ROD 032812

ROD

Wednesday, 28Mar12

 

Wired-Up Wednesday

30 seconds of work 20 seconds of rest non-stop for 4 rounds

  • Pull-ups
  • Wall Ball
  • Ball Slams
  • DB Single leg alt step-up jumps

Then a 2 min rest…then the following for another non-stop 4 rounds

  • Squat Thrusts
  • KB Front squats
  • T-Stab push-ups
  • Push Press

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American vs Russian Swings

Kelsey swings

Pavel on the American Swing vs. the Hardstyle RKC Swing- Courtesy of  the Russian Kettlebell Room.

“Comrades, overhead swings have been around and are occasionally done by weightlifters in Eastern Europe. I have mentioned this exercise in the Russian Kettlebell Challenge book. You may do them if:

1. You have mastered a lower swing.

2. You  have no thoracic and shoulder restrictions and you do not hyperextend  your back or jam your shoulders on the top.

3. Your body is skinny enough not to get in the way.

Com. Brett Jones has pointed that  “The snatch is an exercise in elevating the energy, the swing is an  exercise in projecting the energy forward. If we want to elevate—we will  snatch.”

Why would you want to project your force forward rather  than up?—Because, unlike weigthtlifting and some Highland throwing,  many sports (boxing, martial arts, football, shot put, etc.) demand it.  And when you project your force forward your abs and lats act as the  sights of a gun. The arms pointing forward and the abs being short bring  the “sights” in line. “Spreading the sights” weakens the punch. Try an  experiment: throw a few punches against a chest level target, then punch  a target overhead, and compare your power.

Why NLP uses the Russian Kettlebell Swing

Many gyms, especially those that practice CrossFit, perform kettlebell swings so that the swing ends with the arms completely overhead. We do not. We prefer to teach what is known as a Russian kettlebell swing. The high swing is characterized by an end point where the kettlebell is completely overhead at the top of the swing and the knee and hip opened completely. This is referred to as an American kettlebell swing within the fitness community. It’s motions is longer and smoother. In contrast, we teach what is known as a Russian kettlebell swing. This is characterized by a high point right with the kettlebell directly in front of the eyes. The movement is shorter, faster and more compact.We feel very strongly that this kettlebell swing variation is superior to its American counterpart. It’s not only the original and most widely practiced version of the swing around the world, it’s also safer and a better training method than the American version. While the American version of the kettlebell swing moves the kettlebell through a greater range of motion, it places the highly unstable shoulder joint in a compromised position at the top of the swing. The shoulder joint is the most unstable joint in the human body and bearing a load overhead in a close grip position is not orthopadeically sound. Furthermore, despite claims that the greater range of motion associated with an American swing increases work (Work = Force x Distance) and therefore power (Power = (Force x Distance) / Time)), we are certain this is simply not the case in actual application. Although the range of motion in an American swing is greater than its Russian counterpart, this also requires the athlete to make a compromise in either Force or Time that easily negates any increase in range of motion. If the swing is brought totally overhead, the athlete must use a lighter kettlebell (which will likely lead to decreased Force output) to ensure they can move the kettlebell all the way to the overhead position. This somewhat obvious point is actually even greater than one might think because once the arms and kettlebell are moved beyond parallel with the ground the athlete is at a distinct mechanical disadvantage (read up on lever systems for details if you’re not a biomechanist or engineer). In fact, the kettlebell slows substantially once it passes the chest on the upswing due to this mechanical disadvantage. Basically, if you have enough hip power to get the kettlebell all the way to the American standard position overhead then you should be using more weight (or actively forcing the kettlebell down to increase the effective load of the kettlebell). The other consequence is that the time to complete the swing is significantly longer which reduces the power output. So while the American swing is the de facto technique for CrossFit competitions, we do not feel it is the best variation to be used in training outside of training specifically for CrossFit competitions.