Recently in Kettlebell class Category

The kettlebell class just had their 9th class and they're working so hard. A lot of people in the class know each other, so maybe they're a little bit competitive, or who knows what the explanation is, but no matter what I throw at them they seem to get it immediately and to attack a workout like a pack of wolves. It makes me tired just watching them!

In the past few sessions I've used some workouts involving the basic, "staple" kettlebell exercises that are used often in CrossFit workouts: the deadlift, swing, one-hand swing, clean, highpull, and snatch, plus push-ups and sit-ups. Trainees who had never seen a kettlebell before a month ago have learned these so well that I wish I had them on video as an example of what beginners can be capable of.

Two recent workouts:

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
5 1-hand swings per side
5 cleans with 2 KBs
5 snatches per side

and last night's:

12 KB deadlift (2 KBs or 1 heavy one; challenge yourself)
12 Push-ups
12 Sit-ups
5 rounds

Tonight was the second night of the new session. We did an extensive weightlifting style warm-up using PVC: shoulder pass-throughs (shrug and pull the bar ends apart the whole time); the Burgener warm-up several times through; more pass-throughs; additional overhead squats; and several run-throughs of the press, pushpress, jerk progression. This was before we picked up the kettlebells. Everyone was sore so the more lightweight warm-up, the better.

We reviewed last week's exercises, the deadlift, two-hand swing, and goblet squat. We learned the one-hand swing, press, and push-press. The workout:

1-hand swing, 10 per side
Push-press, 6 per side
15 air squats, touch the medicine ball (as a depth gauge)
5 rounds or 15 minutes whichever comes first.

People pushed themselves but stayed safe. I was watching back position, hip extension, and shoulder stability in the push-press. Afterward we played around with pull-ups, using ring-rows, rubberbands, jumping, and kipping.

Tonight was our last class meeting. It was beautiful and cool out, so we grabbed a light and a medium kettlebell each and walked 3 blocks to the park. On the big cement apron between the basketball court and the restrooms they did kettlebell drills, in between which they would run to various parts of the park to do other exercises: push-ups on the bleachers (elevating the hands), jumping pull-ups on the monkey bars, step-ups on this weird round concrete thing that was just the right height, and back and forth.

I was so pleased to see in these last few sessions of the class that people are doing just fine at all the moves we've learned, even the harder ones like the clean and the snatch, which require more technique practice than the basic swing and deadlift. The clean and the snatch, when I introduce it, I almost hate to make people practice it because when you're new to it, it kinda hits you in the forearm or shoulder in a relentless and uncomfortable way. But they have to practice to get through that, so we do a little in several sessions and that seems to be what it takes. There are lots of partial and unweighted moves that lead into it so that helps at first.

I hope to start a new six-week class around June 2 and am firming that up.

I read an old article in the CrossFit Journal called "The Dumbbell Bear." It describes a complex (combining several exercises to make one rep or set) done with dumbbells, and that's always a good tool in a group because we have a lot of them. In last week's Team Survivor women's fitness class I decided to use this:

4 2-dumbbell deadlift
4 2-dumbbell cleans
4 2-dumbbell thrusters
Do the above complex each minute on the minute for 20 minutes. (As prescribed, it would be five of each instead of four.)

Most people used dumbbells of 10 or 12 pounds. A few used a 6-pound medicine ball or no weight at all, doing the drills as if holding weights but not. (We had also worked early in the class on perfecting their medicine-ball cleans.)

When I was about to start the workout, people found it a little daunting, so I cut it down to 15 minutes instead of 20. The idea is that the complex takes less that 40 seconds so that you get at least 20 seconds of rest each minute before starting again.

As it turned out, the class could have gone for 20 minutes. At the start, the complex took them 25 seconds. By round 15 they had only slowed by four seconds. Most of the women in the class, although they are cancer survivors and middle aged, are very active and are not beginners to this slightly-scaled-down CrossFit class. So, I was pleased at their work capacity but not too surprised. What I need to do is not negotiate the work downward just because people think it SOUNDS hard!

So I thought I was pretty smart when I used this same complex Thursday night on my kettlebell class (a Kettlebell Bear), doing jerks instead of thrusters. Wow--was it hard! Class that night consisted of three guys (not sure where the other 11 people in the class were that night; was it something I said?). What I had not taken into account was that the kettlebells, even the 8 kg ones, were heavier than the dumbbells the women had used, and that these guys actually ARE beginners.

They liked the workout, gluttons for punishment that they are, even though they said it was the hardest one we've done. It's true; kettlebell jerks are hard and especially after you've done deadlifts and cleans with them. I had them do only 10 minutes of this workout and it was taking them about 45 seconds per complex. Very different from Tuesday's experience!

One person, who is a friend that I'd let come in as a drop-in to that class, said, "I've never sweated so much in a workout in my life." This drives home the belief that mainstream gym workouts with machines are a waste of time. We spent 10 minutes. Why would anyone pay to belong to a place where they "exercise" for an hour and hardly sweat?

I had also started the kettlebell class that night by having them do "Fran" using only PVC, as their warm-up. That's killer for beginners even though it's nothing like the real "Fran"!

It's in the March 2008 issue in a long feature about 50 fun ways to stay in shape. The reporter came in late January and spent a while with me to see what kettlebells were all about. Click on the inside page thumbnail to see what it says.

This issue came out about the same time I sent an email to my list of interested people to promote the second 6-week series, and it filled up within three days. Kettlebells are getting popular. Why learn them from me? I've been using them for several years, I've trained under three excellent kettlebell coaches, and I know how to keep safety in mind thanks to that and other training experience.

The current six-week class winds up this Thursday. At about session eight I started to see people's abilities really taking off! It was cool. All of a sudden the hip power in the kettlebell swing appeared. Trainees' work capacity had grown enough to power through a hard workout with few stops. The ability to stabilize the trunk and back with a weight in a lot of different positions has become solid. It's fun and rewarding to introduce people to kettlebells and the skills that they require.

Here's a link to the flyer (PDF) for the next kettlebell class. It's already half full, so let me know if you're interested as soon as you can. Email fran @ fitnotes.net.

Last Thursday was our second class meeting of the 12 sessions. I have 11 people in the class and all but one are women. At least three class members have done some CrossFit. Our one male has been a CrossFitter for the better part of a year and he wanted to brush up his form on the kettlebell exercises. He gets just as good a workout as the beginners by using heavier kettlebells and moving faster.

Some of the women have said they took the class feeling skeptical that they'd be able to do the exercises. It shows nerve and motivation to show up feeling that way! I should ask them before I make this statement, but I think it's fair to say that in two sessions they have already worked out harder than they thought they could, and learned some new exercises that they might have doubted they could do as beginners. Taking a class is great for both of those elements because (1) most people work harder while being instructed and watched than you might on your own, and (2) the exercises are not technically difficult when taught safely and clearly; what's difficult is doing the workout that is put together with them.

Last Thursday the class finished the workout 15 minutes early, and instead of wanting to leave right away, people wanted to try out the pull-up bars and the rubberbands and rings that are attached to them. They learned how to do three kinds of assisted pull-ups: jumping pull-ups, rubberband pull-ups, and ring-rows. Would you like to learn these along with kettlebell exercises you can do on your own? Email me - fran at fitnotes . net