Issue 042
October 2008
Kettlebells are everywhere at the minute, and this rise in popularity is great. The more mainstream they become the better the health of the nation may become. The downside is that many people do not seek out proper instruction and end up injuring themselves or using the kettlebells as doorstops.
This month’s workout involves a great little outdoor drill I’ve cruelly devised for the fighters crazy enough to come to me for help with conditioning. I got the idea from a kettlebell competition I attended recently. There were some Highland Games events included and I surprised myself by coming joint second overall with Crossfit Central Scotland’s guru Davie Easton. The guy who beat us into second place was Ben Walker, a super-fit firefighter who flips tyres and swings bells when he’s not rescuing kittens from trees! Anyhow, the drill utilises a kettlebell overhead throw, so you definitely need to be outside for this one - this is similar to the Highland variation of the throw for height.
Find yourself a large open field and ensure there are no ‘regulars’ walking their dogs, jogging or sunbathing. The drill takes the form of a density block, where the idea is to perform as many rounds as possible in the allotted time. You can go for 5, 10, 15 or 20 mins. Make no mistake about it, this is tough work!
Outdoor workout
Kettlebell Overhead throw 1 rep
Sprawl / Tuck Jump Combo 6 reps
Bear Crawl to the kettlebell and repeat
Perform it as hard and fast as possible. The overhead throw is basically a two-arm swing performed as explosively as possible where you release the bell at the top of the movement so it should fly up and over your head, ending up behind you. Aim for height and distance. As there is no deceleration this movement is a must-have for combat athletes, you can and should be as explosive as possible.
Next we have the sprawl / tuck jump combo, this is another more MMA related drill. Drop back into a sprawl and explode up into a tuck jump as high as you can. During this movement concentrate on speed and height. Finally you bear crawl back to where you threw the kettlebell. Bear crawling works the whole body, so long as you’re on your hands and feet.
Don’t allow your knees to touch the ground and keep your hips low. If you have to rest only do so at this point, at the end of the circuit so to speak. No rest between exercises! Strive to get through as many rounds as possible in the time you’ve assigned to the workout.
If you can’t get outside - and let’s face it, with the Great British weather being so predictably crap - it isn’t always easy to get an outdoor workout done - I’ve come up with a laminated-floor-friendly variation for you to do indoors. Don’t blame me if you drop the kettlebell though!
Indoor workout
Kettlebell swings 10 reps
Sprawl / Tuck Jump combo 6 reps
Kettlebell Push press / 10 reps
Floor press left & right
Perform the swings as per usual. You could do power swings (where you bring the bell back down as forcefully as it goes up), or you could even do the one-arm variation. Do the sprawl / tuck jumps as normal for 6 reps, then assuming you don’t have room
for bear crawls, simply substitute a floor press or push press into the mix.
There you have it, two cracking workouts to kick you into fighting shape. Remember to go all-out for as long as you determine - you don’t get rewards for half measures! Make it happen.
Barry Gibson is a kettlebell and fitness instructor based in North East England. A strength and conditioning trainer to MMA fighters, he holds a third dan in judo. Any questions or queries can be directed to [email protected]. Check out his DVD ‘Train Hard, Fight Easy and Win’, available from grapplefit.com.
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