Great session last night at MMA, starting with progressive goblet squats and double kettlebell front squats. Alix did front squats with two 53 pound ‘bells. Danielle, a fairly new student, did goblet squats with a single 53, very strong for a beginner.
Next was progressive deadlifts: conventional, one handed, and one legged versions. Juice did sets of one legged DL’s with the 80 pound kettlebell. We had a new student Justin who is plenty strong, but due to immobility could not get down to his deadlift in correct alignment. So we put his kettlebell up on about a 5 inch block, result: perfect deadlift. After some practice with progressively heavier ‘bells, I took the block away and guess what? Justin magically dropped to full depth for a conventional DL. This illustrates how mobility and flexibility are movement patterns. When Justin truly engaged his hip power his body realized it could stabilize in the lower position, it relaxed and let the lift happen. Contrast this quick and simple fix with the typical, mainstream “solution” of static hamstring stretches for 6 weeks or 6 months. Also consider the consequences of the more common practice of simply lifting with bad alignment. Deadlifts are the foundation of human strength and power. If you have never done them, part of your movement foundation is missing.
Next I took a request for an upper body lift. Lindsey picked waiter walks and Alix asked for cleans. Juice made a special request for the deep flexibility version of the goblet squat. So we did all three. First a long session of waiter walks, people went aggressively heavy in their weight choices. Waiter walks are one of the best exercises for shoulder stabilization, balance, building bone mass, and spine function and health. Then we worked on kettlebell clean technique for a solid 15 minutes, single and double ‘bells. Next, 10 minutes of the lung scorching 30/30 interval with cleans. There were puddles of sweat on the floor. Although cleans are a fast lift driven by hip and leg power, there is also a powerful effect on upper body strength.
Finally we did the goblet squat stretch, an intense drill that uses spinal extension and ribcage opening to facilitate opening of the hips. This session also really illustrated the way advanced and beginner students can train together using different versions of the same lifts. The whole group moved to the same rhythm. Students assisted each other, asked questions and helped each other with technique tips. I am glad to fnd that the beginners are inspired rather than intimidated by the advanced students.