Kettlebell inspiration ll
counting and tempo
In the previous blog entry, Steve Cotter prescribes a Kettlebell Swing workout structured as follows:
Alternate between 30 seconds of the Swing and 30 seconds of rest for 5 cycles.
A small practical detail: How do you keep time when performing this exercise? (It's awkward to keep an eye on the watch while doing the KB Swing).
One solution would be to use a timer to beep every 30 seconds. Another is working out with a partner that takes time.
Another rather low-tech solution I use myself is figuring out what average number of repetitions an exercise takes, then applying it consistently to that exercise. Example using the above mentioned workout:
I found that during 30 seconds, on the average I perform 8 whole KB Swings. During the next 30 seconds I rest so I just take time on the watch. Then, another 8 Swings, and so on.
But this raises a number of other interesting points. As one becomes fatigued the tempo of exercise execution comes down. So one is risking to spend too long an interval for the active part of the exercise, provided one is faithful to the 8 reps.
The solution is to always monitor your tempo and perform the Swing smoothly and at even velocity.
Alternate between 30 seconds of the Swing and 30 seconds of rest for 5 cycles.
A small practical detail: How do you keep time when performing this exercise? (It's awkward to keep an eye on the watch while doing the KB Swing).
One solution would be to use a timer to beep every 30 seconds. Another is working out with a partner that takes time.
Another rather low-tech solution I use myself is figuring out what average number of repetitions an exercise takes, then applying it consistently to that exercise. Example using the above mentioned workout:
I found that during 30 seconds, on the average I perform 8 whole KB Swings. During the next 30 seconds I rest so I just take time on the watch. Then, another 8 Swings, and so on.
But this raises a number of other interesting points. As one becomes fatigued the tempo of exercise execution comes down. So one is risking to spend too long an interval for the active part of the exercise, provided one is faithful to the 8 reps.
The solution is to always monitor your tempo and perform the Swing smoothly and at even velocity.
Kettlebell inspiration
A video digest to illustrate different interesting aspects of kettlebell training
First, a very thorough demonstration of the kettlebell swing. I've been doing this for about a year now and only now I can say I've nailed it down. At firstl, I didn't have enough hip flexion, which resulted in having to compensate for lost momentum with an extra deep and explosive squat. Not only was that unnecessary, but it often threw me off balance - falling over backwards as the feet take off the floor. The side view of this video helped to bring the hip flexion back in:
An interesting way of bringing more multi-planar movement into kettlebell training:
Finally, a nice ab conditioner and coordination / balance exercise that can be done with other devices than the KBs:
An interesting way of bringing more multi-planar movement into kettlebell training:
Finally, a nice ab conditioner and coordination / balance exercise that can be done with other devices than the KBs:
Breathing, swimming and the "principle of leading"
The past week or so has graced us with fantastic beach weather. I was at the beach every day, chilling, reading, and - swimming! Swimming is a great form of exercise. It's closed-chain: you move your body past the obstacle. It requires coordination between the core and the limbs; and synchronization between movement and breathing. Finally, it just feels damn good - the water, the air, the feeling of being one with the elements...
Today I perfected something that I wanted to learn for a long time - the crawl style of swimming. I have never taken up any swimming classes, learning by just swimming longer and longer distances while trying to stay relaxed and breathing as rhythmically as possible. I am quite OK in the frog style of swimming, but the technique of the crawl has so far escaped me. I used to swim 30 - 50 meters from the shore frog-style, then stop, tumble about in the water, maybe lie on my back for a while enjoying the water, and then swim back crawl-style. I couldn't maintain that style all the way to the shore, as opposed to frog-style: I just spent too much energy and my breathing became heavier.
But today I spontaneously changed things: when turning around to swim back to the shore, I went from frog into crawl with no break - just changed the movement. What a difference did it make. My breath adjusted to the new pattern automatically (or rather, the other way around: my movement just synchronized automatically with my breathing). I swam all the way to the shore and didn't break a sweat. It felt incredibly relaxed.
The pattern with frog swimming was one swim cycle per one breath cycle: on inhale, circle out with the arms, on the exhale, gather arms by the chest. The trick with crawl is (for me): two swim movements, one on each side, per one breath cycle. That means: right arm goes in, start inhale; left arm goes in, inhale continues - small break - the same movement cycle on the exhale. I don't know if this is the canonical way of breathing when swimming - I am going to investigate that - but it sure worked for me, as I was considerably less tired than after the earlier attempts.
So, what did I do to make it "click"? Instead of breaking the breathing rhythm and starting with a new swimming pattern, I made a smooth transition from the one to the other. Also, I didn't concentrate on the movement at all - it just "did itself"; my focus was on the breathing rhythm, or rather, it was on not breaking it. Essentially, the breathing was completely unchanged but instead of doing one movement per breath intake, I was doing two.
This has correlation with the "principle of leading" in Systema. It says that whatever you do, let the (conscious) breath initiate the movement; your action is like a train being pulled by a locomotive (your breathing).
What a way to improve performance. No wonder breath and breathing are so central to Systema. The most spiritual part of the system is also the most functional. This is the way to train - whatever it is one trains.
Today I perfected something that I wanted to learn for a long time - the crawl style of swimming. I have never taken up any swimming classes, learning by just swimming longer and longer distances while trying to stay relaxed and breathing as rhythmically as possible. I am quite OK in the frog style of swimming, but the technique of the crawl has so far escaped me. I used to swim 30 - 50 meters from the shore frog-style, then stop, tumble about in the water, maybe lie on my back for a while enjoying the water, and then swim back crawl-style. I couldn't maintain that style all the way to the shore, as opposed to frog-style: I just spent too much energy and my breathing became heavier.
But today I spontaneously changed things: when turning around to swim back to the shore, I went from frog into crawl with no break - just changed the movement. What a difference did it make. My breath adjusted to the new pattern automatically (or rather, the other way around: my movement just synchronized automatically with my breathing). I swam all the way to the shore and didn't break a sweat. It felt incredibly relaxed.
The pattern with frog swimming was one swim cycle per one breath cycle: on inhale, circle out with the arms, on the exhale, gather arms by the chest. The trick with crawl is (for me): two swim movements, one on each side, per one breath cycle. That means: right arm goes in, start inhale; left arm goes in, inhale continues - small break - the same movement cycle on the exhale. I don't know if this is the canonical way of breathing when swimming - I am going to investigate that - but it sure worked for me, as I was considerably less tired than after the earlier attempts.
So, what did I do to make it "click"? Instead of breaking the breathing rhythm and starting with a new swimming pattern, I made a smooth transition from the one to the other. Also, I didn't concentrate on the movement at all - it just "did itself"; my focus was on the breathing rhythm, or rather, it was on not breaking it. Essentially, the breathing was completely unchanged but instead of doing one movement per breath intake, I was doing two.
This has correlation with the "principle of leading" in Systema. It says that whatever you do, let the (conscious) breath initiate the movement; your action is like a train being pulled by a locomotive (your breathing).
What a way to improve performance. No wonder breath and breathing are so central to Systema. The most spiritual part of the system is also the most functional. This is the way to train - whatever it is one trains.