First off, this is going to be brief. It’s one of those weeks. And with the PCC in NYC coming up this weekend I’ve got quite a lot of stuff to finish up before heading up there. But I’ve been sitting on this OODA loop workout for too long, and want to share at least the basics of it with you. It’s from a strategy portion of an upcoming project that I’m finishing, so putting it here will serve a dual purpose.
In the process of teaching someone who already has a high level of fitness and general endurance the kettlebell snatch, I came up with a fun little approach. For the most part, the person in question usually does great kettlebell snatches, but will sometimes get in an old habit pattern mid-set, and need a mental reset. This idea came to me as I was wanting to play with a little more endurance in my own kettlebell workouts as well.
Then there’s the whole business of doing the SSST (Secret Service Snatch Test) about twice a year, a requirement I put upon myself for basically no real reason at all. But it’s 10 minutes of snatching and I would rather not do that by myself. If someone else is there working through something, even if it’s something different, during that time frame, I tend to perform better on the test. For vanity, I like to be able to get at least 200 snatches done in that time. I mention this, because the other purpose of creating the “100 Little Things” workout is the ulterior motive of getting this person up to speed for a 10 minute all out to do along with me. I did admit this motive and this person is actually really psyched about the idea. Cool.
So, the first iteration of this workout is NOT timed at all, but involves 100 reps of something, in this case one arm swings, RKC Hardstyle high pulls* (video at end of post), and kettlebell snatches. The person I was working with had learned kettlebell snatches without a backswing in a large group fitness setting with very light weights–which is fine and dandy but wasn’t going to be helpful for doing 100 of them in five minutes down the line with an appropriately sized kettlebell. To cut down on the stress and emphasize the “learning” aspect, I had this client use one size below what would have been their RKC test weight. We can set world records later.
The swings are chosen to remind us to do the backswing, the high pulls are chosen to remind us to tame the arc and “pull the elbow back”, the snatches are there to check to see what we’ve learned. So, after each round I’d choose what the extra reps would be, given the previous round’s performance. Hince Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. I’d be the “ODD” one since the client was in charge of the Acting. HAHA bad joke. After I saw how much fun this was, I did this at home later, using a kettlebell one size HEAVIER than I would test with at the RKC to give myself a neat challenge and to “keep myself honest”. With the fit beginner, I allowed for rest and short q&a between rounds. When I did the combination at home, I did not allow myself to put the kettlebell down until all 100 reps were completed.
Here’s a straight through example:
- 10 one-hand kettlebell swings right side, 5 high pulls right side, 5 snatches right side
- 10 one-hand kettlebell swings left side, 5 high pulls left side, 5 snatches left side
- 5 one-hand kettlebell swings right side, 5 high pulls right side, 5 snatches right side
- 5 one-hand kettlebell swings left side, 5 high pulls left side, 5 snatches left side
- 5 one-hand kettlebell swings right side, 5 high pulls right side
- 5 one-hand kettlebell swings left side, 5 high pulls left side
- 5 snatches right side
- 5 snatches left side
NOW… let’s assume during the sequence the snatches start looking like the arc is waaaay out there… in the next round I would substitute more high pulls instead of the swings. Likewise if the trainee was forgetting the back swing and/or hip power, I’d substitute more one-arm swings instead of high pulls.
When working through this myself, I’d change them real time instead of waiting to the next round – which does require a fair amount of focus and decision making under duress if you’ve chosen a heavier kettlebell. But, I like those skills too…
In other news, Jon Bruney’s The Neuro-Grip Challenge is now available in Paperback! There’s a launch discount too – so go ahead and get it now. I’m proud to have been in that photoshoot alongside Robert Miller. It was challenging indeed. If you already have Neuro-Grips and want to do even more with them, then absolutely get the book. If you’re curious about taking your grip strength and over all body control to the next level, get some Neuro-Grips and the book. They’ve been part of my training since Dragon Door added them to their website back in 2013! Now, I do crazy stuff like burpees with them!
*How to do Kettlebell High Pulls – old video but a decent demo, and well I look the same now anyway!! 🙂
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