Caveman Kettlebell – Kettlebell Swing ‘Insert’

  25th April 2016 Caveman Kettlebells, Unconventional  

 

Here at Caveman Kettlebells the kettlebell swing has evolved over many years to make it the best it can be, involving as many muscle groups as possible, and making it as safe as possible.

The kettlebell swing for fitness is an exercise that people perform to get results, those results are, but not limited to; building muscle; becoming stronger and becoming fitter, to reach those goals you need to create as much resistance as you can while increasing the weight lifted, after all, it’s resistance training!

Caveman Kettlebells has added an ‘insert’ to the kettlebell swing, this partly breaks away from the common full pendulum concept which can create several issues, especially with people who just started working with a kettlebell. What does the insert accomplish? The added insert prevents the kettlebell from bobbing, which creates friction in the hands and can also cause hitting the kettlebell in the tailbone. A full pendulum guides the kettlebell upwards at the back swing, because the kettlebell travels through the legs there is only so far it can travel, this is due to the arms eventually being stopped abruptly by the legs when the pendulum motion wants to continue, therefor, an insert is safer and more comfortable. And last but not least, the insert taxes the trapezius muscle more by guiding the kettlebell towards the ground and thus creating an opposing force for the trapezius muscle group.

I have personally performed extreme high volume swings to test the technique and see if it can withstand heavy weight without causing injury, I’m referring to the bad pain that can be caused by an incorrect kettlebell swing, not the normal muscle soreness after high volume swing.

In one session I moved 13,000 kilos in swings with a 26kg kettlebell for 500 repetitions, 8,000 kilos in snatches with a 16kg kettlebell for 500 repetitions, I added another 500 double-unders to make it even more challenging. The whole test took me 2 hours 38 minutes and 48 seconds. My goal was not to set a time record, but to perform this extremely high volume with correct technique.

The kettlebell swing insert in summary

Red dot is the pivot / shoulders
Facing east / right

0 to 10° degrees is approximate height to aim for with the swing, which is approximately shoulder to eye height, see graph below.

Illustrated below is the full pendulum trajectory, which is not enouraged in Caveman Kettlebells.

Illustrated is the Caveman Kettlebells desired partial pendulum trajectory with an insert.

Up phase of the swing.

Top 6 Kettlebell Exercises for Building Mass

  

I can hear the cries from gyms all over the world: 

“KETTLEBELLS ARE JUST FOR CARDIO!”

“KETTLEBELLS ARE JUST FOR SWINGING!”

“KETTLEBELLS ARE JUST A FAD!”

Due to a few trainers in the world, kettlebells have been exclusively associated with cardio and should be no heavier than 15 pounds. Well, no wonder people think they can’t build muscle with them!

Kettlebells are fantastic for building strength and muscle just like the all-powerful barbell. When it comes to building muscle there are three incredibly important aspects that must be present:

Due to a few trainers in the world, kettlebells have been exclusively associated with cardio, but the reality is kettlebells are fantastic for building strength and muscle just like the all-powerful barbell.

A. Progressive Overload Regardless of the Stimulus

It doesn’t matter if it’s your bodyweight, a barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells as long as there is a progression of lifting heavy weights often; your body will adapt by getting stronger. Beyond heavier weights, time under tension becomes a critical factor.

You’re not going to grow unless you increase the time in which your muscles are being stimulated (and I’m not talking about a massage). Muscular growth is triggered by this, but won’t happen unless the next two pieces of the puzzle are in place.

B. Proper Nutrition

Are you eating? Literally, right now, what’s in your hand? If you want to build muscle you need to be like Brad Pitt in nearly every scene of Ocean’s 11. Eat, eat, and eat some more. Quality is just as important as quantity. Sure you can build muscle with thousands of calories of burgers and fries, but quality should always come first.

The “right now” dictates that it’s not vitally important where the calories come from in terms of protein, fat, and carbs, but the long-term scope of your health should be your main driving force. Focus on quality and then quantity.

C. Plenty of Rest

Rest is free, relatively easy to get, and is infinitely helpful at building your body. Your body goes hard to work at repairing and adapting to everything you did during your session to make sure you come back stronger tomorrow to handle whatever life throws at you.

As long as these three things are present, let the muscle-building begin! Here are my top 6 Kettlebell Movements for building muscle:

#1. Kettlebell Double Clean & Press

This is a powerful movement (technically a few movements) that recruit a ton of muscle. When it comes to kettlebell exercises, few movements build muscle like the Double Clean & Press. With a combination of a hinge, pull, and press movement, you hit multiple, large muscle groups that will illicit growth (provided it’s the right amount of stimulus).

The Double Clean & Press can be manipulated in a number of ways during your training session to build your body such as, supersets combined with pull ups, ladders, timed sets, and more.

#2. Kettlebell Double Front Squat

They say that the squat is the king of movements, right? I’m not as infatuated as most, but I do understand the importance of the squat for not only building a strong, sexy pair of gams, but also for building your entire core and even your upper body.

Take the Double Kettlebell Front Squat for example; not only are you fighting the movement with your legs to get yourself back to standing after a nice deep squat, you’re also fighting the weights as they try to go in two separate directions. This puts your shoulders, arms, and upper back into the equation. Muy bueno for building muscle!

#3. Kettlebell Seesaw Floor Press

The problem with kettlebells is that most movements don’t hit the horizontal push pattern; enter the Floor Press! My favorite variation as it keeps the time under tension a bit greater is the Seesaw Press. Lie back flat and bring up both weights into a locked out position. Lower one (without slamming your elbow into the ground) and let the fun begin.

As you press that kettlebell, lower the other one. Reverse the motion in a controlled manner so the kettlebells always meet in the middle. This is tougher than it looks, but will do a number on your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Bonus tip: I like to elevate my hips to hit different parts of my chest and shoulders and incorporate the lower body into the exercise as well. Give it a try and thank me later.

#4. Kettlebell Seesaw Row

Similar to the Seesaw Floor Press in that the kettlebells meet in the middle during a fluid motion, the Seesaw Row keeps the tension on the back (from lower to upper and everything in between), shoulders, biceps, and core.

Multiple muscle groups for the win! The added benefit of this movement is that you’re in a constant (slight) hinge to stay in a position which taxes the glutes and quads. Your grip also gets a nice beating as well.

#5. Kettlebell Double Snatch

This is power and body awareness all rolled into one. Double snatches build big, strong shoulders and backs. Look at Olympic lifters and tell me that lifting heavy things overhead doesn’t build the upper body.

This really is a full body movement that will tax you to your core. Kettlebells make the movement a bit less technical than with the barbell, making it an easier solution for the average trainee to jump in on the fun.

#6. Kettlebell Bent Press

While all the other movements require a couple of equal kettlebells, the Bent Press is one of those movements that hits plenty with only one. By adding the twisting, squatting component to the movement, you recruit your entire body (less the arm without a kettlebell) and a ton of mobility.

You don’t need to go heavy with this one, but when you do (when you’re ready) you’ll see some amazing growth and the ability to lift heavier in other movements. When I went on a Bent Press rampage with moderate weight for low reps and high sets I saw my shoulders and triceps improve greatly while my overall mobility went through the roof. I wasn’t pushing hundreds of a pounds, but only 53-80 pounds (24-40kg) was plenty depending on the day.

There you have it. Six of my favorite muscle-building, strength-inducing, body-building kettlebell movements that will turn you from a kettlebell nerd swinging the 15 pounder to a strong, lean muscular athlete in no time.

Kettlebell Mass Building Workout

Here is a sample workout that will get you started with the six movements.

Perform all rounds of group A before moving onto Group B. Rest 60 seconds in between sets in all groups. No rest between arms in group B.

A1: Double Kettlebell Snatch – 6 rounds x 3 reps*

B1: Double Kettlebell Clean & Press and Front Squat Ladder – 3 rounds x 1-6 ladders**

C1: Bent Press Practice – 5 rounds x 3 reps (each arm)

D1: Kettlebell Seesaw Row – 3 rounds x 8-15 reps
D2: Kettlebell Seesaw Floor Press – 3 rounds x 8-15 reps

Notes

*Focus on the movement. Make it powerful and smooth.

**Perform 1 rep of each and then take a few second break. Perform 2 reps of each and then break. Repeat until 6 rounds are complete. Time how long that took you. Attempt to lessen the time with the same weight. Once you lessen it by 45-60 seconds, go to the next weight up. You may need to use different weights for the Clean & Press and Front Squat.

Waves of Strength: Soviet-Style Periodization

Waves of Strength: Soviet-Style Periodization

 http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/waves-of-strength-soviet-style-periodization

Craig Marker

Coach

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Last week I covered a simple endurance program that creates an anabolic environment to prime you for strength training. This week we’ll cover the most powerful strength program I have used. Russel Dunning and his athletes used this program with great success in attempting the StrongFirst Level II half-bodyweight kettlebell press. Many athletes fail this strength test, but all of his athletes on this program passed easily.

 

THIS PROGRAM WILL HELP YOU GET STRONG AND STAY THAT WAY FOR YEARS.

The half-bodyweight kettlebell press takes serious strength. This program can help you get there. [Photo courtesy Craig Marker]

THE SOVIET DISCOVERY OF TRAINING WAVES

Many Western periodization programs have an inverse relationship between training intensity and volume. These programs are linear in that you add weight in successive weeks and reduce the total number of lifts. Research from the Soviet weightlifting programs of the 1970s and 80s reveals that waving the volume and intensity might be the key to long-term strength gains and durability.

 

Again, I need to rely on my mentor Pavel Tsatsouline for his insight into the Soviet training methods. The Soviets were methodical about keeping records of every training session, but most of this research is still published in Russian. The leading Soviet scientists looked at the data and found interesting patterns. From those patterns, they created the training principles that produced some of the most successful and durable athletes in world history. 

 

More Soviet Training Secrets:

Why You Should Warm Up Less (Like the Russians Do)

 

DON’T TRAIN HEAVY ALL THE TIME

First, the Soviet Olympic weightlifting team did not often attempt 1-rep maxes (1RM) in their training. Most of their training was done with 65% to 85% of their 1RM. This method is contrasted with the Bulgarian style training systems, which rely on much heavier weights in training.

 

The Bulgarians were also successful in Olympic lifting; however, their athletes were not known for their long-term durability. Many of the Soviet lifters broke Olympic records long into their thirties. Leonid Taranenko won his first Olympic medal in 1980 and his last in 1992 at the age of 36. Taranenko’s combined total in 1988 for the snatch and clean and jerk was 475kg (1,047lb), and remains the heaviest ever lifted in a competition.

 

A close examination of Soviet training records reveals that their record-shattering athletes rarely approached their 1-rep max in training.

 

DECOUPLE VOLUME AND INTENSITY

If we define volume as the total number of lifts and intensity as a percentage of 1RM, we often see a pattern in Western programs. Most programs start off with more reps at lower weights and work toward weeks with few lifts at heavier weights. These programs are called linear because you add weight each week. A simple example is Wendler’s 5-3-1 program. In the first week, the person lifts 5 reps at around 75% of his or her 1RM. By the third week, the person is lifting one rep at 85-90% of his or her 1RM. 

 

The Soviets decoupled volume and intensity. One week might be high volume and high intensity and the next week would be low intensity and medium volume. Waving the volume and intensity allows for more natural recovery and greater strength gains. 

 

Varying volume and intensity independently can lead to better gains in strength, and increased longevity for the athlete.

 

The Wavy Strength Periodization Program

This program can be done on days when you are not completing endurance work.There will be some days that seem too simple (e.g., week 3, day 1) and some days that are not so easy (e.g., week 2, day 3). Stick to the program. Do not add weight because you feel better that day.

 

I would suggest sticking to one exercise for the month. If you are also following the endurance program described last week, the kettlebell swings will maintain your explosive leg power. In combination with the endurance program, this program would work well for a press.

 

The chart below provides values and reps for each day. For example, if your kettlebell press 1RM is 100lb, then you only need three weights: 75lb, 85lb, and 90lb. Please don’t worry if you don’t have the exact weights. A 32kg (72lb), 36kg (80lb), and 40kg (88lb) could easily be substituted. Start with lighter weight to warm up. You shouldn’t start right away at 75% of your 1RM. Rest periods should be greater than ninety seconds as you want to have as much power as possible on each set. You might take up to eight minutes before trying your 90% weights.

 

To read the chart, take the weight that is listed and do the number of reps. For example, on day 2 of week 1, you would do:

 

• A set of 2 with 75%
• A set of 2 with 85%
• A set of 2 with 85%
• A final set of 2 with 75% 

 

Feeling stronger than the prescribed weight for the day? Great. Stick to the program anyway.

 

At the end of the month, start the program over. This program is well-suited to beginners and advanced athletes. There are many fine nuances to these programs, but they are a bit much to discuss in this article. For example, you could create even wavier volume and intensity programs. 

 

GET STRONGER NOW, AND IN THE LONG TERM

In my experience, everyone who has used this training program has reported a great deal of success. Fabio Zonin, Russ Dunning, and Tony Gracia have trained high-level athletes using these methods. Pavel based the keys of his program on the Soviet training systems. Soviet athletes were not only known for breaking all the Olympic records, but also for maintaining durability. 

 

I have heard of many beginning athletes starting a linear style program and staying on it because of the initial success. Usually they get injured, which causes them to take a break before starting another linear program. Ultimately, the linear program becomes a wavy program as injuries stop their progress. 

 

The above program builds in the ups and downs to keep you durable. The key is to wave the volume and the intensity without coupling them together. It might mean that some weeks are low intensity and medium volume (easy) and others are high intensity and high volume. In my work with the program, there have been 15-minute sessions and 2-hour long sessions. Stick to the program, and you will notice great strength gains and long-term durability.

 

 

 

 

The Best Exercise for Shoulder Strength and Health

 http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/the-best-exercise-for-shoulder-strength-and-health

Greg Dea

Coach

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What is the best shoulder exercise?

 

The one-arm press. 

 

Whether you’re looking for performance through strength or power, or rehabilitation through patterning, the kettlebell one-arm press covers so many bases. This exercise could quite simply be the best thing you can do for your shoulder. 

 

I’ve used this drill to offset the high-volume throwing, spiking, serving, and contact of international handball and volleyball players. Even if you’re a recreational athlete, you can reap the benefits on posture and shoulder girdle strength. When the chips are down, I’ve found it to be unbelievably restorative. Athletes who do the one-arm press regularly in their programming discover more hitting power and durability. 

 

The one-arm press is great because it meets the following four criteria:

1. Start and finish position
2. Safe movement patterns
3. “Clean” power
4. Protection

 

The one-arm press will improve your shoulder strength and health, whether you're a pro or an amateur. (Photo courtesy J Perez Imagery)

 

Start and Finish Position

The start and finish positions of the one-arm press are safer than other favoured shoulder strength exercises, such as the front and side raise. The long leverage of weights lifted in front and side raises often causes the scapula to tip away from its stable position at the start and finish of the movement. That’s like allowing a crane to come loose from the ground before lifting a large building. Front and side raises cause more trouble with shoulder blade positions than any other exercise, affecting the muscles that attempt to hold the shoulder to the neck and trunk, the trapezius and rhomboids. 

 

The scapula’s main job is to support the arm. It can move freely to position the socket appropriately for the ball of the humerus to be supported. If a scapula “wings” (the medial border comes away from the rib cage, or tips forward), or the medial/superior part of the scapula gets higher than the lateral part, this places the socket in a position that limits elevation of the arm. This is not appropriate, nor is it stable. In this position, the scapula has lost its appropriate alignment.

 

More About Shoulder Anatomy and Care:

Simplifying Shoulder Health for Strength Athletes

 

Contrast that lack of alignment with the positioning offered by the one-arm press. In the one-arm press, the scapula is dynamically stable. This means it displays unrestricted freedom of movement in a supportive situation while also maintaining appropriate alignment. The movement begins with the kettlebell in the rack position, just in front of the shoulder. The kettlebell rests on the upper arm, outside the fist. The elbow faces forward. The palm side of the hand points towards the face. In the finish position, the kettlebell is directly above the shoulder, elbow straight. Both of these positions, start and finish, place the scapula in a stable position.

 

Safe Movement Patterns

The movement pattern of the one-arm press is safe. Pressing from the rack to the finish position should be vertical. The elbow faces forward at the start, yet at the finish it faces to the side. This means the shoulder joint moves from a neutral position to a laterally rotated position, whilst the scapula moves into an even safer position of retraction and upward rotation, opening the space for the shoulder joint to spin and glide into a well-balanced position.

 

This coordination takes reflex-driven rotator cuff coordination and ideal scapula movement. During the pressing pattern, the scapula starts flush against the rib cage - not elevated, depressed, retracted, or protracted, but somewhere in the middle. At the start of the press, the spine of the scapula should incline approximately ten degrees. At the finish, it should incline approximately seventy degrees without tipping forward or losing its flush connection with the ribcage.

 

Another Beneficial Overhead Press Variation:

Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Presses for Solid Shoulders

 

The position in the one-arm press means the neck doesn’t need to pigeon. Many shoulder strength exercises that require lifting a weight from below the neck lead to the athlete attempting to bring the neck to the weight. The resulting movement is akin to a pigeon poking its head and neck forward, hence the name pigeoning. Pigeoning leads to neck joint shearing and upper neck muscle recruitment, resulting in limited neck movement, pain, and headaches. If you think you don’t pigeon your neck, check yourself neck time you do upright rows or front raises. In the one-arm press, the kettlebell is pressed from the neck position to overhead, so pigeoning doesn’t happen.

 

The scapula tips further back during the pattern of pressing, clearing the space for the rotator cuff to operate and minimizing the risk of impingement. Not only does it tip further back, but it also rotates upwards, opening the space even more. It takes coordination of all of the back muscles to cause this rotation. The interesting thing is that the kettlebell can’t be pressed overhead when this scapula pattern doesn’t happen, so the drill is limited by scapular stability. This is contrary to upright rows and front raises, where the upper trapezius, pec minor, and deltoids can still lift a long-leveraged weight when the pattern coordination is poor. 

 

Clean Power

This drill is great for development of “clean power.” Power is work done in a set period of time, so it requires strength, speed, and controlled movement. Controlled movement means the activity has appropriate timing, sequencing, and coordination. 

 

Determining if a pattern of movement has appropriate timing, sequencing, and coordination is nearly impossible. However, if a pattern is shaky, jerky, or occurs in stages, we call it “dirty and difficult.” The opposite is a path of smooth movement, which we call “clean and easy.”

 

Another advantage of a vertical press is that it allows higher weight than a front or side raise because the lever is so short. The stimulus to the upper arm is higher, and the scapula remains stable. When the weight gets too heavy, the movement loses speed, and therefore power. It will become dirty and difficult. By that stage, more work has been done with a stable scapula and higher weight than the rival exercises of upright row, front raise, or side raise – all of which lose involve neck pigeoning and deviations of the scapula from appropriate alignment. 

 

Protection Against Weak Links

The last benefit of this great drill is that it reveals weak links that present injury risk. 

 

The thoracic spine and rib cage, as well as all that attaches to them, are involved in a one-arm press just as in a two-arm press. The subtle joint movements require so much coordination between stabilisers and prime movers that we couldn’t dream of readily understanding everything. When someone’s rep count expires or the weight limit plateaus, we think strength has simply reached its limit. That’s not always the reason for failure. 

 

When we switch to the one-arm version, if we see asymmetries in rep counts or weight lifted, we know that the possibility for the asymmetry is in the thoracic spine, rib cage, all of the associated muscles, the neck, and the shoulder girdle. The highlighting of side-to-side differences can direct us to improve function in these areas, releasing the handbrake on gains in pressing. When the weak link is highlighted by a dirty and difficult rep, we can modify the weight and set-up position for continued improvement.

 

When the weight gets too heavy for the normal pattern, there are some compensation movements that can occur. Most compensation occurs with the person leaning backwards to turn it more into an incline chest press. When this happens, the neck starts to pigeon, the lower back hinges, and the scapula gets away from its ideal position. The pigeoning neck is a dysfunctional compensation for poor trunk stability. This can lead to pain, limited movement, and altered motor control - three well-established risks for injury. 

 

There’s two easy fixes for this fault:

 

1. Sit down and finish the set. This removes the stability requirements of the hips and pelvis so the low back can’t give up its stable position. Or you can keep the hips and pelvis involved by standing on one leg and resting one foot on a high chair or bench. The hip flexion position of the raised leg minimizes the possibility of tilting the pelvis forward and hinging at the back.
    
   If a hinge still happens, simply lift the foot off the chair or bench to stop it. I prefer this one-legged variation since it connects the press to the ground through the feet, ankle, knees, and hips, rather than through the sit-bones of the pelvis. It’s a more holistic exercise, challenging more than just the shoulder girdle.
    
2. The second fix is to lower the weight and finish the set with cleaner form.This one is a less favoured option, since a person can still compensate with a lighter weight if they are chasing reps. It’s also less favoured because it requires conscious control of form. Self-limiting fixes always have more carryover to adaptation than conscious control fixes. The first fix is self-limiting, as it automatically won't let you disconnect from a stable trunk. This helps to save the pattern into your nervous system better than lowering the weight.

Placing one foot on a box can help correct pelvic rotation. (Photo courtesy Greg Dea)

 

A Balanced Shoulder is a Strong One

It’s common for individuals to want bouldered shoulders, but nothing kills shoulder gains more than neck pain and shoulder impingement. The rounded shoulder appearance associated with front raise and upright rows should be nowhere near as attractive to an athlete as a well-balanced shoulder girdle.

 

IF YOU FAVOUR THE LATTER - AND YOU SHOULD - SWITCH TO THE ONE-ARM PRESS FOR YOUR PRESSING WORK. 

I’ve used this simple strategy to support high-volume shoulder use for many athletes for years. The combination of positions, patterns, and power adjustments has proved protective for athletes in pre-season training, and as a superset for other prime lifts. I’ve had a Chinese national handball superstar demonstrate clear gains in throwing capability using the one-arm press with a torn labrum and rotator cuff tendon. I’ve used it for my own development, and had no trouble surprising bigger lifters with starting weights greater than their front raise peaks.

 

Whilst the position and pattern is clearly challenging, none of my athletes who’ve pressed to failure have suffered injury or post-training soreness. Trust this drill. It works.

 

This article was originally published on Breaking Muscle AU.

 

GREG DEA

Мельница с гирей

--------------------
Люблю это упражнение – мне в нём нравится ощущение растяжки мышц под нагрузкой. Оно в чём-то походе на "поворот с гирей лёжа", о котором я рассказывала в прошлый раз. Темп упражнения средний. Акцент в упражнении на мышцы кора (в том числе и на пресс, конечно), но также участвуют мышцы верха и низа тела. Когда вы поднимаетесь - задействованы ягодицы, бицепсы бедра, низ спины. Когда опускаетесь – участвуют плечи, трицепсы, верх спины. Кроме того, мельница с гирей обеспечивает работу над стабильностью плечевых суставов.

Что делать:

1. Выполните подъём гири на грудь, а затем выжмите гирю над головой. (перед первым повтором)
2. Разверните ступни под углом в 45 градусов.
3. Опускайтесь вниз по диагонали(отводя бедро как бы наружу и назад), свободная рука стремится достать пол. Взгляд направлен на гирю.
4. Коснувшись пола (если растяжки не хватает, то можно остановиться раньше), начните движение вверх до исходного положения.

Начинающим могу посоветовать делать т.н. низкую мельницу – всё то же самое, только гиря в руке, которая опущена вниз, а рука вверху просто вытянута.