If you are like me, you are always looking to tweak your workout a little here and a little there.  I try not to make it too complicated because keeping things simple and not too complex is important for making sustained progress in you lifting.

One thing I like to do every so often is perform lifts like the kettlebell snatch or clean from the dead stop position.  If you have performed these lifts in the past with a barbell then the dead stops are the only way to perform them because you can’t swing a barbell between your legs.

A dead stop snatch means that you simply park the bell on the deck for an instance in between reps instead of allowing the bell to swing back between your legs.  This kills all the momentum and makes the kettlebell feel heavier and results in great starting strength.  If you are a deadlifter, dead start snatches are a good assistance exercise that can be performed on your non deadlifting days and will help in improving your pulling strength.  This is also a great way to bridge the gap between kettlebell sizes.  If the bell you are currently using is a little to light but the next size is to heavy, trying performing dead stop snatches or cleans.

One point to remember when performing dead stop lifts is, don’t relax at the bottom.  When you set the bell on the deck, you are only doing so to kill the momentum and not to take a break from the lift.  Everything remains tight and ready to explode up for the next rep.  If you relax when the kettlebell hits the deck and than explode back up, you will most certainly injure yourself in very short order.

Give dead stops a try and let me know what you think.

Kill It!

Dennis

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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If you have ever watch tennis on TV, then you have heard power breathing in action, sometimes to the annoyance of the viewer but always to the advantage of the athlete.  This technique was mastered by Karate masters long ago and perfected by the great Bruce Lee.  Bruce Lee weighing 135 pounds was able to generate so much power with his kicks that he could send a 300 pound heavy bag slapping against the ceiling.  Chuck Norris has called Bruce Lee pound for pound one of the strongest men in the world.  While there are many factors that went into his amazing feats, power breathing was one of the most important and one that anybody can learn to master.

Power breathing increases your intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic pressure which in turn amplifies your strength.  Sudden forcing out of the breathe by use of a powerful contraction of the respiratory muscles and the abs in sync with the exertion of the muscles used to punch or kick a heavy bag or hit a tennis ball is called power breathing.  It manifests itself in the form of a yell or a scream as the air is powerfully forced out.  At this moment, your body is able to create a great deal of muscular tension, and it is this tension that equals strength.

Lets use the example of a press, in this case the bench press.  Before unracking the weight, inhale and flex your abdominals, holding the breathe.  Your abs should be tight but not bulging out and your anal sphincter should be contracted.   As you drive the bar upwards, squeeze your abs, and begin to exhale in a narrow, high pressure stream.  Be sure not to expel all the air as you want to remain tight and stabilized to the end.  This expelling of the air should be in sync with the time it takes to complete the lift.  Long slow exhalation if you are performing a bench press, short quick exhalation if you are performing a kettlebell swing.  Your abs will remain tight throughout.

A leading Russian strength authority, Prof. Vladimir Zatsiorsky recommends the following drill to learn proper power breathing technique.  Inhale about 75% of your maximum air intake while contracting your abs and keeping the glottis closed (basically the muscles of the throat) and the rectal sphincter contracted.  Expel the air forcefully in about 3 – 5 seconds.  The good Prof. recommends 15 reps of this and 3 -4 sets spread out over the course of a day.

In addition to making your lift stronger, inhaling and holding it with abs and sphincter contracted also serves to protect the lower back from injury and keep you stabilized throughout the lift.  It is this technique which allows me to deadlift heavy without the use of a lifting belt.  It has served me well but everybody is different so it is your choice whether or not to use a belt.

Some lifts will allow you to partially rest in between reps.  When performing the bench press, once the bar is again over your head, you can rest a couple of seconds before lowering it and performing another rep.  Taking a couple of breathes before lowering the bar is permissible but be sure to not expel all the air or you loose the tightness and stability we need to stay safe and perform optimally.  If you do rest and as you take some breathes, remember to keep the abs tight as you breathe.  This technique is called “breathing behind the shield” and it will serve to prevent many an injury.

As with anything, if you have any health concerns,  consult with a doctor before you begin using this technique.  And don’t be surprised it your doctor tells you it’s a bad idea to hold your breathe during exercise.  Unless his name is Bruce Lee, what does he know.

Kill It,

Dennis

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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I have talked about learning to create tension as a method to improve your strength as well as to protect against injury.  Click on the link below to see full body tension demonstrated.  The gentleman in the video has mastered the art of creating tension and because of it, can now perform feats of strength that are almost unimaginable.

Full Body Tension

Enjoy!

Dennis

Dennis

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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When I tell my weightlifting friends that I regularly perform deadlifts, they always respond the same way be saying that I’m crazy and that I’m going to blow out my back and be crippled for life.  Then I tell them that I don’t use a lifting belt, even when performing max lifts.  Most will then just shake their heads and end the conversation.  I’m here to tell you that I’m not crazy and have benefited greatly since deciding many years ago to employ the deadlift as a regular part of my workouts.

The deadlift, or health lift as it was once called has always been a staple lift for any serious powerlifter or weight trainer.  It’s popularity amount the average fitness participate has been virtually non-existent though giving way to the isolation type lifts and the wussy machines that are so popular today.  It’s no wonder so many people experience lower back injuries as a result of picking up a back of groceries or lifting a child from the floor.

The deadlift is most certainly not an isolation lifts as it targets a large percentage of the muscles in the body as well as the major joints like the knees, hips and ankles.  If you are looking to get strong and add mass, heavy deadlifts elicit a hormonal training response that contributes greatly to greater gains in hypertrophy than any other exercise with the possible exception of the squat.  Even if you are not interested in adding mass, the benefits from even light to moderate deadlifts are too great to ignore.

Increased flexibility of the hamstrings, hips and glutes, a resilient, injury resistant lower back and an iron like grip are also benefits one should expect to see with the addition of the deadlift.  Core strength is another benefit of this lift as the trainee should learn to breathe from behind the shield to help stabilize and protect the lower back during the deadlift.  Your kettlebell lifting will also benefit from learning proper deadlifting form as most kettlebell exercises begin with the bell on the floor requiring you to bend over to pick it up.  In fact, the kettlebell swing and the deadlift are very similar in technique.

As far as the chances of getting injured, I have been deadlifting heavy for almost 20 years and in that time have only experienced minor strains, not unlike those experienced be anybody who workouts in the gym.  Never have I been severely injured performing deadlifts, even though I never use a lifting belt.  The deadlift is like any other lift in that you must learn and adhere to proper form at all times to minimize the chances of injury.

My suggestion to you is if you are not currently performing the deadlift, begin by learning proper technique, especially breathing behind the shield, and then adding this movement to your routine performing light lifts for a month while you continue to hone your technique.  If you are somebody who has past issues with back injuries, consult your doctor before adding this lift and if necessary, it is acceptable to wear a lifting belt, but only if you have back issues.  If you have a healthy back without past issues, a lifting belt is not permitted.

Kill it!

Dennis

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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You see it all the time in the gym, the guy or gal doing endless rep after rep in an attempt to tone their muscles.  For some reason, we have been sold this false hood that muscle tone corresponds directly to the number of reps you can perform in any given exercise and for any given body part.  In short, that statement could not be further from the truth.

Muscle tone is a result of one thing, strength.

Muscle tone defined it the residual tension in a relaxed muscle.  This is caused when the nervous system keeps the muscles partially flexed, even when you are relaxed.  Your nervous system is in a more alert state in preparation for the time when your muscles will be called into action.  Those who do not exercise or are not calling on their muscles to contract regularly get soft because the nervous system starts to relax the muscles knowing that they will not be used anytime soon.  That’s a simple way of putting it but you get the idea.

This residual tension in the muscle can only be achieved by making the muscle stronger.  If you have been paying attention, you know that we get stronger by lifting heavy weights, and doing so for low reps.

Also, don’t confuse flabby soft muscles for fat.  You can be super strong and have great muscle tone and have fat that bounces when you walk.  The obvious solution there is to get rid of the fat that is covering your muscles.

So, if muscle tone is what you are looking for, forget all those wussy high rep exercises and get down to the business of getting strong.

Kill It!

Dennis

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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When I first started lifting weights, I wanted to get big and I didn’t much concern myself with how strong I got.  Today I think just the opposite.  My goal now is strength and I could not care less how big I get in the process.  In fact, if you want to get strong without bulking up, keeping the weight heavy and the reps low, 5 or less will do the trick nicely.

Now, I completely understand that there are those people out there who want to or even need to for the purposes of their sport, get strong and build muscle mass.  For those people, I offer you this workout protocol.

For the purposes of this example, we will concentrate on only two lifts, the barbell press (bench or military) and the deadlift.  Trust me on this, I got very strong with just these two lifts and you can too.

The basic structure of the protocol is as follows:

• Choose a starting weight that allows for 5 – 6 reps.
• Look to perform between 10 and 20 sets.
• Terminate ALL sets 1 or 2 reps before failure, preferably 2.

• Perform your first set and terminate at 5 reps.  Be sure you choose a weight that would have allowed you to complete 5 or 6 reps.
• Rest about 3 minutes, reduce the weight by about 10%, and perform another set of 5 reps.
• Rest another 3 minutes, reduce the weight another 10%, or so and perform another 5 reps.

Your rest period after the 3rd set should be reduced to between 30 and 90 seconds before moving on to your forth, fifth, sixth and so on.  You want to rest at least 30 seconds but only enough so that you can can perform another 5 reps and still have 1 or 2 reps in the tank.  As you progress further with your sets, your rest will necessarily get longer.  Ideally, you want to rest about 30 seconds after the 3rd set with the option of having longer rest periods as you progress.  Remember though, no more then 90 seconds.

Continue lifting 5 reps, rest, 5 reps, rest, 5 reps, rest until you can no longer complete 5 reps in good form with only 90 seconds of rest.  Here is an example of what your workout log will look like using 300 pounds as our starting weight in the bench.

1. 300 x 5  – rest 3 min
2. 260 x 5 -  rest 3 min
3. 235 x 5 – rest 30 sec
4. 235 x 5 – rest 30 sec
5. 235 x 5 – rest 35 sec
6. 235 x 5 – rest 35 sec
7. 235 x 5 – rest 40 sec

15. 235 x 5 – rest 90 sec
16. 235 x 4

In this example, we have maxed out our rest period at 90 seconds but were unable to get 5 reps in good form.  Our goal next time will be to complete the 5 rep of the 16th set.

After completing this cycle, perform a couple of light sets in the deadlift.  Your next workout will focus on the deadlift with only a couple of light sets in the press.  Perform 2 heavy workouts a week focusing on each lift.  If you feel the need to workout a fifth day, perform light body weight only lifts and stretching.  Be sure to cycle this protocol.  Add weight to your top set when you can regularly perform 20 sets of 5.

If the volume becomes too much for you, try cycling your lifts so that during week 1, you hit the press heavy twice and the deadlift heavy once.  Week two focus’s on 2 heavy deadlift days and 1 heavy press.  Repeat.

Oh, and since your goal is to get big and the volume will be high, you must be sure to eat and eat and eat.  If you are tying to get ripped, this protocol ain’t for you.

Kill It!!!

Dennis

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

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