What is the true measure of physical strength in the gym?  Ask that question a hundred times and be amazed at the different answers and opinions that you get.  My answer to that question has evolved over time just as my philosophy towards strength training has.

Many young and old athletes alike love to point to the bench press as a true measure of ones physical strength and for many years I would have tended to agree, but not anymore.  While being able to bench press hundreds of pounds is impressive, it measures how much weight one can move in a reclined position.

How about the squat?  This lift certainly requires a full body effort, but relies heavily on the legs and back and not much on the muscles of the arms, chest or shoulders.

The deadlift is another contender for top dog but I believe it falls short of being the ultimate measure because of it’s short range of motion.

For me, the true measure of physical strength in the gym is the clean and overhead press or the ability to lift a heavy load off the floor and press it overhead.  Truly an overall body lift if there ever was one.  Many of the old time strong men would probably agree with me on this.  It was rare to find any of them performing a press while laying down.  In fact, it would have been unheard of.  But lifting an enormous amount of weight off the floor and pressing it overhead was kind of the norm for the strong men of yesteryear.

Arthur Saxon holds the world record on the bent press with a staggering lift of 370 pounds.  It is reported that he once pressed 385.  If you are not familiar with the bent press, it is a lift performed with one arm.  The world record in the overhead press is 535lbs by Ken Patera, in the early 1970’s.  This lift is no longer an Olympic lift because it was supposed to have been done with strict form without any leg drive.   It became difficult to accurately measure when a person was using their legs so the lift was removed from Olympic competition.

With it’s removal as Olympic lift, the overhead press has become less and less popular with today’s gym rats and much to their detriment in my opinion.

So, what do you think, what is the one lift that is the true measure of physical strength?  Leave a comment below and let me know.

And as always…..KILL IT!

Dennis

P.S. – Click the link below to watch Serge Redding clean and press 502lbs.

Serge Redding – 502lb.

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I recently completed my first 90 cycle employing the protocol outlined in Pavel Tsatsoulines book, Return of the Kettlebell.  The results I experience were phenomenal.  I increased my overall strength, especially my pressing power.  My conditioning improved considerably and my shoulder flexibility is noticeably improved.  I was also successful in adding a couple of pounds of muscle, although that was not my goal and I did nothing different with my diet.

During this 90 day cycle, I performed exercises that I had not performed previously.  The double kettlebell long cycle snatch, the front raise snatch and the viking push press are all new to me lifts.  In addition, I regularly performed double kettlebell military presses which I had only done sparingly in the past.  All of these lifts have now become regulars, even when not performing this protocol.

The cycle I employed was also different.  The 90 day’s were divided into 2 week cycles in which I performed 2 weeks of grind lifts (military press) and 2 weeks of explosive lifts (jerk).  This mini cycling made all the difference in that I was able to make progress on a weekly basis and just when things were getting stale, a new, fresh cycle would come along to add life to my workouts. 

I set 3 specific goals for this 90 day period. 

1. Complete 90% of my scheduled workouts.
2. Complete 5 ladders of 5 rungs with a pair of 24kg kettlebells in the military press.
3. Complete 2,4,6,8,10 x 5 ladders with a pair of 24kg kettlebells in the long cycle clean and jerk.

The first 2 goals were met, but I fell short of reaching the 3rd.  In looking back, the 3rd goal was way to ambitious for only 90 days.  I really didn’t know what to expect with the long cycle clean and jerk since I had never performed it before.  I will, however be performing this protocol again which will give me the opportunity to reach this goal.

Here is a list of lessons learned and observations I had during the past 90 days.

• A stop watch or digital clock is a must to accurately keep time.  It is a must that the time between rungs and between ladders be consistent from one workout to the next.  There is no way to accurately measure your progress if the time between rungs changes from workout to workout.
• Get a dry erase board to keep track of reps and sets.  I find that during a workout, I tend to forget which rung I’m on because I get so into the workout.  Write it down and you won’t need to remember.
• I never lost my edge from one 2 week cycle to the next, in fact I felt stronger.
• Don’t overdo it on the variety days.  I have a tendency to always go heavy and that can’t happen all the time.  During this protocol, the heavy day falls on Saturday so you have 4 workouts during the week before you even get to your heavy day.  If you kill yourself during each of the first 4 workouts, you’ll have nothing left for Saturday.  During my second variety day, I focused on stretching, and shoulder mobility drills and grip work which doesn’t tax the entire body.  I came into my heavy day on Saturday fresh and ready to go even though it was the 5th workout of the week.
• Eat a lot before and after your heavy day. 
• Keep variety days consistent with the focus of the 2 week cycle you are performing.  For instance, if I was in the middle of a grind cycle, I performed grind type lifts during my variety days.  Usually bent pressing or get ups.  During my explosive cycles, I performed snatches or swings during my variety days.
• Missing workouts in inevitable during a 90 day cycle.  If you miss one and can’t make it up, take out a variety day instead of a light, or medium day and never miss a heavy day.  I missed a few workouts during the past 90 days but always made sure that I got my heavy day lift in.
• Stretching between ladders is a must.  I stretched and performed 30 seconds or so with Indian clubs to help with recovery between ladders.
• I made remarkable strength gains in my upper body, especially with my pressing power.  During my last workout, I performed 5 ladder of 5 rungs with a pair of 24kg kettlebells and felt very strong doing so.  I actually felt pretty good at the conclusion of the workout but it wasn’t all the pressing I had been doing that helped increase my strength.  In my opinion, it was the clean and jerks that had the most to do with my strength and power gains I made with my pressing. 
• The double kettlebell long cycle clean and jerk is as much a practice in mental toughness as it is one of physical toughness.  There weren’t any instances while performing my presses that I wanted to quit but I wanted to quit about mid way through all of my heavy long cycle clean and jerk days.  Give them a try and you will see what I mean.
• A training partner or somebody to be accountable to is a must.  I prefer to lift alone but having my blog readers holding me accountable made all the difference.  There were plenty of times that I just didn’t feel up to lifting but I knew that I would have to explain myself to my blog readers if I missed workouts.  Telling you that I just didn’t feel like lifting wasn’t going to cut it.  If you can, lifting with a partner, somebody that can hold your feet to the fire is a huge advantage when it comes to meeting your strength and conditioning goals.

Well, there you have it.  I hope that my experiences during the past 90 days can serve to help you with your training whether you are performing the Return of the Kettlebell protocol or some other routine.  If you are on the fence about whether or not you want to give this type of training a try, I highly suggest you go for it.  Pavel and his training strategies NEVER disappoint and this time is no different from the others.

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.

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Before we dive into this list, know that it comprises MY top 5 kettlebell exercises and is based on nothing more then the lifts that I like practicing most often and that I feel are the most effective for me.  There is nothing scientific about the list and my criteria wasn’t derived at by some mathematical equation or anything like that.  As is the case with any list, there will be those that agree and those that disagree.  There will even be those people that are appalled that I would include this lift at that expense of that lift.  Can’t make everybody happy so I won’t. 

Also note that the list is in no particular order with the exception of the lift that sits in the number one spot.  If I tried to put them in order from most benefical to least or hardest to easiest, it would be impossible.  Each lift has a specific benefit that is slightly different from the other lifts so each is important in it’s own way. 

So here ya go.  My top 5 kettlebell lifts.

5. Military Press – In my opinion, the true measure of ones upper body strength is the military press, not the bench press.  The Kettlebell Military Press is a full body lift if done properly and is the king of the presses.  It is my number one grind lift and one that I often perform with 2 kettlbells as frequently as I do with one.  True functional strength is measured with this lift.

4. Turkish Get-Up- I consider this lift neither a grind nor an explosive lift.  The Turkish Get-up is a finesse movement and the best exercise to teach a person to move their body while under load.  It contributes to shoulder health and flexibility while making the shoulder resistant to injury.  The Turkish Get-up is a beautiful lift when performed properly and the one exercise that nobody performs but should. 

3. Bent Press  – The Bent Press is the king of the odd lifts.  It’s the one exercise that everybody stops to watch you perform.  It’s a press that if performed properly will enable you to put overhead with one arm more weight then any other lift.  The Bent Press is a complete body lift that requires both finesse and power as well as extreme shoulder flexibility and balls of steel to perform with any appreciable weight. 

2. Swings- The foundation of all kettlebells lifts is the swing.  It is the first exercise that must be learned and mastered before moving to other kettlebell lifts.  It builds a great deal of strength in the hip and thighs and creates a resilient, injury resistant lower back.  It is the one exercise that I perform during every workout as I use it as a warm-up, even on days when it is not part of my primary lifts. 

1. Snatch- The Kettlebell Snatch is the king of all kettlebell lifts and my number one explosive exercise.  It is far and away my favorite kettlebell lift.  When performing the snatch, we are able to generate an awesome amount of force which in turn allows us to pack on the muscle.  The snatch allows you to gain power and strength as well as improve your conditioning and build a strong heart.  That’s because it requires the heart of a warrior to perform heavysnatches for high reps.  Performed with a light bell for short, high intensity bursts, it will melt away fat like no othter exercise can.  

There you have it, my top 5 kettlebell lifts as decided upon by me.  These are the lifts that I practice often.  More often then any other kettlebell lifts.  Got a different opinion?  Write a comment below and let me know what you think. 

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.

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