Very lively kettlebell class at MMA this eve. A big group, with a number of new people, all with dance/martial arts/yoga/bodywork background and excellent body awareness. So, we really did some challenging work. We practiced a lot of different lifts, because the new students were learning the lifts very quickly, and to spread the punishment around the body. Here is what we did:
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Goblet squat – Slow lift, powerful leg & hip extension, upper body stabilizing.
Military press – Slow, shoulder & arm extension overhead, lower body stabilizes.
See-saw press – Medium speed, lower body rotation power transfers into overhead arm extension.
Clean – Fast lift, hip speed and power, upper body stabilization and shock absorption.
Push-press – Fast, full body lift, leg extension speed & power transfer into overhead, arm extension.
Swing – Fast, cyclic hip extension, long sets made for extreme heart and lung challenge.
So, how do these lifts and the simple body movements required relate to real life, sports, work or any activity? Here it is:
Goblet squat – Squatting is the 2nd most primitive and powerful movement we do. It is a synchronized extension of hip and legs. Anytime you bend your knees and extend them against resistance you are using squat strength. Climbing stairs or ladders, running, lifting things off the ground, pushing a stalled vehicle, are all squats. Any sport that requires leg strength or speed is supported by the goblet squat. So football, martial arts, bicycle racing, tennis, dance, gymnastics and acrobatic floor work, yoga, skiing, skating, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, wrestling, hiking, rock climbing, firefighting, are just a few of the activities involving the squat movement pattern. Every top golfer has a confident, low, and respectably heavy squat. The squat is so fundamental that it is difficult to find an activity that is not powerfully supported by correct squats. The goblet squat is unique in that it is very much a full body exercise. With the kettlebell held in the hands at the upper chest, stabilizers from the hands down to the pelvis must fire powerfully to control the load.
Military press – The opposite of the squat in many ways, it is a great companion lift. Now the upper body extremities are creating movement and the lower body is stabilizing. Overhead lifting is not popular in the USA, because Americans tend to have weak, immobile shoulders, so they do not want to lift things overhead, so their shoulders become even more weak and stiff, so they want to lift things overhead even less… it’s a vicious cycle. The military press also supports any movement where the arm is extending. Boxing, martial arts, baseball, any throwing or striking, wrestling, all gymnastics and acrobatics, acro-yoga, swimming, football, tennis, basketball and volleyball are all supported by the military press, as is any activity involving upper body strength.
See-saw press – This lift requires two kettlebells and moves at medium speed. The see-saw press illustrates how rhythm and timing create power. As the hips and torso rotate one kettlebells rises overhead and the other descends. This teaches the priceless skill of transferring lower body power into the hands. The skill comes naturally to most, but in varied degrees. It is essential to any athletics, hard labor, or fighting skill. The see-saw press lends itself to fairly long sets and a corresponding challenge to heart and lung capacity. It is a great way to get in a quick, full body training session that addresses all aspects of athletics.
Clean – This is a classic, old school lift, once popular with football teams. A fast, explosive hip extension propels a weight forward and up, to be caught at the upper chest. It builds the fast, powerful hip extension key to all athletics. By catching the moving kettlebell the clean also trains the body’s ability to absorb shock. This lift is versatile and very heavy ‘bells can be used to build extreme power, a medium weight can be chosen for maximum speed, or long sets can be done with a lighter weight for functional, cardiovascular training. In whatever configuration you do it, the clean is excellent training for any contact sport such as soccer, lacrosse, acrobatics, mountain biking, martial arts, gymnastics, partner or group dance, or any situation such as firefighting, where you must move fast, and produce and absorb force.
Push-press – Another fast lift. Leg extension produces power going straight up. It is another exercise for teaching the all important skill of transferring leg power into the hands, and developing the correct timing for powerful movement. Therefore the push-press has a strong effect on any athletics, especially basketball, volleyball, water polo, tennis, anything with jumping and/or striking. The application to hand strikes in martial arts is obvious. The push-press is also a favorite of our female students. Ladies of all ages are often unsatisfied with their level of upper body strength when we first meet. Learning the push-press fixes that problem in minutes, we just put the massive power of the legs into the hands. Heavy bags and overhead bins in aircraft become a breeze. The kettlebell push press is being hailed by spine doctors and chiropractors as one of the best exercises you can do for spine health and durability.
Swing – The essential fast lift, the swing is the most important lift in the kettlebell world. It is the lift that makes athletes fast and explosive, and makes people think kettlebells are magic. Kettlebell fast lifts were proven in lab testing to be the most effective fat burning exercise on the planet. But the magic only works if you do it right. The swing is simple hip extension, the basis of all athletics and all powerful, human movement. The hip movement is back to front horizontally, just like the direction of force in most throwing, striking, running and leaping. Correctly executed swings change the game for any martial artist who uses kicks or hand strikes, or any grappler who uses rapid hip movement in escapes. Baseball, tennis, handball, football, acrobatics, dance, Scottish highland games, and track and field events are a few places where the swing makes a big impact. Long sessions of swings are also one of the few exercises that function as general endurance training. Endurance as an attribute is activity specific. Because the swing is such a simple and natural movement, endurance in the swing equals endurance in all movement. Our students who have mastered the swing can play both halves in soccer full speed, and never slow down. They can move furniture all day and dance all night. The swing is another kettlebell lift that chiropractors and spine doctors are in love with. They of course emphasize the importance of correct technique and warn against the practice of using kettlebells without proper training.
We finished with a short session of Russian fast & loose drills, to shake out muscular tension. The new people showed a good combination of wisdom and aggression in choosing the weights they used. Veterans John B, Spartacus, and Jeff did all of their overhead lifting with kettlebells 53, 62 or 70 pounds. That’s one kettlebell, weighing 70 lbs, lifted overhead, many times, correctly, safely and in control, in one hand. Dig?