This week’s episode features a big chunk of a never before released recording of the presentation I gave at Dragon Door’s second ever Strength and Health Conference. As many of you already know one of my absolute favorite skills to hone is problem solving, and this presentation outlined some of my approaches systems for restarting stalled strength gains. When I have a few moments, the video from it will be reedited in with the whole slide deck I created to go with it. Since the schedule here has been absolutely out of control, it only seemed fitting to let you hear it before anyone else. This episode of course also includes upcoming events, the question of the week, workout tip of the week, a nifty find of the week, and of course some extra surprises.
Upcoming Events:
Be sure to sign up for the November 16th and 17th Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification and Strength Calisthenics Certification happening in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Master RKC and good friend of many years Michael Krivka will be teaching the HKC, and I’ll be teaching the SCC the next day. Level up your skills as a fitness professional or exercise enthusiast on one special weekend.
Fresh on the calendar at NCSystema.com: I’m leading an intensive and focused seminar on the kettlebell get-up here in Durham North Carolina on August the 10th! Taught by Adrienne Harvey, RKC Team Leader, Senior PCC Instructor, CK-FMS.
Spend a full afternoon focused on this incredible exercise. Beginners will learn great habits from the start. Intermediate and advanced kettlebell enthusiasts will dial in their form making every rep that much more effective. Nearly every sport and human activity can be improved when we practice properly performed get-ups — with and without weight! This coordination, core, strength, shoulder stability, flexibility, and mobility powerhouse is useful for nearly everyone… but there’s a fairly steep learning curve. If you’ve tried to learn this powerful but oddly complex move from a book, video, or even in a group class and still feel lost, then this workshop is absolutely for you. Even “the experts” on social media are regularly sharing sub-par get-ups… and leaking strength!
I’ll show you how to avoid many common mistakes so that you can get the most out of your get-ups. We’re going to break it down so that you can practice this exercise safely and effectively in your own workouts and in the group sessions you might already be attending. You will also learn how the get-up and its component parts can be programmed as nearly infinite variations within workouts. The last hour will be dedicated to Q&A, practice, and of course individual problem solving.
Bring a water bottle and hand towel. Kettlebells will be provided. I will have new, in box Dragon Door kettlebells in various useful sizes available for purchase at the event (contact me if you would like to purchase one ahead of time and I will reserve it for you. Dragon Door 8kg, 12kg, 16kg, and 20kg kettlebells will be available: info@giryagirl.com)
Event Tuition: $50 Visit NCSystema.com click the schedule tab then the seminars and special events section on the drop down. Or visit the show nows from this episode for the direct link: https://www.ncsystema.com/events/2019/8/10/kettlebell-get-up-intensive-seminar
Also visit NCSystema.com for local classes in Strength and conditioning with me, or Systema, self defense, and other specialized topics with Systema HQ certified instructors here in Durham, NC. They’re always adding awesome workshops and events to their calendar so check it out now.
Question of the Week!
What is an 8-Count Bodybuilder? After including these in last week’s example workout in Episode #25, I had a few people ask me what these were. I made a video which will be linked in the show notes: https://youtu.be/OdM-pVNS3eg
Answer: Many military folks will already be familiar with this movement. I was introduced to it by my very advanced distance client. They kept coming up in the various Goruck events and I was intrigued to say the least. You could say that an 8-Count Bodybuilder is somewhat of a relative of a burpee in that there’s a pushup and some getting up and down from the floor. But there are some subtle and important differences. First start by standing tall. lean forward from the hips and put your hands on the ground. Jump your feet back so that you’re in a push-up position and do a push-up. Before getting up though jump your feet apart then back together like you’re doing a jumping jack… except you’re in a push-up position. Finally stand back up. There you go that’s one! The reason it’s called an 8-count is that there’s 8 parts: 1 hands on the ground, 2 jump feet back, 3 pushup down 4 pushup back up, 5 jump feet apart, 6 jump feet back together, 7 jump feet towards your hands, 8 stand up.
It’s a handy bodyweight conditioning move you can do just about anywhere.
Call our question line at: (321) 316-3533 and leave a message with your question about kettlebells, calisthenics, food, workouts, and more. Leave your name (and where you’re from) for fame or feel free to remain anonymous.
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Presentation Segment:
Annihilating Plateaus for Steady Strength Progress.
Training Tip of the Week:
This is related to the upcoming intensive get-up seminar in August. If you find that the “straight leg” is flying up at the beginning of your kettlebell get-up, here’s how to fix it. Make sure sure that you’re not just trying to sit up with the kettlebell, but that you’re also rolling a little to the side – you’re rolling up to the elbow of the arm without the kettlebell—otherwise known as the supporting arm or supporting side.
After setting up on the ground and making sure that your supporting side’s arm is at a 45 degree—not 90 degree angle relative to your body, drive off of the heel of the loaded side—aka the side with the kettlebell. There’s a push off of the heel and roll up to the elbow. This is much easier to see in video or in person, but it bears mentioning here too.
Another tip for keeping that straight leg from flying up is to think of pushing your weight out of the heel and along the floor… You will feel some movement in that leg, but it should be parallel to the floor not the foot flying up. Going for a PR with a heavy weight is not reason for that foot to fly up, it’s a big leak of power, and if you can get that leg under control you’ll find your get-ups looking and feeling a lot more worthwhile and dignified too. The details matter!
Book of the Week!
The book of the week is a really special one, The Seventh Circle: A Former Australian soldier’s extraordinary story of surviving seven years in Afghanistan’s most notorious prison… which I will not attempt to pronounce correctly here. But it’s THAT one if you know what I mean. The book is by Rob Langdon, who has been following my videos on youtube for quite a while, in fact even watching some of them and adapting some of the workouts on my site to create his own circuits while still in prison. I’ve been in contact now with Rob about his book and am working on a interview with him for Dragon Door that will be coming out very soon. The book itself is an incredibly addictive read and I actually finished reading it a lot sooner than I’d originally planned… as in, I was half through it’s 291 pages while flying out and back to Denver last week. This visceral read is very raw, real, and rich in honest insight. It is absolutely not for the squeamish, but is an important, and oddly compassionate read.
Wrapping it up:
Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the GiryaGirl.com official podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss the next episode next week. If you like this podcast please leave a review on iTunes, I know it’s a pain but it will really help the show out! You can also support the show by visiting giryagirl.com or kettlebellsofficial.com. Any purchases you might make through the links on those sites help this show with no additional cost to you.
Hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll see you next week!
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