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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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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Here is an interview that I did with Celebrity Dialogue.  Some history you might be interested in.  Enjoy!

CelebrityDialogue: How long have you been using weights?

Dennis: I have been lifting weights now for about 27 years now.  Seems like forever.  I saw an issue of Muscle & Fitness when I was 14 and I was hooked.  I remember getting a new issue every month and reading it cover to cover during the first week and then reading it again and then again.  I used to stay up late at night with a flash light and read them.  Like most kids my age, I wanted to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

CelebrityDialogue: What is an Iron Kettlebell?

Dennis: A kettlebell is made out of solid iron and resembles a cannon ball with a handle.  Kettlebells have been around for over two hundred years but have only gained popularity in the United States in the last decade or so.  As best we can tell, the kettlebell or girya was first introduced in Russia and the original use wasn’t to exercise with at all, but to be used as ballast in Russian markets. It wasn’t long before the people started throwing them around as a way to get strong and fit and the rest as they say is history.

CelebrityDialogue: Why should a person train with a Kettlebell?

Dennis: A kettlebell is one of the most versatile pieces of workout equipment you can ever use. Two things make if very unique. The first is the handle which allows you to utilize the kettlebell for tens if not hundreds of different ways while at the same time reducing significantly the stress placed on the wrist from using dumbbell and barbells. The handle allows your wrist to stay straight which places it in a strong and safe position. The handle is what makes a kettleblell extremely versatile and user friendly.

Second, a kettlebell is portable. The compact size of the bell allows you to take it anyplace and workout. For instance, if you are a stay at home mom and don’t have time to go to the gym, a kettlebell lets you bring the gym to your home. Workout in the living room or basement or even the kitchen. If you hate going to the gym or don’t have the extra cash to pay out every month, one kettlebell will give you a fantastic workout in your home at a cost of usually less then a hundred bucks.  For those who like working out outside, the kettlebell is perfect. Backyard, front yard or just an open field, a kettlebell goes where you go.

CelebrityDialogue: Which body parts does it cater to?

Dennis: A kettlebell caters to the entire body.  Again, the versatility of a kettlebell is one of it’s greatest advantages.  With one kettlebell and the right program, a person can train their entire body from head to toe.  Additionally, you can strength train with a kettlebell as well as get a great cardio workout and improve your flexibility.  A kettlebell really does it all.

CelebrityDialogue: Why do you call it a “breakthrough system’?

Dennis: A kettlebell to me is more then just another piece of exercise equipment, it’s also a philosophy.  When I first started training with kettlebells, I had been training utilizing a bodybuilding type of workout system.  What I mean by that is that I trained each body part individually using isolation type lifts like barbell curls, leg extensions, dumbell kickbacks and things like that.  I trained like that because that’s how all the bodybuilding and fitness magazines I grew up on said I should be training.  The fitness industry over the last 30 years or so has programmed us to think and act like bodybuilders in the gym. That’s fine if you are indeed a bodybuilder or if you really like that kind of thing but for most people, it just doesn’t seem to work over the long haul.

Unless you are a bodybuilder, you shouldn’t train like one. In most everyday situations, our bodies tend to work as one whole unit and so it stands to reason that we should train our bodies as one whole unit.  That philosophy of training the whole system is the “breakthrough” I talk about.  Once I bought into this type of training and started to employ it, my strength and fitness levels skyrocketed.

CelebrityDialogue: Did you create it? Why?

Dennis: I cannot take credit for kettlebell or the system that accompanies them, I’m just the guy trying to get the word out to others who might benefit from this type of training.  The guy who deserves the credit for bringing the kettlebell back into popularity in the U.S. is Pavel Tsatsouline.

CelebrityDialogue: Do you regularly use it yourself?

Dennis: I train almost exclusively with kettlebells, probably 75% of the time.  The other 25% is spent using traditional free weights, body weight only exercises and odd object lifting.

CelebrityDialogue: What has been the response from other fitness freaks who have used it? Are the results promising?

Dennis: I haven’t met or spoken with anybody who employs kettlebells properly in their training who hasn’t benefited immensely from them.  The results are definitely promising.

CelebrityDialogue: Is there a variety of Kettlebell products available?

Dennis: There is a wide variety of kettlebell products available today, unlike when I first started using kettlebells.  I remember when I first looked into them back in the early part of 2004, I called every sporting goods store I could find in an effort to find a kettlebell.  Almost nobody back then had ever even heard of a kettlebell much less sold one.  I even had a guy laugh at me on the phone.  At that time there was only one place on the internet you could by authentic kettlebells and now they are everywhere along with DVD’s and books and online training sites like mine.

CelebrityDialogue: Do they come in different sizes?

Dennis: Yes, kettlebells come in many different sizes.  An authentic kettlebell is measured in poods which is an old Russian unit of measure which equals 16kg or 35 pounds.  Kettlebells come in 1 pood, 1 1/2 pood, 2 poods and so forth.  In the U.S., you will see the weight measured in kilograms.  16kg, 24kg, 32kg all the way to 48kg which weighs in at an impressive 106 pounds.  That particular kettlebell is commonly referred to as “the beast” and for good reason.

CelebrityDialogue: Do you provide training?

Dennis: Most of my training is through my website via articles and videos.  I answer a lot of questions that are emailed to me as well and perform one-on-one training on occasion.

CelebrityDialogue: We heard you like fine cigars too?

Dennis: I do love fine cigars although I don’t get the chance to smoke them as often as I would like.  I usually get to enjoy 1 or 2 a week.  I’m not sure what got me into cigars.  I was never a cigarette smoker.  For me, smoking a cigar is a great way to relax and unwind.

CelebrityDialogue: Any health related message for our visitors?

Dennis: The one message I would like people to come away with is that when it comes to exercise, forget what you have been taught in the past about how to train.  The philosophy that accompanies kettlebells is definitely different than what most people were taught when they started working out.  In fact, most people were not taught at all, they just saw what others were doing, and followed them,  be it at the gym or in a magazine.  I know that’s how I started and I suspect most people are like I was in that respect.

Commit yourself to becoming a student of fitness, not just a mindless gym rat.  Exercise should be an enjoyable part of your life and not looked at as a burden or a necessary evil.  We tend to become better and more consistent when we enjoy an activity then when we dread it.

Dennis
Read the original article here – http://tinyurl.com/26wd2na

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Day 78– 11-30-09 – Unable to lift today due to my schedule.  I will shift all workouts down one day meaning that Suday instead of Saturday will be my heavy day.  Works out because I will be unavailable on Saturday to lift. 

Day 79– 12-1-09

Explosive block - light day

Viking Push Press 16kg

• 2,4,6,8 x 1 cycles ea. arm
• 2,4,6 x 4 cycles ea. arm

Front Raise Snatch  16kg

• 12 (reps) x 2

Total workout time (not including warm up) 28 minutes

Day 80 – 12-2-09 – Variety

Indian Clubs – 15 min.

Double Kettlebell Snatch (dead stop) 24kg / 24kg

• 2 reps x 5

Misc Grip Work

Total workout time – 34 min

Random Thoughts

• Today’s grip workout consisted of phonebook tearing.  I had set a goal for the year to become proficient at ripping phonebooks.  Today was the first day that I felt like I had become proficient in ripping a large phonebook so that goal for this year has been met.

Day 81 - 12-3-09

Explosive block - medium day

Long Cycle Clean and Jerk  2 20 kg kettlebells

• 2, 4, 6, 8 x 1 ladder
• 2,4,6 x 4 ladders

Total workout time – 28 -  back to 3 1/2 minutes between ladders

Day 82 – 12-4-09 – Variety

Indian Clubs – 20 minutes

Misc Grip Work

Total workout time – 30 minutes

Day 83 – 12-5-09 – Rest

Day 84– 12-6-09

Explosive block - heavy day

Long Cycle Clean and Jerk  2 24 kg kettlebells

• 2, 4, 6, 8 x 1 ladder
• 2,4,6 x 4 ladders

Random Thoughts

• Today was another gut check as all heavy long cycle days seem to be.  Today I mentally tried to break the workout up into manageable segments which seemed to help me stay focused.

Total workout time - 29 minutes – 3 1/2 minutes between ladders

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“Magnificent desolation”, those were the words that Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin used to describe the moon forty years ago today.  On July 20, 1969, the United States succeeded in accomplishing the goal that President Kennedy had challenged us to achieve, putting a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth before the decade of the 60’s was over.

Although I was less then a year old at the time, that accomplishment has inspired me and continues to inspire me each and every day.  Such a lofty, seemingly impossible feat was the moon landing.  Yet, with a singleness of purpose, NASA and it’s thousands of contractors would deem failure not an option. 

Yesterday I got the opportunity to meet three of those hero’s from the moon landing days, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Alan Bean.  What you come away with is that these “ordinary” guys set out to achieve something extraordinary.  And in doing so, they themselves became extraordinary.

Use the model of the moon landing in your life so that you to can become extraordinary.  It’s the classic set a goal, set a timetable to complete it, write it down and go to work.  I’m not suggesting to you that you need to walk on another world.  What I am saying is that you should not accept normal and average as the standard by which you live your life. 

Your fitness goals should be lofty and they should have a definitive completion date.  Don’t say that you want to just slim down over the next six months, make your goal definable.  I will loose 20 pounds by October 1rst, or I will weight 160 pounds by September 15th, or I will be a size 4 by November 5th. 

You want to set a specific goal with a specific timetable in which to accomplish it and you want to set check points along the way to measure your progress by.  Come up with your ultimate outcome and a reasonable time in which to achieve it.  Then break it down into quarters so that one, it will become manageable in your mind and two, you can evaluate along the way to make sure your headed in the right direction.

Performing 100 kettlebell snatches with a 24kg bell can seem like a daunting task, maybe even impossible to you.  Breaking it down by saying that you will perform 25 kettlebell snatches this month and 50 next, and 75 the month after that and finally 100, that becomes more reasonable in your mind. 

Goal setting if pretty straight forward and as long as you do something in the way of setting goals, you are ten steps ahead of the normal average person.  I would even say that you are well on your way to becoming extraordinary!

Yours in Health

Dennis

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Shameless advertisement 

Learn from the best, Pavel Tsatsouline.  His products come with my absolute highest recommendation.  

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