Making the Beast a Buttercup

The 48kg kettlebell, dubbed the beast in the kettlebell world, is usually the biggest kettlebell a brand manufactures.  It’s sheer size intimidates. This kettlebell has gained a mystique with challenges like the Beast Tamer, where you have to strict press, pull up, and pistol squat with this massive cannonball with a handle.

For a long time, I was able to only press the beast on a good day. No matter how much I 'greased the groove' with light weights or low repetition ladders, I was still inconsistent with pressing the beast. About 6 months ago, everything changed when my focus shifted from kettlebell pressing to strongman pressing events.

I got a chuckle out of my peers moving the beast so easily. Awesome moment for me.

After a 3-month strongman program I grabbed the beast to test my press for my StrongFirst Level II certification. I was shocked how light it felt. After a few sessions of programming the kettlebell press back into my routine, I was able to hit 8 strict presses! The weight that was my max is now a pumping weight. 

"How did you make that look so light?!" 

This is the question I was asked at least 10 times at the StrongFirst Cert. in May after I pressed the Beast like it was filled with air. My answers stunned the people asking, which stunned me that they were even stunned from my answer. Stunning!

1. Get bigger shoulders

Is this really in question? A bigger muscle has greater strength potential. Often, people don't give the hypertrophy phase of their program proper attention. I spent 2 days a week working on my upper pecs, deltoids, and triceps- all the prime movers of the press. We can talk about how important the lats are or to crush your grip, but when it's time to put that weight overhead you need the shoulders to do the work.

My top exercises were incline bench press, close grip bench press, standing barbell military press, front raises, overhead tricep extensions, and tricep pressdowns. This isn't rocket surgery; these are all traditional body building exercises. Keep it simple, stupid swolemate.

2. Move more weight
Manipulating force is more complicated than just pumping up small muscles with body building exercises, but doesn't need to be over complicated. We can debate the differences between pressing events, but the beast press is just taking 105lbs from the rack position to overhead. If the body cannot support 100 lbs. in either position, there is no way you will be able to strict press it.

Tension building exercises like bottoms up kettlebell lifts will improve technique and mastery of the press, but is not enough force on the joints, ligaments, and tendons to achieve maximum strength. When you perform exercises that overload the body like front squats and barbell overhead pressing you are applying more force than with a 48kg kettlebell. When you can barbell press 200+ lbs. the beast won't weigh you down so much on your next attempt.

Sample Program:

Weeks 1-4 Hypertrophy 3-5 sets, 6-12 reps

Incline Bench, DB Bench, DBL KB Press, Tricep/Deltoid work, Pushups for pump

Weeks 5-10 Strength  4-6 sets, 3-6 reps

Log Press, Close Grip Bench, Landmine Press, Tricep Work, Turkish Get ups

Weeks 11-12 Peaking 5-8 sets, 1-3 reps

One arm KB Press, Incline Bench/Log press, Planche/One arm pushups, Heavy Turkish Get ups/Windmills

*2x a week, alternated vertical and horizontal pressing between sessions

Using these methods during the hypertrophy and strength phases of a program will have a positive impact on your musculature and, ultimately, on your pressing ability. Add the lower repetition kettlebell pressing back into the peaking phase of your program and watch the Beast float to the ceiling.

Power Development with Swings

Power is a trait sought by every athlete, but people training for general health and fitness commonly neglect it. Even though you are not stepping on a field or court to compete you should still include some type of power training in your program. The effects of building more power will improve maximal strength, increase athleticism, and improve overall conditioning.

Power is defined as the result of force times velocity. Put simply it means moving an object with increased weight and/or increased speed. Power is created from fast twitch muscle fibers which are used when lifting maximal weight or when producing maximal speed. Fast twitch fibers also burn more calories than slow twitch muscle fibers when used. This is most commonly trained through jumping, throwing an object, or performing explosive weighted exercises(clean, jerk, etc.). These selections are great for athletes to improve their triple extension(hip, knee, and ankle) which usually translates directly to their sport, but that may not be a goal for non athletes. This is where the kettlebell can be added to provide an element of power training to anyone's program.

Kettlebell swings are great for developing power in hip and knee extension just like in a jump. You use the hinge to swing the the kettlebell forward, but you keep the heels on the floor unlike the previously mentioned exercises. Most explosive exercises only use up to 60% of maximal weight and swings fit right in to this formula. Even using a 100+lb kettlebell is still a small percentage of what you could lift in the hip hinge with exercises like deadlifts or hip bridges. Here are some reasons to use swings for your power training.

Injury consideration- If a client or athlete has suffered an ankle sprain or meniscus injury then adding jumping to their program may not be the best choice. The impact of landing a jump could cause them to re-injure themselves or to guarding that injury with compensatory landing strategies. The kettlebell swing powerful, but causes minimal impact on the knees and ankles. With the swing you remain grounded, keeping the knees and ankles safe from impact.

Increasing load- It is hard to use progressive overload with jumps and throws, but for swings you can increase weight to ensure improvement. As mentioned earlier, power=force x velocity. Without speed trackers, like a TENDO, it is hard to determine how much faster the weight is going, but power output will be increased by increasing the force of moving a heavier weight. Increasing the weight you swing to chest level with proper technique just from a 24kg kettlebell to a 32kg kettlebell will see noticeable differences in hip extension power.

Equipment selection- It's easy to build a power training protocol when you have a wide variety of boxes, open space for throwing, or weights made for dropping, but not everyone has this selection at their disposal. Just a single kettlebell and a confined place is all that is needed to increase power. The cost of a single kettlebell is easier on the bank account than a set of plyo boxes and Olympic style bars and weights.

General athleticism- Not everyone is graced with natural athletic movement or are many years removed from their athletic endeavors. This limitation presents a challenge in learning complex movements and will keep them from getting any benefit from the power building exercise. A kettlebell swing requires some athleticism, but not as much as the olympic barbell movements. The majority of the time a swing can be learned and performed sufficiently in a few sessions.

Sport specific- In the sport of powerlifting, it is required to keep the heels on the floor during the squat and deadlift. The swing helps to reinforce a hard hip drive without lifting the heals and will translate well to the lifts. Since the swing closely resembles a deadlift you will get more practice in grooving the hip hinge with less physical and neurological fatigue.

If you are going to implement swings in your program, the first step is to perfect the technique. If you can do a movement slow then you can always do it fast, but if you can do a movement fast it does not mean that you can do it slow. The swing is a hinge with a finish at a standing plank so these movements should be first practiced slowly before trying to attempt at full speed. The hamstrings, glutes, and anterior core muscles are the targets so they must be fully activated when practicing kettlebell deadlifts and the high plank. Own these positions before you start dialing up volume on swings.

I started emphasizing power at the beginning on my routines after reading Chad Wesley Smith's writings(Juggernaut Method) and it had a great carry-over to my strength training sessions. Power training provides a good stimulation of the neuromuscular system without being physically taxing; therefore, it is a good choice to perform before strength training. The following is a basic progression I use at the beginning of a workout to build power.

Week 1: 5 swings EMOTM(every minute on the minute) x 6 min

Week 2: 5 swings EMOTM x 8 min

Week 3: 6 swings EMOTM x 6 min

Week 4: 6 Swings EMOTM x 8 min

Week 5: start over at week 1 with increased weight

This is a simple linear approach to power training that will result in a heavy swing after a few cycles. Another method to increase power with swings that I have had success with is performing sets of 5 swings with a heavy weight in between my readiness, or warm up, exercises. This saves time compared to the on-the-minute program above, but will still have in impact on your strength training. The standard protocol in power training is to use a 1:6 work to rest ratio, so keep the swing repetitions low with plenty of recovery. Advanced clients may be able to perform 1:5 ratio of work to rest and still achieve power development. Shorter rest periods will prevent you from achieving maximum neurological output in each swing and will shift into an endurance/strength exercise instead. There is a time and place for this, but for maximum power development each set must be performed fresh.

My shared thoughts above are by no means an attempt to claim swings are the absolute best exercise for developing power and all other methods are inferior. The swing is great exercise to build the posterior chain and can have a part in increasing overall power for anyone.

The Best Kettlebell Exercises for Archers

Let me lead by saying that I am not an expert in the field of archery or in hunting, but I wanted to write this post to help educate archers on ways to increase their strength for shooting. I have a client that recently went on a trip to Texas to hunt for wild boar, which is pretty bad ass in my opinion. During our last session he was telling me about how he was getting tired quickly from shooting his Matthews Solo Cam with a 70 lbs draw weight. This isn't surprising because a bow with a 70 lbs draw weight will fatigue anybody! Needless to say, this made me think of what exercises we could incorporate in his program to keep him strong through a whole day of hunting.

To the untrained eye, archery may not look like it takes extensive athleticism, but to be a good archer you must have upper body strength, a balanced core, and stable hips on top of great hand-eye coordination. All of these traits must be present every single shot in order to take down the target. If you have any desire to take down a large buck or even an elk, then you are going to need to have the strength to pull back a high power bow and hold it steady! The slightest imbalance in the core or unsteadiness of the hips will cause the shot to be off and the target could be lost forever. Don't let these rare opportunities slip by on account of a lack of preparation. The following exercises will prepare you physically for the challenges ahead.

Turkish Get Up- I am known for using the get up to improve anyone's overall strength, coordination,

The Archer position 

bodily awareness, and focus so of course I am going to recommend them for an archer. The get up requires you to steadily hold a weight in a reached position, just like the front hand holding the bow, while controlling your body under it. The second position of the get up, I dubbed the Archer position, will have an obvious carry over to bow shooting mechanics. In this position you use the glute on the weighted side to steady your hips and the obliques and abdominals to keep your spine aligned. The arm holding the kettlebell must remain perfectly vertical with the rotator cuff and lat stabilizing the shoulder while the oppisite arm is pushing you away from the floor to activate the serratus and stabilize the shoulder blade. In my opinion, this position is the best choice for increasing your shooting proficiency. Performing 5-8 reps each side with an appropriate weight is a great upper body exercise to increase strength while also improving posture.

Reach with the base arm while pulling the
weight towards to abdomen to avoid
 shrugging.

Renegade Row- rowing will be the most obvious choice for archers trying to improve their strength for shooting, but performing a row improperly could have a negative carryover. The renegade row is great for archery because it will requires one arm to row while the opposite arm is reaching and stabilizing your body. This move also requires the core and hips to resist rotation, an important function while shooting a bow. The most common mistake with this move is to let the shoulders relax causing retraction or winging of the shoulder blades(see image below). This will decrease the stabilization of the shoulder joint and will decrease strength of the row. This may also lead to short or long term injury through compensatory movement. Push your chest away from the floor at all times, do not shrug the shoulders, and keep the shoulders and hips squared to the floor during the entire movement. This is one of the most challenging kettlebell movements you can chose, so start with a lighter weight or keep the base arm on a stable object like a box until you can progress to two heavy kettlebells. Keep the repetitions low, like three to five each side, until you are able to maintain proper alignment with heavier weights.

Left: Retracted scapulae = unstable joint and extended spine
Right: Reach flattens scapulae = stable joint and activated anterior core

Half Kneeling Press- Although there is no flexed arm press in archery, the HK Press will have positional benefits to improve the shooting stance. In the half kneeling position I teach to find neutral spine by posteriorly tilting the hips and exhaling to position the ribcage. This position will lengthen the hip flexors and spinal erectors while activating the hamstrings, glutes, and abs. The side of the hip with the knee on the floor will is forced to stabilize the hips laterally while the core remains neutral. In this position the ribs will internally rotate with the full exhale, thus allowing the shoulder blade to move freely during the press. This position will also improve the strength and stability of the split stance during a shot. When pressing the weight you should be conscious of keeping the abs engaged and not allowing the spine to extend or the ribs to open up. When bringing the weight back down to the rack position think of squeezing a fruit in your arm pit to activate the lats and serratus during the negative portion of the rep, almost like you are rowing it back in. You can even perform this exercise in front of a wall and use the

This is position I am still working to perfect as well!

opposite arm to push the wall away. This will keep the abs engaged and will keep the natural round of the upper back during the movement. There is benefit to pressing with either arm in the half kneeling position. Pressing with the arm on the same side as the down knee will have more benefit to core stabilization and will allow you press more with assistance from the down leg. Pressing with the opposite arm of the knee down is better to keep the ribs and spine in position due to the flexed knee on the same side and will help to get stronger in the Turkish Get Up.

Dedicating the time and finances to become a good archer is a arduous process, but the reward of bringing down wild game makes it all worth it. Don't let all these efforts go to waste by having your body fatigue in the biggest moments. Add the exercises above to your weekly routine and take your high powered bow out with a renewed sense of confidence in your ability.

9 Benefits to Kettlebell Training

The kettlebell is a Russian tool for building strength and endurance that has been made popular in the US over the past decade or so. Most gyms and stores have jumped on the bandwagon and now stock some kind of kettlebell, but very few people understand the power behind this simple tool. Here are the top nine reasons you should look into training with this unorthodox free weight.

Strength- Focusing on weight loss can be very discouraging. It is common to fluctuate in weight on any given day or week. Gaining strength takes a committed process and is very rewarding when you finally move up to the next weight. A good kettlebell set is usually recorded by kilograms and have higher jumps between weights than dumbbells which forces you to make bigger strength gains compared dumbbells or machines.  All of my clients that prioritize getting stronger usually experience the best physical transformations.

Conditioning- Even an exercise as simple as the swing can burn massive amounts of calories by using large muscle groups in a powerful way. It only takes about 300 swings in 30 min to burn upwards of 1000 calories. That would take 2 hours on a standard treadmill! Challenges like the Snatch test, 100 snatches in 5 min, will push your strength and conditioning to the max.

Core strength- To perform the swing and other basic kettlebell movements you must maintain proper positioning of the spine. This recruits the core muscles in ways that machine exercises don't offer. Training with single kettlebell movements like swings offer an element of anti-rotation training which is paramount for injury prevention and increasing athletic performance.

Posture- Most kettlebell movements require you to align your pelvis and core to complete the movement efficiently. This, combined with proper breathing, will correct years of sitting and help you stand up straighter. The Get Up and goblet squat are my favorite exercises to improve movement and posture. Make sure you can achieve proper posture in the slow, grinding movements before moving on the the ballistic exercises.

Hormone Production- all of the best kettlebell exercises involve your legs, hips, core, and back. Using these large muscle groups increases your body's production of important fat burning hormones like HGH and testosterone. These hormones will put your body in a steady state of fat burning throughout the day and not just during the workout. The continuous flow of kettlebell complexes has been shown to boost levels of growth hormone for hours after a workout, whereas steady state endurance training has little to no effect on boosting anabolic hormones.

Variance- if you have already committed years of your life to traditional weight training then you may be getting bored. This is what led me to the kettlebell. Performing exercises like the snatch, windmill, and loaded carries will provide a new stimulus that your training may be lacking. Try performing a circuit of renegade rows, swings, and farmer's carries and feel the different stimulus a traditional weight training program never provided.

Cost- A new home gym can cost thousands of dollars. A single kettlebell can cost as little as $30 and provides more variance than any expensive machine. I trained with a single kettlebell, only costing $50, in my apartment for a year and achieved great results. A good set to purchase for women would be two 12kg and one 16kg, and men would be two 16kg and one 24kg to start. These sets would give you hundreds of options for training programs. (I'll include a follow up blog on my reviews of the most popular kettlebells for purchase)

Portability- Most people start to fizzle on their motivation once the weather gets warmer. This may be due to the fact that humans are drawn to the sun. With a kettlebell you can easily take your workout outdoors. It is very difficult to take a barbell and weights out to a park- trust me, I've tried.

Competition- Some people are past the basic weight loss goals and lack the motivation to push to new levels. There are organized events that involve kettlebells like the Tactical Strength Challenge, Giveroy Sport, and certifications* that will push you to new levels. These events require careful programming and dedication to the preparation.

Kettlebell training can be added to anyone's program. Whether you are 20 and trying to get in competition form or are 80 and just trying to move better, there is a benefit to looking into this ancient, but effective tool. Reach out to a certified instructor to get started on your kettlebell journey.

*certifications that are actually worth the money: StrongFirst, RKC, HKC, IKFF, Strength Matters

photo courtesy Sarah Baker Photography, Queen City Kettlebell

The Kettlebell Journey

It has been over six years since I began training with kettlebells. I was in a rut of training and came upon a beat up 24 kg kettlebell for next to nothing. I had no idea that this cold metal tool would completely change the way I approach training....

Most people approach their training like a chore. They have to get in to the gym for one to two hours every Monday through Friday. 10 sets of chest, 5 sets of shoulders, 5 sets of arms, and finish with 20 min on a bike that travels only to ThisSucksLand. This entire routine is mundane and often leads to only short term results or to completely abandon training. Lucky for you there is a different approach to achieving great strength and conditioning that will provide the spark your program may be lacking.

Take your time working with
single bells before attempting
any double movements.

If you are like me then you probably played some type of sport growing up. When you were beginning you weren't thrust right into full game scenarios or into intense sport specific conditioning workouts. You first learned the basics of the sport and slowly added variance and more complex skills. Strength training is no different in this approach. You wouldn't ask a child to dribble and shoot like Steph Curry only a few months into learning how a ball bounces off the ground just like you can't ask someone who has just started strength training to perform a clean and press ladder with a 50 lb. kettlebell. A program must be built based on your fitness level, your ability to learn new skills and how efficiently you can perform them.



Kettlebell Progression/Regression Guideline
1. Kettlebell Deadlift/Plank
2. Kettlebell Swing
3. One arm swing/ hand to hand swing
4. One arm clean
5. One arm snatch/high pull
5a. Double kettlebell swing/clean

1. Turkish Get up
2. One arm press
3. Windmill
3a. Double kettlebell press
4. Bent Press
5. Kettlebell anyhow

This list does not include squats, horizontal pressing and pulling, and vertical pulling because those movements can be addressed with other implements and their proficiency does not dictate whether you can advance to the next kettlebell movement. This list is also helpful for regressions. If you ever find that you have hit a plateau on one of your movements it is always smart to regress to the movement preceding it, get stronger in that movement, and then try to break that plateau. You're taking one step back to take two forward.

The idea of only performing the exercises you can do well before attempting the advanced(fun) variations is hard for some people to stick to because it takes patience and dedication to properly learn each step.  "But, Ben, how am I going to get beach body ready only doing swings, get ups, and planks?" Easy, get really good at swings, get ups, and planks. I promise you that if you can do 10 swings in 5 min and a solid get up with 1/2 your body weight you will be happy with how your body looks. Just because we will be using this system for our kettlebell skills does not mean you cannot supplement your program with exercises that aren't as skill demanding with other implements. So don't worry, you can still work your chest and arms with your favorite machine around your kettlebell training, but don't expect them to be as stimulating as your cast iron kettlebell.

 The great athletes are not great because they can do the advanced methods better than everyone else, they are great because they can perform the basics better than everyone else. Commit your time to developing a strong base and it will be easy to stack on advanced methods and achieve great results.

Photo courtesy Sarah Baker Photography; Zeus Moody, Solid Training