Training Articles

The Safe, Practical - And Highly Effective - Way to Give Your "Kettlebell Boomer” Clients the Golden Body of Their Dreams

Andrea Du Cane, Master RKC

Jun 21, 2011 03:00 PM

There are an estimated 77.3 million “Baby Boomers” in the United States. Ranging from middle age to early retirement. Of this group most are still in the work force and earning good money. Some are beginning to retire with fairly secure incomes. Because of the G.I. Bill and the increased interest in higher education, a record number of this generation attended college and attained college and post-graduate degrees. Recent health studies have shown that in general...

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Some Thoughts From a Kettlebell Boomer

Cole Summers, RKC, CICS

Jun 21, 2011 02:00 PM

Isn't "Why would you want to be strong and healthy after you turn fifty?" the same as "Why would you want to be happy after you turn fifty?" – Sean Schniederjan. For several decades I've been a strength and conditioning coach in many disciplines. For the last few years I've focused on trying to become a very good Hardstyle RKC kettlebell coach. During the day I train high school students. In the evenings and weekends I train adults of all ages, in RKC principles. My students vary greatly in...

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The Ten Dollar Spend

Andrew Read, RKC Team Leader

Jun 21, 2011 01:00 PM

My name is Andrew Read and I am a training ADDICT… I have at various times trained: while concussed; with eighteen stitches in my right knee and no skin on one hand; while on crutches and most recently while barely able to walk due to pain in my hips from inflaming an old injury. Somehow my body has held itself together despite all the years of torment and torture and still works reasonably, although my FMS score can range from a thirteen to an eighteen depending on the day.

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Maximizing Tension For A Bigger Press

Geoff Neupert, Master RKC

Jun 09, 2011 03:00 PM

The Press used to be the standard for upper body strength. It was contested in the sport of Weightlifting until 1972 until it became too hard to judge. Eventually, it just looked like a standing Bench Press. But if you accept the old standard of the Press - keeping the torso vertical without a backbend, and you spend some time on it, you’ll find newfound upper body strength. In fact, years ago I found that if I pushed my Press strength up, my shoulders felt better for the Bench Press.

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Is it a Pull or a Push? Direction of Force in the Deadlift and Swing

Brett Jones, CSCS, CK-FMS, Master RKC

Jun 09, 2011 03:00 PM

If you have ever had the chance to see a full biomechanical video of a Squat (or other movement like a deadlift) you have seen the blue arrows on the screen. These blue arrows represent the direction of force during the movement. During a deadlift the blue arrows should be pointing straight up but straight up actually means straight down. Do you call a deadlift or swing a “Pull” exercise? Chances are you answered, “Pull”. And it might surprise you...

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Practice- Honing the Skill of Strength

Dave Whitley, Master RKC

Jun 08, 2011 11:00 PM

I once read a quote from Houdini that really struck me with its depth. “Magic is practice” The simple honest elegance is so obvious it is easy to dismiss. Strength is the same. Strength is practice. Strength is a by-product of continual practice. The quest for the perfect rep. And that practice begins with movement. “Practice makes perfect” is inaccurate and so is “perfect practice makes perfect”. While this sounds very good and is a step in the right direction, it is also untrue.

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The Evolution Of The Strength Athlete – Part 1

Andy Bolton & Elliot Newman

Jun 08, 2011 10:00 PM

So, you wanna get strong? That’s great, and I commend you on your choice of physical pursuit. It goes without saying that you will need to lift weights and add weight to the bar in order to get stronger. However, if you wish to reach your strength potential (in your chosen lifts) then there is going to be much more involved than mindlessly ‘lifting weights’.

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Start Where You’re At

Jeff O’Connor, Master RKC

Jun 08, 2011 06:47 PM

Starting where you’re at seems like a rather obvious and somewhat silly statement. Unfortunately, though, many of us try and start significantly farther down the course than we’re physically able to. Very few of us would try and squat 800 lbs before we had ever done 400. But for some reason most of us jump right into some lifts that require a lot of mobility and a high skill level like the Bent Press and Sots Press. I don’t want to discourage anyone from learning these lifts...

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Hartle-Style and the RKC Snatch Test

by Dr. Michael Hartle, Senior RKC

When I first took the RKC Snatch test in April of 2006, I was required to snatch the 24 kg kettlebell 74 times, without setting the bell down and being only allowed one hand switch, period. There was no time limit but the only rest you could have was at the top in the lockout position. When I was in this position, I would make sure I had my hand open, even for a brief second. If the kettlebell touched the ground at any time during the test, the test was over.

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A Pressing Matter

by Jason Marshall, RKC Team Leader

I remember hanging out at my buddy’s (Alan Martin, RKC) house when his first set of kettlebells came in. He ordered 5 bells. A 16kg, 24kg, 32kg, 40kg and 48kg. After the UPS guy finished cussing us, we opened the first box…which one do you think we opened first? The 48kg, of course! And the first thing we did with it?

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