh.
Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude)
Sleep soundly. Drink Water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk.
Wear your seat belt. Don’t smoke. Floss your teeth.
Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights.
Reread great books. Say thank you |
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