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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Want to kick some real ass in the gym?  Then get up off your ass and learn to harness your anger.

Found this “Code of Honor” on the net.  Read it, Live it, Love it!

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So I was asked to give a presentation to a group of veteran law enforcement officers the other day.  I was told that they wanted me to speak on the subject of weight training but that the exact topic was up to me.  So I decided to give my talk about functional strength and then segue into the use of kettlebells as a way to build functional strength.

Now if there is a group of individuals who really needs to be concentrating on functional strength, its police officers and firefighters.   It’s one thing for an athlete to want and need functional strength to excel at his sport, and it’s entirely another to depend on functional strength for your very survival.

I began my presentation with a two and a half minute video of  a police officer fighting a drug crazed subject in broad daylight who was caught attempting to break into cars.  The video was taken by a passer-by (who incidentally did nothing to assist the officer) and was edited down to two and a half minutes so one can only imagine how long the fight actually went on for.  After the video played, one of the officers related a story in which two officer, one who was on the SWAT team fought with a subject on PCP for over 5 minutes before back-up could arrive and still it took five officers to take the suspect into custody.

So my point was made that as a police officer, you most likely at some point in your career have to fight somebody who is less then willing to go along with the program and that backup might be minutes away.  Doesn’t seem like a long time but imagine you are fighting for your life.  Heck, one minute would seem like an eternity.

After making this point, I asked how many in the room did any kind of weight training and the majority said that they did.  I then asked them if they knew what functional strength was.  The room feel silent.  Not a surprise really.  A police offer is in the business of serving the community, not training like a professional athlete.  Police officers from my experience are not unlike ever other average Joe, and most people I speak to on the topic of functional strength really can’t explain what it is.

I then asked of those that did do some kind of weight training, how many did the usual bench presses and dumbbell curls and things like that.  All, to a man said that that was indeed how they trained in the gym.  I then explained why they shouldn’t be doing that and again, to a man, they all said that they had never really given any real thought to the point of their weight training.  They just knew they should be in the gym throwing around weights, or something like that.

I continued with my presentation and spoke more about functional strength and kettlebells.  Out of the entire room, only one person had ever used kettlebells and that was just an experiment.  So I finished the talk with some kettlebell demonstrations and then answered some questions.  Turns out, the kettlebell demo was a huge success with many in the room asking me where they could get a kettlebell and if I would teach them to use it which of course brought a smile to my face.

The point of this whole thing is to say that the people who should really be thinking about, and training for functional strength, police and firefighters (I haven’t spoken to a group of firefighters yet but I imagine I’ll get the same response from them) are pretty much like most people going to the gym today.  It seems that you and I are in front of the power curve on this one but whether I have functional strength or not doesn’t really matter a whole lot to you.  But if the person who is there to protect you from the criminals who want to do you or your family harm or the person who might have to pull you out of a burning building doesn’t possess functional strength, well , you might care about that.

So, I doing my part to spread the word and I ask you to do the same.  Know any policeman or fireman?  If so, tell them what you know about functional strength and spread the word about kettlebell training and leave the bodybuilding to the bodybuilders.

Kill it,

Dennis

P.S. – To all the police officers and firefighters out there, THANKS!

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Today marks the anniversary of the beginning of Iron Kettlebell Fitness with the first post tilted, “Sometimes Old is New“.  I can’t believe that it has been a year already but the calender doesn’t lie.  During the past year I’ve had lots of fun making videos, writing articles and answering emails about kettlebells and strength training in general.  My hope a year ago was to start something on this blog in which I could take what I’ve learned over the years through much trial and error and pass it on to whomever was searching for ways to improve on their training and to introduce what I think is the finest strength and conditioning tool, the kettlebell to as many people as possible.

The feedback that I get on a daily basis is overwhelmingly positive and I couldn’t be happier to know that we have had a small part in helping many of you move forward with you strength and fitness goals.  A common theme in the emails I get is that many of you are new to kettlebells and that it was this blog that played a small part in your decision to give them a try for the first time.  That is what I am most proud of and I thank all of you for your feedback.

Just like in your training, it is important to always be moving forwarded and expanding your horizons.  We must expand our mental state in order to expand our physical state.  At Iron Kettlebell Fitness, we plan to do just that over the coming year.

The number one request I have gotten during the past year is for a members area to be added to the blog.  I get lots of question asking for more details about performing each of the kettlebell lifts and for advise on building a training routine.  As the blog is configured now, it’s not possible to go into the level of detail that some of you have been seeking but that will soon be changing.

In the next few weeks, we will be going live with the new members area, the Iron Kettlebell Club.  When you join the club, you will get access to brand new, detailed how-to-videos in which I will cover everything starting from the swing and the other basic kettlebell lifts to the more advanced lifts like the  bent press and other kettlebell special lifts.  The new format will allow me to offer more comprehensive instruction then I am currently able to offer.  My goal is that the new lifter as well as the intermediate to advanced lifter will find something of benefit when they join the club.

In addition to the individual lifts, you will find combination lifts as well as numerous kettlebell routines that will allow club members to mix it up a bit and add some variety to their workouts.  Instruction will primarily come in the form of videos with some articles mixed in to fill in the gaps and I will be constantly adding content so the learning will never stop.

The club will also have a section dedicated to core training as well as grip training, an area I believe is much neglected by most fitness enthusiasts.

We are super excited about the new Iron Kettlebell Club and I can’t wait to open the doors over the next few weeks.  So stay tuned for more updates in the next week or so as we begin opening up the club to all of you.

The last year has been a ton of fun and I look forward to the coming year and the opportunity to continue to help as many of you as possible reach your strength and conditioning goals, and perhaps to even entertain you a little bit along the way.

Thanks again to all of you, the readers of Iron Kettlebell Fitness.  It has been my sincere pleasure to write this blog and interact with many of you along the way.  And as always, keep killing it!

Your in Health,

Dennis

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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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I’ve got a good friend of mine who for some reason that is totally unexplainable, won’t use kettlebells.  So instead of listening to me, he goes to another friend of his who is a personal trainer and gets her to come up with a workout routine that he can use.  His goal is to get “in shape” and lose a couple of pounds.

His friend designs this elaborate routine consisting of free weights, machines, body weight excises, high and low reps all performed in a circuit.   This routine looks like something Einstein would come up with if he was a personal trainer and not coming up with the theory of relativity.

After completing the first workout, my buddy goes to work barely able to walk.  The next day he goes to work unable to raise his arms over his head because he is so sore.  This kind of thing goes on for a month before he finally gives up and stops working out all together.

Sadly this is the kind of thing that happens to lots of people who begin with good intentions of starting a workout routine to finally get in shape.  The problem is, most people make the process to complicated and their workouts become marathon sessions.  Add work and taking care of the kids plus all the other responsibilities people have and it is no wonder why most people don’t stick with their exercise regimen.

I know how it is because I was one of those 2 hour a day gym rats.  Unless you are a professional athlete or a sadist, 2 hours 5 or 6 days a week is counterproductive.

My favorite are the guys who perform a set of curls, walk around and socialize for 15 minutes before performing another set.  One of the reasons I workout at home.

I’ve said it before and will continue to say it until everybody gets it, avoid overtraining like the plague.  Your workouts should last no longer then 45 minutes and your workout times should vary from workout to workout just as you would vary the exercises you perform.  Also, don’t fall into the trap of trying to perform too many different lifts.  Remember that you want to treat your workouts as a practice session.  Your goal, in addition to getting strong, is to become proficient at each one of the lifts.  Performing 50 or 60 different lifts will not afford you the ability to get good at any of them.  Don’t even get me started on machines.

My suggestion is to pick a handful of explosive type lifts and a handful of grind lifts and stick to them.  If you are doing it right and exercising your entire body and not performing isolation type lifts like curls, you can get a fantastic workout performing only a few different exercises.  Work at becoming proficient and then in a few months, change it up a bit to prevent boredom.

Working out doesn’t have to be all that complicated and we don’t have to be miserable doing it.  All of us fall into the trap of making things in our lives more complicated then they need to be and working out is no exception.

Remember, keep your workouts short and vary the times of each workout, perform full body lifts, keep the number of different exercises limited and vary the intensity.  Seems oversimplified but you can’t argue with results.

Enjoy,

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 started this blog, I wanted it to be something more then just another how to lift weights site.  I wanted to provide information and inspiration so that my readers could then become truly extraordinary.  I believe that the same skills to becoming great in all facets of life are universal.  I also believe that all areas of your life must be nurtured and fed each and every day in order to achieve the high level of performance that we all want.

We cannot become successful in business, for instance if we don’t take care of our health.  We can’t become successful as a parent, or a husband or wife or as a teacher or lawyer unless we first take the time to work on ourselves spiritually, mentally and physically.  It all ties together and one can’t work without the others.  It is crucial that you work on all three areas of your being everyday.

In this video, a famous and extremely successful person explains the secrets of success.  Be it success in life or in the gym, the skills are universal.  Take the time to watch this short presentation and become inspired to do things in and out of the gym that you never thought possible.

Become Extraordinary!

Dennis

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The new year has arrived and it’s time to set some new goals.  Why set goals?  Because they actually enhance your performance.  Goals keep you focused and motivated and all but guarantee progress in your business, in your life and in the gym.  Without goals, you are just spinning your wheels without any clear direction.  My best years in the gym have been the ones in which I have a specific set of goals to focus on and strive to accomplish.  A look back at my training logs revealed that my gains have been almost twice as many when I have specific goals to work towards then when I didn’t.

There are many schools of thought about goal setting so I will share what has worked for me.

First, I start off with a set of general goals to be accomplished by years end.  I then break it down into 90 day increments and finally I like to work backwards to determine what I need to do weekly and even sometimes daily to ultimately reach my year end goals.

Now, not all goals will take a year to accomplish.  If your goal is to deadlift 500 pounds for instance, you might be able to accomplish that in 2 or 3 12 week cycles.  By June, you may have met that goal.  Not to worry because all you do is check that one of the list in June and move on.  Maybe you shoot for another 50 or 75 pounds or you just work to maintain the weight.

If you goal is to lose weight, even if it won’t take 365 days to do it, you still would want to focus on a specific weight to be at on December 31rst.  Even if you hit your ideal weight come July, you obviously would want to maintain it so you would still need to work at it all year.  In that instance, your daily weight loss “to do list” would change once you got to your desired weight.  Same goal but a different approach from weight loss to weight maintenance.

Ok, we have now set a set of goals to reach by the end of the year, now break it down into 90 day cycles.  We do this because we want to evaluate our progress often, but not to often, in order to be sure we are on the right course.   There are some goals that may take you every bit of the year to finish and if we wait to long to evaluate where we are in the process, it might be too late to do anything about it if you are off course.

After we break it down into 90 day cycles, we now need to reduce it again to weekly and daily to do lists.   Some goals like weight loss or gain require daily action steps in order to reach them.  Other goals may be better measured on a weekly basis.  I break my workouts down by the week.  I have a specific set of workouts that all fit together into weekly cycles.  I usually workout 5 days a week so if I miss a workout on say a Monday, I just make it up another day.  On Sunday I evaluate my past weeks workouts (takes less then 5 minutes) and prepare the workouts for the upcoming week.

On some goals like lifting a specific amount of weight, it is beneficial to determine your ultimate goal and then work backwards to see what must be done daily, weekly and monthly to accomplish it.  Lets say that I am performing a 12 week overhead barbell press cycle.  I would first write down the weight that I would like to lift during the 12th week.  I then determine how much weight I would need to add each week to get from where I am now to where I want to be at week 12.  Same can be done for any of your goals.  Want to lose 20 pounds by summer?  If your “summer” starts in June, that’s roughly 3.3 pounds a month.  That seems more manageable then 20 pounds and you can check your progress ever 30 days to see how it’s going.

Two last points to consider.  Your goals have to be reasonable and focused and you have to write them down and review them daily.

Reasonable and focused means that you can’t just say, “I want to lift a lot of weight” or “I want to loose weight”.  Those goals aren’t very focused.  You also can’t say “I want to lift 200 pounds overhead” if you can’t even lift 100.  If you set a goal and reach it by August, set a new goal for the remainder of the year.  It is also best to focus on a few goals rather then 20 or 30.  Don’t overwhelm yourself.

Lastly, and this if extremely important, write them down and review them often; daily if possible.

You don’t have to review necessarily the daily goals or the weekly ones but you need to keep in the front of your mind what you want at the end of the year.  If you want to be at a certain weight, write it down and think about it every day.  It’s best to focus on the overall goal then to get bogged down in the details.  Doing so tends to confuse your mind and you can lose the big picture.

Oh, and one last thing.  When you set a goal, believe you can accomplish, don’t just hope you can.  Hope won’t get you there, only a heart felt belief in yourself and you abilities will.

Good luck and here’s to making 2010 your best year ever!

Dennis

P.S. – Check out my recent post on the power of belief.  Believe you can and you will!

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It’s that time again, the end of one year and the beginning of another.  That can only mean one thing, it’s time to set some goals for the upcoming 365 days.  Unfortunately, most of those goals will not be reached and many will be disappointed with themselves as 2010 turns to 2011.

In my experience, there are many reasons why we fail to improve ourselves and grow from one year to the next.  The biggest reason of course is that many of us don’t set goals at all.  The second biggest reason is that some simply don’t have belief in themselves.  They are dead in the water before the clock strikes midnight.

Once you have set your goals and have mapped out a plan for achieving them, you must have unquestioned belief in your ability to achieve the things you have determined as worthy of your efforts.  You also must have belief that you can become the person you need to become.  Being successful in reaching your desired outcome has more with growing and evolving as a person then it does with just performing a prescribed set of tasks.  It is your belief that you are capable of becoming that person that ultimately leads you down the path of success.

If you decide that your goal next year it to loose 50 pounds, you have to be able to envision yourself 50 pounds lighter.  You have to literally create a picture in your mind of what you will look like and what you will feel like after you have lost the weight.  This vision helps you create the belief in your mind that you are capable of becoming the person you see in your head.  If there is any doubt what so ever, your mind literally will not allow you to reach your desired weight.  Let me repeat that, if you doubt yourself, your mind will not permit you to succeed. 

When a powerlifter approaches the platform in an attempt to hoist a barbell over his head, he must have absolute unquestioned faith that he is capable of, and will be successful in the attempt.  Doubt cannot be allowed to creep into his head.  Image if you were skydiving and there was doubt in your mind as to whether or not the parachute would open.  Would you jump?  Hell no you wouldn’t.  Same holds true with your goal setting.  If you have doubt’s you can achieve them, why bother setting them in the first place.

The long and the short of it is, believe in yourself.  Believe that you can, and you will. 

Yours in Health,

Dennis

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You have heard me talk in the past about functional or real world strength.  I can’t take credit for the term, I first read about it in an article that Bruce Lee wrote for a popular muscle magazine.  What functional strength means to me is being as strong as you look and knowing how to use that strength in real world situations.

For example, being able to barbell curl lots of weight may give you big biceps but it doesn’t really help you in the real world.  Being able to pick up a hundred pound sand bag off the ground, clean it to your shoulder and run with it 100 yards builds strength, power and speed that has many useful applications.

One of the often overlooked aspects of strength in general and functional strength in particular is strength endurance.  It’s one thing to be able to clean and jerk alot of weight overhead once and it’s an etirely different thing to be about to do it 10 or 20 or 30 times.  Each type of strength has it’s purpose and each is critical to your success as an athlete.

Check out some of these accomplishments from professional strongman and grip master John Brookfield.  He was not only strong but he possessed enormous strength endurance.

• Ripped in half 60 decks of cards in 1 minute.
• Ripped 100 decks in 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
• 302 kettlebell snathces in 10 minutes with a 24 kg bell.
• 1200 snathces with a 24 kg kettlebell in 1 hour.
• Bent 520 60d nails in 1 hour and 42 minutes.

Holy shit, that is one strong SOB. 

We build strength endurance by practicing lifting heavy weights for many reps and sets otherwise knows as volume training.  I’m not talking about body building type lifting in which we perform 10 or 12 reps of a particular lift.  We want to chose a weight that allows us to perform in the neighborhood of 4 or 5 reps.  You could get 6 but it would be an all out effort and we do not train to failure here. 

Now, perform 2 or 3 reps, rest 30 seconds or so and repeat.  You might perform 8, 9, 10 sets.  Or you could employ the ladder technique.  Same weight but perform 1 rep and rest briefly.  Then perform 2 reps and rest, then 3, 4 and 5 in the same manner.  Thats 1 ladder.  Rest a few minutes and repeat up to 5 ladders.  You get the idea.  Of course remember to always be cycling your training for maximum benefits. 

Give this a try and I promise you strength that won’t quite.

Yours in Health,

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.

List of John Brookfield feats provided by Dennis Rogers.

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