If you’ve followed this site for even a short period of time, you know how much I focus on form, and the constant improvement thereof. Today was no exception, this was a collection of a few ideas from various places (the dead swing I-go-you-go ladder was inspired by the Chicago RKC this past year). This workout mainly focuses on the total basics – swings and get ups, with a small variety circuit.
We began with a solid joint mobility warmup, ours is a blend of moves from the classic Dragon Door DVD Super Joints, and the warm ups presented at the RKC and HKC workshops.
After that, we did a few warm up swings with a moderate or “regular” kettlebell – (choices were 12kg, 14kg, 16kg, 24kg). Next, everyone either kept their “regular” kettlebell or chose one slightly heavier (this next drill is actually a really fun one to go towards very heavy with…). We split into 2 groups, they did small ladders of dead swings aka “start-stop” swings. This type of swing requires that you re-hike and reset on every swing. It’s great for practicing a proper hike of the kettlebell and the control and deceleration at the end of the swing. These are two things that people sometimes neglect – and while they can sometimes “get away” with doing that with a light or moderate kettlebell – cheating the hike or deceleration of a heavy kettlebell just simply DOES NOT WORK. So get in a good habit by practicing start stop swings every now and then. As Pavel would say lift a light weight like it’s heavy and a heavy weight as if it’s light.
We did 5 rounds of the following:
- Group A did 1 swing, then Group B did 1 swing
- Group A did 2 swings, then Group B did 2 swings
- Group A did 3 swings, then Group B did 3 swings
Try and repeat straight through (but be safe)
Next we practiced get ups, with moderate to light weight kettlebells, 5 per side (alternate), being sure to slightly pause at each of the 7 steps of the get up
A variety of kettlebells came out for the next part (the attitude adjuster – the inclusion of heavier than “normal” kettlebells seems to make everyone more confident, and break up some mental plateus) – 20 seconds of swings, 10 seconds rest/transition to the next station. We did 8 rounds. Our stations were:
2 8kg kettlebells, 2 12kg kettlebells, 1 16kg kettlebell, 1 24kg kettlebell, 1 36kg kettlebell, 14kg kettlebell
If someone ended up with a kettlebell that was too heavy to swing safely, they performed deadlifts instead. Double kettlebell swings were encouraged, but not required – and some people chose to do alternating 1 arm swings for variety. 1-2 times through is a LOT of fun – the short intervals allow for low pressure on trying just a couple heavy swings if someone is ready.
Finally we change it up a bit with 2-3 rounds of a small circuit. Set your Gymboss or other timer for 45 seconds (work) and 30 seconds (rest) and grab kettlebell you can press 5-8 times comfortably:
- Tactical lunges right, rest
- Tactical lunges left, rest
- Military press right, rest
- Military press left, rest
- Plank Taps*, rest
We practiced the balancing fun of t-push ups, basically exploring that movement for just a few moments. Then ended class with joint mobility and carrying all that stuff back to the storage area!
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