Southern Kettlebeller

Pondering what's next

2012-01-12T20:38:00.007-05:00

Since my tendinitis returned about a month ago I stopped lifting kettlebells to let my elbows heal (the tendinitis is in both of them; it's one of the few areas in my life that I can claim to be ambidextrous).
A few weeks before that I had stopped working on Long Cycle to prepare for an online snatch competition with the 24kg bell. My goal was to get WKC Rank I numbers in the comp (75 reps or more in each hand, minimum 150 snatches total with the 24kg bell). I hadn't worked snatches for about two and a half years, and my previous personal record was less than 50 reps per hand. But it only took a couple weeks to get 75/75 in training. I used a Fedorenko-inspired template that I took from this blog. Years after it was written, I still find it to be one of the most practical training guides I have ever read on GS, and, along with Rudnev and Lopatin's article I cited earlier, it has influenced my training more than any other piece I've read.
I had hoped to use this method to try Biathlon training for a while, and then return to Long Cycle. Obviously that's not in the cards for now.
One unfortunate result of my hiatus from kettlebells is the loss of strength. Although they aren't the ideal tool for maximal strength, the practical, walking around strength kettlebells gave my hands, arms and lower back was a useful asset. As my elbows heal, I'm considering a low volume, three-day-a-week barbell routine of clean and jerks and similar lifts to build strength without leading to overuse injuries. Hopefully, I could gain back some of the strength I lost in the last two bouts of tendinitis, without suffering any overuse injuries. On the other days I could run to work on general endurance for my return to kettlebell sport.
For now I may have to limit the strength work to squats (back, front, and jumping). At this point I'm even afraid to try deadlifts. Hopefully it won't be long before I'm lifting weights overhead.
For now, I'd packing my bags for Orlando. Tomorrow I drive our church van full of children (my son included among them) to Sea World. Wish me luck.
Until next time...

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-30T21:14:00.003-05:00

2011 was not what I expected.
What I expected was to reach WKC CMS numbers in Long Cycle in the first couple months, then officially achieve that rank at the GA State Championships later in the summer.
Instead I got tendinitis in my elbows, and that sidelined me for most of the year.
I spent that "off" time running, usually three days a week. The other days I walked. The walks (and the runs) were pretty challenging, because my neighborhood and the surrounding areas are extremely hilly. A few of the hills take several minutes to climb.
But it was ok. I enjoyed it, and I worked on my general endurance 6 or 7 days a week.
Also, I confirmed what I had posted earlier in the year:
Kettlebell Sport is an endurance sport.
The proof was in how quickly my numbers rebounded after my doctor cleared me to train with kettlebells again. I am not a naturally strong or muscular person, and my upper body turned skinny and flabby while I limited my workouts to running, walking and squats.
But even with skinny, flabby arms I started setting new personal records just weeks after my return to kettlebell training in August, after months of endurance work. Those records include a 77 rep 7 minute 2x24kg set, and several 40 plus rep sets in 3 minutes. I wrote my last blog post about my 97 rep 2x24kg 10 minute set in October. That was significant to me because I felt awful that day, and I suspect on an average day, or even on a bad day when I paced myself with a timer, I would have smashed the 100 rep barrier easily.
With those results I was hoping to be the first American to crack 100 reps in competition. But the November comp I was planning to attend was cancelled. I can't blame the event planners, as several significant competitions were held within weeks (some just days) of the comp, so I did not expect attendance to be high. This was just the only comp within driving distance for the foreseeable future, and my travel budget didn't allow for farther trips this year.
After the comp was cancelled, two American lifters broke the 100 rep barrier in competition on the same day at another competition. Lee Quattrone (101 reps) and Jeff Martone (104 reps) both achieved CMS rank in Long Cycle with their 2x24kg performances at the IKFF National Championships on November 19. I would have liked to have beaten them to it, but I was happy for them both. I hope to meet them on the platform one day soon.
Later in the year my elbow tendinitis flared up again, and I was forced to turn to running and walking as my primary training exercises.
Once my elbows heal again I plan to lift again, although I may be limited to 24kg kettlebells. I'd like to best the 104 rep record that Jeff set, as the mountain climbers say, just because it is there. We'll see.
For now, I wish you all a happy and blessed 2012.
-David

97

2011-10-15T19:58:00.002-04:00

Today I set a new personal record of 97 reps in the 2x24kg long cycle clean and jerk.

I didn't feel like working out tonight, and I sat on my garage steps looking at the bells for about 5 minutes before I picked them up. I finally cursed and picked them up, figuring I might as well try for a pr since any workout tonight would feel like suffering anyway.
The set was un-paced; I just set the timer for 10:00 and started a mental countdown from 95 (the rep total I estimated I'd get). I did the 95 and two more reps before the timer went off.
After putting down the bells, I walked around my driveway for 5 minutes catching my breath before my wife asked me to go to the grocery store. I'll probably stretch and take a walk after the kids are in bed.
For now I'm finishing off the homemade lasagna my wife made and a nice glass of red Spanish wine a friend brought me yesterday. This was a good pr.
Until next time...

Balancing Act

2011-08-28T21:03:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago my doctor cleared me to resume kettlebell training. That was the best news I'd gotten in a while.
I had missed lifting the bells. I missed the rhythm and cadence of the lifts. I missed coordinating my breath with the movements, and all the technical aspects of long cycle.
I missed being strong, and the utility and fun things that go with it. This year at the church pool party many of the kids were disappointed I couldn't throw them into the deep end of the pool while we played in the water. Usually I'll stand in the pool and the kids would take turns being thrown for an hour or so. I missed that.
I did enjoy running, and improving at a useful activity. I ran progressively longer and faster, and I enjoyed setting and exceeding new goals.
Now I've resumed lifting. Running was obviously a good choice for conditioning. Even though my muscles had withered without weight training, it was easy to resume kettlebell lifting. I credit the common but underrated general endurance that running provides. I am blessed (cursed?) to live in a neighborhood filled with daunting hills. Many of them are so long they take several minutes to climb. Since kettlebell lifting, particular long cycle, is as taxing as running up a steep hill, it was a great substitute for lifting.
Despite the loss in upper body strength, it only took a month to return to my former level of kettlbell sport conditioning. Last week I did 90 reps of 2x24kg Long Cycle in 10 minutes, and the day after I set a personal best of 41 reps in a three minute sprint.
Despite these results, I still have to keep close tabs on my tendinitis. Sometimes I need an extra day off from lifting when my elbows are tender, and have a running workout instead. When my elbows were sore last night I decided to go for a 5:00 record with the lighter 20kg bells. Even though I had to use the lighter bells, I was happy to get 71 reps in five minutes.
Dealing with my tendinitis is truly a balancing act. Every day there is a question of not just what my lifting volume and intensity will be, but whether I will lift at all. Right now I am hoping to enter the South East championships if my health holds up. Afterward, I will probably take a break of some kind, and focus on GPP outside of kettlebell sport. I want to make sure my elbows completely heal before the year is up.
Until next time...

Kettlebell Domination

2011-06-01T23:13:00.011-04:00

So I follow other Kettlebell Sport athlete's blogs. One I like in particular is John Wild Buckley's blog. John is an entertaining writer, and I've enjoyed reading about his progress in the sport and discipline of kettlebell lifting. I was positively enthralled by his accounts of visiting Siberia, and learning under the great coach Sergey Rudnev.
In a May 21 blog post, John recounted an informal demonstration and contest between two famous kettlebell sport champions, Sergey Rachinsky and Sergei Merkulin.
In a recent IKSFA sport camp in St Petersburg, Rachinsky and Merkulin demonstrated Long Cycle technique by engaging in a 5:00 2x32kg contest. Their first five minutes ended in a tie of 44 reps each, for an average of 8.8 reps per minute (rpm).
Not satisfied with a tie, the two decided to compete again to determine a winner. They decided a a 2:00 sprint set would be the tie breaker. Both lifters went all out, at a much faster pace than either would use for a 5:00 training set.
Merkulin finished with with 24 reps (12 rpm). Rachinsky finished with 26 (13 rpm). At the end of his effort, Rachinsky fell to his knees. It was an exciting contest, to be sure.
After reading the blog post, I checked my email and looked over my YouTube subscriptions. One of them is the channel of Ivan Denisov. Denisov is the absolute world champion and record holder in Kettlebell sport, and is a coach and adviser for the World Kettlebell Club (WKC). Ivan often posts competition videos of the athletes he coaches, as well as videos of his regular workouts and competitions.
One new video in particular caught my attention. An ordinary, 6 minute set of 2x32kg Long cycle during a recent workout. Denisov uploaded the video on May 13.

He did 72 reps in 6:00. That's 12 rpm for the entire six minutes. He made it look easy. Here is the video:

Looking over Denisov's competition records, it appears that 12 rpm is not a sprint pace for Denisov the way it is for other world class athletes. As a matter of fact, he has completed 116 reps in 10:00 (11.6 rpm)....the world record.
I do not mean to take anything away from Rachinsky or Merkulin. They are two of the greatest kettlebell sport athletes to ever set foot on the platform. And like most of the top performers in GS, they are reputed to be good people as well as great athletes.
But Denisov dominates this sport like no one else. He is truly in a class by himself.

I'll close with the video of his world record performance. Until next time, take care and God bless.

Running

2011-05-08T16:17:00.016-04:00

So my tendinitis has been really slow to heal. I considered a number of ways to stay in shape while I wait to get better. I thought about buying a Concept 2 rowing machine. I know many kettlebell sport athletes use the Concept 2 for general physical preparedness training (GPP), and there has been some success by competitive rowers when they try kettlebell sport. Then a few weeks ago I stumbled across this running program. Known as "The couch to 5k running program", it's a common sense program designed to ease adults who aren't exercising into running a 5k race in 8 weeks.
Running is a cross-training mainstay for GS athletes. There are a lot of pluses to running. It's low cost, and can be done almost anywhere. It's such a popular sport that there are countless online resources available on training, mapping and measuring running routes, and convenient race calendars to plan your events. Most people in North America live within a short drive of several 5K races every weekend.
I started the program on April 24, following it pretty closely. I didn't over-do it, because for the first month my nine-year-old son ran with me. We had fun spending that time together, although after a month he was ready to play and be a nine-year-old boy again. On the days I didn't run, I continued to jump rope and do one armed swings with a kettlebell.
Once my son stopped running with me, I cranked up the intensity and went beyond the couch program. Lately I've been running for about 25 minutes (about 2.5 to 3 miles) or so, with a short warm up and cool down. I run in my neighborhood, which is very, very hilly, so the workout is pretty intense (A neighbor of mine grew up in the mountains of West Virginia, and he says its harder to run in our neighborhood than anywhere he ran growing up).
Competition motivates better than anything, so I plan to run my first race on July 4th, if not sooner.
In the meantime, I'll share a photo of my running partner for the first month of the program. In it I am holding a picture I drew of a quetzalcoatlus (his favorite prehistoric creature) for his birthday. I drew the picture right after breakfast. Both of us still had bed-head. :)

Working on recovery

2011-04-07T11:57:00.009-04:00

So I've been dealing with triceps/elbow issues, first reported here, which turned out to be tendinitis.
In the meantime, I've been working on a three-pronged recovery approach. Here are the components:

1. Rest. Not doing movements which aggravate this injury. In this case, no presses or jerks. Obviously that means no long cycle work either. Surprisingly, because the injury is essentially inflammation of the tendon tissue in the elbow, any movement that involves bending the elbow can also aggravate the tendons. That means I have to limit cleans and pull-ups as well.

2. Instituting an injury prevention program. Right now, that means a focus on range of motion (ROM) work, as well as stretching and other flexibility work. I am doing ROM work throughout the day at my desk, and as a warmup and cool down. You can find the foundation of the ROM and flexibility work I practice in Beyond Stretching: Russian Flexibility Breakthroughs by Pavel Tsatsouline. The material in this book was later divided into two of Pavel's later books, but I prefer this one. Pavel does not break down the concepts as simply or as user friendly as he does in his strength training primer Power to the People, but even though it is imperfect, it is the best book I have found on overall flexibility and range of motion.
The ROM work is very similar to traditional Tai Chi warm ups, and the ROM exercises commonly practiced throughout Russia. As for "stretching", it's important to note that the best flexibility work incorporates a type of isometric strength training. This type of flexibility work not only strengthens muscles; it also causes a relaxation response that rapidly increases flexibility. Known as PNF stretching it was developed decades ago by Herman Kabat.
In addition to ROM and PNF work, I've resumed a more expansive yoga practice. I've been a student of yoga since 1994, and was interviewed about my yoga practice for the 2003 book Real Men Do Yoga. Author John Capouya also interviewed a number of pro athletes for the book (Eddie George is on the cover), and he wrote what I think is the most accessible introduction to yoga I've ever read, especially for men more accustomed to weight training and watching ESPN than new age type stuff. I think I was featured as the token "regular guy" among the famous types, and to show how yoga can reduce stress if you have a demanding job (I was in charge of prosecuting most of the child murders in Atlanta at the time). Like the PNF stretching, I rely on yoga for strengthening as much as I do flexibility.

3. The last prong of my rehab is maintaining conditioning. Like most injured athletes, I have been overly concerned about maintaining my sports conditioning while I allow my injuries to heal. This anxiety motivates many athletes to resume sports training before their bodies are ready, and results in re-injuries that are often worse than their initial problem. So part of this is simply giving the athlete a challenging workout to do so he won't hurt himself with a premature resumption of training. Another part of it is selecting an appropriate exercise plan to keep the person in good physical condition for health, irrespective of his athletic goals.
American Kettlebell Sport trainer and coach Cate Imes suggested I try a circuit that included kettlebell swings and jumping rope. Kettlebell Sport athlete (and physician) Matt Schinabeck also recommended swings as a way to maintain the special endurance for kettlebell sport, and, reading the training diary on his blog, I see that he practices what he preaches. Based on their advice, I've combined kettlebell swings with jumping rope to make a challenging circuit. Basically I jump rope for one minute, do a one minute set of left handed swings, jump rope another minute, then complete a set of right handed swings without stopping. I complete this circuit 5 times for a total of 20 minutes. It sounds easy but its a good workout.
If you are looking for a good jump rope, I highly recommend this one. It's the most durable jump rope I've found, and it swings better than any of the ones I used when I was boxing. It comes in two lengths, including one specifically made for tall guys like me. I've had mine for close to 10 years now.

So that's it for now. I'm hoping that within a few weeks I can resume sport training again. If so, I merely want to rehab well enough to make Rank I numbers again in the GA State Championships. In the meantime, I'm working on another piece about injury prevention by practicing sound technique. Until then, I'll leave you with the front cover of Mr. Capouya's book. Take Care and God bless,

David

Disappointment

2011-04-01T15:40:00.010-04:00

So I re-injured my arm. And I figured out what was wrong.

I have tendinitis. And not just in my left elbow, but my right one, too.
I was making progress again, and I expected to resume training with the 28 kg kettlebells again by April 1st. But after an easy set of 2x24kg long cycle on Wednesday, March 23rd, I thought I'd follow up with a second set of 2x24kg instead of the easier set with 2x20kg I had planned.

Big mistake.

My left arm told me so, after just 17 reps. I felt a another pain in my left triceps and elbow area, and set down the bells. I thought it was no big deal at the time, but the next day I could tell I had re-injured it.

In the meantime I've done some research about my symptoms, and I've figured out I have tendinitis. Basically, an inflammation or irritation of the tendons.
Some relevant facts for kettlebell sport athletes (taken from WebMD):

1. Tendinitis is most often caused by repetitive, minor impact on the affected area.
Gee, I wonder who that applies to?

2. There are many activities that can cause tendinitis, including:

* Gardening
* Raking
* Carpentry
* Shoveling
* Painting
* Scrubbing
* Tennis
* Golf
* Skiing
* Throwing and pitching
* Kettlebell lifting

Ok, so I added that last one. But now we know.

3. Poor stretching or conditioning before exercise or playing sports also increases a person's risk.

Yes. See my last blog post.

Now for the best part:

4. Initial treatment of tendinitis includes:

* Avoiding activities that aggravate the problem (edited to add: even if it's your only hobby)
* Resting the injured area (even if it makes you stir crazy).

And for the coup de grâce:

5. Tendinitis may take weeks to months to go away, depending on the severity of your injury. This is true even if you have a meet planned and its the only one less than one hundred miles from your home in the next year.
Ok, so I added that last sentence, too.

Looking forwards, I also found this advice at WebMD:

How Can I Prevent Tendinitis?

Include warm up and cool down exercises and stretches in your exercise routine. As a general rule, a good warm-up is five minutes for every 30 minutes of planned exercise. One hour on the treadmill or elliptical trainer requires 10 minutes of warm-up. Vary your exercises and gently stretch all the muscles and tendons you are planning to exercise.

Really, if this is the worst thing that happens to me this year, I should count myself blessed. But I was so looking forward to competing in the GA State Championships this June, and I was expecting to make my CMS rank. Even after the first injury, I thought at the very least I could dominate in the 24kg (amateur) division. At this point, I may not even be able to compete. It's starting to look very doubtful.

I've had some workouts (like last night for example) that feel really easy at the time, but leave my arm(s) sore and in a little worse shape the next day. Last night it was super-setting 2x24kg cleans and jumping rope for 22 minutes. Even thought I'm not in pain today, my left arm is stiff and a little worse off, and won't heal doing that.

I'm not really sure what to do. Looking at the big picture, I'd probably be best served by just completely bailing on any kettlebell lifting for the next few weeks, and concentrating only on rest and recovery. In the meantime I'll learn a new joint mobility and stretching routine, and maybe work on squats. I'll report back when I've decided.

Until then, good lifting and good health to you.
God bless,

David

Injury prevention in GS, or, stuff I should have done

2011-03-17T12:32:00.021-04:00

So earlier this month I injured my left arm. It was just the second rep of a planned 10 minute set. I had planned to break my personal record for 2x28kg long cycle, maybe even get CMS numbers. Instead I injured myself, and had to stop doing jerks for a couple weeks. That stunk.
That incident forced me to own up to one major shortcoming of my sport conditioning:

I did almost nothing for injury prevention.

Like most US kettlebell sport athletes, I am an amateur (and an over-40-year-old amateur, at that). Like many of my fellow athletes, I have a regular job, and family responsibilities, too. So I try to streamline and eliminate any part of my routine that is not absolutely necessary.

It turns out injury prevention is necessary.

I think before this happened, I would have agreed with the last sentence with my mouth, but not with my actions. Sure, I stretched a little during the cool-down phase of my workouts. But that was it. But it took straining my left triceps badly enough that I could not even do cleans (much less jerks or snatches) in order to internalize this lesson and really learn it.

So in the meanwhile I improvised. I started doing jump squats with a barbell, as well as kettlebell swings. Gradually, I added back cleans, then bumps and (very) light barbell jerks, then one-armed jerks with a light weight. Last night was my first night back doing long cycle clean and jerk, albeit with the 20kg bells instead of my usual 28's.

I also took this time to study what the pros do. It turns out joint mobility work and stretching are a big deal. I saw an interview with World Champion and Master of Sport World Class athlete Denis Vasiliev and here's a summary of what he said about his stretching routine (as recorded by Tom Corrigan):

[Denis Vasiliev] believes that having a great stretching session can be even more important than having a great lifting session. His reasoning is that if he has a great lifting session, but a poor stretching session, he will recover less, sleep worse and not be ready to train as hard the next day. But if he has a poor training session (i.e. not meeting his goals) but has a great stretching session, his muscles will feel better, he will sleep great, and he will be able to train harder and better the next day.

Tom recorded Vasiliev's stretching sessions, and a video of one appears below. Note: Tom's record of Vasiliev's comments appear when the video is viewed at the YouTube site here.

Just as importantly, Tom recorded Vasiliev's pre-workout joint mobility warm up:

Tom noted: Here is the joint mobility warm up of KB Sport World Champion Denis Vasil'ev. He does this after a general warm up of his body done by running on a treadmill or an elliptical machine. He systematically works through his joints, making sure he is ready to start working hard.
The rest of Tom's comments may be found when watching the video here.

So now I've added a joint mobility warm up and cool down to my routine, and I've expanded the stretching I do once I'm done. I must confess that I had neglected true stretching for so long that I had no idea how much flexibility and range of motion I had lost. I'm thinking of adding a yoga workout to my off days.

On the bright side, many of my kettlebell compatriots offered me well wishes and helpful advice. Steven Khuong, in particular, was very encouraging, and even sent me two get well gifts. Here I am wearing the first one:

In case you missed the logo on the shirt, here is a closeup:

As many of you know, the Ice Chamber is one of the top kettlebell sport gyms in North America. Steven Khuong and Maya Garcia are the founders. Maya actually wrote an excellent article about restorative stretches for kettlebell sport just last week.

Recently, The Ice Chamber was host to an excellent sport camp that featured (among others) absolute world record holder Ivan Denisov. (Edited to add: I am told that the camp also featured coach Cate Imes and the legendary Valery Fedorenko, so you can imagine how good the camp was). Denisov is widely considered to be one of the best (if not the best) kettlebell sport athletes in the world. My other gift from Steven was a calender featuring Denisov, signed by the champion himself. Here is a photo:

After my injury, I asked for help designing a convalescent workout regimen at the WKC forum. Steven not only offered suggestions, but offered to send get well gifts. I was truly touched that Steven sent such thoughtful gifts to me. I hope its not long before I meet him, and the other great athletes from the Ice Chamber.

In the meantime, I'm back on the training road. I've decided that now its unlikely that I will make the Candidate for Master of Sport Rank (CMS) this summer at the state championships, although its still a reasonable goal for the year. We will see. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a photo follow up from my last two posts. It seems that my youngest daughter Maddie thinks the best thing about the Perform Better Kettlebells is the foam packaging they send their KB's in. Turns out they can be used as planters for summer tomatoes. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Follow up on review of Perform Better Competition Kettlebells

2011-03-11T11:15:00.005-05:00

I was surprised at the volume and immediacy of the responses I received to my last post reviewing Perform Better's latest generation of competition kettlebells.

Based on the content and the amount of responses, I'd like to add the following information to my review:

I don't work for WKC, and I did not rely on any information from WKC in writing my review. I uncovered (sometimes literally) the facts for this review myself, and I documented my experiences with photos.
Although the review contains my own impressions, certain facts are indisputable:

1. WKC began selling competition-style kettlebells several years ago. Initially, some of them had defects that were covered in bondo and then painted, even in the handle area. There were some complaints about the quality of these early bells.

2. In approximately 2008, WKC began shipping bells with pre-stripped handles, among other upgrades. My 20kg WKC bell is an example. These bells were higher quality than the previous bells, and did not contain bondo-covered defects. WKC stopped selling the previous bells that were of lower quality.

3. At some point, PB began selling the exact same bells that WKC had stopped selling before their upgrade. The bells Perform Better sold were simply WKC's pre-upgrade kettlebell's with WKC's logo (along with any defects) covered with bondo and an epoxy that easily chipped off during normal use.

4. WKC upgraded their bells again in 2009. This is when they went to the polished handles. At that same time PB was still selling the bondo and epoxy-covered KB's that WKC no longer sold. (I call them "rejects" because WKC no longer sold
them anymore, and they obviously did not meet WKC's new standards).

5. PB started selling bells with pre-stripped handles. I ordered one to review it, and reported the defects I found.

Those are the facts.

Since that time, some folks have contacted me to say they were happy with their PB bells, but many more have noticed the same defects on their PB bells, including the mysterious tape repairs and sloppy bondo fixes. The 8kg bell seems to be the one most prone to defects, perhaps, as one poster noted, because "8kg bells are the hardest to make and the easiest to [mess] up. The thin shell is the problem. Any defect pretty much equals a hole".

However, the defects were noted on many weights of many PB bells, not just the 8kg.
No tape or bondo fixes were reported on any second or third generation WKC bells. Instead, I received unsolicited reports on the high quality of WKC bells, and photos like these:

I did receive one report from one lifter about a problem with a second or third generation WKC 8kg bell that cracked. He reported: "I had it for a year before it cracked due to it being more frequently used" and that AKC/WKC replaced the bell upon request. The same lifter reportedly purchased 12 new generation PB bells; 5 of them had the tape repair. The five bells weighed 8kg (2), 12kg (2), and 20kg (1) respectively. That same lifter reported that "1 PB and 1 WKC [8kg]bell are exactly identical, down to finish on handle and even shade of pink paint". Taking all of the facts I've gathered together, it strongly suggests that PB and WKC still share a common manufacturer. The most obvious explanation for the difference in quality is that WKC has higher quality control standards; they don't accept defective bells that have been repaired by bondo and tape from the manufacturer. PB does. It's simply a matter of what each company will agree to accept, and then pass on to their consumers.
I've since read that many other retailers have begun selling competition-style kettlebells. I may review some of them if I get a chance. In the meantime, I stick with my recommendation that WKC's competition kettlebells are the best buy available.

Review of Perform Better's latest generation of competition kettlebells

2011-03-09T10:31:00.016-05:00

I have previously reviewed AKC/WKC's competition style kettlebells. They are officially called "VF Prograde Kettlebells", and are available at the World Kettlebell Club's store here. In two previous reviews in December and June of 2009, I found them to be of very high quality, and to be the "best buy" in competition kettlebells on the market. I have also compared their bells to those sold by Perform Better, and later learned that Perform Better had been selling WKC Prograde rejects as their own competition bells. I documented that discovery here.
Perform Better has since changed the competition bells that they offer. Officially known as "First Place Competition Kettlebells", these kettlebells now come with the handles pre-stripped so that the athlete will not have to strip the handle with a file and sander or other tool. Another benefit to the consumer is that it will be obvious if the handle contains multiple imperfections that could tear his hands. A manufacturer or dealer cannot hide the imperfections with bondo and paint on a stripped and polished steel surface.
Since Perform Better instituted these changes, their competition kettlebells have become popular with kettlebell sport athletes, and many recommend them. Recently my wife and daughter have expressed an interest in kettlebell lifting, and asked me to order them one to share. I decided to order one of Perform Better's 8kg models, and report my findings.
Here is what arrived:

Notice that Perform Better's website is cast into the kettlebell. This bell is an obvious improvement over PB's last offering. However, I noticed a number of imperfections that indicated painted-over repairs.
First, there are two spots on the bell where some type of tape was placed on the bell, and then painted over. Here is the small taped spot:

Here is the larger one:

Another view of the large taped portion in brighter light:

In addition to the sections of tape that were applied and painted over, there is a large patch of what appears to be bondo that has been painted over. Here are two views:

Note: the marks that look like scuffs on the bell are not scuffs, but are places where the paint was not completely and evenly applied, and part of the bell was not painted at the factory. Basically, the paint job is really shoddy.

What to think? Well, I was shocked, honestly. Perform Better has an excellent reputation. They send confirmation of orders quickly, and ship promptly. I have heard of anecdotes of other consumers who have been very pleased. But this is the second time I have ordered a kettlebell from them, and the second time they have sent a substandard product. It's troubling to me that this happened, especially since the last time I told them they sold me a competition bell that was not suitable for competition, they replied that I should not have taken the finish off the handle in order to use it, and would not offer a replacement or refund (I wonder if they know I figured out their secret about where they were getting their bells and why they covered them with so much bondo and epoxy?). Back then I tried to explain that competitors have to strip and sand the handles if they actually want to compete with their product, but they denied that. Since then, as I said, they only sell bells with handles that are pre-stripped.
So what's the bottom line? From what I can tell, the defects in the bell won't be an issue unless we use the bell for double kettlebell lifts and the paint and bondo get knocked off when the bells clang together. I doubt that will be a problem. I bought the bell for my wife and daughter, and even if they want to use it to train to reach reach Rank IV or III with the WKC, it won't hinder them. The real problem is that defects like this don't leave a good impression, especially when you have received two in a row.
Perform Better and WKC seem to be in a perpetual pricing war (maybe that's just my impression). But it varies day to day which company is offering the lowest prices on kettlebells. The day I ordered this bell, I think it was $10 cheaper than the WKC's.
Based on my experiences, I wish I had paid the extra $10 and ordered from WKC. This experience has only confirmed my earlier impression, and what I now believe is not merely an opinion, but an objective fact:

The AKC/WKC VF Prograde Kettlebells are some of the best you can buy, and are by far, the best for the money.

On the bright side, my daughter Caroline has really taken to kettlebell lifting, and has been practicing her swings almost every night. Here she is below:

Good lifting and God bless,

David

Do you need more endurance in 2011?

2011-02-02T13:08:00.015-05:00

Kettlebell Sport is known as a strength endurance sport. Most non-athletes consider kettlebells to be "heavy" weights, whether they are thinking of amateurs who compete with the 24kg kettlebells or world-class athletes who use the 32kg bells. To be fair, most folks don't lift 53 lb or 70 lb objects every day, much less put two of them overhead for fifty or a hundred times in a row.

But from an athletics standpoint, the weights that kettlebell sport athletes use are very light. Olympic weightlifters of my weight class snatch over 400 lbs; they clean and jerk over 500 lbs. Powerlifters often squat over 1,000 lbs, deadlift over 900 lbs, and bench press over 900 lbs. These lifts are completed in just seconds, for only one repetition, as opposed to the kettlebell lifts, which are repeated continually over the course of 10 minutes.

I mention all of that to give context to a statement that should be obvious, yet comes across as controversial to many who discuss kettlebell sport on popular Internet discussion forums:

Kettlebell sport is an endurance sport.

Now, some may acknowledge the truth of that statement superficially. But when you start talking training regimens for kettlebell sport, many recommend heavy lifting of some kind. Squats, deadlifts, and even presses. Rarely do these same people recommend running, rowing, or jumping rope. But lifting truly heavy weights? All the time. Recently, a great American kettlebell sport trainer, Cate Imes, addressed this phenomenon in two excellent blog posts, the most recent of which can be found here. Obviously, the title of those pieces inspired the subject of this blog.

The questions and advice posited from many kettlebell lifters and fitness enthusiests reveals the common assumption that the development of maximal strength is a priority for kettlebell sport athletes. Yet, Sergey Rudnev and Eugene Lopatin disproved this common misconception in their article Strength or Endurance, development of strength and strength endurance in Kettlebell Sport. A very readable summary of the article and one lifter's impression of it appears here. Of note in the article is that Lopatin, a multiple world-record-holder in kettlebell sport, could not meet the minimum strength recommendations for athletes who wish to participate in kettlebell sport as set by a Voropaev, a highly respected sports scientist. Yes, the world record holder could not pass the recommended strength requirements for a beginner.

Again, to be fair, Voropaev's recommendations essentially reflected the priorities of many other sports scientists, and the prevailing wisdom of kettlebell sport throughout the years. So the assumption that the development of maximal strength is a priority for kettlebell sport athletes is neither new, nor isolated.

Both Rudnev and Lopatin teach in the department of physical training and sports of the Far Eastern Military Institute of Russia. They noted that the athletes with better results in kettlebell sport at their Institute were endurance athletes, and specifically noted the successes of former cross-country skiers, rowers, and distance runners.

Rudnev and Lopatin conlcuded that the development of maximal strength with a barbell had no bearing on the success of the kettlebell sport athlete. While some reading that sentence are still saying, "yeah, but..." let me take it a step further:

Strength endurance is not a determining factor in Kettlebell Sport lifting.

According to their article, strength endurance is the ability to perform an activity at a fast tempo for 1-3 minutes. One measure of strength endurance would be the two minute push up test that is often used as a part of the US Army's physical fitness test, in which a soldier completes as many push ups as he can in two minutes. However, per Rudnev and Lopatin, "...strength endurance is not a determining factor in Kettlebell Sport lifting. It [strength endurance] only allows you to perform at fast tempo for 1-3 minutes...Kettlebell Sport lifting [requires] endurance which allow(s) [you] to perform 10 minutes of competition time. Therefore, we should talk about the special endurance, which is necessary to work with pauses between repetitions sufficient for recovery to the next repetition..."

The authors go on to explain that, according to their studies, the development of general and special endurance are the top priorities for the kettlebell sport athlete.

This brings us to what I think should be the real question for all aspiring kettlebell sport athletes:

"Do I need more endurance in 2011?"

Only if you want to succeed.

Gods blessings on all of you,

David

Inching closer to CMS

2011-01-06T22:34:00.004-05:00

Today I finally crossed the 60 rep barrier in 2x28kg Long Cycle.
I performed 60 reps in 9:43, which is just under 6.2 rpm.
I did not pace this set with a minute timer. Instead, I just set my chronograph timer for ten minutes and started lifting. The goal was 60 reps before the timer went off.
Initially I thought about going for 65 reps, but by the time I reached 60 my form was breaking down and I was afraid I might drop the bells on my head instead of fixating them overhead. So at 60 I just set them down.
If I had known there was only 17 seconds until the 10 min mark I would have held on...maybe. I'm still very pleased with the pr, and to be a few more reps closer to the CMS mark (69 reps).
Next I'll work towards going the entire 10 minutes without setting down the bells, and increasing my pace to 7-8 rpm for the 10 minutes. I only have to average 6.9 rpm for 10 minutes to make the 69 reps required, but I'd prefer to have some "cushion" in my average 10 minute pace when I try for CMS in competition.
For now, I'm enjoying a post-workout snack of wine and cheese. Maybe not the snack of champions, but it works for me. :)

Year end review, and return to the pumpkins

2010-12-28T21:32:00.012-05:00

So I began this year with the plan to make the AKC's candidate for master of sport rank ("CMS") in Long Cycle with the 28kg kettlbells my wife and kids bought me for X-mas 2009. (See my post "The Great Pumpkins"). I put this plan on backburner in March when the District Attorney in my area announced his plans to resign and run for judge, giving me the opportunity to run for the DA position.
The stress and workload of the campaign was too much for me to continue using the 28kg KB's as my primary training tool, so I returned to concentrating on the 24kg KB's for most of my workouts. I had some unexpected progress with the 28's, and then some more with the 24's.
Eventually, the 12-16 hour days of the campaign were too much, and I had to drastically cut back on my volume and frequency. By the day of the election November 2, I had cut back to 3-4 days a week (down from 5-6) and was averaging only one 4-5 minute set of 2x24kg long cycle per day. During the month of the runoff, I sometimes used the 20kg KB's that I had all but abandoned.
Since the runoff I have gone back to 5-6 days a week, and have increased my volume to pre-election levels.
I'd like to reach CMS with the 28's by July, when I expect the Georgia State Championships will be held in Atlanta. I'd also like to reach CMS according to the IKFF's ranking table, which would mean 96 reps with 2x24kg KB's (the IKFF awards CMS rank using the 24kg KB's, which follows the traditional Russian system).
In the meantime, I'll list a few milestones I reached during the year, listing date, weights used, total reps and rpms. I hope to have many more to list as the months go by.

April 11 LC 2x28kg 6:00 48 reps. 8,8,8,8,8,8.
July 25 LC 2x28kg 32 reps in 3:00. 11,11,10.
August 12 LC 2x24kg 4:00 49 reps. 12,12,13,12.
August 18 LC 2x24kg 5:00 60 reps. 12,12,12,12,12
August 28 LC 2x24kg 10:00 93 reps. 10,9,9,9,10,9,9,9,10,9.
My lockouts weren't great on the 10:00 set but I was proud of it given that I did it at 10:30 at night after campaigning for 12 hours.

Since the runoff on November 30 I've completed a 2x28kg 55 rep 8:30 set and a 9:00 54 rep set.

With regard to the election, although we made the runoff, we did not get the result we hoped for. Still, I'm proud of the job we did and honored and humbled by the support our campaign received. For now, I'm spending a lot more time with my family. I'm back at my old job, although I have a new assignment that allows me more time with my wife and kids. Below I posted a snapshot of my wife holding the X-mas gift my kids gave her this year. It's a set of sculptures depicting the three wisemen.
I wish everyone a blessed and prosperous new year. God bless you all.
-David

More unexpected progress

2010-07-14T22:58:00.004-04:00

So I've drastically scaled back my use of the 28kg kettlebells as my campaign for DA has intensified. Still, I've unexpectedly set some more personal records. They include (all are Long Cycle performed with 2x24kg kb's):

70 reps in 7:00.
66 reps in 6:00.
55 reps in 5:00.
49 reps in 4:00.

A couple times I've been within 2:00 of my goal of 90 reps in 10:00, but it was so hot and humid in my garage I did not think it was safe to go beyond 7 or 8 minutes.

Still, I've been happy with my improvements with the 24's.
Until next time...

Unexpected progress

2010-04-27T22:30:00.004-04:00

So I scaled back the intensity of my training since I started my campaign for District Attorney. But an odd thing happened. Somehow I set new personal records ("pr's") despite backing off the intensity. Here's how it happened:
I resumed using the 24kg kettlebells instead of the 28kg's. The 24's felt so much lighter after the 28's, that I often set a fast pace just to get a good workout. I set new pr's with the 24's, including 60 reps in 6 minutes for 2x24kg Long Cycle.
I got so used to keeping a fast pace with the 24's, that using the 28's for a slower pace seemed less intense. So occasionally I resumed 2x28 LC for slower paced sets. Sometimes I would not pace the sets, and would merely set the timer to go off at the end of the set instead of once a minute.
Tonight I performed 52 reps of 2x28kg LC in eight minutes. That is a pr for time as well as reps. The irony is that, tonight, like many of the nights I've set new pr's, I was so tired I doubted I would work out. But I decided to just give it a shot. Eight minutes later I had a new pr.
I'll take it.
Now for a video. In keeping with my last post, this video is a campaign-related video instead of a lifting video. It depicts my speech to the Macon City Council in favor of an ordinance to regulate massage parlors and therefore drive out of business the sex trafficking operations that operate under the banner of massage. Combating sex trafficking is a major issue in my campaign, and has been a primary mission and specialty of my career. My speech begins about 3:00 in.

Kettlebell Sport on backburner

2010-03-14T22:52:00.003-04:00

Most of you know that this sport is my one real hobby. Basically, I work a very stressful job, I have a wife and three kids, and we are all very involved in our church. I only have time for one hobby, and that's kettlebell sport.
About a month ago, I learned that the District Attorney in my town is resigning to run for judge. I have always wanted to be the elected District Attorney, and I knew that if I ever wanted to run for the office, this was the time. The district happened to have a real need for someone with my experience (there is a severe problem with sex trafficking in my jurisdiction, and prosecuting sex crimes is a primary specialty of mine, so its a good fit).
All that is to say I have begun campaigning for the job in earnest. While the campaign does place demands on my time, I still have enough time to exercise as much I would need to achieve my kettlebell sport goals. The issue is intensity.
Political campaigns require a high degree of stress on the body. This is in addition to the high demands of my day job, prosecuting crimes against women and children as chief prosecutor of a Special Victims Unit (SVU).
The practical consequence of this is that I dropped down in weight to lifting the 24kg kettlkebells instead of the 28kg size. Although I've occasionally had the energy to set new personal records (say, 60 reps of 2x24kg LC in 6:00) I just don't have the energy to lift the 28kg bells on a regular basis.
So I have pushed back my goals of making CMS and MS this year, in favor of being elected District Attorney. Once that happens, I'll return to the goals and begin working on them.
Here's a different kind of video than you are used to seeing here. Me reading my announcement speech. It was raining, so there were only about 40-50 people there (I had over 100 set to be there a week earlier before I had to reschedule to allow the Secretary of State to make sure there was going to be an election instead of a gubernatorial appointment):

Jerk work

2010-02-09T21:19:00.006-05:00

After my last post I posted several videos on IGX of my Long Cycle practice with the "pumpkins", AKC's orange 28kg kettlebells.
Although I've been steadily increasing my ability to lift them, a number of experienced lifters and coaches told me what I already knew:
My technique stinks.
To be more accurate, the jerk portion of my Long Cycle lift stinks. The cleans are pretty good. And, according to more than one authority, I will never truly progress until I improve my jerk technique.
So the last couple weeks I've been doing some remedial jerk work. To make sure I improved my speed with the bells (one major issue I have), I've dropped back down to the 24kg bells for jerks. I must say I'm not thrilled by the idea, but honestly, it had to be done. Its best to use a comfortable weight when working on technique.
The last couple weeks, I've done a set (or two, or three, or more) of 2x24kg jerks. After that I switched to 2x28kg cleans.
The cleans have actually been pretty easy.
The jerks, not so much. Part of the reason I chose Long Cycle as a specialty is my discomfort with jerks. With Long Cycle, if the bells don't sit right on your forearms, you can reset them by virute of the mechanics of the lift. With the jerks, you are stuck with the position you choose in the beginning. If your wrist gets bent back, you are toast. End of story.
I'm sure that biathlon specialists know how to set the wrists to make this less likely. But that doesn't really matter to me. Long Cycle, to me, is the perfect lift. It has the jerks of biathlon, plus double cleans (which I find superior to the one armed snatch).
For now, though, I do the jerks. I'm looking forward to my return to pure Long Cycle work.

Here's one of my jerk sets:

Here's my work with cleans:

Building volume with the Pumpkins

2010-01-24T22:09:00.005-05:00

Since my last post just after X-mas I've been enjoying lifting the "Pumpkins", AKC's orange 28kg kettlebells. I am such a freak for these things that I have really enjoyed it.
At first they felt noticeably heavier than my 24kg bells ("The Wonder Twins", as I dubbed them in my earlier review last year). I only clean and jerked them 25 times in 4 minutes (just over 6 rpm) the first time I lifted them on December 25th. Less than I month later I can maintain over 8 rpm for that same time period. I've had a number of sets of five minutes and over. My form with these heavier bells has improved as well; smoother and less jerky, and sticking the lockouts without pressing them.
I've had two primary means of acclimating to the heavier bells. One is to increase the volume. Typically, I perform just one "money" set with my competition weight kettlbells. This set ranges from 4-10 minutes long, 90% of the time between 5 to 7 minutes. Occasionally I will do an extra set with lighter kettlebells. But usually its just one set, then a set of squats, then stretching and done. This has worked well for me.
But to get used to these heavier bells I decided the best way was to spend as much time under them as possible. And the way to do that was to do shorter sets, but more of them. I started with 5 sets of 2 minutes. I did this for 4 consecutive workouts.
Then 3 sets of 3 minutes. I did this for 3 workouts.
The next step was transition to 2 sets of 4 minutes, but I had to travel for a few days and could only do one 4-5 minute set for a few days.
I returned home and for the last couple workouts I've done 2 sets of 4-5 minutes each.
I think for the time being I will make set one the set that I work on building duration, that is, the ability to lift the bells for longer and longer periods of time. Set 2 will be a slightly shorter set that I use to increase my pace.
For example, last night's first set was five minutes long. I set the timer for five minutes, and lifted without regard to pace. In my head, I did internal "7 counts", that is, I lifted 7 reps then paused/rested in the rack for a few seconds, then resumed for another 7 reps. I repeated this process until the timer went off. Using this method, I completed 32 reps, which is 6.4 rpm.
I rested a few minutes, then did a 4 minute set. This time I set the timer to go off every minute, and intentionally tried to complete at least 8 rpm. I ended up with 33 reps, completing 8 reps per minute for the first three minutes and nine reps in minute 4. Rpm for the second set was 8.25.
Set one was easy, and I spent the entire time working to improve my technique. Set 2 was challenging but manageable, and I spent the entire set in "clock management" mode, simultaneously considering technique and pace for every rep.
The upside is that I have grown very accustomed to the weight of the new bells, I have increased my baseline rpms with this weight, and I can lift them longer at a faster pace. While I diverged from the AKC approach for the few workouts that I used to build volume, my new template (one long set for duration, one shorter set for pace) is very AKC-like. I'm not one to be a slave to orthodoxy, but their approach has really worked in producing CMS and MS athletes quickly (can you say "Ice Chamber"?).
In any event, the bells feel lighter than they did on December 25.
One other thing I've done to improve my lifting is video recording. I bought a second-hand Flip Ultra for $50 a few weeks ago. Since that time I've been recording almost every workout, then reviewing the video to look for flaws I should work on. Last night was no exception. Here is the recording of my 33 rep 4 minute set below. Thanks for reading...

The Great Pumpkins: AKC's 28kg Kettlebells

2009-12-26T08:47:00.009-05:00

After making Rank I earlier this month, I immediately set my sights on acheiving my Candidate for Master of Sport ("CMS") ranking in 2010. According to an article on the Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR, Rank I equates to regional champion. Candidate for Master of Sport, often thought of as a bridge between the amateur and pro ranks, equates to being nationally ranked. At least that's what the article says here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Sports_Classification_System_of_the_USSR

I understand Russia and other former Soviet countries still use a similar system for classifying their athletes. My current ranking falls under the World Kettlebell Club auspices. Their ranking tables appear here:
http://worldkettlebellclub.com/ranks.php

To acheive the CMS ranking in Men's Long Cycle Clean and Jerk I'd need to perform 69 clean and jerks with two 28kg kettlebells. Weighing approximately 62 pounds, they are nearly nine pounds heavier than the 53 lb kettlebells I used to acheive my Rank I.
The only thing standing in my way of acheiving my CMS (other than months in the gym, ha ha) was my lack of 28kg kettlebells. If you are a follower of my blog you know that I consider the AKC/WKC kettlbells to be some of the best you can buy, and the absolute best buy for your money. I checked prices again before making this purchase. AKC was actually running a sale that made the bells even more affordable than ever. I emailed them to make sure they were in stock, then ordered two 28kg kettlebells. They arrived about a week later.
These bells are identical in quality and dimensions to the 24kg bells I ordered last summer. They are truly high-quality products. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.
I immediately opened them upon their arrival, only to be sharply rebuked by my wife. These bells were to be a X-mas present to me from my kids, and she was afraid they would see me with them. So I packed them back in their boxes and carried them inside for my wife and kids to wrap them. After the bells were wrapped, my kids asked me to carry them and place them under the X-mas tree ("Daddy we bought you some heavy rocks for X-mas; can you put them under the tree? Be careful, they are special rocks").
The children were so exicted to be giving me something that I really wanted,they asked me to open my presents first. Here is what I found:

Later, I took a few photos of them in my garage gym:

A close up. Notice the quality of the finish, particularly the handles:

The next competition tentatively scheduled in my area is Scott Shetler's GA State Championships in late June or early July. I plan to go for my CMS numbers on that day if logistics allow. Wish me luck.

I'll close with two more photos. One of my lovely wife, Rebecca (sporting her X-mas gifts from the kids and me: a peacock pearl necklace and emerald ear rings), who decided kettlebells would be a perfect X-mas gift for me from the kids, and my youngest child Maddie, displaying her favorite gift: a toy pig she named "Filthy". No I am not kidding.

Reflections on making Rank I

2009-12-06T22:42:00.005-05:00

If you have followed this blog, you know that my goal for this year was to make the top amateur ranking (Rank I) in Long Cycle Clean and Jerk at the 2nd Annual American Kettlebell Club Southeast Kettlebell Sport Championship, hosted by Scott Shetler at his club "Extreme Conditioning & Fitness / Atlanta Barbell & Kettlebell Club", located at 2830 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Suite AA - Duluth, GA 30097 (http://www.extreme-fitness.org/kettlebelltraining.html).
Let me start off by saying Scott is a class act; he knows a lot about kettlebell sport and physical training in general, he runs a great meet, and to top that off he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. I'm glad he's the kettlebell guru in my area.
The meet ran efficiently and on time. The competitors were all prepared and cordial, and surprisingly supportive of each other, even their direct competitors. Some of the biggest names in kettlebell sport were there, including Valery Fedorenko, Catherine Imes, and Eric Liford. I got to meet a number of friends I'd only talked to on various internet forums, and it was great to put a face with a screen name.
As for making Rank, I was pretty confident I'd make Rank, given that I'd made the numbers I needed in practice several times, and had even made my goal on a test day when I was pretty sick.
All that being said, I caught a bad cold several days before the meet, and it really sapped my stamina during the competition. I felt like I had no strength in my legs after 2:00 minutes into the set, and I began to doubt if I would make my goal (69 reps to make Rank I).
During the course of the set, other athletes would shout tips or words of encouragement. Chris Duffy offered his support, and even loaned me his wrist bands. David Elkins reminded me to drop the bells instead of just lowering them. And Valery Fedorenko himself gave me suggestions when I was two minutes away and a few reps shy of Rank. When he nodded with approval at one of my lockouts and said "good, good" I was so flattered I was speechless. Well, I was out of breath with the effort anyway, but even if I hadn't been I still would have been speechless. It was like having Robert Deniro watching you in acting class and telling you that you did well.
I ended up with 75 reps in 10:00, making Rank I, and won "Best Male Lifter" in the Long Cycle event.
I could not have been more proud.
Here is video of my effort:

GS Longevity

2009-11-12T10:42:00.018-05:00

In my last post (WTH effect) I mentioned how there is a 63-year-old Latvian GS athlete who can best my Long Cycle personal record by 20 reps. It's actually worse than that:
He can beat it by 31 reps (He did 111 reps at a competition in Kerch, Russia, last February).
And he lifts in the weight class below me. His name is Adolfas Vejelis.
Not only that, but there is a 70-year-old GS athlete, Nikolaj Sazonov of the Ukraine, who can beat my pr by 10 reps.
He did 90 reps at the same Kerch competition.
He lifts four weight classes below me.
These men are lifting the same size kettlebells that I use (two 24 kg/52.8 lb kettlebells).
These GS facts are simultaneously humbling and encouraging. On the one hand, every time I start to feel too proud about my progress, seeing the results of a masters or veterans match from Russia and the performance of men older than my father humbles me in a hurry.
On the other hand, I know that, as a 40-year-old athlete that's new to competition lifting, I can reasonably expect to improve and perform at a high level for decades to come (guys who hope to date my daughters in the coming years, take note: I plan to be stronger than you even when I'm drawing Social Security).
These athletes I have mentioned are not aberrations. Although they are high-level athletes, their continued success and acheivement is not unusual for older GS athletes who put in dedicated training time. Another GS blogger featured a similar post on another older GS athlete here: http://kahvakuula.fi/artikkelit/interview-with-eduard-trusevich/
This promise of increased strength, stamina, and work capacity at any age, along with an exceedingly low rate of injury, attract me to GS more than anything. I can't imagine myself ever quitting.
Special thanks to Smet, who's thread topic at the IGX forum inspired this post. Here are the official results from the Kerch comp:

Here is 62-year-old Eduard Trusevich of Latvia finishing the last minute of a 220 rep snatch set with the 24kg kettlebell at the Ventspils Atlans comp in 2007:

WTH effect

2009-10-25T22:10:00.008-04:00

The term "What the hell effect" was first coined on the Dragondoor.com forum about eight years ago, when kettlebell lifters began noticing unexplained improvements in their performance of various activities seemingly unrelated to kettlebell lifting. Folks reported improvements in everything from one-armed pullups to distance running, even when they had abandoned training those activities altogether. People were so surprised by their success after doing nothing but kettlebells for exercise, that they exclaimed "what the hell!" when they unexpectedly bested a previous personal record. It seemed like kettlebell training was magic.
Not everyone who lifts kettlebells experiences the "WTH" effect, and some people doubt its existence altogether.
I don't know if my experience tonight counts as a WTH experience, because it only makes sense that kettlebell lifting strengthens the lifter's hands to a great degree. Here is what happened:
I went to Kmart to get a new watch battery. The sales staff at the watch counter could not loosen the screws on the watch to remove the old battery. They told me I'd need to take the watch somewhere with better screwdrivers, as they were afraid they'd strip the screws with the set they had, since no one could budge the screws.
I asked them to hand me the jeweler's screwdriver they were using. I could only use my thumb and index finger to turn the screwdriver since I was holding my toddler in my arms at the time, so I could not really bear down with any strength. Basically, I just used two fingers to turn the screw.
I loosened all four screws with ease using just two fingers. The jaws of the sales staff dropped to the counter. "Oh my God, you are strong" said one of the clerks.
I relate this anecdote not to glorify myself. I know there are probably dozens of teenage girl kettlebell lifters in Siberia who can outlift me. I read the other day of a 63-year-old Latvian man who can best my personal record in Long Cycle by 20 reps.
My point is, kettlebell lifting gives you real-world, walking around, every day strength you can use. You get the strength where you need it, especially in the back and hands.
I am not naturally strong. But I have enjoyed the benefits of the practical strength that kettlebells develop.
In the meantime, I'm still looking for a watch battery. It turns out Kmart was sold out, as was the drug store on the way home. Looks like I'm headed to Wal-mart and Target tomorrow.

Kettlbell Competition(s)

2009-10-14T21:44:00.003-04:00

So many of you know I plan to compete in the 2nd Annual American Kettlebell Club Southeast Kettlebell Sport Championship in the Atlanta area on December 5th. I'm hoping to acheive my "Rank I" level classification in the long cycle event at that event. For my weight class that means cleaning and jerking two 24kg kettlebells for at least 69 reps in 10 minutes.
Since my last entry I have bested that goal twice in training. On one test day, I acheived 80 reps in just under 10 minutes. I video recorded this test on my cell phone. Since then, I haven't been able to locate my adapter to load the video on to my computer and post it to the web for critiques. Regardless, I've watched my performance and I think I may need to work on my lockouts to make sure every rep counts on competition day. So instead of working on increasing pace or duration, I've been working on crisp lockouts for every rep.
This post isn't just about kettlebell lifting competition. The competition in the marketplace has changed. Since my last Kettlebell Comparison post, a number of companies began offering competition style kettlebells, while others have improved their quality. Ader and Agatsu are now offering competition style kettlebells that appear to be similar in quality to the AKC kettlebells. And, based on forum postings (including photos) at IGX, Perform Better has improved the quality of their competition style kettlebells, particularly in the handle area. Prices are always subject to change, but based on my recent review of prices, AKC kettlebells still seem to be the best deal on the market. Still, it looks like their competitors now offer a good product at a good price. This can only benefit the consumer. I am glad that the competition style kettlebell is becoming more the norm than the older style offered by Dragondoor. Hopefully, this means the sport will continue to grow.

Kettlebell Comparison: Quality differences

2009-09-20T21:49:00.013-04:00

A few months ago, I wrote a piece on kettlebell comparisons. Here is the link:

http://southernkettlebeller.blogspot.com/2009/06/kettlebell-comparison.html

In that piece, I noted the differences in quality between the Perform Better kettlebells and the AKC kettlebells. It turns out, I did not know just how similar and how different they were.
In a nutshell, the PB kettlebll I bought is an AKC kettlebell, made in the same mold, to inferior standards. End of story.
I found out by accident. As I noted in the previous piece, the finish of the PB bell was of much poorer quality than the AKC bell, and the grey paint (epoxy?) was continually chipping off when it collided with the AKC bell during clean and jerks.
The finish got pretty rough, rough enough to scratch my shoulders raw during a workout. I decided to remove all of the finish, smooth it out, and paint it to match my AKC bell. Here is what I found:

If the name looks familiar, it is that of Valery Fedorenko, the KB champion who works with the AKC. His name is on every AKC bell. The circular hole below his name is where the Perform Better logo appeared before I stripped it off.
Here is a view of the same kettlebell when I first took it out of the box, untouched (please note, if you click on the photo, it will enlarge, and you can clearly see the perform better logo on the kettlebell):

Also of note is what I found on the other side:

All AKC bells have "WorldKettlebell.Com" on the reverse side. As did this Perform Better kettlebell, when I stripped off the finish.

Unlike the AKC bells, there are a number of deep gashes in the bell:

I didn't quite remove all of the finish. This bottom view of the bell shows the grey finish depicted in my previous post on the comparison:

What is the import of this information? Well, for the consumer, its obvious that the AKC bell is still the best buy. I had to spend a few hours to get the handle of my PB kettlebell smooth enough that it wouldn't pinch and tear my calluses. Once the finish started chipping off, I had to strip the rest off so it wouldn't scratch my shoulder raw every time I did long cycle or jerks. Now I'll need to sand it some more before its ready to re-finish. Let's just say that caring for the PB kb seems like it is a hobby unto itself.

I will say that PB has prompt, courteous customer service, and I received the kettlebell promptly. But they had no interest in refunding my price when I explained how rough the handle was and how long it would take to dremmel and file it to be usable. They explained that removing the finish was a no-no. I smile when I think about that now.
I have heard that the quality of PB kettlebells has improved, and if that is the case I'll provide an update and post new photos to verify it (if and when I receive any). In the mean time, I recommend the AKC bells as the best buy. If you know of any other kettlebells you'd like me to post on, please let me know.

Reflections on Sergey Rudnev's LC template

2009-09-04T21:43:00.004-04:00

I just completed Sergey Rudnev's Long Cycle training template, as taken from one of my favorite sites, http://girevoysportafter40.blogspot.com/.
I tried to follow the recommended workouts, to the letter, with the following exceptions:

1. The template is written for GS athletes who are at/near the Master of Sport level, using the 32kg KB's. I am shooting for my Level I amateur ranking, so whenever it recommended using 32kg KB's, I used 24kg bells. When it called for 24kg KB's, I used 20kg KB's.

2. I was out of town for a few days of the cycle, and only had access to non-competition-style KB's. During that time I did a few workouts of one-armed long cycle using 60 lb Kb's. The night I returned home I resumed the program as written.

Other than that, I followed the plan very closely.
The program finishes with an 8 minute test set, with a recommended number of reps of 56-64. I completed 63 reps, with the following rpm's: 9,9,9,8,7,7,8,6. I averaged just under 8 rpm for the entire set. This was a pr for me for total reps, and tied my pr for time with this weight.
That being said, I was somewhat disappointed, in that I seemed to be progressing faster under the AKC approach.
I will say that I have grown used to a much faster pace, especially with the 20kg bells. With the shorter sets I am much faster with the 24kg than I previosuly was. And I think that is something to build on.
Additionally, I think the use of sprint work, so prevelant in this and other Russian programs, is less mentally taxing than what I've done before. It just was easier.
Honestly, I think the AKC approach may have gotten me faster and better results. But I rarely had a day when I dreaded looking at the kettlebells. Rarely did I finish a set and feel mentally exhausted as I did before. So I think this may be a more sustainable approach.
I am going to continue using Russia templates for my training. The next plan will be Russian EDT. This is plan I took from the same website, http://girevoysportafter40.blogspot.com/. Here is a link to the plan:
http://girevoysportafter40.blogspot.com/2009/08/thoughts-on-russian-edt.html
I'll let you know how it goes.
Finally, here is a shout out and congratulations to Marty Farrell, who became the first American to achieve Master of Sport in both the Biathlon and Long Cycle. A video of his Long Cycle achievement appears below.
Thanks for stopping by.

Trying a New Long Cycle Template

2009-08-09T22:20:00.004-04:00

I've been focusing on Long Cycle for a few months now, and I've been very pleased with my progress.
The workout is performed 5-6 days a week. The template is one to two 5-7 minute sets, with the goal of increasing the rpm's or duration each workout. I got the idea from some folks at the AKC.
The approach has worked well. I've increased my 2x24kgs pr from 37 reps in 5 minutes (just over 7 rpm) to 59 reps in 7 minutes (just over 8 rpm). I've had multiple workouts where I've maintained over 10 rpm for several minutes. It seems I constantly set new pr's.
That being said, the template can be very draining. Even though my workouts take less than 20 minutes to complete (sometimes the core of it is only five minutes) those few minutes can be hell. Such hell that some days I don't want to pick up the bells. I've had several days where I've set a new pr one day, but crashed and burned the next. And even on the pr days, it was very very hard. Not just physically hard, but mentally hard. I've actually finished a five minute set where my brain was so exhausted I felt like I'd just taken a law school exam.
Recently I read of another training template for LC specialists. I found the template at another GS training blog. Here is the post featuring the template:

http://girevoysportafter40.blogspot.com/2008/08/long-cycle-and-otw.html

Tonight I tried Microcycle 1 day 1. It went very well. Here are my results:
LC 2x24kg 2 min 23 reps. rpms = 11,12.
Target rpms were 8rpm, 16 reps total.
Enjoyed this sprint.
Waited a few minutes, then
LC 2x20kg 3 min 35 reps. rpms = 12,12,11. just missed 12th rep min 3.
Target rpms were 10 rpm, 30 reps total.
Also enjoyed this sprint.

I think I will enjoy this approach. I may find that nothing works as well as what I have been using. It has served me well. But the mental fatigue was very draining. I had to find something to "wave the load" to make it easier mentally. This template may be the ticket.

Return to Long Cycle: continued progress despite injury

2009-07-29T22:21:00.004-04:00

My knee keeps getting better. But its been very slow. Over a month after the dislocation, my knee remains stiff after I sit for more than 15 minutes at a time. Although it keeps getting better, I still look like an old man when I get out of my car after my 30 minute commute.
Despite the injury, I continue to set personal records ("pr's") in the Long Cycle, both for pace and total reps. Last night I had a 5 min 2x24kg set for 45 reps (9 rpm) and tonight, I set my total rep record of 59 reps in 7 minutes (rpms = 9,9,8,9,8,8,8). This is truly significant, in that my previous pr of 55 reps (set June 16) took 8 minutes to acheive with rpms of 7,7,7,7,7,7,6.
I had been wondering what changes I needed to make to continue my progress. Things like OAJ's with a heavier KB, or adding squats or heavy barbell cleans.
Given the success I'm having, despite the knee injury, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing until it stops working.

Return to Long Cycle: Ups and Downs

2009-07-18T23:27:00.002-04:00

As I said in the last post, I returned to training Long Cycle. My knee continues to improve, but its not 100%, and I think it will be a long time before it completely heals and is back to normal.
Despite that, I have set a number of pr's in my LC training since the last post. The chief accomplishment is the increase in my rpm's using the 20kg KB's for LC.
I had hoped to up my rpm's to 9 rpm for 5 minutes, and eventually 10 rpm for ten minutes in the next few months. In just a few workouts, I maintained over 10 rpm (close to 11) for 5-7 minutes. And last week I had a 98 rep 10 minute set, maintaining 10 rpm for eight minutes, and 9 rpm for the final two minutes.
I decided to return to 24kg KB's and had two workouts in which I met or exceeded 8 rpm for 5 minutes (42 reps and 40 reps respectively, both efforts bested my previous pr's from before the injury). I crashed and burned the next workout and only managed 8-9 rpm's with the 20kg bells before calling it quits.I just don't think I'm up to using the 24's every workout yet.
Still, I have progressed very quickly, despite the knee injury, and should be able to reach 69 reps with the 24's by December.
At this point I think its wisest for me to continue using the 20's for most of my workouts. I know KB orthodoxy would call for me to use the 24's for one set, then the 20's for another, and then some OAJ's with a heavier bell. But with my knee injury I think it's best to use lighter KB's to rehab my knee, and to work on pacing and longer sets than I could with the 24's.
I'll let you know how that works out.

Return to Long Cycle

2009-07-07T12:37:00.003-04:00

Since injuring my knee (see last post) I spent several workouts working on the snatch and the one-armed long cycle. I slowly re-integrated double KB work, using the 20 KG bells instead of the 24's, and last night did a 10 minute set of long cycle. I averaged over 8 rpm, with a total rep count of 83.
Normally I'd just pick up the 24 KG bells and resume where I left off with long cycle. But my knee is still tender, and it's very stiff every time I sit for more than a few minutes. I look like an old man when I climb out of my car after my 30 minute commute to and from work. Once the knee loosens up I'm fine. But those first minutes after I get out of the car look pitiful. Thankfully, my cautious return to double KB lifting has not hurt the knee or caused any soreness.
Anyway, the knee is getting better but I'm cautious about returning full bore to double 24kg work. So my plan is to work on speed work with the 20kg bells. Tonight I'll try a five minute set at 9 rpm. I'll progressively up the pace and minutes until I can go 100 reps in ten minutes with the 20 KG's. When I reach that point I'll return to the 24's. At least, that is the plan.
My ultimate goal for the year is to make my Level I ranking at the Southeast Regionals in Atlanta on December 5th. That means at least 69 reps of Long Cycle with two 24's in ten minutes.
We'll see how that works out...

Knee Injury. Or, How I Became a Snatch Specialist

2009-06-18T22:02:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I dislocated my knee. Although I've dislocated my knee more times than I can count, I have not injured it to this degree since I had reconstructive knee surgery in 1996. The irony here is that I did not dislocate the knee exercising (GS has a very low incidence of injury). I actually did it sitting down in the courtroom, in the middle of a rape trial. Long story, I'll spare you the details.

As you may know from a previous post, my favorite kettlebell exercise (and sporting event) is the Long Cycle Clean and Jerk aka "Long Cycle" or "LC" in Internet parlance. In addition to loving the LC for the total body workout it provides, I have progressed faster in the LC than I have in other lifts, and the positive training results have encouraged me to concentrate more on this exercise.
The legs are the prime movers for much of the LC, and it provides a much more intense stressor on the lifter's legs than the snatch. Using two kettlebells instead of one has a lot to do with that.

I had planned, based on my progress, to enter into a competition in the Men's LC event. In light of that, I had already shifted my workout focus to LC. I was even considering dropping the snatch completely from my workouts until the contest was over. Then I dislocated my knee.

Now the knee is pretty sore. Sore enough that I'm just not up to cleaning and jerking two 24kg KB's for 8-10 minutes at 7 rpm. Or, more accurately, I'm not up to cleaning and jerking any amount of weight right now for any period of time.

Fortunately, I can still get a good KB workout with the snatch. Because of the mechanics of the snatch, I can still do this lift for several minutes at a stretch without any stress on my knee. As a matter of fact, my knee felt better after an eight minute snatch set with my 20kg KB than it had all day.

So, while I'm waiting for the knee to heal up, I'll be concentrating on the One-Armed Snatch (OAS). Its not so bad. It's a weak link I need to work on, and here's my chance. In the mean time, I'll be formulating a plan to incorporate squats and stretching into my routine to ensure a proper muscle balance in my knee area. Wish me luck...

Here is a video of a KB expert, Bonnie Mullaney, working the snatch. She has also recently suffered an injury, although much more serious than mine(broken leg). Please remember her in your prayers. I wish her a speedy and full recovery.

Kettlebell Comparison

2009-06-13T14:02:00.014-04:00

Kettlebells were not commonly available in the US for the last several decades of the 20th century. Then, in 2001, Dragondoor.com made kettlebells available to the US general public. These bells appear to be based on a very old kettlebell design, and more resemble the weight-measuring implement used for weighing grain than the modern physical training tool that has become standardized in size for international sport competition. Most Americans didn't know any better, and the kettlebells sold well for DD. Well enough, in fact, that a number of companies began selling knock-offs of the dragondoor product.
In the last few years, true Kettlebell Sport has grown in the US and other Western countries. To compete on the international level, American athletes needed true sport kettlebells, built on the standardized sport dimensions. The Amercian Kettlebell Club was the first organization to offer true sport Kettlebells in the US. In true American (and Chinese) fashion, it wasn't long before knock-offs appeared. (Edited to add: In September of 2009, three months after I first posted this blog entry, I learned that usgsf.com first imported sport kettlebells to the US in 2002, although few lifters were aware of this event. USGSF imports their kettlebells from Russia).
I bought my first competition-style kettlebell from Perform Better (performbetter.com). PB carries a number of differently styled kettlebells. Their "First Place Elite" Kettlebell is their competition-style model. The 20kg KB I bought appears to be the same dimensions as other competition bells. Here it is next to an AKC 20kg and an AKC 24kg:

If you look closely you will see that some of the paint has chipped off at the lower right portion of the KB. The paint on these KB's chips off easily when they strike another KB during jerks and long cycle. You will also notice that the stripping of the handle is not even or uniform. The PB KBs do not come pre-stripped, so all blame for the shoddy job belongs to me. Unfortunately, stripping the paint revealed quite a bit of bondo. I had to grind the handle with a drill and file to get the handle smooth enough to use. It took a lot of time to get it ready to use.
My next competition bell purchase was an AKC 20kg KB. It appears below:

This KB is a great improvement over the PB bell. When the PB and the AKC Kb's collide in jerks or long cycle, the PB bell loses paint. The AKC bell still looks like the day I bought it. The only difference is its handle is slightly thicker than other comp bells and the handle surface is slightly rough. I decided to leave it as is, and it has been fine.
The newer AKC bells I mentioned in my last post ("Wonder Twins") are the AKC 24kg's. I have no complaints about the bells and find them to be near perfect. Here is a photo of compared to the 20kg AKC bell:

An here is a close up showing the differences in the handles in old and new:

As you can see, the new AKC handles are polished and require no special touches to make them ready for immediate use. You may also notice that the new AKC bell has a slightly thinner handle than the old one.
That's all for this time. I hope to post comparison picks of DD style Kb's in the near future. I am especially fond of one DD knock-off brand that I find to be an exceptional value. Until next time...

The Wonder Twins: My New AKC 24kg Kettlebells

2009-06-09T21:59:00.014-04:00

Today I received two 24 kilogram competition-style kettlebells from the American Kettlebell Club. I've been anxiously awaiting their arrival since I surpassed the "Rank II" level for amateur kettlebellers set by the WKC.
I was pleased with what I got. They are uniform in size and shape, and the handles feel great in my hand. They look really nice; not quite the Rolls Royce quality of Leoko kettlebells from Finland, but I have to say that Leokos were the first thing I thought of when I took these out of the box. These are nice, quality kettlebells. I'm glad I bought them.
As soon as I took them out of the box, I did a five minute set of Long Cycle. I averaged 7-8 reps per minute, and finished with 37 reps total. I'm hoping to make the 69 rep total I need to make my "Rank I" level in the next month or so. Judging by how tonight went, I think that's realistic.
By the way, the American Kettlebell Club has a sale going right now (that made this purcahse possible) and they had very attentive and efficient customer service. I have no affiliation with these folks other than being a fan of their training methods and coaches. I'd recommend them to anyone considering buying kettlebells.

Here is the link to the AKC web site shopping page:

http://www.americankettlebellclub.com/forum/faq.php?s=d74bc8c4cd5d59ac2ae03bf2b8d4fad7

Here is the WKC rankings page:
http://worldkettlebellclub.com/ranks.php

Long Cycle Clean and Jerk

2009-06-06T22:19:00.007-04:00

There are two traditional lifts in GS (girevoy sport; "girevoy" is Russian for "kettlebell"). The lifts are the snatch and the jerk. The jerk is performed holding two kettlebells. It is an explosive pressing movement that uses the legs as well as the arms. The snatch is a one-armed snatch; the competitor switches hands once during the time allotted. Contestants are allowed ten minutes for each lift. There is usually at least an hour between lifts.
My favorite kettlebell exercise is the "long cycle" clean and jerk ("LC"). It is a newer competition lift, although it is now a well-established event in GS. In LC, the girevik (Russian for "kettlebell lifter") lifts two kettlebells off the ground to his shoulders (the "clean") and then jerks them both overhead. He then lowers them to his shoulders, then lowers them again between his legs, then resumes the exercise.
I like LC because it works the entire body. I think I also like it because one body part does not get appreciably more fatigued before the others. If anything wears out first for me it is my wrists. But I guess that is not a bad thing. One of the benefits of GS is the strength-endurance it builds in a girevik's connective tissues as well as his muscles. Strong wrists are a useful and valuable attribute for everyday life.
In full disclosure, I must admit that I have progressed in LC much faster than I have in the snatch or the jerk. It just comes naturally to me.
Here is a video example of the long cycle clean and jerk:

Inaugural Post

2009-06-04T10:46:00.000-04:00

I am a 40-year-old married father of three, and a career prosecutor. My wife and I (and our kids) are very involved in our church. We have very little free time outside of work and church.

My one real hobby is lifting kettlebells. I lift at home, in my garage, after we have put the kids in bed and made their school lunches for the next day.

I love kettlebells because they condition me for real life. The standard spiel I give is that ketttlebell workouts give me the conditioning to unload a moving truck then push mow my lawn, and not be too tired or sore to go to church the next day. It's a workout that prepares you to work in the garden or the lawn. If someone asks you to help them dig ditches, or put up fence posts or some other hard labor one Saturday, you can do it, even if all you do Monday through Friday is sit at desk all day.

Kettlebells were developed in Russia as counterweights for grain scales. People noticed that the guys who moved the kettlebells all day were very strong and resilient. Eventually, they became a physical training tool. Over time, lifting kettlebells became a sporting event in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Recently, the sport has gained popularity outside of the former Soviet bloc. Pavel Tsatsouline popularized kettlebells as a training tool in the US and other countries. True kettlebell sport lifting in the US followed a few years later, and was popularized by Valery Fedorenko.

I have yet to compete in any kettlebell sport contests, but I hope to one day. Right now I just train in my garage, and chat with other kettlebell enthusiasts on discussion boards.
That's all for now. A couple links on Fedorenko and Tsatsouline appear below.
-David

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Tsatsouline
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valery_Fedorenko