Last weekend I had the pleasure to hold a 2 hour workshop for instructors of Natural Bodytone Aalborg.

We covered safety, some basic techniques and exercises targeting balance and coordination. With the combination of exercises  learned we put a little choreography together at the end, which was a lot of fun!

Thanks girls for a great afternoon!

Here’s what they had to say about it:

“Det var en rigtig god oplevelse, både i forhold til egen træning og i undervisningsøjemed. Gennemgangen af øvelserne og tenikken var utrolig god og brugbar. Gode effektive øvelser med vægt på stabilitet og kontrol – helt klart en måde, man burde træne på. Rigtig godt engagement fra instruktøren, godt arbejde
Kan kun anbefales!”

http://kettlebell-fitness.dk

I am soon off to Croatia to compete in a Long Cycle competition. Tis will be the first time I compete in this event. I must say I always found this lift somewhat easier, as my forearm don’t burn out so fast. Reason number 2 is that the resting time in the rack doesn’t get uncomfortable like it does in jerks…

My results have been coming along nicely. Since I trained for Ventspils with 24kg bells, there was a nice carry over to 20kg bells!

WKC gave me rank 3 in LC, so now I am going for my rank 2. Again I need 49 reps, but with 2 x 20 kg kettlebells this time.

To motivate me, and maybe you too, here is a video of Ivan Denisov setting a second new World record with 109 reps using 2 x 32 kg.  Vasily Ginko was the previous record holder with 105 reps.

Click on the link and enjoy!

Observing videos of long cycle, it is apparent that from the lockout the bells are dropped and cleaned rapidly, and resting is done in the rack before the jerk. This is a great energy saver, as you only have to adjust your elbows once when you become tired and form starts to deteriorate.

http://kettlebell-fitness.dk

Here’s one hero of Girevoy Sport for all small guys out there:

Johnny Benidze (left on the picture). All material borrowed from Valentin Egorov (left on the picture) website:

http://onlinekettlebellcoach.com/

“This picture was taken during the  Russian Cup of kettlebell lifting. There was more then 150 participants from 37 regions. At the opening event attended a Soviet athlete, the legend of the world of weightlifting – Vasily Alexeyev.”

(4 weeks prior to the World Championship in Tallin, by the way!) Johnny set 3 new Russian records.

It goes without saying that Johnny competes with 32 kg kettlebells.

Jerks are of course 2 x 32kg…

In the weight category up to 60 kilograms his result were: jerk 110, snatch – 164 (left + right hand), biathlon – 192 (jerk + snatch/2).

Forever a legend, Johnny dethroned Lopatin who previously held the record for this weight class, with 109 jerks.

As if this wasn’t enough, at the end of October in the IUKL World Championships in Tallin,  Johnny outdid himself!

New records: 114 jerks and 176 snatches!

In the heavyweight division (over 105 kg), Ivan Denisov records still hold: 175 jerks, 220 snatches.

Small guy, huge power! Good on ya Johnny!

http://kettlebell-fitness.dk

Transdermal Magnesium Therapy is a hot topic lately. You can read lots of articles on the net about the problems associated with magnesium deficiency. For one, it affects atheletic performance.

Magnesium relaxes the muscles and calcium tightens the muscle.

Some year ago, a naturopath recommended me to take magnesium cell salts to stop muscles spasms I had in my arm.

The transdermal form of Magnesium supplementation is absorbed way faster and more efficiently than any other form. Transdermal Magnesium Therapy just involves spraying and massaging a magnesium “oil” into the skin, or taking salt baths. Easy peasy.

“Magnesium chloride triggers DHEA, the master or youth hormone which controls all of the other hormones in our body.

Over 3300mg of elemental magnesium is in each 30ml rubbed into the skin – and in a few minutes, it’s in there working to balance the entire body at a cellular level. This amount of magnesium cannot be tolerated by the digestive system with oral magnesium.”

However this magnesium chloride “oil” is not cheap. Baths work out expensive as well, and you need a tub…

Visit Ancient Minerals homepage for Europe.

So here the way to do it affordable. No matter how many gurus tell you this is not a good option, keep in mind they have interest in the products they recommend. However, you still have to use the salts from Ancient Minerals. But instead of buying the finished product, you make it yourself.

“Ancient Minerals magnesium flakes are extracted from the Ancient Zechstein Seabed in Europe, 1600 to 2000 meters deep in the interior of the Earth. Well protected for the last 250 million years, they are the most pure magnesium flakes in the world.”

How can I be sure this cheaper alternative is not a waste of money and effort?

Because it is recommended by Dr Mark Sircus, author of the book “Transdermal Magnesium Therapy”.

After all there’s not much difference between taking a salt bath or rubbing a magnesium solution into the skin.

Extract taken from http://www.curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=1320972

“I just had a chat with Mark Sircus, the writer of Transdermal Magnesium, and he told me about cheaper alternatives to “perfecly pure” magnesium oil. I wont bother you any longer, here is a transcript:

zenfood says: Hello, I have a Question about magnesium chloride.

Mark Sircus says: sure

zenfood says: Two questions (these may be foolish, if so, sorry!) : Why is the chloride in magnesium chloride actually good for the body, and the chlorine in water bad? Second question: would a Nigari solution give good results if one cannot find “true” magnesium oil? Thanks

Mark Sircus says: yes Nigari can be very nice

Mark Sircus OMD says: i dont have all the science and my writings in front of me but

Mark Sircus OMD says: chloride is a natural chemical the body uses

Mark Sircus OMD says: chlorine is a different form

Mark Sircus OMD says: one that the body does not use

Mark Sircus OMD says: so its a poison

~

Mark Sircus OMD says: you need to get the Ancient Minerals bath flakes

Mark Sircus OMD says: very pure and cheap

Mark Sircus OMD says: they are available in ca

Mark Sircus OMD says: you can make your own oil with it

Mark Sircus OMD says: they dont sell it that way

Mark Sircus OMD says: in the US 6.5 pounds is 55 bucks

Mark Sircus OMD says: you can make two gallons with it

zenfood says: I just put the bath flakes into water until it saturates, yes?

Mark Sircus OMD says: exactly

Mark Sircus OMD says: pure water

zenfood says: RO (Reverse Osmosis) good enough?

Mark Sircus OMD says: sure

Mark Sircus OMD says: you should get my book Sodium Bicarbonate

Mark Sircus OMD says: it has best chapters on using the flakes and oil

~

Mark Sircus OMD says: get some of their Iodine while you are at it

zenfood says: i wish i had something i could take baths out of… i know you can with the bath flakes, but at ~1pound per bath, thats over $10 a bath

Mark Sircus OMD says: yes that gets expensive

Mark Sircus OMD says: best is magnesium massage

Mark Sircus OMD says: person does not even have to be that skilled

Mark Sircus OMD says: not skilled at all actually

Mark Sircus OMD says: or do yourself

Mark Sircus OMD says: just spread it all over your body like suntan screen

Mark Sircus OMD says: go out in the sun even

Mark Sircus OMD says: and then combine that with oral use

zenfood says: i can find dead Sea Salt with 33% magnesium chloride cheap enough to make bath out of: good enough?

Mark Sircus OMD says: and you will pump in the magnesium

Mark Sircus OMD says: yes

Mark Sircus OMD says: and buy ten pounds of sodium bicarbonate while your at it

Mark Sircus OMD says: put that in the bath and in your drinking water as well

zenfood says: they say there is 25% potassium chloride, any dangerous?

Mark Sircus OMD says: no”

Visit Dr Sircus’s website to learn some facts about magnesium.

Take a moment to download an interview in mp3 format and listen to it. It might be one of the best supplement you’ll take for your health and athletic performance.

Magnesium dries out the skin. Remember to protect your skin with a natural moisturizer. Personally, I have been using extra virgin coconut oil for over the last 8 years. It is easily absorbed into the skin and feels very good. Good enough for the Tahitian beauties, good enough for me!

http://kettlebell-fitness.dk

Mon 02/11

6kg Club mills 50 L+50 R, reverse mills 25 L+25 R

20kg 2H shield cast (10L+10R) x3

16 kg KB circuit: 3′L + 3′R – 2′ rest

Snatch @ 20 rpm: 60+60 reps

jerk @ 20 rpm: 60+60 reps

clean & jerk @ 12 rpm: 36+36 reps

(1′ Bottom up clean + 2′ swing) each side

wheel roll outs: 15 x4

Tue 03/11

2 x20kg clean & jerk : 7′30″ @ 8 rpm: 60 reps. Looking good for the comp in Zagreb at the end of November!

2×24kg bumps: 10 x3

1 x28kg jerk: 20 R / 20 L

1 x24kg Push press: (6L+6R) x4

1 x28kg swing: 45 L + 45 R

Thu 05/ 11

AM I decided to add a few exercises that work what I often neglect. Nothing too strenuous, just to balance my training without taking energy from my main training.

superset: (Bench press 55kg x5/ 1 arm row 28kg x5/ 1 leg calf extension 80kg x10) x5

Hip thrust 60 kg: 10 x3

Rowing: (30 ” > 145 watts – 30″ <100 watts) x12

biceps curls (2 x12 kg) x12 x3

PM

36kg 2H swing: (30″ on/ 15″ off) x5

16kg  snatch: 10′ @ 22 rpm: 110 +110 reps. Might be competing in snatch in Italy in 2 weeks…

Fri 06/11

Alternating 2 x20kg clean: 10 reps  and 2 x20kg jerk: 10 reps. 12 sets of each. Total: 120 cleans, 120 jerks in 31′

wheel roll outs: 16/16/16/10/6

Sat 07/11

Jylland Weightlifting competition. I haven’t lifted a bar in weeks now… Just for fun!

Snatch: Failed on 55kg- Not enough speed.

Clean & Jerk: Failed on 70kg- not a proper lockout.

Total: 115kg

Goes to show you become good at what you train, and not much else! About 6 month ago I got a 120kg total, but we practiced those lifts a bit more frequently. Had I practiced just a tiny bit my technique, I could have easily repeated that performance.

Regardless, getting used to having to step on the platform at a given time is always a worthwhile experience.

Bodyweight is still 67,5 kg. On target for Zagreb.

http://kettlebell-fitness.dk

I recently held a short workshop for Submission Fighting Aalborg. MMA fighters are attracted to kettlebells because they understand the necessity to build strength in motion, amongst things.

Kettlebells offer a lot of variety options for training and are easy to stack around the gym, because they do not take much space.

For this first workshop, we worked on basic techniques. This wasn’t be to be MMA specific yet. Basic concept have to be in place before we start implementing more relevant techniques.

Although they have been using bells for little while, they admitted they didn’t know much about technique.  So we worked on different types of swings, cleans, snatches, get ups and floor drives.

Awareness  of one’s body in space and coordination being important factors in sports, we also did a quick intro to juggling.

Thanks to Claus for organizing this, and to Michael  for the pictures. Of course, thanks to the guys! Guts and fun!

See you again.

http://kettlebell-fitness.dk

If you only use one snatch technique for GS,  you may want to reconsider…

Snatch style is usually a personal preference due to body mechanics. Efficiency is mastery of technique. Styles and efficiency can mutually co-exist, even though some people think there is one only one way of cooking an egg.

Vasily Ginko advised me that some athletes change their grips on the down swings to save their grip endurance. Meaning they use rotation (thumb facing down) on some reps and shift to a neutral hammer grip (thumb up) on other reps. Some keep the thumbs up all the way through their sets, some always have their thumb down on the back swings.

By the way this is also seen on the cleans, during Long  Cycle  events.

Thumb facing down or thumb facing up prevents the handle rotating in the hand on the back swing, further saving grip endurance. Concerns of hyper-extending the elbow with a hammer grip is minimal, yet in theory, more likely to happen than when you hold your thumb facing down.

This hammer grip can lead to a different technique when receiving the bell, but it is still possible to flip the bell over the hand, if that’s your thing.

Using the corkscrew on the way up, the bell has a shorter distance to travel since it comes from the side and wraps itself around the wrist.

However, it is still possible to use the corkscrew when swinging with the thumb down.

So, some athletes use the corkscrew on the way up and some flip the bell over the hand.

Some dip under the weight and some receive the weight with straight legs.

Some use a lot of upper body rotation, others less.

Some go on their toes on the working side to give a last impulse to the swing, other use both sides equally.

Finally, some use a short  back swing, pulling the bell close to the body, and others swing the bell way back between their legs to make the most of inertia on the way up.

Dead snatching is also another way to get last extra reps, with or without wrist rotation…

Amazingly all are correct, and all are showing great results.

The only similarities are:

they use maximal contact between their arm and crotch. This is the best way to absorb and  transfer  maximal power from the legs and hips to the swinging arm. (Obviously, not when dead snatching the bell)

They have a proper lockout at the elbow and knees, and they stabilize the bell before dropping it down into a corkscrew. Everything else is a variation of technique.

The judges do not award points for style. Just get the bell up, have a full lockout and repeat.

Experiment, find what works for you, refine it.

If you can maintain the same beautiful technique for the 10 minutes, congratulations. Try a heavier bell now.

I see being able to switch from one technique to another to accommodate the situation  as an advantage.

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” Friedrich Nietzsche

http://kettlebell-fitness.dk

This was part of my graduation project. I spent days doing those tables…

Phase 1 The swing. With the bell back between the legs, the athlete start extending powerfully his legs and back, pushing the hips forward, accelerating the bell up and forward away from the body. The arm remains straight and in close contact to the body so as to transfer as much momentum to the bell as possible/ as required. The handle is loosely gripped and resting in the fingers. The arm swings up. Some athletes lift the heel on the working side to send a last impulse to the bell with the hip.

Great snatch technique by Ksenija Dedyukhina (61.8 kg) – Snatch 24 kg for 115 reps- at the latest IUKL World Championships.

Table 1A: Major Muscles Used in Snatch – Phase 1: The swing

Here’s an extract from an article by John Paul Catanzaro at T-Muscle.

“The plantar fascia located at the bottom of the foot can impede flexibility throughout the entire body. Limitations in this area can cause restrictions in the hamstrings, low back, and neck. A simple test I discovered from the book Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myers led to a warm-up technique I use often prior to training legs.

For a sometimes dramatic and easily administered test of the entire superficial back line, have your client do a forward bend (as if to touch the toes with the knees straight). Note the bilateral contour of the back and the resting position of the hands. Draw your client’s attention to how it feels along the back of the body on each side.

Have your client roll a golf ball or tennis ball deeply into the plantar fascia on one foot only, being slow and thorough rather than fast and vigorous. Keep it up for at least a couple of minutes, making sure the whole territory is covered from the ball of all five toes back to the front edge of the heel.

Now have the client do the forward bend again and note the bilateral differences in back contour and hand position (and draw the client’s attention to the difference in feeling).

In most people this will produce a dramatic demonstration of how working in one small part can affect the functioning of the whole. This will work for many people, but not all: for the most easily assessable results, avoid starting on someone with a strong scoliosis or other bilateral asymmetries.

Since this also functions as a treatment, do not forget to carry out the same procedure on the other side after you assess the difference.”

This technique is also recommended by physiotherapists to help foot pain.

At the  IKSA fitness instructor course, we stand barefoot on the kettlebell handles. It hurts like hell the first few times, but then a release sensation takes over.

I still roll my feet on a tennis ball every morning, about 1 minute each foot. Great way to start the day!

http://kettlebell-fitness.dk

Tue 27/10

2×20 kg clean& jerk @ 9 rpm: 1′/ 5′/ 2′

1×32kg jerk: 6/6/6/4/3 L+R

double clean: ( 2×24kg x10/ 2×28kg x5/ 2×20kg x20) x2

80kg jump squat : 6 x3

28kg snatch: 5L+R

Wed 28/10

AM circuit:

(20kg 2 H shield cast x5 each way/ wheel roll outs x11/ 16kg chins x5/ 1 leg elevated bridge 10L+R/ 16kg+8kg push press x3L+R/ band pull aparts x15) x4

PM:

2×28kg swings: 6 x5

clean & jerk: 2×20kg x12/ 2×24kg x8/ 2×20kg x12/ 2×24kg x8/ 2×20kg x12/ 2×24kg x8/2×20kg x12/ 2×24kg x8/ 2×20kg x12

1×28kg swing: 40 L+ 40R

Thu 29/10

mixed day. 16′ non stop with 19 exercises. 16kg bell

Fri 30/10

AM: circuit, choreography and intervals 50′

PM:

20kg snatch: 1′L+1′R @18rpm x8 (144+144)

28kg swing: 20L+20R

Glute bridge 100kg: 5×5

36kg 2H swing: 20 x3

Sat 31/10

Jerk:  (36kg: 1L+R, 2×16kg: 20) x5

16kg chins: 5 x5