Kettlebell Quotes

High-repetition kettlebell swings are known to help significantly with back tightness and pain. Why? Because kettlebell swings with light weights force your core muscles to stabilize your spine while simultaneously providing a stimulus for the back to become stronger under load.

If you think you are only strong if you can lift a certain number, whatever that number is, you will feel pretty weak most of the time. Strength is not a data point; it’s not a number. It’s an attitude.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do? I change my physiology. If I am near waves, I go surf them. If not, a short, intense kettlebell workout, a bike ride, a swim, a cold shower or ice plunge, Wim Hof or heart rate variability breathing [see Adam Robinson, for a description]. It’s remarkable how the mind follows the body.

Form and technique first, reps and weight second.

doing the perfect kettlebell swing alone is superior to 99 percent of the sophisticated strength and conditioning programs out there.

The easiest way to learn the swing is based on a method developed by Zar Horton: Stand with the kettlebell directly between the middle of your feet. Bend down and do deadlifts (head up,

Understanding is a delaying tactic…,” as one novelist put it. “Do you want to understand how to swim, or do you want to jump in and start swimming? Only people who are afraid of water want to understand. Other people jump in and get wet.

Create strength so you don't need support. Don't use support so you can become strong.

The hips and shoulders are the connecting links between the powerful core and our whippy, fast friends, the arms and the legs.

1. She switched her breakfast to a high-protein meal (at least 30% protein) à la the Slow-Carb Diet. Her favorite: spinach, black beans, and egg whites (one-third of a carton of Eggology liquid egg whites) with cayenne pepper flakes. 2. Three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), she performed a simple sequence of three exercises prior to breakfast, all of which are illustrated in the next few pages: One set: 20 two-legged glute activation raises from the floor One set: 15 flying dogs, one set each side One set: 50 kettlebell swings (For you: start with a weight that allows you to do 20 perfect repetitions but no more than 30. In other words, start with a weight, no less than 20 pounds, that you can “grow into.

Russians are easy to spot, even if you dress them like Buckingham Palace guards. They are “the white people who look seriously ticked off,” as Army Ranger vet Ellis Jones, RKC, has put it on our forum.

Vodka at night. Pickle juice in the morning (the best thing for a hangover). Throwing some kettlebells around between this hangover and the next one. A Russian’s day well spent. The ‘kettlebell’ or girya is a cast iron weight which looks like a basketball with a suitcase handle. It is an old Russian toy. As the 1986 Soviet Weightlifting Yearbook put it, “It is hard to find a sport that has deeper roots in the

So be the father and husband who makes wild love to your wife at night, wakes early in the morning to bake your family chocolate chip cookies for the evening family dinner, then rips your boys out of bed to go lift heavy kettlebells in the garage and drag sandbags up and down the driveway—followed by dirty, sweaty bear hugs afterward. But don't be the father and husband who stays absent and distracted with "noble" email and social media work all day, then gathers the family round Netflix in the basement in the evening so they can eat takeout while you have an excuse to dink on your phone some more as they're distracted by their own giant screen.

Our society is awash with founders, all listening to the same leadership podcasts, doing the same kettlebell lunges to improve grip and leg strength at the same time, then dissolving identical Tim Ferriss–approved muscle-building complexes into their post-workout shakes to transform their previously similar mesomorph bodies into something even more metabolically equivalent. All while making parallel grandiose-style projections about their own app, disruption, or innovation whereby their personal self-interest miraculously aligns with the interest of society writ large and places them as CEO/founder/servant-leader on the very prow of the vessel of civilization.

I had a vivid illustration of domain dependence in the driveway of a hotel in the pseudocity of Dubai. A fellow who looked like a banker had a uniformed porter carry his luggage (I can instantly tell if someone is a certain type of banker with minimal cues as I have physical allergies to them, even affecting my breathing). About fifteen minutes later I saw the banker lifting free weights at the gym, trying to replicate natural exercises using kettlebells as if he were swinging a suitcase. Domain dependence is

Every two weeks take a kettlebell one or more sizes lighter than the one you are currently swinging. Pick a swing variation—two-arm, one-arm, hand-to-hand, mixed—and enjoy the pain.

The kettlebell swing is one of the best deadlift assistance exercises one can do. It develops a hard driving lockout and bulletproofs the back. Donnie Thompson, RKC was undoubtedly the first elite powerlifter using the swing for this purpose. He credited kettlebells with taking his pull from 766 to 832—and saying farewell to his persistent back problems.

It does not matter if you can do 1,000 punches if none of them can knock out your little sister.

Our society is awash with founders, all listening to the same leadership podcasts, doing the same kettlebell lunges to improve grip and leg strength at the same time, then dissolving identical Tim Ferriss–approved muscle-building complexes into their post-workout shakes to transform their previously similar mesomorph bodies into something even more metabolically equivalent. All while making parallel grandiose-style projections about their own app, disruption, or innovation whereby their personal self-interest miraculously aligns with the interest of society writ large and places them as CEO/founder/servant-leader on the very prow of the vessel of civilization. It is lunacy.

The basic core kettlebell swings at the heart of your new fit and fierce life require some planning and execution. Healthy as they are and quick as they build muscle and fitness, kettlebell swings require effort. The benefits don’t come for free, but from hundreds of kettlebell swings each day.

In terms of preventing the sitting diseases, getting up out of the chair many times daily to do the exercise is one of the key benefits. Whichever your choice of 12, 8 or 6 sessions a day, you have to get up and actually do them.

Doing one 12 minute session, then sitting all day would be less effective in combating sitting metabolic disorders. Short sessions are better than other ways, too. A heavier kettlebell can be managed when swinging for minute and a half, versus 12 minutes. A 12 minute, 432 swing session would require a lighter weight than a 90 second exercise.  Muscle growth would be less robust with the lighter weight, although the 12 minutes at lighter weight makes for great endurance training.

The kettlebell swing involves holding the kettlebell overhand with both hands, swinging it behind and back through the legs in a hiking football motion, and then swinging up and out in front, powered by a snap of the hips. The swing momentum slows and stops with the kettlebell up at shoulder level, and then you guide it down again through your legs as you hinge forward.

This single exercise, when repeated enough, provides huge benefits in fat loss, muscle gain and cardiovascular conditioning.  Perhaps more than any other exercise, the kettlebell swing helps you slim down, pack on muscle and give your heart a healthy workout. This is why an entire book is devoted to it and to helping you do the swings that will revolutionize your fitness, strength and endurance.

Swinging the kettlebell tones the core and the muscles of the posterior chain, such as hamstrings and glutes. The swing replicates natural work movements of which we used to do a lot more, such as shoveling. The basic lifting motion is part of everyday need, such as lifting a child or hefting a bag of groceries.

The exercise is also ballistic, which comes from the Greek, to throw.  In the kettlebell swing you do indeed then throw the weight upward, (while holding on to and guiding it), meaning you have to generate force quickly, challenging your rapid-growing fast twitch muscles.

Each day you will perform a circuit consisting of the five strength exercises covered in this book: The Goblet Squat The Kettlebell Swing The Push-up The Kettlebell Press The Chin-up

TUT doesn’t apply to the kettlebell swing. The swing is the one case where I recommend adding reps in order to progress. Once you’re completely comfortable performing 5 sets of 10 swings with a given weight start increasing the sets by one rep each week. After you master sets of 20 it’s time to level up with a shiny new kettlebell.

Never contest for space with a kettlebell.

I had a vivid illustration of domain dependence in the driveway of a hotel in the pseudocity of Dubai. A fellow who looked like a banker had a uniformed porter carry his luggage (I can instantly tell if someone is a certain type of banker with minimal cues as I have physical allergies to them, even affecting my breathing). About fifteen minutes later I saw the banker lifting free weights at the gym, trying to replicate natural exercises using kettlebells as if he were swinging a suitcase. Domain dependence is pervasive.

The two handed kettlebell swing is the foundation of all kettlebell exercises. It is very dynamic, involving swinging a heavy weight in a five foot arc, quickly repeated. The quick and continuous movement is very different in look and feel than most strength training. It offers an extremely quick way to be gaining, in just a few seconds, heart healthy cardiovascular exercise along with a body shaping muscular workout.

As with all weight training, breathing is very important in kettlebell swings. This is covered more later, but basically the rule is to exhale on the lift phase, that is, as the weight being boosted and is swinging up. Inhale as the weight drops back down.

When the Russian kettlebell meets an American steak, it is a beautiful thing.

Workout A All exercises, except for kettlebell swings, are performed for 10 repetitions using a 13-Repetition Max2 (RM) weight. 1. Heavy dumbbell front squat to press (ass to heels)—squeeze glutes at bottom for one second before rising 2. One-arm, one-leg DB row 3. Walking lunges with sprinter knee raise 4. Wide-grip push-ups3 5. Two-arm kettlebell swings × 20–25 Repeat sequence 2–4 times. Workout

Kettlebell windmills (or “high windmills”) are incredible for hip rehab and “prehab.” The standing position is similar to yoga’s trikonasana, but you support 70 to 80% of your weight on one leg while you keep a kettlebell overhead. YouTube is your friend.

​The hip hinge is the most pivotal movement in kettlebell training, pun intended.

Kettlebell swings are the most effective full body exercise for this very reason. It is great as a stand-alone exercise and can be programmed into any style for every goal imaginable. This creates a problem within itself; most people say that Swings make their back pain worse. The swing is a very hard movement to learn because most individuals have a hard time activating and working the proper muscles.

​I always start the swing by standing a foot behind the bell. This helps to drive the bell behind the hips as I stand up for the first swing. Once the bell is behind my hips, I drive my hips forward and swing the bell out away from my body. The upward motion is only due to my arms being attached to the bell.

By design, the kettlebell is very unstable when lifted with intent. This causes the kettlebell to fight the lifter with every move. A slight turn or adjustment can cause a wild trajectory or hard impact with any ill placed body part. This

The Kettlebell does not care about you. It will hurt more than your feelings.

3 days per week for 8 weeks: Set a timer for 20 minutes and alternate pushups and one or two handed kettlebell swings on the minute.  Use the elbows in rule for pushups and keep your hips fully extended and your abs firing.  If you can’t do full pushups, do kneeling pushups or pushups against a wall. Your goal is to double your work capacity in 20 minutes with excellent form.  Start with an unchallenging number of reps for both pushups and swings and build from there.  You want your first few workouts to be easy and gradually get harder, then back off, then get harder.  Continue adding one rep per minute in both pushups and strict swings every workout until the fourth week then back off (do the unchallenging number of reps you did at the beginning). On the sixth week, start with the numbers you used starting on the second week and continue adding reps until completing the eighth week.

I’m not as good as I once was, but I am as good once as I ever was.

Getting up out of our work chair, say once an hour, to do 90 seconds of kettlebell swings may well serve as the perfect preventive behavior to the onslaught of metabolic sitting disorders. Don’t let your chair and car seat disable you; fight back with kettlebell swings!

The one-arm snatch is the Tsar of kettlebell lifts, fluid and vicious. It will quickly humble even studly powerlifters. The forces generated by this drill are awesome. “How can it be if the weight is so light?” you might ask. –Through great acceleration and deceleration. F=ma, force equals mass multiplied by acceleration. Would you rather roll a 500 pound barbell over your toes or drop a 72 pounder from seven feet? I rest my case.

You can think of the snatch as a clean to the point above your head. Do not even think about taking it on until you have mastered one arm swings and cleans! Stand over a kettlebell, your feet about shoulder width apart, your weight on your heels. Inhale, arch your back, push your butt back, and bend your knees. Reach for the bell with one hand, the arm straight, while keeping the other arm away from your body (initially you may help yourself by pushing with the free hand against your thigh but it is considered ‘no class’ by most gireviks). Swing the bell back and whip it straight overhead in one clean movement. Note that the pulling arm will bend and your body will shift to the side opposite to the weight. But you do not need to worry about trying to do it that way; just pull straight up and your body will find an efficient path in a short while. Do not lift with your arm, but rather with your hips. Project the force straight up, rather than back—as in a jump. You may end up airborne or at least on your toes. It is OK as long as you roll back on your heels by the time the bell comes down. Dip under the K-bell as it is flipping over the wrist. Absorb the shock the same way you did for cleans. Fix the weight overhead, in the press behind the neck position for a second, then let it free fall between your legs as you are dropping into a half squat. Keep the girya near your body when it comes down. As an option, lower the bell to your shoulder before dropping it between the legs. Ease into the one arm power snatch because even a hardcore deadlifter’s hamstrings and palms are guaranteed to take a beating. Especially if your kettlebells are rusty like the ones I trained with at the ‘courage corner’. It was a long time after my discharge before my palms finally lost their rust speckled calluses. Unlike the deadlift, the kettlebell snatch does not impose prohibitively strict requirements on spinal alignment and hamstring flexibility. If you are deadlifting with a humped over back you are generally asking for trouble; KB snatches let you get away with a slightly flexed spine. It is probably due to the fact that your connective tissues absorb shock more effectively when loaded rapidly. Your ligaments have wavy structures. A ballistic shock—as long as it is of a reasonable magnitude—is absorbed by these ‘waves’, which straighten out like springs.

Two Arm Kettlebell Swing Start Position—Stand one foot behind kettlebell, grasping KB with both hands, loading the hamstrings with a good athletic posture Execution—Throw KB in a 'hiking' motion between the legs maintaining a good athletic posture. This loads the body. Then triple extend the hips, knees, and ankles in an explosive manner. At this time, the arms should serve as a tether, only guiding the KB to about eye level. The height of the KB is dictated by the explosiveness of the lower body. Return—Lower the KB by using gravity to control the KB back into the athletic position with the KB high in the crotch (ie. a witch on a broomstick)

The Official Soviet Weightlifting Textbook Girevoy Sport Competition Training Guidelines (Falameyev, 1986) Train three times a week on non-consecutive days, preferably at the same time of the day. In the beginning limit your sessions to 30 min and your load to 3 sets per exercise in two arm exercises and 3 sets per arm in one arm drills. Select a weight that enables you to do 5-16 repetitions in a given exercise. Perform your exercises through the full range of motion. Breathe deep and smooth without excessive straining and breath holding. Rest for 2 min between sets. Calmly walk around. Train the one arm snatches, presses, and C&Js in 3-5 sets. Complete all the sets for the weaker arm first. Once a week work both arms back to back without setting the kettlebell down on the platform. Perform 2-3 such competition style sets. Do extra snatches with the weaker arm. Pay a lot of attention to the development of your wrist strength. Before tackling the competition-level, two arm/two kettlebell C&Js, master one arm/one KB C&Js, with a special emphasis on the weaker arm. Train the two arm/two kettlebell C&J in 6-8 sets. Include two different kettlebell exercises in a training session and follow them up with 2-3 barbell exercises. As the competition approaches, the number of barbell exercises in a session is decreased, so is their volume.

WORKOUT #1 1. Double arm swing to warm up. –x20 2. Military press (strict). –x10 3. Clean and push press. –x10 4. Cleans. –x10 5. One arm side press. –x5 (each side) 6. Overhead one arm squats. –x10 7. Lunges. –x20 8. Sumo deadlifts. –x20-50 9. Wrestler’s bridge press. –x10 10. Turkish get ups. –x5 (each side) 11. Janda or Ab Pavelizer situps. 12. Chin up ladders. –alternate with a partner. The circuit is done with no rest between exercises for one set of the above repetitions with kettlebells that weight about 23.6 kilograms or 52 pounds each. The workout is under 15.00 and I attempt to lessen the time every workout. Zack and Steve Maxwell are ready to take on their kettlebells.

Falameyev advises to start training with 16kg, advance to 24 kg in four to six weeks, and later to dvukhpudoviks. Beginners are not supposed to train longer than 30 min per workout. Three workouts a week on non-consecutive days, preferably at the same time of the day, are the rule of thumb.

In the beginning of your career, the Russian expert advises you to limit your load to three sets per exercise in two-arm exercises and three sets per arm in one-arm drills. You should select a weight that enables you to do no less than 5-6 and no more than 15-16 repetitions in a given exercise.

Repeat the one arm snatch in 3-5 sets, first with the left (if it is the weaker one), and then for the same number of sets with the right arm. For some sessions, perform the complete cycle of the exercise by switching the kettlebell from hand to hand. Pay a lot of attention to developing your wrist strength. Snatch more often with the weaker arm.

Train the press in a similar fashion. First, give an adequate load to the weaker arm (3-5 sets till substantial fatigue), then to the strong one. Once a week, perform a full cycle of the exercises (in 2-3 sets—as in a competition): press the kettlebell out with one arm until total exhaustion, and then repeat the drill with the other arm, without setting the kettlebell down on the platform.

If a kettlebell were a person, it would be the type of a guy you would want [on your side] in an alley fight. —Glenn Buechlein, powerlifter

Called girya in Russian, this cannonball with a handle has been making better men and women for over 300 years. In imperial Russia, “kettlebell” was synonymous with “strength.” A strongman or weightlifter was called a girevik or a “kettlebell man.” Strong ladies were girevichkas or “kettlebell women.

Not a single sport develops our muscular strength and bodies as well as kettlebell athletics,” reported Russian magazine Hercules in 1913.

Kettlebells are compact, inexpensive, virtually indestructible, and can be used anywhere. The unique nature of kettlebell lifts provides a powerful training effect with a relatively light weight, and you can replace an entire gym with a couple of kettlebells. Dan John, Master SFG[1] and a highly accomplished power athlete, famously quipped, “With this kettlebell in my bedroom I can prepare myself for the Nationals.

Kettlebell Kings is the best place to buy kettlebells. They have a wide selection of kettlebells to choose from, and they also offer a variety of sizes and weights to suit your needs. Kettlebell Kings also offers a wide range of accessories, including kettlebell racks, storage carts, and other essential items.

Swings: 75-250 a day Goblet squats: 15-25 a day Get-ups: 1-10 each side a day (As RKC Team Leader Chris White reminds us, “Just doing ONE get-up slowly over five minutes is as instructive as anything you can do.”) I think if we add 15-25 push-ups a day, we might have a routine that will provide fitness, longevity, health and performance.

Each day you will perform a circuit consisting of the five strength exercises covered in this book:  The Goblet Squat The Kettlebell Swing The Push-up The Kettlebell Press The Chin-up

Wrestling Physical Conditioning Encyclopedia (printed in 1974),

It seems that 75-250 swings a day is in the “wheelhouse” for the swing’s minimum effective dose.

Kettlebell swings attack metabolic syndrome head on. First, they build muscle and reduce fat, both keys to the disorder. Fat build up, especially in the abdominal area, can be halted and reversed with kettlebell swings (and the other recommendations in this book). The muscles the swings produce help use up glucose and insulin, both toxic when levels are too high in the blood.

Except in some specific training you might wish to do, your twelve minutes of daily kettlebell swings are not done at once. As a matter of fact, eight hourly sessions, each just 90 seconds long, are your best pattern for preventing metabolic diseases. Two other excellent patterns are one-minute of kettlebell swings each hour, 12 times a day or two-minutes of swings 6 times a day.

activity for at least ten minutes in the first half of every single day. More is better. But ten minutes is a start. Even ten minutes can change a day, as many Tranquility by Tuesday participants found, and changing days is how we ultimately change our lives. The “move” part of this rule can be any sort of movement. Most people walk, but push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, kettlebell swings, and so forth, are options. Chasing kids around the yard or pushing a stroller counts. Traditional exercise such as running or a fitness class is wonderful if it works, but if it doesn’t, there’s no need to get sweaty enough to require a shower afterward. The lady who shared her schedule challenge at my talk wasn’t changing clothes

Michael Licata, recently appointed don of the Bonanno crime family, was covered in sweat and grunting like a Eurotrash tennis pro as he did his Tuesday kettle-bell workout.

Some people—especially Art DeVany, recently—argue that the deep stretch and rebound in the kettlebell clean make this lift a superior way to develop mass. In addition, at the start of the movement, all three functions of the biceps are easily noted in the basic kettlebell clean.

I do only three lifts, seven days a week: 40 one-arm kettlebell swings with 20 kg; 20 two-arm swings with 32 kg; and 20 one-arm snatches with 24 kg.

This concept can seem a little daunting when doing your first swings. These first swings can feel tiring, as I described my first 25 swings with a 30 pound weight. This is not unlike the first minutes of a jog, where sometimes the transition from resting state to vigorous exercise seems punishing. Within minutes of beginning jogging, though, your body adjusts to the new workload and any unpleasantness is reduced. The same occurs with kettlebell swings and soon you realize that your 50th swing feels no more tiring, even less so, than your tenth swing.

Your twelve minutes of daily kettlebell swings could theoretically be done in one 12 minute stretch. Doing so might provide the most cardiovascular benefits, as the session would move your heart rate up into the training zone nearly immediately, and keep it there for some minutes.  These long minutes with your heart in the training zone provide huge cardiovascular conditioning and risk reduction benefits.

On the other hand, quickly bringing your heart rate up, repeatedly, as in the case of interval training, also provides cardiovascular benefits. Just as interval sprints are superior to plain jogging in providing cardiovascular conditioning, it may well be the one minute, or 90 second, or two minute kettlebell swing sessions provide even more benefits than one long session.

Some trainers advocate 2 minute swing sessions, claiming that the 120 seconds of continuous exercise is better for the cardiovascular system as it keeps the heart rate up longer in the training zone. A big advantage of 2 minute swing sessions is that you only need six daily sessions to get your 12 minutes.

To accomplish eight 90-second kettlebell swing sessions, you need to start early. Ideally, you will have done 4 sessions by noon and 4 more during the rest of the afternoon and evening. Remember, getting up and doing your swings is the price you pay for your great health, outstanding body and high endurance.

One good way to accomplish these sessions is to have your watch give an hourly beep or buzz.  As one session per hour is nearly ideal, this reminder works out really well. It is surprising, though, how often it seems to beep.

Instead of counting your swings, you can use your mobile device’s clock timer function. I tell my Android device, “set timer for 90 seconds.” When the timer appears I say “start” and it counts down. I know that 90 seconds later I will have done 54 kettlebell swings. When the time is up, I can tell it, “set timer for one hour,” and it will alarm 60 minutes later, reminding me to swing again

Your mobile device also offers apps that chime once an hour (or as set up.) You will find your ability to actually accomplish the swings greatly boosted by having these frequent reminders. It can quickly become a point of pride to do your 90 second kettlebell swing session when you hear the hourly chime. Ignored chimes tend to grate on one, but also motivate to not let another hour pass without quick exercise.

This is how powerlifting world champion Donnie Thompson swings. This is kime. Thompson took his deadlift from 766 to 832, and added 100 pounds to his bench press in nine months with hard style kettlebell training.

The bike is efficient—and fat people can ride it forever.

We do not tolerate weakness at StrongFirst. You do not have a weak arm and a strong arm—but a strong and a stronger one.

You are to do nothing else during this practice—only lift the kettlebell and move for active recovery. There is no chatting, looking at members of the opposite sex, watching TV, fooling around with your phone (absolutely no phone), taking a drink of water, or going to the bathroom. Just training. Your session is barely half an hour long; stay focused.

Swing combines well with any other upper body, leg, or core work Swing / Press Swing / Squat Swing / Sprint Swing / Sit Up Swing / Push Up Swing / Pull Up

You should be aware of common incorrect grips so that you can avoid them: Crushing the handle by squeezing your palm, as shown in figure 7.3a. Here the hand is not inserted fully into the handle and there is too much tension and pressure from the hand. Note the forearm muscles already pumping with this grip. Holding too loosely and not securing the handle with the thumb, as shown in figure 7.3b. The kettlebell will move around too much with this grip and can slip out of your hand during training. Holding with only the fingertips, as shown in figure 7.3c. In an effort to decrease contact with the painful dry skin in the folds of the fingers, the lifter may let the kettlebell slide to the fingertips. The handle is not secured with this grip, and it should be avoided.

Halo. The halo is a phenomenal exercise for shoulder and cervical mobility. Many people love the way it makes the shoulders feel and incorporate it in their warm-up and for rehabilitation and prehabilitation purposes. To perform this exercise, hold a light kettlebell by the horns, or sides of the handle, in front of your face using both hands (see figure 7.6a). Circle over and across the top of the head and continue the circle all the way around (see figure 7.6, b and c). The kettlebell drops lower as it comes behind you and rises again as it moves back up in front. Breathe normally throughout the exercise. Work in both directions. KEY PRINCIPLES As the name suggests, keep the path of the kettlebell comparable to a halo around the top of your forehead. Relax the elbows and allow them to articulate freely. Ensure the kettlebell is close to the head, but use caution to avoid accidental contact with the upper extremities.

Single press. The single press is a total upper-body movement that is the beginning progression for more advanced overhead exercises. It teaches proper alignment in the overhead position while simultaneously conditioning the arms, shoulders, and back, and it is the foundational lift for vertical pushing or pressing movements. To perform this exercise, clean a single kettlebell to your chest into the rack position (see figure 7.19a). This is the start position for the press. Before pressing up, compress your rib cage on the side of the pressing arm. As you recoil to the downward compression, press the kettlebell directly up until your elbow is completely extended in the lockout position (see figure 7.19b). In this overhead position, the optimal position of the hand and shoulder is such that your thumb is pointing directly back. A slight rotation of the palm is acceptable, but avoid overrotating so that you have the most efficient path, which is a straight line. Any additional rotation or deviation from the straight line is wasted effort and nonoptimal alignment. To lower the kettlebell, move your body back slightly so that the kettlebell can fall directly down the centerline and all the way to the hip (see figure 7.19c) and back to the rack position to complete the lift (see figure 7.19d). The drop from the overhead lockout position back to rack position should be a smooth, relaxed movement. Imagine you are being supported from a string and a puppeteer is lifting your arm and kettlebell. When the string is cut, the kettlebell just free-falls back to the rack position. With practice you will be able to absorb the force from the drop so that the kettlebell smoothly slides into place. When performing this exercise, use anatomical breathing with four breathing cycles. Starting from the rack position, inhale deeply before the initial compression, and then exhale as you drop or flex your thoracic spine. Inhale as you bump with the rib cage, and exhale as you lock out. Take one full breath cycle while in lockout and add more recovery breaths if needed. Inhale as you begin to drop the kettlebell, and exhale as it lands back in the rack position.

Day 1: military press, row, squat, leg raise Day 2: pushup, YTWL, swing Day 3: Original Strength resets galore (breathing, neck nods, rolling, rocking, crawling)

Warming up for kettlebells The full-body warm-up: 10 x single leg hip circles one side 10 x single leg hip circles other side 10 x hip circles one way 10 x hip circles other way 10 x thoracic rotation one side 10 x thoracic rotation other side 10 x arm circled forward 10 x arm circled backward 10 to 20 x jumping jacks use high knees on the second round or

Around-the-body pass. The around-the-body pass serves as an excellent warm-up, especially for the arms, core, and grip. To perform this exercise, maintain good posture and alignment as you pass the kettlebell around the body while your hips remain facing forward throughout (see figure 7.5). Breathe normally throughout the exercise. Vary the tempo of the movement and reverse directions several times. KEY PRINCIPLES Keep your eyes forward to maintain good posture and develop kinesthetic awareness. Ensure the kettlebell is close to the body but not so close as to create collision and injury.

Kettlebell deadlift. The kettlebell deadlift primarily targets the posterior chain (lower back, glutes, and hamstrings). It is an excellent companion to the kettlebell box squat and additionally helps teach proper hip-creasing mechanics, creating an important foundation for the classical kettlebell exercises (e.g., swing, clean, snatch). With the kettlebell on the ground, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with the kettlebell just in front of you (see figure 7.9a). Keep your chest lifted as you sit back with your hips until your hands can reach the handle (see figure 7.9b). Grab the handle with both hands and stand up by pressing your feet into the ground until your body is fully upright (see figure 7.9c). Repeat by sitting back to lightly touch the kettlebell to the ground. Do 10 controlled repetitions with a light weight and then repeat with a more challenging weight (e.g., women start with 8 kg [18 lb] for 10 repetitions and then use 12 kg [26 lb] for 10 repetitions; men start with 16 kg [35 lb] for 10 repetitions and then use 24 kg [53 lb] for 10 repetitions). This basic exercise teaches you to keep your center of gravity aligned vertically over your base of support. It is important to have control over your center of mass because kettlebell training involves such dynamic movements. A strong and stable base will keep you safe when swinging the kettlebell. KEY PRINCIPLES Crease at the hips instead of bending at the waist. Maintain a neutral spine and slightly arched lower back. Legs can be bent or straight depending on the desired training effect. Straight legs will recruit the hamstrings more and bent legs will recruit the quadriceps more.

Single swing. The single swing is the foundational movement of all the classical lifts. Within this exercise, you will find many of the universal principles and unique aspects of kettlebell training, such as inertia, pendulum grip endurance, and anatomical breathing. The swing needs to be mastered before moving on to the other classical lift exercises (e.g., clean, snatch). It cannot be understated: All other kettlebell lifts build upon the foundation of the swing. To perform this exercise, stand with the feet hip-width apart and with one kettlebell on the floor in front of you (see figure 7.10a). Sit back with the hips (think box squat) and with one hand, grab the handle with the fingers (see figure 7.10b). Thumb positioning for the swing can vary depending on the individual and the training goals. There are three options: Thumb forward, which allows for faster pacing due to minimized motion (creates a shallower downswing) and seems to be more comfortable for those with shoulder tightness because there is no rotation at the shoulder during this position. Thumb back, which provides better grip endurance by distributing some of the stress from the forearm to the triceps and creates more of a momentum-based movement because of the spiral nature of this variation (thus, there is a greater range of motion to reduce and produce force). Neutral thumb, which distributes stress more equally along the grip, arms, and shoulders. Next, keep the shoulders back and chest lifted as if you are going to do a deadlift, and as you begin to stand, swing the kettlebell between your legs (see figure 7.10c). When the swing reaches its end point behind you, stand up completely, extending the ankles, knees, hips, and torso (see figure 7.10d). Sustain this pendulum swing through the duration of the set. When performing this exercise, use one or two cycles of anatomical breathing (a cycle is defined as one exhalation and one inhalation). There are two variations you can use: Exhale at the back of the downswing and inhale during the upswing (one breath cycle), or exhale at the back of the downswing, inhale, exhale as the kettlebell transitions from the horizontal to the vertical plane at the top of the forward swing, and inhale as the kettlebell drops again preceding the next backswing (two breath cycles for every one swing).

Single clean. The single clean is a natural progression from the swing and is the intermediary point between the swing and many of the overhead lifts. The clean introduces hand insertion, alignment points connected to the rack position, and positioning of the kettlebell in the hand in order to avoid injury and grip fatigue. It also teaches you how to use your legs to transmit vertical power from the lower to upper body. With practice, your clean becomes a smooth, rhythmic movement that you can sustain for extended lengths of time, although it may take hundreds of practice repetitions before it flows and becomes polished. Resting the kettlebell on the forearm is a distinguishing characteristic of kettlebells that makes them behave differently than dumbbells and makes them effective for developing the fitness that comes with high-repetition resistance training. By placing most of the load on the forearm, the muscles of the hand and grip are able to relax. It takes practice before the kettlebell will move smoothly in your hand and into position. Sometimes you will have bad repetitions and the kettlebell will crash into your forearm. To make this learning process a little kinder, you can wear wrist wraps or wristbands. In time your technique will become more polished and the kettlebell will just float into position on your arm in cleans and snatches, and at that point you may prefer to not use any wraps at all. However, it is an option for those with more tender arms—no sense giving yourself bruises if you do not need to. With the kettlebell on the floor, sit back with your hips and grip the handle with the fingers of one hand (see figure 7.11, a and b). Swing the kettlebell back through your legs as you did in the one-handed swing (see figure 7.11c), and as it swings forward, keep your forearm braced against your body (see figure 7.11d). During the swing, your arm comes away from the body as inertia pulls the kettlebell forward and up. During the clean, on the other hand, the arm does not disconnect from body, and at the point where the arm would disconnect during the swing, it instead moves vertically along the front of your body. Imagine you are standing inside a chimney. The walls of the chimney block you so that you cannot move out or to the side; you can only move the kettlebell up and down the chimney wall. When the hips reach forward extension, pull with the hip on the working side and give a gentle tug with your trapezius on the same side, pulling the kettlebell up the chimney (see figure 7.11e). Before the kettlebell settles to the chest, loosen your grip and open your hand to insert your fingers as deeply into the handle as you can at a curved angle until the medial portion of your forearm, the ulna, blocks you from inserting the hand any further (see figure 7.11f). Complete the vertical pull by letting the kettlebell rest on your chest and arm (see figure 7.11g) into what is called the rack position. This

Figure-eight between-the-legs pass. This is a gentle warm-up and a surprisingly good conditioning movement for the legs and core. It involves elements of coordination and body awareness, which makes it challenging and engaging. To perform this exercise, pick up the kettlebell and hold it in front of you with either hand with feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in the knees (see figure 7.7a). Pass the kettlebell from the left hand to the right through your legs from front to back (see figure 7.7b). Continue the momentum to circle back in front of the body and pass to the other hand (see figure 7.7c). Exhale as you switch hands. This will automatically create an inhalation at the other movement points. Continue this continuous figure-eight pattern. Change direction and pass from back to front. KEY PRINCIPLES As you pass the kettlebell between the legs, maintain a neutral spine position and crease in the hips. Keep the kettlebell close to the body, being careful not to hit yourself with it.

Box squat. The box squat helps you become familiar with proper squat mechanics while simultaneously providing a degree of safety and structural support in the bottom position. This version of the box squat is used to teach proper hip action in the squat, teaching you how to sit back and load your hips while keeping tension in the hips. To perform this exercise, stand in front of a sturdy box or chair with feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider (see figure 7.8a). Lower to touch your buttocks and upper hamstrings to the top of the box without actually sitting on the box, keeping your weight on your heels and keeping full control of your body (see figure 7.8b). Inhale as you descend and exhale as you stand up. When done correctly, you will properly engage your hips and make your squat less of a knee-dominant movement. KEY PRINCIPLES Do not collapse on the box; it is only a focal point to reach for. Use the paradoxical breathing technique (inhale as you descend and exhale as you stand). As you become comfortable with the movement and feel your spinal stability improve, you can switch to anatomical breathing (exhale as you descend and inhale as you stand up). Maintaining a neutral spine (slightly arched lower back) along with creased hips is the key to both performance and injury prevention.

Push press. The push press is identical to the press but includes a leg drive. The lift initiates from the legs and is completed through the arm and hand. This allows more diversified conditioning in addition to significantly increasing the ability to work at higher volume and intensity. Once you find the max load you can use in the press, the use of your legs will allow you to do more than you can in a strict press. The use of the legs also allows greater endurance because you are distributing effort over more of your body. To perform this exercise, clean the kettlebell to your chest (see figure 7.20a). Load the stance by sinking your knees downward as you compress your rib cage (see figure 7.20b). Immediately follow the slight downward knee bend with fast and explosive lifting, pressing your feet vigorously into the ground (see figure 7.20c). From the extension of the legs, the kettlebell will already be more than halfway to the top. Complete the lift by pressing through the triceps into the overhead lockout position, identical to the top position of the press (see figure 7.20d). To drop the kettlebell back to your chest, rise up slightly on your toes as you move your body back in order to allow the kettlebell to fall straight down the chimney (see figure 7.20e). Your feet are planted again as the kettlebell reaches your chest and your elbow slides on top of your hip (see figure 7.20f). When performing this exercise, use anatomical breathing with four breathing cycles. Starting from the rack position, inhale deeply before the initial compression, and then exhale as you drop into a half squat. Inhale as you extend the legs and bump with the rib cage, and exhale as you lock out. Take one full breath cycle while in lockout and add more recovery breaths if needed. Inhale as you deflect the trunk backward to drop the kettlebell, and exhale as the kettlebell lands back in the rack position.

Snatch. The kettlebell snatch is a total-body exercise with special emphasis on the entire posterior chain. It simultaneously develops strength, explosiveness, structural integrity, cardiorespiratory capacity, and virtually every attribute on the athletic continuum. There are six stages to the snatch: Inertia swing Acceleration pull with hip and trapezius Hand insertion deep into the handle Overhead lockout Direction change into the drop Grip change into the backswing To perform this exercise, with the kettlebell on the floor in front of you, load your hips and grip the kettlebell with your fingers as you would for the swing (see figure 7.21a). Swing the kettlebell back between your legs as you begin to stand, further loading the hips (see figure 7.21b). As with the swing and clean, various thumb positions can be used in the downswing and upswing portion of the snatch. The most common is to rotate the thumb back at the end of the downswing and transition to a 45-degree angle (thumb up) at the beginning of the acceleration pull. Keep your arm connected to your body and extend your knees and hips, allowing the inertia of the kettlebell to pull your arm forward (figure 7.21c). Just as the arm begins to separate from the body, accelerate the kettlebell vertically as fast as you can by rapidly pulling with the hip, followed by a shrug of the trapezius. If you are snatching with your right hand, push forcefully with your left leg, pull back your right hip, and shrug with your right trapezius (see figure 7.21d). As the kettlebell is accelerating upward, release your fingers and insert your palm deeply into the handle (see figure 7.21e). Allow the momentum to carry the kettlebell all the way to the top and lock out your arm in the fully extended elbow position (see figure 7.21f). This overhead lockout position is identical to the overhead position in the push or push press (thumb facing back, no or minimal rotation). To drop the kettlebell back down, first shift your weight to the opposite foot (if snatching with the right hand, shift to the left foot) and lean your upper body back (see figure 7.21g). Keep your hips and torso extended maximally and let your triceps connect to your torso. Finish the downswing by changing grips and pulling your hand back to catch the handle with your fingers (see figure 7.21h), and tighten the fingers as you follow the kettlebell between your legs into the backswing (see figure 7.21i). Use the rhythmic motion to continue the snatch for the desired repetitions.

Again, your hand should guide the bell in the shortest path possible.  One cue is to pretend you are “zipping up your jacket.”  Anything that helps keep your hand close to your body and moving up while guiding the bell toward the end point of the clean.

Kettlebell workouts are very effective at burning fat. When done properly, these routines can burn up to 400 calories in a single 20-minute session. The combination of intensity and targeting of specific areas on the body makes for impeccable results, even for hard to reach places. This will be a major time saver for all of your busy-bodies out there.

The standard weights for kettlebells are 8 kg, 12 kg, 16 kg, 24 kg, and 32 kg.

With Kettlebells, it is actually better to go with a weight a bit heavier than you think you can handle. This way, you can work on technique and build strength without outgrowing the starting size too quickly.

L-Carnitine: This can also simply be called carnitine and is an essential nutrient which will aid in the burning of fat. This will help give fuel to your body functions and workouts. Kettlebell training already burns massive amounts of calories and builds muscle mass all by itself.

Creatine: Creatine is definitely critical when starting kettlebell workouts. This supplement prevents premature fatigue of the fast-twitch fibers in the muscles.

This book asks quite a lot of you in your quest to be fit and fierce. Twelve minutes of exercise, though astoundingly short in terms of the benefits they provide, is still not trivial. You are swinging a heavy weight for dozens, even hundreds of times a day. There had better be a pretty good reason why. There is! The kettlebell swing, with its mix of cardiovascular effort and fat-burning, muscle-building, strength-training may well be the best single exercise! Your kettlebell swings reward you, per swing, and per minute: • You look better! Fat loss, muscle tuning, body shaping, booty toning and posture improvement benefit your appearance, just as they improve your endurance, strength and health. • Your body is reshaped rapidly and muscles strengthened by your swings. Flab on your arms is replaced by functional muscle. Flabby thighs become sleek. • Your training makes you smarter. Well, at least helps you think better. Your swings flood your brain with fresh, oxygenated blood and top it off with a dose of testosterone. • Your general physical abilities improve markedly. You are better able to move, to carry things, to pick up kids, to play sports, to make love, to respond to emergencies with strength and endurance. • Your swings help your posture, allowing you to stand tall. The posterior chain, so well worked with kettlebell swings, includes the key posture muscles. • Your training makes your butt look smaller! Actually your butt becomes shapelier, as the gluteal muscles in the buttocks are key lifters of the kettlebell. You strengthen and shape you entire posterior chain. This focused exercise lifts, firms, tightens and highlights these assets. Each swing makes your butt look better! • The kettlebell swing may be the most effective single exercise for your heart. Swinging the weight rapidly brings your heart into the training zone.