What in the world could rock stacking and kettlebell swing technique possibly have in common? Turns out quite a lot… right down to some seriously specific key phrases! 🙂
I watched this excellent video the other day and two very familiar phrases stood out immediately. If you train with me or have trained with me in the past they’ll jump out to you, too! See the importance of “three points of contact” and “a strong base” for rock stacking below. Geek friends will be amused that Travis also flies the same drone (DJI Phantom 3 Advanced) as I do for the intro footage. I’ll probably add a Mavic to the “fleet” at some point within the next few months, but I have to say the Phantom line still impresses. Anyway, enough drone geek talk, let’s get back to rocks and kettlebell … uh, geek talk!
Now, think about what you’ve just heard in the video above… while you watch THIS video… (I need to make a new one that’s a little less “chaos and live stream”)
Now, for rock stacking, especially with the heavy stones like I have been using in the backyard, it’s good to already have a solid base of strength and good movement habits to avoid injury. And like Pavel used to say “quick feet are happy feet” Hmm yet ANOTHER kettlebell crossover. You’ll see in the video below that when I pick up the heavier stones I’m using a kind of low goblet squat and/or deadlift movement pattern. I’m engaging my abs to protect my back, and am not rounding the spine in either direction.
To bring things full circle, it’s a whole lot of fun to incorporate rock stacking INTO a circuit if you’re up for a fun challenge. Click here for the complete blog post, but here’s a video of a workout that uses kettlebell moves, bodyweight moves, mace moves, and finally, a heavy stone carry and stack at the end of each round of the circuit!
Have you tried rock stacking AND kettlebell swings? Did you experience the similarities in ideas and cues?
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