The principles of success are constant whether we are talking about strength training, education, business or family.  The road map to success has been written and followed successfully over and over and over again.  If you want to succeed in an endeavor, take a look at what others have already done to succeed in that endeavor and then do what they did.  NO EXCUSES!

Kill It!!!!!!!!

Dennis

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One of the goals of any strength training routine is to obviously get to the point of lifting heavier and heavier weight.  This feat can be accomplished in many ways.  The most obvious is to build muscle.  The more muscle one has, the stronger he will be.  But that is only half the equation.  Another way to be able to move heavier weight is to become more efficient in the way you perform any given lift.

Yes, we can cheat during some lifts to make the lift easier or we can add things like weight belts, lifting suits or wraps to help us move more weight.  The problem with these for the average lifter or athlete is that cheating always leads to injury because we sacrifice form to lift more weight and in real life situations, we don’t have the benefit of special gear to help us.

So what does becoming more efficient mean?  I have heard people in the past say that our goal is to improve our form so that the lift becomes easier.  That kind of thinking is flawed because the name of the game is to become stronger and to do it safely.  We don’t what our time in the gym to be easy, we want the times during real life situations to be easier because of the strength we have build in the gym.

Lets use the kettlebell overhead press as an example.  By kicking out the hip under the kettlebell being pressed, by packing the shoulder and screwing our feet into the ground, we make our bodies more efficient machines and able to produce more power, thus enabling us to move a heavier weight then if we just picked up a kettlebell and without any thought, pressed it.  In essence what we have done is lifted smarter.  We are now able to lift more weight without cheating our employing belts or wraps which in turn makes us stronger by building more muscle.  And, we have done it safely and done everything we can do to avoid situations that make us prone to injury.

And of course, we can also do things that make the press harder like standing on one leg or pressing in a seated position.  Neither of these scenarios are designed to at ease to the lift.

So, don’t think of using good technique as a way to making strength training easy, think of it as a way to make you a more efficient and effective lifter.

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 been around the iron game long enough, you have probably heard of super sets and giant sets which are popular amongst the bodybuilding crowd.  Simply put, a super set is 2 exercises performed one after another without rest and a giant set is typically 3 or more lifts.  One might perform a bench press and then immediately knock out a set of pull-ups.   Squats, leg extensions and leg curls are a popular form of giant sets.

The same type of approach can be applied to kettlebell lifting although the terms super set and giant set aren’t typically used.  Instead, I have heard the terms flow drill or complexes used.  I like to use the term kettlebell complexes because it seems to roll of the tongue better.  What you call them is irrelevant.

I don’t perform kettlebell complexes if I am training for pure power and overall strength.  If you want to be able to press heavy, then press heavy and limit reps to 5.  Standard stuff.  Where I use complexes is in my conditioning or for strength endurance and I like to keep the lifts within the same genre.  Meaning, I usually group explosive type lifts like swings and snatches together and grind type lifts like the bent press and the military press together.  I will occasionally mix and match but not often.

Here is what a complex might look like.

Complex 1

• Swing
• Snatch
• Figure 8 to a hold

Complex 2

• Bent Press
• Military Press
• Bottoms up Press

For complex 1, I would perform the predesignated number of reps for the swing on the right side and then switch hands and do the same for the left side.  Switch hands again and perform snatches on the right side, then the left then back to the right side and then left for the figure 8 to a hold.  Complex 2 would be done in a similar manner.  The only exception is that the reps would necessarily be higher form complex 1 then complex 2.  Another option would be to perform all three lifts on the right side before switching to the left.  If you really won’t to smoke your grip, that’s deffinetely the way to go.

Another consideration is what weight to use.  Naturally you would want to scale it back a bit from what you would normally be using to perform any one of the lifts singularly.  You may even need to concede to the weakest lifts weight choice.  For instance, I usually perform kettlebell snatches with a heck of a lot more weight then I do when performing a figure 8 to a hold.  If you goal is conditioning, you would naturally want to use less weight then if you were training for power.

Also, the kettlebell doesn’t touch the ground until the entire complex is complete.  That’s part of the fun.  And, each time you complete the exercises, count it as one round.  How many rounds you do is entirely up to you.

Complex 1 and 2 are just examples for you to use to get started.  There is really no limit to what you can do with kettlebell complexes if you have a particularly evil mind when it comes to punishing yourself in the gym.  I have performed up to 7 different lifts using 2 kettlebells in the past and was exhausted after only 1 round.

One thing I often do is start the complex with a get up.  I would perform a get up on the right side, perform the complex and then perform a reverse get up on the left side so the complex begins and ends on the ground.  Again, let your imagination take over and enjoy.

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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A key ingredient in ones ability to press efficiently, thus heavy, is the concept known as rooting.  Meaning, during the overhead press, the athlete should not only push the kettlebell up, but also push his body away from the resistance.  If done correctly, the athlete will be able to feel it in his feet and the feeling that you are pushing back against the weight with your feet should become obvious.  The power to press a heavy kettlebell overhead literally should come from the ground up.

Why this happens can be explained by Newtons third law which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  When we press, if we don’t push back with our feet, some of our power will bleed out.  Pushing back with our feet sends the energy back up through the kettlebell.

Now, lets take this concept one step further.  In addition to pushing down into the floor with our feet, visualize that you are cork screwing your feet into the ground.  This corkscrew effect will amplify the power you generate in the legs and create a greater degree of tension which moves it’s way up through the thighs, into your core and up through the kettlebell.  I like to plant my feet while twisting my heals in slightly and gripping the ground with my toes.  The affect is much greater if you press with bare feet.

I first learned of this concept while deadlifting.   I would set my feet and screw them into the ground.  This technique allowed me to create a great deal of tension before I even lifted the bar off the floor.  I have also employed this technique to my bench press where I would attempt to twist my arms inward during the press.  The amount of weight I could handle in both the deadlift and the bench press increased significantly by just employing this one technique.  I later experienced similar results while performing the military press.

Oh, and if you are having trouble trying to complete a pistol or a one arm push up, this technique is almost guaranteed to get you over the hump.

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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In my post titled “Tension: The Name of the Game“, I explained a concept called “irradiation”.  In a nut shell, during a grind type lift like the kettlebell press, if you squeeze the handle of the bell very tightly during the lift, the tension from your hands moves into your forearms and up through the arm and into the shoulder allowing your delts to contract harder thus enabling you to move more weight.  (check out my previous post for the details.)

Because we are all wired to think the same way, it is common for most of us to believe that the harder we squeeze the kettlebells handled, the better.  The more is better mentality.  That thinking is not necessarily true.  Remember, we are not just squeezing the handle for the sake of it, there is a purpose and that purpose is to utilize the principle of irradiation.

Pavel Tsatsouline has written the following article that explains why when it comes to crushing the kettlebells handle, more isn’t always better.

Enjoy

Dennis

P.S. – In this article, Pavel refers to his book, Power to the People.  This was the first book I read by Pavel and it completely changed my thinking and approach to lifting.  I immediately added weight to my press and deadlift after employing the techniques in this book.

Generate Total Tension but Focus on the Lifting

by: Pavel

Give a Comrade who is almost strong enough to do a pistol a pair of very light grippers and instruct him to crush them to pulp the moment he starts standing up. Congratulations, your friend just did his first pistol!

Now give him a pair of heavy duty Captains of Crush™ and watch him fail.

Try another experiment. Chalk up well and do a weighted chinup with a near maximal weight. After a few minutes of rest chalk up again and repeat the test while crushing the bar to pulp. You will be noticeably stronger. On your third attempt, wash off the chalk and leave your hands a little wet. Crush the bar you may but you shall fail.

I have explained in Power to the People! that, due to irradiation or motor overflow, crush gripping the implement increases one’s strength in most “grind” type efforts. However, this gripping has to play a supporting role, not turn into the main event. When the most pressing urgency in your mind has switched from completing a pistol or a pullup to gripping, you have lost. A Russian neurophysiologist would tell you that your dominanta has changed.

The same goes for tensing the midsection. Even though it is an established fact that bracing makes one stronger, tensing the midsection should be a supporting act, not the main gig. So brace, crush, tense—but not to the point where tension becomes the goal. Lifting the weight is.

Experimentally find the optimal ratio of dividing your “nerve force” into lifting and bracing. Eventually the latter must become automatic if you are to become a strength professional. Speaks Prof. Nikolay Ozolin: “Automating his movements and actions allows the athlete to focus all his will power on achieving the best results. Insufficient automatization significantly reduces the results. The will of the athlete driven to reach the record, the victory and simultaneously concerned about the correct technique splits in two…”

Power to the People!

Pavel

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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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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Arnold Schwarzenegger is responsible for some memorable quotes.  We all remember Pumping Iron when he said the getting a “pump” in the gym was just like cumming for him.  He went on to say that he was cumming all over the place in the gym.  That is only something Arnold would say.  Another not so memorable quote from Arnold is when referred to the moment just before performing a limit set as the “maximal arousal mode”.  This is the state at which the trainee performs the psyche and gets ready to exert maximal effort, sometimes going beyond their previous physical limit.  It is said that a proper psyche can add as much as 10% to your maximal lift.

In order to enter the “maximal arousal mode” or the “zone” as it is most often referred, we must first start with a quite mind.  To achieve this, we must learn to control our breathing and strip away any outside thoughts and eliminate all external distractions.  Once we reach this state of zen, we then vividly visualize a successful lift.  You will want to play the lift in your mind like a movie in as much detail as you can muster.  If done properly, you mind will not be able to tell the difference between the imagined event and the actual event.

Jack Nicklaus made this kind of visualization popular among professional athletes.  Jack would visualize ever shot in grand detail before he would physically make the shot.  Today, this kind of visualization it common place among golfers.  All of the top pro’s do some type of visualization before taking the shot.

There are two techniques that have a synergistic affect when used in conjunction with one another.  They are Shikantaza meditation and the Auto-Visualization Ideo-Motor Checklist.  This is not the place to go into the details of either but here in a nut shell is how they work.  With Shikantaza meditation, we will learn to quite the mind in preparation for you mind movie.  Once the mind is quiet, we perform the steps outlined in the Auto-Visualization Ideo-Motor Checklist.  These technique would not be used for every lift, only those big sets or PR”s.

Both techniques are described in great detail in Marty Gallagher’s book, “The Purposeful Primitive” along with loads of additional information to benefit any serious strength and conditioning athlete.

However you plan to proceed, learning to control your mind and create the “right” thoughts will serve you well in and out of the gym.

Cheers,

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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