Exercises

Three Days with the Masters: AJ’s RKC II Adventure

On September 5, I snuck out of DNA under the guise of going on Air Force duty for a week. I did actually report for duty in Denver on the 9th (just in time for the epic rains), but I neglected to mention that I would be in St. Paul, Minnesota enroute, attending Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) Level II instructor training.

The RKC II starts with an entry test, which includes a 20 sec flexed arm hang (for females; the guys did weighted pull-ups), a press test, and requalification for Level I, i.e., a snatch test and technique tests of several other moves. I wasn’t concerned about passing any of it except for the press. The standards are graded by weight, so that women over 140lbs have to press a 20kg bell, and 139 and under pressed 18kg. I had the 18kg in the bag, but the 20kg was dicey – I had only pressed it once or twice. Therefore, my main preparation consisted of practicing my press for several weeks, plus a week on what I call the Nun Diet – nun-a-this, nun-a-that… mainly chicken breasts and veggies, very few fats or carbs, and no wine. My dual-pronged strategy worked: I weighed in at 138.4, pressed the 18kg, and then ate a nut bar. Yum.

Since I returned to the same training center where I attended RKC I, the intimidation factor was low as I understood better what to expect. I knew the class would be small. Rather than about 80 people at my RKC course, 13 of us shared the 3 master RKC instructors and 2 assistants. The personal attention was fantastic, and challenging! Master RKC Andrea Cu Cane was the first to zoom in on my lack of thoracic spine mobility, which I had not discovered in five years of training; the rest of the staff followed. The weekend was thus punctuated with reminders to open my upper chest and pull my lower ribs together. This correction alone was quite fatiguing and added an element of challenge to the weekend.

IMG_4615

Sheer awesomeness on the right side of this photo.

The RKC system is very focused on teaching technique, and while instructor candidates and required to demonstrate excellent form, the Masters really emphasized ways to teach the various exercises and help clients build strength and skill. One major difference between Levels I and II is that Level I features mainly kettlebell work, and Level II includes several body weight progressions for building superior strength, as well as some advanced kettlebell moves. I did not expect to learn so much about the plank, pull-up, push-up, and pistol (one legged squat) as I did. The most useful component of these exercises was an introduction to activation of the latissimis dorsi, aka “lats” – the huge, powerful muscles in your back that will propel you to a whole new level of performance when you can tap into their power. I had no idea that I had been relying so much on my traps and other neighboring muscles, and despite coaching people to use their lats in pull-ups, I apparently wasn’t very good in recruiting my own.

Hello lat band…I learned one simple drill that woke up those sleeping giants, and that showed me how they feel when put to work. You may have had the pleasure of experiencing the lat band pull in the last week, as I have been using this great little trick left and right! Synopsis – grab a medium pull up band, hold it behind your back at “bra strap level,” and pull out with your hands. Relax and repeat. You will feel your lats working!

Another of my favorite newly-learned cues is “tailbone to navel.” While I understood this concept academically, I got a valuable refresher on the power of this one move for generating core strength. Squeezing your tailbone to your belly button forces you to contract your abs, powering the swing and forming the strong core tension needed for the plank and most lifts (body weight or otherwise). A solid lat crush, triggered by “bending the [imaginary metal] bar,” combined with a tailbone-to-navel core crush and a forceful exhale, generates a ton of force and allows you to do nearly anything.

Learning the thoracic bridge and the body weight progressions was exhausting, and I ended up getting far more fatigued than I did at RKC I, where we did more swings and I was more hungry. Fortunately, the staff were incredibly supportive and invested in our success in the course, dishing out tough love and some humor along with the physical instruction. Master RKCs Phil Ross and Max Shank walk the walk – each not only performs all of the progressions effortlessly, but they both demonstrated elite strength, playing around with one-arm handstand push-ups, front levers, and numerous other impressive feats.  Each owns a premier gym, Max in San Diego and Phil in New Jersey, and both of them shared their extensive experience in training a broad range of clients. Learning from true experts Andrea, Max, and Phil was incredible, and assistants (both RKC II) Leslie and Aaron rounded out the team with precision corrections and insight.

The RKC II test was less intimidating than my first RKC one. I was still struggling with the bent arm press and working on the kettlebell jerk, but had had enough highly supervised practice to perform and teach all of the moves. I had to relearn the windmill and was somewhat nervous about it as it requires thoracic mobility that I don’t have yet, but my pistol was looking fine and the pull-up was easy, thanks to a summer of weighted pull-ups in David’s Applied Strength program. Therefore, at the end of the weekend, I went away with a new certification, a much-expanded bag of tricks for helping DNA clients get stronger, and a renewed appreciation of both body weight training and the entire RKC system.

IMG_4616

Girl Power!

I’m enjoying putting my new tools to work for you, and our whole training staff is learning these methods so that you can benefit from them too. Be on the lookout for more special opportunities to strengthen your skills, and have fun supercharging your training!

Balancing Act, Part 1: BUT IT’S ONE LOUDER…

Welcome to the first of two articles about balancing your training. Achieving the right balance can be a challenge, because of psychology – motivation on one end, and guilt on the other. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

  1. “Wow, that workout is going to suck, so I am going to stick with the 18lb kettlebell so that it doesn’t hurt so much.”
  2. “Holy cow, my Fran time is getting really fast! Beating my old PR is going to be hard!”
  3. “If I don’t work out six times this week, I will feel crummy and might backslide, so I must train today even though my shoulders are sore and I didn’t sleep all that well last night.”

Just showing up to the gym is an accomplishment for many people. Pushing out of your comfort zone may be another matter. If you find yourself taking it a little easy on a day when you don’t have a good reason to throttle back (such as having a cold, poor sleep, etc.), you may be cheating yourself out of valuable training. DNA training is effective because it’s efficient – short and challenging; if you take the challenge away, you can lose effectiveness.

How can you get over the motivation speed bump?

Ask yourself this question: what’s the worst thing that can happen if you go with a heavier weight or run a little faster?

The answer is probably that you might get more out of breath and have to slow down. That’s not exactly a terrible consequence; you still control the situation, and can always drop down a weight if you are really having trouble. Also, if you don’t know the difference between “good hurt” and “bad hurt” yet, it’s best to ask your trainer for guidance, to ensure that you are being challenged enough but not too much. (Good and bad are hard to describe and must be experienced, but in a nutshell, “good hurt” includes muscle fatigue and feels like “wow, this is hard,” whereas “bad hurt” involves lightheadedness and stabbing pain and is a clear sign to STOP.)

Next time you find yourself wanting to take it easy when you know you don’t need the break, just ask yourself what the worst thing that can happen will be, and then cowboy/cowgirl up.

Suppose you are at the other end of the spectrum: your training is going great, and you are feeling strong. You’re facing a benchmark workout and want to beat your PR, but you know it hurt last time. How can you improve?

“You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You’re on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you’re on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?”

You have two options: do the workout as prescribed and push harder, or turn it UP with Rx+. Turn that amp up to ELEVEN.

But it's one louder

“BUT IT’S ONE LOUDER”

My Helen PR is 9:32 Rx (that’s 3 rounds of 400m, 21 swings at 16kg, and 12 pullups). When Helen cropped up on the board this week, I decided to notch up the suck factor and do it with the 20kg bell. The result: 10:55, and wow, was it tough! I got a more intense workout and generated a lot more power in a slightly longer amount of time than I had before. I will probably stick with the higher weight in future, but it will be interesting to drop back down and see what happens.

If you’re a firebreather, feeling strong and looking for a challenge, give Rx+ a try. You may surprise yourself and will get great benefits.

HOWEVER…

Overdoing it

No, this guy is NOT our Rick.

Remember scenario #3 above? While pushing yourself at the right times is a great idea, overdoing it is entirely possible. We are seeing some injuries when people are pushing too much, and getting insufficient recovery, which may include insufficient nutrition to fuel the recovery. Next time, Zee will address the other side of the scale in balancing your training: recovery. Yes, you CAN overdo it, and no, you are not wimping out.

If in doubt, listen to your trainer!

 

Vacation & Travel Workouts: The Big Fat List

Room service please!

Ladies and Gentlemen, here’s a great list of travel workout

Pick one that suits your mood or mix and match, but aim for BALANCE. If you have access to weights, this means push and pull in all three directions:

  • Up: press, push press, pull up, handstand pushup (shoulder to overhead)
  • Lateral: pushup, row
  • Down: Deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull
  • Squats are mandatory – you can do them nearly anywhere (elevators, in line for the boat, etc.), and core work can also be crammed into a busy day in a small space – plank while you watch the news. Tabatas make a terrific high-speed workout for hotel rooms (20 sec fast / 10 sec rest for 8 rounds: pushups, situps, squats).

    ENJOY!!

     

    1. run 400 meters

    50 air squats

    4 rounds

    ———————————

    2.  30 lunges

    20 push-ups

    10 burpee

    4 rounds

    Please, PLEASE do NOT do lunges like this guy! Make sure your weight is on your heel, and your knee is over your foot, not in front.


    ———————————

    3. 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

    squat jumps and push-ups

    ———————————-

    4.  air squat (max reps in 1 min)

    rest :30 sec

    push-ups(max reps in 1 min)

    rest :30 sec

    sit-ups(max reps in one min)

    rest 1 min

    3 rounds

    Read More

    Deadlift: I bet you can lift more than you think

    Going through old photos, I found a video from my 285 Deadlift, taken in May 2011. Since then I have only improved upon this once (in August 2012).

    People are sometimes afraid to load up the deadlift. I can understand the reservation because heavy a deadlift can make your lower back sore, and if your technique is not good, you can hurt yourself. We don’t want you to lift more than

    Read More

    Swing, Baby, Swing

    Proper kettlebell swing technique is not hard to master, but takes some practice. Below are a few tips that will make your swing stronger and more effective, while protecting your back.

    1. Keep your eyes and shoulders up! Look at a spot directly in front of you, NOT the floor. Keep your shoulders tall – don’t hunch over as this can round your back and expose you to injury.

    2. The hip snap starts at the BOTTOM of the swing, not halfway up. Same goes for clean, snatch, and high pull. These movements are known as BALLISTICS because they involve an explosive acceleration and a trajectory, like a rocket – the booster ignites on the ground and propels the rocket into the sky. An aggressive, powerful hip snap will make that bell fly.

    To practice, try this drill:

    Read More

    Getting stuck

    20120730-144613.jpgIf you have learned lifting technique at DNA, you have doubtless been encouraged to push your limits and build your strength. One critical point in strength building is that part of a lift where you GET STUCK. Your deadlift is near the top but not quite there, and it doesn’t want to move, or you’re near the top of a pull-up and feel like you just want to drop off the bar and curl up into a little ball on the floor.

    Read More

    How to RUN – faster, longer, better!

    At some point, in your quest for optimum health and fitness, you assuredly will face RUNNING. Great programs will include things like short and medium sprints, and an occasional long slow endurance run. While the benefits of running are enormous, at some point you  will likely want to  ensure that your technique is improving  in order to improve your performance. Proper technique will not only improve performance, but will significantly decrease your incidence of injuries such as shin splints and joint pains among many others.

    So with all the techniques, programs and seminars available, how does one decide which is truly the correct method? While we can certainly turn this into an in depth scientific paper, the studies have already been done. Rather, I’d prefer to make this an easy go-to article to get you quickly moving.

    Sled pulls are a great way to increase strength, speed, power and endurance.

    The following are a just a few steps to help develop proper technique:

    Read More
    ^ TOP