Weekly Practice from the Hardstyle Diva

I tried something new in class this past Saturday with circuit training. I set up a series of kettlebell and bodyweight stations. These stations consited of the following:
Rows
Overhead Reverse Lunges
Hot Potato
Squat-Curl
Mountain Climbers
Russian Twist
Plank / Push up
Seated Ropes
Swings
Squat-Curl-Raise
Push Press
The final station was a Turkish Get up. Here the kicker, the person performing the get up was your timer or “pace car”. The Get-up Station would do one per side while the rest of the class did their stations.

If this all sounds fun, now its time to turn up the heat. Before switching stations, we would perform what I called a speed round. The time on this was 1 minute. We perfomed 3 exercises for 20 seconds each with no rest.

Push up
Jump Squats
Swings

Here’s how the workout went
Station
Rest – 40 seconds
Speed Round
Rest 40 seconds
Station
Rest 40 seconds
Speed Round
Rest 40 seconds
Station
Repeat until each student has compelted all stations.

Weekly Practice

Here a great work out for ya!

Using Kenneth Jay’s Viking Warrior Conditioning style timing 36:36 protocal:
Get three bells (light, medium and heavy), set your timer for 36 sec of work and 36 sec of rest.

Heavy Bell – two hand swing
Repeat 3x
Appropriate Bell – high pull Right
Apprpritate Bell – high pull Left
Repeat 3X
Appropriate Bell – snatch Right
Appropriate Bell – snatch Left
Repeat 3x
Push up
Repeat 3X
Jump Squats
Repeat 3x
Appropriate Bell – Hand to hand Swings
repeat 3x
Plank – 1 minute

Afterward, do some crocidile breathing – 15-20 breaths

Enjoy ~ HD
Let me know what you think….

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In-Your-Face Fitness: Ring the kettle bell. School’s back in

Just an FYI – no further comments from the Hardstyle Diva. Well only one, if you want to learn Kettlebells, find a Certified RKC Instructor in your area, don’t settle for anything less!

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-fitness-jillian-michaels-20101011,0,2339798.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Ffeatures%2Fhealth+%28L.A.+Times+-+Health%29

Weekly Practice

Here’s a favorite one for beginners, intermediate and advanced kettlebell users.

For beginners you will work for 30 sec and res for 30 sec between every round, perform as many rounds as you can in 15 minutes

For intermediate and advnaced you will work for one minute and rest for 30 seconds between each round. Per form as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes

Performing the ballistic swing exercise with each of the stabilityand stretching exercises below you will condition your swing to become more powerful and stronger. Eventually you will start to swing heavier bells and have more endurance during your weekly practice. Have realistic expectations, you will not mysteriously reach your strenth goals after one practice session, however you should notice a differnce in the power you generate in your swing as you move through your 15 or 20 minute session. This would be recommended to practice one time per week. Enjoy!

Beginners Practice

Pick 1 moderate size kettlebell
Hip Stretch R – 15 sec
Hip Stretch L – 15 sec
Rest 30 sec
Two hand Swing – 30 sec
Rest – 30 sec
Hip Bridge – 30 sec
Rest 30 sec
Two Hand Swing – 30 sec
Rest – 30 sec
Plank – 30 sec
Rest – 30 sec
RINSE & REPEAT for a total of 15 minutes; or 15 rounds if using a Gymboss. Click here to get your gymboss today!
If this feels too easy, shorten your rest periods to 15 seconds, then progress to using 3 differnt size kettlebells and preform with the 15 sec rest period. After you feel comfortable with this, you can begin the
Intermediate / Advnaced Practice below.

Advanced / Intermediate Practice

Pick 3 kettlebells of varing sizes, challenge yourself, but make sure you can swing the heaviest for 30 sec with good form
Hip Stretch R – 15 sec
Hip Stretch L – 15 sec
Two Hand Swing – 30 sec
Rest 30 sec
Hip Bridge – 30 sec
Two hand Swing – 30 sec
Rest 30 sec
Plank – 30 sec
Two hand Swing – 30 sec
Rest – 30 sec
RINSE & REPEAT for a total of 20 minutes; or 20 rounds if using a Gymboss. Click here to get your gymboss today!

Want to train with us in the Brentwood / Franklin / Cool Springs area – check out our TWO WEEK FREE TRIAL at Tennessee Kettlebell NOW!

Want to train in the Nashville Area – check out our TWO WEEK FREE TRIAL at Nashville Kettlebell NOW!

Getting Stronger through Kettlebells

Do you want to get stronger? By strong, I don’t mean bulging biceps and 12 pack abs. I am refering to a strength that will sustain you for a lifetime, keep you pain free and injury free to ejnoy all the things you love doing. The majority of the population has a perception that lifting heavy weights will result in getting big and bulky. I have found just the opposite, that lifting heavy will accelerate fat loss, get you toned and reshape your body. Do you want results quick, Lift Heavy Weights!!

Implementing Kettlebells as my main training tool has helped me reshape my body, loose fat and tone up. I have been working with Kettlebells for 3 years and have made amazing gains in my strength. I have included some videos below to share some of my achievements with you. I can now snatch a 24kg (53lbs) bell for multiple reps and do a turkish get up with a 24kg (53lbs) bell for a total of 18 reps (9 per side). The last exercise may look like it is preformed with much smaller weights, actually it is double 8kg bells (18lbs each), however I would most likely not be able to perform this exercise without consistently lifting heavy weight.

Not all exercises are meant to be a feat of brut strength, but some are meant to be performed with a small or moderate weight focusing more on improving your mobility and stability. Remember that the quality and consistency of your exercise will alter your results!

Enjoy the videos….more to come in August with the 28kg (63lbs), I’ve almost got the 28kg get up on both sides, still needs just a bit of work before I share a video.
~hd

24kg Kettlebell Sntach

24kg Turkish Get up

8kg Double Bottoms up Sots Press

A must have for building stretngth —
Kettlebell Muscle The Secrets of Compound Kettlebell Lifting—for Faster, More Efficient Gains in Strength and Power
Kettlebell Muscle is the doorway to intelligent hypertrophy training. It’s a book about building muscle mass fast. Geoff’s clever use of time is the factor for stunning muscle gains. The tools are simple, the moves are simple, the schemes are simple and the results are amazing.
Kettlebell Muscle The Secrets of Compound Kettlebell Lifting—for Faster, More Efficient Gains in Strength and Power
Kettlebell Muscle is the doorway to intelligent hypertrophy training. It’s a book about building muscle mass fast. Geoff’s clever use of time is the factor for stunning muscle gains. The tools are simple, the moves are simple, the schemes are simple and the results are amazing.

Kettlebell Goddess

The Kettlebell Swing

In one of my last posts, I stated that I would do a series of blogs on each of the six basic kettlebell exercises: Swing, Squat, Snatch, Clean, Military Press and the Turkish Get-up.

Here we go, let’s talk about the Kettbell Swing!

There is a reason I blog first about the Kettlebell Swing. This is because it is the foundation for 4 of the other basic kettlebell exercises. Before getting into why the kettlebell swing, first let me digress and talk about cardio. I have been working out with kettlebells for almost over two years. Previously, I was a gym rat, I was all about “cardio” over “strength”. I thought that cardio was the only way to loose weight and lifting weights would make me “bulky”. Sound familar? That was when loosing weight was my goal. I lived by the number on the scale as my measurment of success. Who would have thought that two years in to working out with kettlebells, I have not stepped one foot on a treadmil, elliptical, not even put on a pair of athletic shoes to work out – to the “norm” in the training world this defies all reason! But, Kettlebells defy all reason. “The goal of an effective cardio session is to establish an elevated heart rate and keep the heart rate elevated for an extended period of time. The goal of a sensible cardio session strikes the elusive balance between duration and intensity. The kettlebell swing seems to be the ideal heart-rate spiking exercise in that it is a perfect combination of muscle activation and sustainable momentum.” My views of exercise and my pardigms of cardio first have been shattered. The Kettlebell Swing is where it all began. No I was not perfect in my first attempt, but I kept practicing and practicing and swinging and swinging. To have recently heard from “Irontamer” Dave Whitley, Master RKC “I am not sure I can find one thing to correct about your Swing.” Wow, that was music to my ears! Now my goals, strength over cardio, perfect practice not just a tough workout, and fat loss over weight loss, and an ultimate goal to strive for optimal health, not just the ultimate “look” or to be skinny!

The kettlebell swing has changed my pardigm of exercise incorporating strength and cardio into one movement. Benefits of the kettlebell swing are simply amazing when performed with proper form and technique. Pavel brought kettlebells to the United States from Russia and is the Chief Instructor for the RKC. Therfore, training RKC is the only option for me. Although many fitness professionals are attempting to teach their clients kettlebells, there is only one safe and effective technique. A kettlebell swing is a movement that should be taught in several progressions leading up to performing a swing with safe technique. A kettlebell swing should never be taught by attempting to swing first. The purpose of using progressions to teach a kettlebell swing is to evaluate a client’s current movement and hip mobility. Athletic people move from their hips and non athletic people move from their knees and lower back. Although your goals may not include becoming a world class athlete, but I am sure they include prevention of injury or reduction of chronic pain. Moving from your knees and lower back are one giant prescription for injury and the development of chronic pain. The kettlebell swing will teach you how to engage your hip flexor muscles, thus providing better movement in your everyday activities. No, you will not be perfect in your first attempt at a proper kettlebell swing. This movement is very foreign to most individuals. When performed with proper technique by engaging the hip flexors and keeping a long neutral spine, the benefits are unmatched. I guarantee you, you will being to move better in your day to day activities, existing pain will subside and all other areas of your general fitness will improve. As always you need to perform movement quality over movement quanity! I promise you that regardless of the # of reps performed your workout will be effective and efficient.

Be Strong & Be Well ~HD