Nugent Coaching Systems

Thursday night was all about the kettlebell.

Motivation Required - and a Distinct Disregard for Sloth

Use double kettlebells for the required fun.  Even if they aren’t equal sizes (and you should try it even if you do have equal weights) use doubles and focus on quality reps, but keep moving.

You can count if you want to…

Thanks to the people who are a part of the Crucible and Gyms Gone Galt, for providing some of the inspiration and ideation of the workout!

MOTIVATION REQUIRED – AND A DISTINCT DISREGARD FOR SLOTH

Rack Pull of 425

Not every workout gets executed. This is what was planned for today:

Partner WOD:

• One person  does kettlebell swings while

• The partner drags a sled over to the farmer carry station
• Partner transitions to farmer carry and returns to kettlebell swings
• Switch partners
• Repeat for max rounds in 15 minutes

Oh and don’t be a martyr.  Injuries during TRAINING… is LAME.  During competitive events, or life events, more understandable.  If you are training for life, and getting injured doing so, you are FAILING.  Stop it.

Happy Friday!

Let’s just say I am for it.

While it’s true that the standard for the CrossFit kettlebell swing is the overhead, often referred to as the “American Swing”, there is room for application of the neck level, “Russian Swing”.

What’s even more important is not that the RKC endorses the neck level swing, it’s the approach to strength training.  The RKC is a school of strength and it’s not necessarily about the kettlebell.  It just happens to be the tool of choice.  Several RKC’s have backgrounds and expertise in areas such as Olympic Lifting (Geoff Neupert), Track and Field (Dan John), strongman events (Jedd Johnson, David Whitley), among others.

The idea that it’s only swings and getup is mistaken.

How can CrossFit benefit from the RKC?

How can the RKC benefit from CrossFit?

What’s missing from CrossFit that the RKC has?  Well I am sure there are people that will fill me in on that.  I’ll say that the concept  of teaching tension hasn’t been discussed in enough detail in the Level One Seminars (I’ve been through two now).

What’s missing from the RKC that CrossFit has?  This is much harder to answer.  I’m not going to say I wish the RKC would use medicine ball cleans…  (that was a little joke).  The RKC has the concept of intensity.  It has strength covered.  Even endurance and VO2 max conditioning are there.  Body weight training and mobility work is there too.

From a program perspective both groups seek to do the simple things well.  Virtuosity right?  Do the common, uncommonly well.  Movement.

The biggest difference is in the execution of the training.  There are RKC’s that are less inclined to focus on movement and more about entertaining (fortunately I haven’t personally met one yet).  There are CrossFit trainers that are more about doing Clean and Jerks than executing constantly varied, high intensity, functional movement.  It happens.

With CrossFit, there is a trust that the system will right itself.   The thought is that bad trainers will simply cease to train, and if they injure someone, the customer (or the legal  system) will take the trainer out of circulation.

The RKC takes it more personally.  If you pass the RKC, you are representing the entire organization.  If you injure someone, it’s reflected not just on you, but on your methods, your approach to training and the RKC system.

Passing the RKC is much more difficult than passing the CrossFit Level One Trainer course.  Although I have to admit the exam that the Level one trainers have to pass is NOT easy.  I didn’t pass it the first time and decided that taking the Level One Course again after two years couldn’t hurt.  It was a good experience and I encourage more CF trainers to do the same.  It’s always a good jolt to the system!  I passed the exam on the second try

Here’s where I think a more combined approach of using RKC and CrossFit methods would be most beneficial:

• Train your body for success – don’t teach it to go to failure (unless you’re competing, and then all bets are off )
• Learn to use your hips – the kettlebell swing, once mastered will teach you that and you can apply it to other movements
• Learn tension – strength lifts will go up, bodyweight training (pistols, handstand pushups) will get easier…

The RKC is not a system that will likely integrate CrossFit methodology into its training core, rather, it’s a school of thought that can easily be absorbed by CrossFit as an approach to reach a wider athlete base.

Perhaps that’s the beauty of CrossFit is that it’s structured to learn and absorb from a wide variety of sources.  It may not become an RKC kind of organization, but it will learn from it.

Why should you train with kettlebells?

• You can train anytime you want
• You will save space
• You will develop full body strength
• You will burn fat
• You will release tension
• You will enjoy a fit body
• You can cancel your gym membership
• You don’t need to worry about daycare or babysitting to get a workout in.
• Your running strength will improve
• Your strength lifts (i.e. deadlifting) will improve
• Your mobility and range of motion will increase
• Your grip will become stronger

My Experience:

Last week my wife was out of town and I was at home with my kids.  I had to get a workout in, but I wasn’t going to get a babysitter for a 20 minute effort.  Instead I put the kids to bed and grabbed a bell, and my gymboss.

It worked perfectly and I ended up doing a LOT of work in that short period of time!

In the nearly 4 years I’ve been using kettlebells, I’ve found my overall strength, my endurance, and my ability to go all out for short periods of time improve drastically.  In 2010 I trained for  and raced my first 50 mile ultra-run.  Kettlebell work was a big part of that.  Learning the hip snap and improving the strength of the glutes, hamstrings and calves translated directly to running.  I was able to keep my mileage down, while still improving athletic capacity.  I ran the entire season without injury.  I also qualified for Western States 100.  Thank-you kettlebells.

If you want to get into kettlebell training I highly suggest getting the book “Enter the Kettlebell“, and then finding an instructor (not necessarily in that order).

For most endurance athletes, the event is about the feet. Running, cycling (ignore handlebars for a second), even swimming to some extent. Grip rarely comes up as something you need to finish an event, but for the adventure racer, or the enduro-paddler out there, grip is used a lot, if not for the entire event.

Why Should I Train My Grip?

Let’s look at a few racing opportunities where grip comes into question:

• Cycling
• Kayaking / Paddling
  • Portages
• Rope work / Climbing
• Obstacles (mystery events)

It’s entirely possible to do an event like an adventure race and do zero grip work and be fine.  There are couple times where you will absolutely come to your limit if you don’t: paddling and portaging.  These two activities will help you find your grip limit quickly.  It happens when you have to put your boat down to shake out your hands.   Or you need to stop paddling to recover.

Grip training is not going to prevent your arms from getting fatigued.  What it will do is give you more time before you do get fatigued.  That might be enough time to get over the portage crossing or it might get you across a reservoir that is about to quickly turn into a whitecap whiteout.

What Are Good Grip Training Workouts?

Since we’re not looking to bend steel or do rafter pull-ups (although both activities will help your grip), we’re looking to build up our resistance to fatigue.  Absolute grip strength is handy (har-har), and what we’re after is a level of grip endurance that will keep us going for hours, not necessarily a 5 second display of raw power (although some of those feats of strength are still pretty cool).

First, you can practice the skill that will be tested.  The farmer carry is a great exercise and transfers directly to portaging.  In fact I could stop here and tell you that you don’t need to do anything else.  Your grip, your core strength (back, obliques, abs…), legs – all these get worked with the farmer carry.  Go for max distance in a set period of time, go for shortest time for a set distance, or go for max weight for either.  Make it heavy and change it up.

Farmer Carry Workouts

• 800m Farmer Carry with Partner Run: one person begins the farmer carry while the other runs a 400 meter lap to catch up with the carrier. Partners switch and the other runs a lap to catch up with the carrier. Weight should be heavy. Bodyweight is a good target, then make it as heavy as you can.
• Box Jump Farmer Carry:
  5 Rounds for Time:
  • 200 lb Farmer Carry 15 Yards
  • 20 Box Jumps with a 24″ box

The next workout that will fry your forearms is rope climbs.   Another full body workout (with emphasis on the forearms) – these workouts will guarantee you have forearm strength to move weight over distance.

The third workout type I’ll mention is the kettlebell swing*.  [If you've never swung a kettlebell, please find an RKC certified trainer to help you with mechanics.  It's not cheap, but neither are chiropractors, you'll learn a LOT] Either single-hand or two-handed, grab a kettlebell and go for reps.  The bell needs to be heavy enough (a 35 lb is a good place to start for men, 18lb or 26lb for women).

How Often Should I Train Grip?

Depending on who you talk to, grip is something you can work on everyday, even after a tough workout.  Doing a rope climb or two after every workout will start building in programmed strength that you will discover is quite effective.  The training doesn’t have to be explicit.  For example, you don’t need to build in specific grip workouts if you think of grip training like practice.   An hour of farmer carries is impressive, but not the best use of your time.  Work on carries for short bursts, when you’re recovered and fresh.

The farmer carry is essentially a moving deadlift.  Make sure you understand good form and mechanics prior to engaging in any of the mentioned exercises.  Flat back, tall chest, TIGHT body, nice clean pull to standing position.
Sample Grip Training Plan:
Monday: Farmer Carry and Kettlebell Swings

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Rope Climbs and Farmer Carry

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Kettlebell Swings and Rope Climbs

Saturday/Sunday: Rest

I Love Grip Training, What Else Can I Do?

• Start playing with grippers (http://www.captainsofcrushgrippers.com/)
• Pay Adam Glass a visit (http://www.adamtglass.com/)
• Read anything by Jedd Johnson (http://www.dieselcrew.com/)