Sharing my experience

At a recent meet, some new lifters asked me for advice and the benefit of my experience. I think "benefit of my experience" is the more appropriate term, since I feel pretty inadequate when I consider the level of coaching available out there. Sergey Rudnev immediately comes to mind, although there are many, many great coaches available. Still, I get asked enough questions by enough folks that I thought it may be helpful to write a post that shares the insights I've gained and the limited knowledge I've accumulated during the countless hours I've spent lifting these funny shaped objects in my garage. I'll start with the basics:

1. Kettlebell sport is an endurance sport. Anything you can do to increase your general endurance will help your numbers on the platform. If you are not running, you should start. If you can't run, find an alternative. Many Russian and Russian-coached GS athletes do circuit training to increase their GPP (they also run, of course). And i know more than a couple have used rowers. But running is the gold standard for additional conditioning work. Strength helps, but as of yet there's no statistically measurable benefit. Even Ultra-marathoners strength train, and from an injury prevention stand point, it's a good idea. And there are studies that show improvement in experienced runners who add strentgh training to their regimens, so it only stands to reason that GS athletes would also benefit. However, absolute strength, and even strength endurance, are not predictors of GS performance. The most persuasive reason for strength training for the GS athlete is that most of the top athletes are well-rounded in their conditioning. I will say this: I did my best numbers with the 2x24kg bells at a time when my arms were skinny and flabby and I'd spend most of the proceeding months just running, walking, and doing light squats. Look at strength training as an ancillary part of your training, not as an avenue to bigger numbers.

2. Know what your personal records are, and continually try to beat them. There are many approaches to progressing your numbers, but this method works best for me. There are many trainers with proven records of success that engage in different types of interval training. But I have found that knowing what your personal records are with a given weight for a given time always gives you something to work towards. Even if you don't feel like attempting to break your 10:00 record with your competition bell tonight, you might feel up to beating your 4:00 record with the next lighter set.

3.Working with lighter bells helps with the heavier bells. Many novice GS athletes want to train with a heavier bell immediately upon making rank with a lower bell. While this is understandable, it's not always the best idea. Lighter bells are easier on the joints and allow a higher training volume, and are less likely to cause injury. If you start to scoff at this, try a 5:00 set of 2x20kg long cycle at 13 rpm and let me know how that goes for you. You will, of course, need to transition to your competition bells for most sets before your competition. But achieving mastery, not just competence, with a lighter bell is very beneficial.

4. Most working sets should be in the 5-7 minute range. This is a personal preference. I have found that working this time range is the most effective in building a baseline pace for a given weight. While many athletes have demonstrated success using shorter sets, 5-7 minutes seems to provide the most bang for the buck for acclimating to a new bell and building competence with it.

5. Life begins at minute seven. Just as distance running includes at least one long run a week, your GS training needs at least one long set per week. If your training doesn't regularly include sets of 7-8 minutes long (and occasional 10 minute tests) you are setting yourself up for failure.

6. Sprint sets do have a place. Understand what it is. Sets that last 1-4 minutes can help you build a faster pace with your competition bells (say, learning to lift the bells at 11 or 12 rpm instead of 8 or 9), so that you can burst through stagnating pr's and increase your conditioning. Super fast sprint sets with lighter bells are also a great way to maintain conditioning when you have sore elbows. A 56 rep 4:00 2x20kg set is certainly challenging to an amateur athlete who competes with the 24kg bells, but wants to rest his joints while improving his sports specific conditioning. It worked for me.

7. Kettlebells reward you for showing up. Not to state the obvious, but the more frequently you can train, the better you'll perform. The only limitation to this rule is the next one...

8. Beware of overuse injury. This is a repetitive activity, so take appropriate precautions. Stretch and do range of motion work. Strength train if you have obvious weaknesses or imbalances. If you lack basic general endurance, then run, row, or circuit train to build a foundation. Use lighter kettlebells if you have to for a workout or two. You might even take a day off occasionally. Better to take one day off every now and then than a few months off all at once when you become injured. The idea is to keep yourself healthy so that you can continue to train several times a week.

9. Work on your technique. This includes your mechanics, your breathing, and the union of the two. Video yourself and have others critique it. Even if you can't get a coach, have other lifters watch your video to spot your flaws in technique. Just turning in the camera will make you more mindful of your technique even while your recording than ou would be otherwise.

10. Learn to relax during your suffering. Let's face it, kettlebell lifting is suffering. And it's a sport that rewards those who are willing to suffer the most, both during training and in competition. Last weekend several folks commented about how relaxed and calm I looked during my set. Let me just say, it was hell. My heart rate never settled down how I'd anticipated after the first minute or two, and the set just never got easier like they usually do once I hit a rhythm. It was just pure suffering. Despite all that, folks said I looked calm, or even bored. But let me be clear: I wasn't expending any energy to hold anything in. Instead, I refused to expend any energy to express how badly I felt. None of that would help me get another rep. All there was for me to do was to breath when I needed to breath, rest in the rack and in the lockout when I could rest, and expend energy only when needed to get another rep. Focusing on my form, and getting the most reps using the smallest effort was all the mattered. Grunting or groaning took oxygen and effort that I didn't have to spare. Expressing your suffering gets you nothing. So don't bother.

So there are ten things I've picked up during my kettlebell experience. I hope this has been helpful. Until next time, David

Back on the platform

Eight weeks ago today I saw that Scott Shetler was hosting the AKA/IUKL Georgia State Kettlebell Championships. I started training for the event that night, and the next day I registered and paid my entry fee. Many of you know that I took off from kettlebell sport training for most of 2012 to run for DA in my district. I drastically reduced my workouts and intensity, and essentially was de-conditioned for almost a year. After winning the election, I resumed more rigorous workouts, but I had to take it slowly, and I wasn't training for kettlebell sport. Mostly, I worked on improving my squat and ran in charity 5k road races. All that changed 8 weeks ago when I saw the comp was scheduled. I paid the entry fee just to make myself train for the event. I knew that otherwise the demands of my job and family would keep me from serious sport training and I'd do something easy and "sensible". Merely paying the fee made me train, even when I was tired or it was inconvenient. It became very clear early on that my endurance had suffered greatly since last year. I had difficulty lifting the 24kg bells beyond 5 minutes, and I couldn't hold the same pace as I did before. Still, I lifted as often as possible (even on vacation at the beach) and I ran on the other days. Today was the comp, and I was fortunate enough to win the amateur men's heavyweight division for long cycle with 77 reps of 2x24kg. While that result is 20 reps shy of my personal best, it was good enough to earn a Rank I from the AKA/IUKL, and win the amateur division. It's also 1 rep better than when I won Best Male Lifter in 2009 at the Southeast Championships. I'll take it. So what's next? After successfully returning to competition, my next step is to begin training towards a pro ranking with the AKA/IUKL, and enter some road races to make me improve my overall conditioning. I'm running another 5K on Labor Day, and I hope to order some 32kg bells soon. For now, I'll leave you with photos of me and my friends Scott Shetler, Josh Dunn (who won the pro division and best male lifter), and Mike Sherman (who won best male lifter for biathlon):

Back to the grind(s)

Those of you who know me (either personally or on Facebook) know that this was not a year for athletic goals for me. Professional goals? Yes. Athletic? Not so much. I successfully ran for DA in my community, and running for office made severe demands on my time and my energy. I spent most of the year becoming deconditioned, and most workout involved five minutes of easy long cycle with two 20kg kettlebells. Since the election was over, I've resumed working out with a vengeance. The difference this time is the emphasis. I've heard it said that men in the 40's lose one pound of muscle per year. Many trainers recommend weight training to men in their 30's and 40's to prevent this natural decline. I've also thought that adding a basic weight training routine would help prevent the recurrence of tendinitis in my elbows. So after the campaign ended I started a regimen of cleaning and pressing (not jerking) a Kettlebell, and double Kettlebell front squats. A few days ago I shifted my focus to dead lifting, back squats and presses. I know that I'm best motivated by competition, and there are many powerlifting contests in my area. I've decided to set a goal of hitting the "intermediate" level of dead lifting for my weight class, which is 350 lbs. I may enter a 3 lift meet as well (bench press, squat and dead lift). Until then I'm enjoying working on a new challenge. I'll let you know how it goes. David

Frustration

So since my tendinitis came back earlier this year, I took some time off, then resumed lifting very slowly. I took great care to manage both the frequency, volume, and intensity of the training load so that the tendinitis didn't creep back up. This meant using the 20kg bells more often than the 24's (forget using the 28's, I've almost written them off). Despite all this care my elbows have been increasingly sore, and several days ago I had a sharp pain in the left elbow when I was doing some chores. Fantastic. So now it looks like I'm going back to running, walking and squats while my elbows heal. I suppose that I shouldn't be frustrated. This time last year I was in the same position. And after a summer of running I set several new personal records within weeks of resuming GS training. Nevertheless its quite frustrating that the tendinitis seems to hit me every time I near a competition, regardless of the care I take in managing the training load. I'm beginning to think that, once the elbows are healed, I should continue running and do nothing for my upper body but very low volume moderate intensity workouts. The idea would be to continue that for a year or so, and only then return to GS. In the meantime, I am enjoying running and walking at night. There are worse things than the runner's high. Until next time.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Yesterday was Saint Patrick's Day, a day I always celebrate because of my Irish heritage, and my appreciation for his work as an abolitionist and minister to the Irish People.
Fittingly, this week was my first to return to using the ubiquitous green 24kg kettlebells. Commonly referred to as "the people's bells" (I prefer that to the more derisive "mediocre balls") the 24kgs bells are the most common weight for amateur and senior men's competitions. I have heard that in Russia and Eastern Europe its not uncommon for some contests to be limited to 24kg-only for the men instead of including the 32kg weights for the pro-level athletes. Maybe I just like to remember that since my tendinitis has prevented me from lifting the heavier bells with the intensity I'd like.
In any event, on my first day back I limited myself to 40 repetitions. I was glad I completed that in 3:45, but I know it will be at least a couple months before I threaten the hundred rep barrier again. In the meantime, I'm lifting only 3-4 days a week (instead of my usual 5-6) and running the other days. I'm sure I'll use the 20kg bells occasionally just to keep my elbows rested. I'll let you know how it goes.

What does this mean?

Kettlebell sport is an endurance sport. I've posted about that before, and the data supports that statement. The most reliable predictor of a beginning GS athlete's success seems to be success in another endurance sport. There is a very high degree of correlation between endurance sport success and GS. There is virtually none with absolute strength and GS success.

That being said, I noticed this video recently:



That's Ivan Denisov, the absolute world record holder in GS, achieving a Master of Sport World Class ranking in the Deadlift. The Deadlift is obviously a feat of pure strength, and the physical qualities required for this lift stand on the exact opposite of the spectrum from general endurance.
Denisov is an incredible athlete. In addition to GS, he competes in basketball, and he's run marathons in the past. I can't help but think that he does everything he does with thought and deliberation. There is a purpose.
I realize that Denisov is a world-class athlete, but I know he works a regular job like most GS athletes. He doesn't just train all day. So obviously this was a priority for him.
So why did he set out to achieve this level of pure strength, and what does it mean for the average amateur GS athlete? How should it affect how the average athlete trains?
I'm not offering any answers here. I am very curious what other athletes have to say. I welcome your comments.

-David

Pondering what's next

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...