Kettlebell Swinging & Pressing: It's Not Fancy But They Do Work For A Good Reason

 Many systems of exercise these days involve complicated moves and schemes that makes you wonder if some of these people should be in the nuthouse. There's always going to be a claim of some secret exercise or machine that does the job for you when in reality, it's bullshit.

Some equipment have their place, some are just out there and wonder how the hell do people work with them? One implement however stands out as a great tool that stands the test of time and has been used by the old timers, average joes and some of the best in athletes in the world including guys like Alexander Karelin and Sig Klein. That implement is the Kettlebell.

Two distinctive moves that stand out and can be done practically anywhere since it doesn't take up a ton of space is the Kettlebell Swing & The Overhead Press. Nothing overhyped and fun as hell to do out in the fresh air. 

-The Conditioning, Power & Muscle Building From The Swing

It isn't a squat move in particular even though some have utilized the squat in order to generate some leg strength. In it's true form, it's a hip hinge movement. Explosive and hits the glutes, core, low back and hamstrings. It develops the posterior chain, creating strength and power that matters. When you need to pick something up, sprint with a vengeance or even wrestle, this gives you the tools for those other methods. The conditioning in and of itself is insane. Bud Jeffries mastered this move to the point where he was doing 1000 reps or more in various workouts in under an hour which in turn helped him lose over 100 lbs. Read about that in his book I Will Be Iron. It builds anaerobic and aerobic endurance at the same time. Great for building grip strength as well because of being able to hold on as you swing.

Don't need to swing heavy to get the benefits. One of the best teachers today on Kettlebell Swinging is Dave Whitley and his knowledge is about as awesome as you can imagine. 

-The Overhead Press: Stimulus Through Control

Strength isn't always in how much you lift, it's the focus and control that really makes the difference. Some like to utilize a jerk to get as much leg drive as possible which isn't necessary a bad in certain cases but you do want to be able to press and work the muscles in a very specific fashion that showcases strength and power. It's not rushing or ego lifting. It's true connection to the muscles you're working. 

The upper body does the most work. Engage the core as you clean and ready to press, focus on the grip, triceps and shoulders. Do your best not to jerk. Building thick shoulders and dense triceps, strengthen the rotator cuff and building tension. Progressive Overload. When you learn to be in control, the strength will follow in time. Creating real functional muscle and not counterfeit muscle that will break you. 

Progress isn't always pretty and perfection is virtually non-existent. The key thing to remember is that we all learn things differently and our progress takes more or less time depending in the individual. Don't chase perfection, chase being functional with solid technique that works in your favor. Even the smallest fraction of progress still leads to the big picture. Control the weight, own your reps and the muscle/conditioning will come. Be amazingly awesome and have fun in your journey. 

Two Powerhouses For Isometric Training That Fit In A Bag

When it comes down to Isometric Training, it often times can fly under the radar because the method isn't flashy or the most exciting to look at. As an industry, shiny machines and heavy lifting (or even ego lifting for that matter) gets more attention while certain aspects are pushed to the side and can be forgotten in order to sell pricey objects. Don't get wrong, machines and barbells have their place and have made many athletes and everyday people successful but there's still things missing.

In reality, aspects of strength training hide in the most simplistic of tools that can work the muscles, tendons and ligaments from all sorts of directions. Tools that you can carry in a bag that have exercises where the only limits are of your imagination. That's what today's session is about, tools like the WorldFit Iso Trainer & Iso-Loop. 

These two powerhouses may not look like much, they're not shiny but they deliver results that can be fucking mind blowing. They're portable yet bulletproof weapons for building raw strength that transfers to many aspects of sports and in life such as that pinning power or locking in a submission to picking up your kids without getting that tweak in your back. They show what old school power can do without overhyping and punishing your joints.

The Trainer works in conjunction to doing Overcoming Isometrics which contract the muscles against an immoveable object. No joint movement, just pure in your face tension. The Loop can be used to combine the aspects of Overcoming & Yielding Isometrics to form the superpower of Hybrid Isometrics which has you fighting gravity but at a stopping point at the same time. Both force your nervous system to recruit those muscle fibers at that max level right when you need it the most. From a research point of view, if you look deep into it, consistent Isometric Training packs in 30-40% gains in strength within weeks with less recovery time than if you were to do heavy lifting. 

Let's take a gander at what these beasts are so you can get more of an idea of what they're about.....

-The Iso-Trainer

It's a versatile bad ass of the pair. The compact and adjustable straps (With handles) turns any spot into your own personal gym. You can wrap it around a pole or use a door anchor and you've got some dynamic exercises as well like Pull-ups, Push-ups, Lunges, Curls, Tricep Extensions and even Zercher Style Squatting. You can literally turn any of these and more into an Isometric session that will have feeling like a boss within minutes, not hours like many spend in a gym. Throw it in a carry-on and get in a quick workout at an airport, in your hotel room, at the park, hell even while you camp. It builds insane stabilizer strength, endurance and power while keeping the joints safe. This is great for those over 40 and still want to train like an animal  but also wake up without sounding like a rusty gate. Even if you're healthy and springy at any age, Isometrics will continue to keep that journey alive.

-The Iso-Loop

At only 11 ounces, this champion lightweight is 10 feet of military grade webbing with a cam buckle so you can adjust it on the fly. Put it under your foot in a split squat for example and drive that shit upwards while pulling it apart with your hands. A Hybrid hold that works like magic. Gravity keeps you humble on the yielding aspect but also demands that max intent with the overcoming part at the same time. Remember that Fusion analogy in Dragon Ball Z I wrote in the last article on Hybrids? This is it. It's affordable yet nearly indestructible while being stupid effective for the legs, core and presses/pulls you can do virtually anywhere.

What makes these two powerhouses so fucking great? The simplicity. You don't need a membership, no complex setup. Grab it by the horns, adjust and crush it with max holds for 7-12 seconds or less intensity for longer time. A few sessions a week and you're toughening up those little muscles, building that mind/muscle connection and developing real world athleticism that many programs can't even fathom. They may not be great look great and won't always get Social Media attention but they hold secrets that even the Old Time Strongmen knew and that's that Isometrics forge dense and useable power that lasts with a vengeance.

In my own training, Isometrics have been a go to for many years and have learned many things just from this method in and of itself. The key thing to remember is that you don't need complicated routines that don't give you the results you're looking for. Look for things that can make you dangerous and these two beasts can give you that without spending a ton of time on them. 

Come and grab the Trainer and Loop at Worldfit.com. Keep it simple, train with intent and keep being amazingly awesome. If you want more info and exercises you can learn, grab the book Overcoming Isometrics either in Kindle Form or a Physical Copy, both are affordable and have great quality info and pictures that show you which areas to hit the most. With a 4.6 Star Rating over hundreds of reviews, you might want to give it your attention. You got this and I believe in you.