1%.

Part 1

Can you make yourself 1% better? What if you make yourself 1% better at 100 things?

Many people set goals to be 100% better than someone or at something.. Is it even possible to be 100% better than someone? Probably not, but can you be 1% better at 100 things? Studies on Olympics have shown the difference between a Gold metal and 4th place is 1%. Whether its distance, weight or time it all works out to be 1%. The Olympic motto is " swifter, higher, stronger " not " swiftest. highest, strongest. " Which should mean working on getting better at something everyday. So if its good enough for the elite of the elite, why shouldn't it be good enough for you?

Since we are talking Kettlebells, what could you do to improve your kettlebell practice by 1%. Of course each of the RKC 6 can be improved with deliberate practice. ( "Whats that?" you say? We'll address that in the next post ) How about simple things that once improved will have a ripple effect to improve something in all the RKC 6. Here is a simple list; Power Breathing, Hike, Rooting, Hip Mobility, Shoulder Stability and the list can go on. 1% improvement of any of these techniques can improve all of our RKC 6.

10000 Swing Challenge week 2

Off and running.. Had a bump in the road this weekend, assisted at Orlando RKC, but was able to get some Beast swings in..


Tim 4100 
Sara B.  600
Laura 2030
Miyshael  1963
Kelly
Amanda
Adrienne
Sandy
Wade  960
Todd
Chris J  1900
Icey  3384
Chris W
Liezl  4000

10000 Swing Challenge is back


It time again


The Holidays are here along with loads of temptation. This is a prime time to test your focus. As many of you know getting there is half the battle. Staying there is just as hard.. What works? The basics, Consistency/Time, move it or loose it ( or gain it to be more accurate ). What a great time for the "10000 Swing Challenge." This should be a good reminder not to blow all your hard work over the past 9 months on candy, cakes, pie, etc..

This challenge is a nice motivator and gives you a light at the end of the tunnel. A good place to reward yourself. Best part is you can swing anytime, am, pm, three times a day or three times a week. You just get it done when you can.

This is how we'll run our second 10000 Swing Challenge.

Starting October 4, 2010 ending November 7, 2010 ( that works out to 238.1 swings per day )

Everyone who signs in to the Challenge will first post what your reward will be, then post there numbers weekly. I'll then post everyone together so you can see where you stand.


Rules.. just one. SAFETY FIRST, don't kill yourself just to get numbers. Protect your hands, don't forget to stretch, no lazy knees, and lead with your hips and hike pass with a purpose.
 
Last year we included Cleans and Snatches in the Challenge this year its only Swings..
 
1 Swing = 1 Swing anyway you want.
 
So lets get rolling with this nice little competition, add friends, clients, classes..
 

So why no shoes?

Think of it this way shoes are like mittens. Go around all day with a pair of mittens on your hands.. You'll find things are harder to pick up, your fingers may get claustrophobic, and everything you touch will just feel wrong. Same goes for shoes. But shoes go even farther, the mittens won't affect the rest of your body ( yes unless you strain something while reaching ) When your toes are confined and you feet are floating ( as they do in these high tech shoes ), you lose the ability to feel the ground. Nerve endings, motor sensors don't work properly, bones and joints don't line up right. Enter Kettelbell Training....

At Fit Camp we work from the ground up.. Starting with Rooting of the feet ( you can't do this properly with shoes on ).. Rooting is awareness and influencing how the body aligns through contact with the ground and your feet. Three key points connect the barefoot with the ground; 1. under the big toe, 2. under the small toe, 3. the heel. Stand barefoot and shift your weight to find these points and pay attention to how each feels.Once you master this step try it with your eyes closed. many different things will be happening now. Finally when you feel comfortable with your new solid rooting technique, grab a kettlebell by the horn and perform several Goblet Squats, shifting your weight though out the movement to find the balance point and solid root position..

Once you can establish a solid base, can properly root your feet to the ground and can brace your abs ( hands on a kettlebell abs tight ) you will find your press, squat and swing movements will have more control, feel much more powerful and become more efficient. Less not forget safer

Kettlebell Burn..

Ok so slightly off on the writing again,,,,

Kettlebell Burn.
4 Phase program 4 weeks per phase..

Phase one

Great strength developer. Definitely prepares you for what is to come..

Phase Two

Really pushes the strength.  Focus on technique and pushing the most weight you can.. I found that here I needed more weight ( thanks to phase one ) than I had.. Again I'm using two bells, heaviest pair I have is 32kg/70lbs..

Phase Three

Now we get into some nasty little routines.. Its one of those I don't want to do this today, but once you start you feel great..

Now here I had to cut the phase short. I'm, heading to Minn. for RKCII and am taking this week off.. I'll try to write about it if I have the energy...

Phase 2 Week One

Phase 2 is relatively similar to Phase 1. just some slight changes here and there.

I had to check with Geoff Neupert, Master RKC, creator of "Kettlebell Burn"  about jumping to Phase 3. I'm getting ready for RKCII in July and need to focus on some Snatch work. Geoff suggested following Phase 2 for the strength component. I'll still get two weeks of Snatch work in Phase 3 before July RKCII.


Week 1,  Still feeling strong from the first four weeks. I have added some Snatch work along with RKCII prep on the off days mainly for piece of mind. Little off on the diet section. I've never been one to measure or count kcals, etc. But still with the general idea of the nutritional section. More to come.

Week Four

OK so alittle late on this one but,, After changing to single TGUs and finding some imbalances, getting them straightened out. I finished up Phase 1.. Good stuff, again this is a 16 week strength,weight loss, program complete with tracking sheets, workout program, and nutrition program.  The best part is its simplicity..

Feelin good. I need some heavier bells.. On to Phase 2

Week Three

OK little late on the post.. But here we go..

So in talking with Geoff Neupert, Master RKC inventor of the Kettlebell Burn.. Geoff suggested not doing the Double Get Ups. Main reason, you lose "the asymmetrical-loaded rotational benefits of single arm version". Explanation, with double TGUs your doing what ever it takes to get up. With a Traditional Turkish Get Up or Kalos Sthenos ( Beautiful Strength ) you work each of Our/RKC 7 steps specially to increase joint mobility, stability, and symmetry.

So now moving back to the single arm Get Up, Session A doesn't suck as bad..
So this week Zeke jumped in on the single arm Get Ups ( Zeke is my 40kg/88lbs ). And with this move on Tues.( Session A ) some of my symmetry problems came into play. So Thurs. ( Session A ) I went down to a 32kg/70lbs to work on some of my issues..


Session B was great....

On to Week Four..

Week two

This week I changed work days to Tues, Thurs. Sat. Sessions will be B-A-B.

Session B

Double clean and press ladder,

Double Get-up sit-up 24kg,

Double Suitcase rev. lunge , 24kg 

Double kb Swings for time, 24kg ( each week the time changes, just 10sec dif. makes a huge difference )

Thurs.
This was A session not a big fan of the Double KB get-ups. They are murder.. But getting them done.


Sat.

B session again. I must say out of the two this is the one I like best.. Must be the pressing.

Slight twist. I ran this session with my Fit Camp. They all did single bells, and really seemed to enjoy it. I had some slight distractions but got mine done with them.

Kettlebell "Double Bell" Burn.

Ok so I'm not great with the writing thing but I think I found something that will help. I got a new kettlebell workout program from Geoff Neupert, Master RKC. kettlebellsecrects.com called "Kettlebell Burn". So I will work on my writing while taking you through my little adventure..

"Kettlebell Burn" is a COMPLETE 16 week fat loss, strictly kettlebell, workout plan derived from Master RKC Neupert's years of kettlebell and competitive power lifting experience. 

You get everything you need:
1. Supportive Nutrition
2. Resistance Training
3. Metabolic Training
The only thing missing is stress release/ meditation. ( I'll tell you what I went with later. )
 
You can get a copy at kettlebellsecrets.com.
 
OK so my deal.. I'm going Doubles.. This to show that Double Kettlebells are not just for mind blowing brute strength anymore. I've got clearance from Mr. Neupert to Guinea pig myself with his program and double bells.
The Program is simple, three days a week 45 minutes each training session. So you have a breakdown of A,B,A,B,A,B, etc..

Session A: TGU's,
                 Goblet Squat/ single arm rows
                 Two hand swings for time..
MINE: Double 16kg no hand shin roll TGUs. ( first time ever trying it but )
            Double 32kg front squat 
            Double 32kg Swings for time ( get the program and you can see the times )
** note** Shin Roll TGU's followed by Front Squats are not very nice to the adductors.
 
So I finished up feeling whipped but still alittle froggy from being so amped ( you know that feeling you get from a strong workout ) So I added some bent presses.. 2/2 44kg, 2/2 44kg, 1/1 52kg and jumped, but just missed 1 64kg. These were all with stacked bells, the 32's moved about half way up and that through me off..
 
Now my Meditation came from reading Psalms 91 (fear) with 10min. of quiet reflection. ( Tonka even laid down and relaxed )
 
Now Geoff wants you to do NOTHING else while working this program. But I have been working on the Dave "Irontamer" Whitley, Master RKC's Women Press. Irontamer.com So I need to practice.



You can see the Irontamer in action here,  http://www.youtube.com/user/davewhitley#p/u/29/PxQEg2vbTj0 its worth a look.
 
More to come.
 
 

1200 Kcal

1200 Kcals with Kettlebells in an Hour???..

Josh Hillis losestubbornfat.com posted a great article about an ACE (The American Council on Exercise) study done to prove our ( kettlebell enthusiast ) belief that Kettlebells burn the most calories in half the time..

ACE (The American Council on Exercise) Dubbed the "workout watchdog" by The Wall Street Journal in 1997, ACE has established a reputation as a consumer advocate. Since 1995, ACE has enlisted the expertise of top researchers at major universities across the country to conduct studies on fitness products and trends.((ACE website))

The study was held at UW La Crosse with 10 volunteers. Using a Max Ex. test on a treadmill to get a baseline. They moved to the Kettlebell, the Snatch being the exercise of choice. ( Its doesn't say but we need to guess all the volunteers where proficient in the Snatch before the study. ) Using the

Viking Warrior Conditioning
The Scientific Approach to Forging a Heart of Elastic Steel By Kenneth Jay Master RKC.. 15/15 protocol for twenty minutes.

You can read the full study here;
http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/Kettlebells012010.pdf

They found after 20 min. the aerobic burn (O2 consumption) was 13.6 calories per min. Then adding the anaerobic (Blood Lactate) 6.6 for a grand total of 20.2 calories burned per minute. That's equal to a 6 min. mile running pace.

Now the kick is this study was not done by any Kettlebell Guru or to sell a program. Just the facts....

Don't be Offsides

Don't be offsides



"Hike Pass:" a coaching cue used to initiate the Swing (also used in the Snatch and Clean).

Purpose: to generate enough backwards power to pre-load the hamstrings and hips prior to explosive hip drive.
((Power=Force* Distance/Time))

   One thing I see with Victims, and with self proclaimed experts on YouTube, is people standing over the Kettlebell (KB) in more of a deadlift stance prior to the start of a swing, clean, or snatch. Whether it's high rep sets, timed sets, or the beloved shake and bake, people start creeping forward and standing closer and closer to the bell. Whatever the reason, it’s wrong. When you reduce the distance between you and the kettlebell you reduce the Power you can generate for the Hike Pass. ((Power=Force* DISTANCE/Time)) Since we're using one football term let's add another: Offsides. This is a five-yard penalty that occurs when any football player breaks the plane of the football before the snap/hike of the ball. The same can apply to the Swing (Snatch, Clean). If any part of your body breaks the plan of the Kettlebell before the Hike Pass you're offsides, penalty. To remind yourself not to break the plane of the kettlebell, and in an effort to keep a good distance between you and the kettlebell, think of the immortal words of the Chief "20 pushups; enjoy."

Set up for the Hike Pass:Get in a comfortable athletic stance BEHIND the Kettlebell (about a foot).

Proper athletic stance:feet shoulder with apart, toes pointed straight forward, knees bent, back straight, head neutral, weight shifted to the heels.

Hike Pass Execution:Grasp the KB with one or two hands, tighten the abs, and Hike Pass the bell between your legs with force, as close to your groin as possible (very similar to a hike/snap in football). Then follow the next steps for the Swing, Snatch or Clean.

Tim Shuman, RKC

10000 Swing Challenge is back

It time again


The Holidays are here along with loads of temptation. This is a prime time to test your focus. As many of you know getting there is half the battle. Staying there is just as hard.. What works? The basics, Consistency/Time, move it or loose it ( or gain it to be more accurate ). What a great time for the "10000 Swing Challenge." This should be a good reminder not to blow all your hard work over the past 9 months on candy, cakes, pie, etc..

This challenge is a nice motivator and gives you a light at the end of the tunnel. A good place to reward yourself. Best part is you can swing anytime, am, pm, three times a day or three times a week. You just get it done when you can.

This is how we'll run our second 10000 Swing Challenge.

Starting November 21, 2009 ending January 2, 2010 ( that works out to 238.1 swings per day ) And yes that does cover three holidays complete with all the parties and nutritional detours.

Everyone who signs in to the Challenge will post there numbers weekly. I'll then post everyone together so you can see where you stand.

Rules.. just one. SAFETY FIRST, don't kill yourself just to get numbers. Protect your hands, don't forget to stretch, no lazy knees, and lead with your hips and hike pass with a purpose.

1 hand swing= 1 swing

two hand swing=1 swing

2 cleans= 1 swing

1 snatch=2 swings

double KB swings= 2 swings

double KB cleans= 1 swing

double KB snatch= 4 swings


Questions let me know.

Good luck.

Get it done Hard Style

10000 Swing Challenge

Ok now we've been working and working. We see the results; shape, strength, cardio, and over all well being. So whats missing?


COMPETITION. Its just human nature



While surfing I came across Kerry Kriener-Althen and her Innergrr.blog. Kerry came up with the 10000 Swing Challenge. This challenge is a nice motivator and gives you a light at the end of the tunnel. A good place to reward yourself. Best part is you can swing anytime, am, pm, three times a day or three times a week. You just get it done when you can.

This is how we'll run our 10000 Swing Challenge.

Starting March 2, 2009 ending April 6, 2009 ( that works out to 238.1 swings per day )

Everyone who signs in to the Challenge will post there numbers weekly. I'll then post everyone together so you can see where you stand.

Rules.. just one. SAFETY FIRST, don't kill yourself just to get numbers. Protect your hands, don't forget to stretch, no lazy knees, and pop and lock like you have a purpose.

1 swing= 1 swing

two hand swings=1 swing

2 cleans= 1 swing

1 snatch=2 swings

double KB swings= 2 swings

double KB cleans= 1 swing

double KB snatch= 4 swings

Questions let me know.

Good luck.

Get it done Hard Style

Welcome

OK new to the blog scene. We'll be typing about Kettlebells and all the glorious things they do. Any questions suggestions please share..