Here’s another training session, about a week out from my first time competing at the 2010 Arnold Classic, and my first time participating in a kettlebell sport competition.
After, reviewing this clip, I found a few tweaks that would help me get more reps, be more efficient in my movement, and reduce muscle fatigue.
One of the first things I worked on, after filming this, was closing the distance between me and the bells, as I went into the swing portion of the lift.
I remember Andrew Durniat mentioning this small tweak, last fall at Mike Mahler’s “Age of Quarrel” workshop.
When giving the bells a small “bump,” as you come out of the rack and go into the swing, let you upper body slightly fall away from the descending bells.
Dude! You have no idea how much this helps get your numbers up, preserves your grip, and reduces the chance of the bells pulling you forward. There’s nothing more detrimental to your reps, sets, and long cyle training, than trying to fight the bells for body control.
The name of the game is “Efficiency” & “Economy of Movement.”
I highly suggest anyone looking to discover some of the best technique for achieving more efficient lifts, getting better numbers, gaining more strength, mass, power, or simply learning from the best, in terms of kettlebell training, joint mobility, advanced bodyweight training, indian club training, and more,
you owe it to yourself, and/or your clients to grab a copy of the “Age of Quarrel” DVD set from http://strengthbymahler.com. It is totally worth it, and will pay your training game back with big dividends.
A couple of months ago, I could barely squeeze out a couple of reps w/the 32kg on my left side, without having shoulder issues. However, thanks to some tweaks, here & there, compliments of Coach Denis Kanygin, I was able to complete a little experiment in this video.
Since, training for the IKFF hosted Kettlebell Competition at this year’s 2010 Arnold Classic, I’ve noticed how much stronger I’ve become, since adding more timed sets to my training.
What’s more impressive, is how adding “chest bumps,” & changing my breathing, has helped me get more reps and push more weight, during the one arm clean & jerk.
I did these 3 sets x 1 min (sorry, I did not get the first set on tape), ea. arm. Each set and rep felt really good. I did this pretty much without chalk or a full warm up, because I was just interested in knocking out a round, & did not expect to knock out 3 rounds.
However, you know the saying..the best laid plans… Anyhow, I’m looking forward to seeing how I fare with two 20kgs for 10 min. at the Arnold. I’m AMPED!
Be sure to check out Coach Denis at http://workoutiq.com, if you’re serious about training for kettlebell sport. He’s got years of experience, and can help you go a long way. Plus, Denis is an all around good guy!
BTW, enjoy my “Clay Guida-like” distraction at the end of the last set…lol. It’s all a part of helping me focus, in spite of any chaos going on around me…hehe…that’s my story and I’m sticking to it ;- )
Happy New Year, New Warriors. Yes, today is “that” day again. It’s the day to vow to do
things differently than you’ve done them before. Trust me, as much as we may not want
to admit it, we’ve all done it. We’ve all turned into, “New Years Resolutionaries.”
In fact, out of all of the wars documented in the annals of history, no war is greater,
nor has stood the test of time, like the “Resolutionary” War. You know how it plays
out….every 365 (and sometimes 366) days, there is this on-going battle highlighted
between “Evolution” & “Mediocrity.” It’s hard to say which one really wins, as this is
not necessarily a one war event. It’s millions of small battle.
As with most battles, this annual “Resolutionary” war often begins with the warrior saying,
“I’m tired of feeling or looking this way, and I’m not going to take it any more.” While, that
type of motivation could be applauded, it’s often not enough to achieve victory over one’s self.
Before any warrior can go into any battle and win, he/she must be prepared
….must have a plan…and must have the right weapons appropriate to face their opponent.
In this case, the opponent, Mediocrity, is often more prepared to face us, than we ever will be, to face it.
You see, Mediocrity has trained for this annual battle, consistently for 365 (and yes, sometimes 366)
days a year. In fact, it has prepared to face and defeat you, often long before you were born, thanks
to various traditions and imposed thoughts, practices, and opinions of others (i.e. our family, cultures, society, etc.).
You may ask, what are Mediocrity’s winning weapons of choice, and how do you overcome them?
Here’s a quick look inside Mediocrity’s battle gear:
1. Procrastination
2. Unwillingness to change
3. Lack of focus
4. Playing the victim
5. Lack of knowing what “You” need to win
6. Misinformation by the media
7. Low Self-esteem
8. Too much want for motivation & a lack of inspiration
9. Relying of outside sources to miraculously undo a lifetime of bad habits in a few short weeks &/or days
10. Acceptence
Honestly, I just wasted your time, listing these 10 weapons of Mediocrity, we often
use in order to not live the life and be in the shape we know we should. I could go
on and on. However, the only true weapon Mediocrity uses is one:
“Not Knowing &/or Owning What You “Really” Want!”
Trust me, every one of us wants “what we “really” want, even if it’s simply, not owning the fact that we’re often
too confuse or delusional to admit that we don’t really know what we want.
However, I find that more often than not, just like a child who is hell-bent on getting what they want, adults are no different.
- You lose weight & keep it off, because that’s what you “really” want.
- You buy those expensive shoes, because you “really” want them! (even if you know you can’t afford them, you’ll find the money needed to purchase them).
- You can’t find the right mate or friends, because you don’t “really” want
to make the necessary changes within yourself, in order to attract anyone
who is different than the people you continue to attract.
It’s quite simple. In order to get the opposite of what you’ve been getting, you have to “consistently”
do the opposite things you “need” to do, in order to get them. This is especially true, when getting your health & fitness in order.
Trust me, we all have a lot going on in our lives, but we all have the same 24 hours in a day. It’s what we do with
them, that matters. If we don’t have a well thought out “personalized” plan of attack for those 24 hours, then
Mediocrity will defeat you once again, in this year’s annual “Resolutionary War.”
Check out my fellow New Warriorette, Jacqueline Hooton, from across the pond, in the video below.
Jacqueline is a busy mom of 5, has a full time career, and still gets it in & gets it done!
She is truly a New Warrior “Evolutionary.”
Take the first step to becoming a New Warrior Evolutionary, by joining my New Warrior Nation updates.
I will help you prepare for the battle of life, and arm you to “win.” I must warn you, this is not going to just
be another newsletter focused on “working” out. It’s about more than diet & exercise. It’s about grabbing life by
the you-know-whats, and playing to win!
If you’re ready to win, then hop over to the following page, and sign up. It’s f-r-e-e, and it’s real!
What are you going to do “differently’ this new year, in order to bring an end to the
“Resolutionary War?” Starting from now (notice I did not limit it to “in 2010″),
how are you becoming an “Evolutionary?”
Drop a comment below, and share with your fellow warriors your plan of attack.
After all, we are all in this battle together, and strength is in numbers!
Here’s a sure fat-burning kettlebell combo that , not only builds strength and explosive power in your legs, but sends your conditioning through the roof. This side shuffle swing/goblet jump squat combo is also a great way to bust through any training & fat loss plateaus, you may be experiencing.
This workout is great for fighter conditioning, athletes looking to improve explosiveness, while working on their conditioning during the off-season, as well as the weekend warriors & warriorettes looking to shed those pounds, create a lean sexy body, while cutting their workout time.
Give it a shot, and let me know what you think. Be sure to visit and subscribe to this blog often, and join my newsletter at http://budurl.com/newwarriorupdates
1a. Left Side Shuffle Swings x 3 (beg) or 5 (adv.)
1b.) Right Side Shuffle Swings x 3 (beg) or 5 (adv.)
1c.) Kettlebell Goblet Jump Squats x 3 (beg/int) or 5 (adv.)
