As I train along my path to strength greatness I have unfortunately run into some serious obstacles. Everyone has obstacles in their life; whether it be working more in a week than most do in two, tending to a constantly maturing family, or resistance from your own body, there are constant obstacles in our way of becoming what we plan to be. These obstacles are quite an annoyance, but are completely necessary. What value is an accomplishment if you didn't have to climb over a mountain to attain it?

This idea brings one example to my thoughts immediately. For many years my father, Steve, has been trying to grow a rose bush so that he can make sure my mom has flowers all the time. Yes, very sweet. If only intentions grew beautiful flowers. Unfortunately they don't. For over a decade he would go pick out the biggest and most bloomed rose bush, the absolute best fertilizer, and would water and tend to it every day; however, almost unfailingly, the bush would die. It was a constant battle for him and each year he would try a new spot, only to have the same result. A few years ago I remember him deciding to give up and set aside this miserable excuse for a rose bush. It had been left out for weeks without being planted and was beginning to wither. He put in it the front of our house which is completely shielded from light 90% of the day. This pathetic rose bush was given no chance. I was soon to be on the list of failed rose bushes. 

Soon after this bush was planted my mother fell down a flight of steps and broke her first two vertebrae in her neck. The doctor claimed she would never walk and may be paralyzed in her right arm and legs. My dad soon after was in a serious car accident. He spent almost all of his days with my mom while she recovered(which she made a full recovery). All while this was happening the rose bush that was already on its way out of this world was being completely neglected. No watering schedule, no special fertilizer, no attention at all. You could say the bush had every obstacle stacked against it, but I'm sure you have figured out that this rose bush didn't die. This bush fought back. With all its predecessors failing even with the perfect care plan, this rose bush was pushed to the brink and had to grow on its own. This was 3 years ago and now the rose bush is humongous and blooms some of the most beautiful roses I've ever seen. They are not the perfect roses you see in a store. They have bug holes, tatters, and weather marks, but that makes them beautiful to me. With each torn petal I see the obstacles it has overcome. That is far more attractive than something that has had a perfect path laid in front of it. 

How does this tie into strength? 

Some of us started working out very young, most starting with sports. I was a high school and collegiate thrower and I always remember the schools that had a great coach that held their hand for EVERYTHING. These kids were taught how to perfectly lift in Olympic movements and how to throw perfectly. I was not one of these people. I had to find my own way to win. I almost always beat these kids because I worked harder. My time was spent mostly by myself or with friends that knew less than I did in my dark basement trying to figure out this journey. I had a cheap set up that I personally bought. I had no mirrors to watch form or no one to ask anything. My obstacle was the island I was on. I had to find my own way off. These other kids who had absolute support, I wonder where they are now. If they even lift anymore. I would assume not because they didn't earn it the same way I did. Nothing is very important if you didn't have to earn it. I've earned this.

I've constantly overcame obstacles to get where I am right now. I have now run into a completely new obstacle, injury. For the first time in many years I feel mortal. I have felt invincible for years by lifting whatever weight I put on the bar, by performing feats of strength on my very first attempt, and by completing some of the most brutal workouts any one person could write up. This injury stuff is something completely new to me, but it is good because it has forced me to take a step back and figure it out. I tore my MCL about 3 weeks ago, but it miraculously healed within a couple weeks. I was relieved until earlier this week when I sprained my wrist. I blew off the knee, but the wrist is a big deal. My plans of being a strongman greatly depend on my grip strength and being a trainer I have to demonstrate kettlebell movements often, which demand a strong wrist. 

This is the obstacle that I worry with most. Not just the wrist, but the idea of my body getting old. The idea that I may be beating my body up too much, too early. Unfortunately I cannot overcome this obstacle that is aging, no one ever has. My focus now is to just combat it. I have always neglected my mobility, but thanks to this reality check I have to refocus on it. I fully plan to compete this summer and my utmost goal is to destroy any event that demands grip strength. Not just to win the event, but to prove myself that this obstacle was just another one along the way. That it will not slow me down, but strengthen me. I don't want to just walk around or climb over this obstacle, I plan to destroy it so it can never slow be down again. 

Since kettlebell month is in full "swing" I think that sharing the many benefits of this ancient training tool will help to shed some light on how great they are. A small handful of people that work with me have decided to join me in trying to complete 10,000 swings in the month of March. Yes, I said 10,000! We are only a week into the challenge and I know everyone is experiencing a few things already(sore hamstrings mostly!). 

I know there are people out there that don't understand the power of a kettlebell swing and I'm sure every gym BRO is screaming out, "you're gonna lose your gainz doing all that cardio." The reason for a challenge like this is the overwhelming benefits of the swing. I think at this point in my kettlebell career I could write a small novel on the benefits of the swing, but this is a blog, so I'm going to lay out the benefits by three each blog entry. Here are the first three based on the audience I have reading.

Improve your dead lift and squat- The swing is a movement generated through the powerful extension of the hips. This movement involves mostly the hamstrings, gluteus maximus and minimus, and your entire back erector group. These muscles are highly active in a dead lift and squat. I have noticed a direct improvement at the lockout point of a dead lift and squat when someone has incorporated the swing into their plan. The swing will build the hips to lock out more weight and teach the body to lock in the glutes to protect the back and hips. Some people in the strength community even believe the swing to be superior to the dead lift due to the fact that it maintains tension on the glutes and hamstrings throughout the entire motion; where as, the dead lift can translate the tension to the lower back at the lockout.

Jump higher- as explained earlier the swing will work the glutes in an explosive fashion. The glutes play a key role in jumping off the ground. The strength of your glutes has a direct correlation to the height and distance of your jumping. Doing the regular swing will have a positive impact on your jumps, but some sports like basketball involve springing off of one leg as well as two. This is when you can mix in some "one-leg" swings by putting one foot on a BOSU ball or balance disc and focusing more on the power generated from the leg planted on the ground. This will help to work the glutes and hamstrings unilaterally and improve your one leg jumps.

Build true core strength- almost everything mentioned about the swing talks about how it builds the glutes, hamstrings, and back, but did you know the swing is a great abdominal training exercise, also? I talked briefly about tension in my last swing article and that maintaining core tension is optimal for a proper swing. You should be focused not only on squeezing the abs at the top of your swing, but also work on building your inter-abdominal pressure. The best way to describe this is the pressure you build when you are trying having a bowel movement. This pressure will activate deep core muscles and will build the pelvic wall. This is key for anyone trying to have a big dead lift and squat(along with helping you POOP better). This technique takes some practice, but you will notice an immediate strength gain in all of your lifts when you master it. By building your inter-abdominal pressure you lower your chances of injuring your back when performing major lifts. 


I could go on all day on why everyone should incorporate swings into their plan, but I think this is a good start. There are many ways to perform swings based on your personal goals. Someone focusing on max strength should perform <15 swings per set and work with heavier weights and double kettlebells. Someone who wants to build their muscle tone or endurance, like runners, can work in higher rep ranges like 20-50 per set or even timed sets. Experiment with different ranges of repetitions and see which one you like best. I usually suggest everyone start with high rep ranges to practice technique and build their muscular endurance. 

The swing has drastically changed my training and I know it will help you, too.

If you are starting to see more and more kettlebell posts and videos this month it is because this is Kettlebell month! I'm not sure who designated this as the month of the kettlebell, but I'm going to participate again this year. There are many challenges that people will present on total kettlebell work throughout the month with exercises like Turkish Get Ups, snatches, and many others. I would be happy to help someone design a challenge for their individual goals, but for simplicity purposes I have decided to program a 10,000 swing challenge for anyone who is interested.

Before I get into specifics on repetitions and days performed, I want to give a brief description of how to do a proper swing. Here is a three part description on how I view the swing.

Tension- the first dimension of the swing that I teach my clients is proper muscle tension at the two parts of the swing. The first part is the bottom of the swing. This is when the bell is back between your legs right before your hips power the bell forward. At this point you should be very conscious to have a straight torso, your abs contracted, and your shoulders pulled back for good posture. Having your torso lined up will allow you to "load" the hamstrings. This is an important dimension to the swing as the hamstrings and glutes(the butt muscles) will be responsible for firing the kettlebell forward. You want to feel a slight stretching of the hamstrings at the back of your swing, this is the "load". If you are not, then try to bend more at the hip and allow the bell to go back further without compromising your straight torso. The second aspect of tension is the top of your swing. At the top of the kettlebell swing your body should be completely straight including your knees, hips, and shoulders. With a proper swing the bell will almost float at shoulder height. You should be contracting your glutes and abs which will protect your lower back. Many clients I work with experience lower back pain and fatigue, but by using the right tensions you should mostly feel this in your hamstrings and glutes.

Flow- for anyone that has performed a kettlebell swing you probably understand the endurance that is required to do a high repetition swing workout. The swing is a continuous movement that can be chained together for high repetition sets, but you must have a good flow to complete this. The flow refers to the continuous movement of the bell and the connection of each repetition. You should be able to complete many repetitions without much variance in the repetitions. Some people can pick this up very quickly, but others struggle with the flow of the movement. The main problem that these people have is that they try to control the bell with their arms on the way up and down on the swing. This causes the back and shoulders to work too hard and fatigue quickly. To these people I usually utter the phrases, "Let your hips determine how high the bell goes" meaning don't lift with the shoulders, and "Let it drop" meaning don't control the bell on the way down with your arms. The bell should be free moving and its trajectory is determined on your explosiveness and your ability to relax between the two points of tension. 

Pop- one of the most beneficial points of kettlebell training is the development of hip explosiveness. A proper swing will be driven by the explosive extension of the hips, not the arms or back. The pop of the hips is what sends the bell into the air and starts your swing. You want to fire the hips forward once the bell has reached the bottom of the swing and your hamstrings have been loaded. Firing the hips too early will fatigue the back and shoulders. You know you are popping the bell correctly if it floats at the top of your swing. This is an important aspect in the swing. The bell should float, which requires a very straight body. If you are leaning back at the top of the swing then the bell will not float and will fatigue your back. It will be easier to master this portion of the swing when you have a good understanding of the previous two.

Well that "brief" description wasn't so brief- pretty typical of me- but I hope you have a better understanding of this powerful movement. The swing challenge is very simple, but not easy: Do 10,000 swings in one month. To complete this challenge you must set up a good plan to attack this number daily or every other day. Anything less than 3 days a week of swings will force you to spend over an hour swinging. I have laid out a few plans for people who don't have kettlebells at home and can only use them at their gym 3 or 4 times per week. Try to mix it up each workout instead of just doing the same sets, reps, and weight each day. You will see more of a benefit if can mix in high repetition/low weight and low repetition/high weight workouts to get to your final number. 

Warning: performing this challenge will cause the following side effects:

• fat loss
• stronger hips
• better cardiovascular endurance
• more shapely butt and hamstrings
• improved jumping
• stronger grip
• improved swing technique

If you need help putting together a plan then feel free to contact me and I can email you one of the schedules I have made or if you need someone to critique your technique then feel free to set up a session. Good luck!

*Below is a schedule that I am following for my month. I have a couple bells at home so this may not work for some people. Just email me and I will send you the 3, 4, or 5 times a week plan.*