YHC rolled up to Hell’s Bells on Monday, a little surprised to see a full parking lot and a half-dozen PAX already at it. It turns out I had not missed the start time, it was just the ECP crowd getting things done. Excellent.
This past few months while I’ve been unable to run and having no access to the gym to do some weight training, I’ve taken up kettlebells as a standard workout. At least 3 days a week, I’ll hit a very similar workout to this, based on “Simple & Sinister” by Russian KB master Pavel.
Ready comrades? Let’s go.
Warm-up – 3 rounds:
- Deep goblet squat with KB
- 5 curls and up
- Repeat x5 squats / curl sets
- Halo x5 each way. Engage your core and glutes!
- Homer-to-Marge, holding at top 5sec. Engage core and glutes!
We did a set of 10 KB deadlifts to demonstrate and prepare the hip hinge movement.
Partner up, find someone who knows a good bit more, or a good bit less, about KB work than you do. Take turns on the rest of the exercises and coach each other.
Thang 1
- 10 sets of 10 KB swings. Try 1-arm if you can.
- Pay attention to form!
- The KB swing is not an arm exercise!
- Hinge at the hips – it’s not a squat.
- Explode forward starting with the legs/hips – snap the hips and squeeze the glutes to make the bell fly forward
- Learn from the master: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeMXdkZ18EA
Thang 2
- Turkish get-up, Russian hard-style. 5 reps each side.
- This should take you about 30 seconds per rep. Otherwise you’re going to hurt yourself, or you’re not using enough weight.
- Spot each other on this if you’re not used to doing it this way.
- Proper technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bWRPC49-KI
We did a few laps of the lot between sets to let everyone catch up, and finished things up with a few minutes of Mary – flutter kicks with KB overhead and American Hammer.
NMM
- Juan Valdez knows his way around a KB. Great job coaching Mohawk.
- Pavel says “In Russia, we had two kinds of coffee: coffee, and no coffee.” Thanks to HB management for the coffee.
- Thanks for indulging me, comrades!
