Strength Training

[pigram86]

I was just wondering if anyone uses kettlebells for training, and if so, can you give me a first hand account if it is worth anything? How does it compare to powerlifting or bodybuilding? I have powerlifted or bodybuild since i was 13. To show for all of this is alot of bulk which is slowing me down. I am looking ways to build functional stregth. I am doing loads of pushups but was looking at what anyone else is doing. Thanks for the feedback

[Lance C]

Medicine Balls, much like some of the exercises with kettle bells are really good exercises. They drive you to speed up to get the workout. As by calculating how much they weigh (G forces x mass) while accelerating and de-accelerating means a 4 lb ball can weigh as much as 40 lbs in motion. The faster you move, the more energy is required. At some point your muscles will develop and you will find yourself increasing the speed to get the same workout.

I doubt that they make you look like a body builder, but I did get stronger in functional ways.

Never used a kettle bell, the new ones look like medicine balls with a handle. I think the handle would be of great benefit, and maybe there are exercises on the kettle bells the you cannot do with medicine balls. Perhaps someone can jump in here and let us know.

-Lance

[Xperience]

I was just wondering if anyone uses kettlebells for training, and if so, can you give me a first hand account if it is worth anything? How does it compare to powerlifting or bodybuilding? I have powerlifted or bodybuild since i was 13. To show for all of this is alot of bulk which is slowing me down. I am looking ways to build functional stregth. I am doing loads of pushups but was looking at what anyone else is doing. Thanks for the feedback

Hi p'86 ~
It sounds as if your 'external' muscular strength is up-to-par; have you ever tried any Yoga/Tai Chi type exercise to strenghten your 'internal'/core structure (skeleton, sinew, joint, nerve, & organ), in balance of your musculature? By the way, training while going through a 'martial' range-of-motion, is wise. My 'two cents'.
:) X

[Xperience]

Medicine Balls, much like some of the exercises with kettle bells are really good exercises. They drive you to speed up to get the workout. As by calculating how much they weigh (G forces x mass) while accelerating and de-accelerating means a 4 lb ball can weigh as much as 40 lbs in motion. The faster you move, the more energy is required. At some point your muscles will develop and you will find yourself increasing the speed to get the same workout.

I doubt that they make you look like a body builder, but I did get stronger in functional ways.

Never used a kettle bell, the new ones look like medicine balls with a handle. I think the handle would be of great benefit, and maybe there are exercises on the kettle bells the you cannot do with medicine balls. Perhaps someone can jump in here and let us know.

-Lance

Hi L'C ~
The type(s) of training, that you guys are describing, sound strangely Shaolin-like. Have you'll ever researched/practiced any of the Shaolin-type training(?); most of which, employs free-weights. They also use balls & bells, as well as, a side-handled dumbell-type device.

:) X

[pigram86]

Hi p'86 ~
It sounds as if your 'external' muscular strength is up-to-par; have you ever tried any Yoga/Tai Chi type exercise to strenghten your 'internal'/core structure (skeleton, sinew, joint, nerve, & organ), in balance of your musculature? By the way, training while going through a 'martial' range-of-motion, is wise. My 'two cents'.
:) X
Hi x,

I actually have some Yoga and Pilates DVDs that I have used in the past. I haven't used them lately. I do alot of deep breathing while doing my warmups and basic strength exersises. I do pushups on an exercice ball and on a medicine ball. These seem to hit my core really well. I may have to break them back out again. Thanks for the recommendation.

[pigram86]

Hi L'C ~
The type(s) of training, that you guys are describing, sound strangely Shaolin-like. Have you'll ever researched/practiced any of the Shaolin-type training(?); most of which, employs free-weights. They also use balls & bells, as well as, a side-handled dumbell-type device.

:) X
Hi X,

I have researched Shaolin training. I do some of the stuff. I do 5 and 7 step horse stance training. Years ago with a broom stick on my thighs, cinder blocks, etc.. I used to get a lot of training tips from an old mag call MA Training, which seems to be out of print now. I guess this carries over from the 3-4 month course that i took from the Shaolin-Do school on Preston Hwy at bruce middle school in the early 80's. They showed us alot of training using bodyweight and free weights. I never quite got to the point that i could lie on the bed of nails though! :)

Chat later

[Lance C]

Hi L'C ~
The type(s) of training, that you guys are describing, sound strangely Shaolin-like. Have you'll ever researched/practiced any of the Shaolin-type training(?); most of which, employs free-weights. They also use balls & bells, as well as, a side-handled dumbell-type device.

:) X
X,

No, I had a high school wrestling coach that had coached a champion that went to Japan, he was really big on medicine balls. He said half of the strengthening occurs when the body is struck or shocked. We would do stuff like the coconut drop with small medicine balls. Later we would get the heavier ones out and whip them at eachother at various distances to increase our arm power and our bodies ability to withstand a hit.

I still smile when someone takes a hit with a 4 lb ball and falls down into the fetal position. Been there a few times, and it still happens if you let your discipline slip (a month or two ago, I got put down by a 6 lb ball trying to catch it)

Some of the guys use medicine ball hits on their limbs to reduce the sensitivity (the old days, it was rumoured that some poisons were administered to fighters to achieve nervous death in the ring, unfortunately overdoses could happen, and if not, permanent damage occured) Anything to win, Right?

I prefer stomach and solar plexus hits and timed breathing, both in delivery and reception.

We also use the medicine balls as a mass to move using speed. A small ball of 4lbs when accelerated eats up your bodies resources fast.

-Lance

[pigram86]

Back on the Kettlebell. I started doing some kettlebell exercises with dumbbells and i liked the feel and the cardio benefit. So I bit the bullet and bought a 1.25 pood (20kg ~44lbs) KB. For only being 44lbs, it sure is heavy. All of the exercises, Two arm swing, one arm swing, Turkish Get-up, Windmills, renegade row, are all harder with a kettlebell than a dumbbell. i guess it is because it is actually odd object lifting, a cannon ball with a 1 1/2" diameter handle. Today I start a HOC( High Octane Cardio) workout were I alternate a KB exercise with 1 minute rounds on the heavy bag. This is supposed to strip the fat right off. I will let you know the results.

For those of you in Louisville, and if you are interested, please contact Dave Randolph at http://www.iron-body.com/. Dave is an RKC team Leader and teaches at the Shaolindo school on Preston HWY.

Kepp training Hard!!!!!!!

[Lance C]

Back on the Kettlebell. I started doing some kettlebell exercises with dumbbells and i liked the feel and the cardio benefit. So I bit the bullet and bought a 1.25 pood (20kg ~44lbs) KB. For only being 44lbs, it sure is heavy. All of the exercises, Two arm swing, one arm swing, Turkish Get-up, Windmills, renegade row, are all harder with a kettlebell than a dimbbell. i guess it is because it is actually odd object lifting, a cannon ball with a 1 1/2" diameter handle. Today I start a HOC( High Octane Cardio) workout were I alternate a KB exercise with 1 minute rounds on the heavy bag. This is supposed to strip the fat right off. I will let you know the results.

For those of you in Louisville, and if you are interested, please contact Dave Randolph at http://www.iron-body.com/. Dave is an RKC team Leader and teaches at the Shaolindo school on Preston HWY.

Kepp training Hard!!!!!!!


There are some old school methods starting to come back, kettlebell (black powder grenade? Throw) and the Indian Clubs. Funny to see some 100+ year old fitness / martial arts books, stuff that works never goes out of style.

Let us know how it works, I think there are a few of us interested in harvesting fat.

-Lance

[pigram86]

Lance,


I am posting my daily training journal on my live spaces site. Feel free to check it out. Yesterday I tried a different HOC routine. I was soaked from sweat from my shoulders to my belly button.

http://toddpigram.spaces.live.com (http://toddpigram.spaces.live.com/)

I will say for doing the exercises for only 3 weeks, it has fixed my pulled groin. I am able to kick now. I haven't been able to since May.

So far, 1 benefit.

Another great website for KB is www.dragondoor.com (http://www.dragondoor.com/).

Does anyone know of any good books on power breathing?

[pigram86]

Well, I have been doing KBs for about a month now and I will have to say that all of my clothes are looser, but as always, my weight has gone up. It seems every time i lift my BW goes up. Muscle does weigh more that fat, But I am trying to lose!

The cardiovascular benefit of KB training is awesome. Part of the training out of the book Enter the Kettlebell is called the 'Rite of Passage'. At the end of that is The United States Secret Service Snatch Test (USSST). You have to perform 200 snatches in 10 min. with a 24kg (53lbs) kb.

Well, I decide to try it with my 20kg. I failed. I performed 7 x 10 with each arm with 30 sec rest in between. I guess it wasn't bad 140 reps, but i was spent. I have a lot of work to do to reach 200, than move up to a heavier KB.

I have a new blog

http://pigram86.blogspot.com (http://pigram86.blogspot.com/)

Check it out sometime. I have links to here, AKLA, and EF homepage. their are a lot of MA that do KBs.

L8R

[Lance C]

Well, I have been doing KBs for about a month now and I will have to say that all of my clothes are looser, but as always, my weight has gone up. It seems every time i lift my BW goes up. Muscle does weigh more that fat, But I am trying to lose!

The cardiovascular benefit of KB training is awesome. Part of the training out of the book Enter the Kettlebell is called the 'Rite of Passage'. At the end of that is The United States Secret Service Snatch Test (USSST). You have to perform 200 snatches in 10 min. with a 24kg (53lbs) kb.

Well, I decide to try it with my 20kg. I failed. I performed 7 x 10 with each arm with 30 sec rest in between. I guess it wasn't bad 140 reps, but i was spent. I have a lot of work to do to reach 200, than move up to a heavier KB.

I have a new blog

http://pigram86.blogspot.com (http://pigram86.blogspot.com/)

Check it out sometime. I have links to here, AKLA, and EF homepage. their are a lot of MA that do KBs.

L8R


I think maybe our metabolisms are programmed in the same manner. I have been bicycling the past couple of months (ALOT), I made 20km on small hilly gravel roads on my mountain bike on the hottest day of the year, I drank 2l of water (5lbs) and when I returned home I got on the scale and noted I had lost 8 lbs. Within my 2 day recovery period I actually gained weight despite the diet.

I kept the biking up and with advice of using lower gears to increase the cadence speed and the aerobic benefit, my abilities are much increased, and loosing a pants size, I have net gained about 10 lbs.

Keep up the good work!

-Lance

[pigram86]

I think maybe our metabolisms are programmed in the same manner. I have been bicycling the past couple of months (ALOT), I made 20km on small hilly gravel roads on my mountain bike on the hottest day of the year, I drank 2l of water (5lbs) and when I returned home I got on the scale and noted I had lost 8 lbs. Within my 2 day recovery period I actually gained weight despite the diet.

I kept the biking up and with advice of using lower gears to increase the cadence speed and the aerobic benefit, my abilities are much increased, and loosing a pants size, I have net gained about 10 lbs.

Keep up the good work!

-Lance
Lance, that is awesome. Keep up the good work. I posted a pic from feb and one from last night on my blog. I weigh the same in both, but my face is smaller and shoulders are bigger. Just finished my 2nd month of KBs and I am hooked. I have also started doing tabata training with this new device called GymBoss. It is an interval timer and is awesome. Keep pedaling!

Todd
http://pigram86.blogspot.com (http://pigram86.blogspot.com/)

[pigram86]

For those who live in Louisville, on Sept 29th, 1-5 PM at the Shao-lin do on Preston Highway. If interested, checkout the following website http://iron-body.com/content/view/35/38/

The info covered is :

We will cover :
swings 2 handed, 1 handed and switching hands on the fly
cleans

learn how to NOT bang your arms
snatches squats various presses joint mobility program design

reps vs time when to go up in weight
If time permits we will cover additional topics.


Trust me, your conditioning will go through the roof. The Fat will slip away.

[Lance C]

Todd,

How is the kettle bell training going? I've still been saving up for them. I've been recouperating my back, it is a slower process then I could have imagined. However I am back throwing guys half my size out of the ring with ease.

I started looking at how Bruce Lee did his 3" and 1" punch and decided my wrestling moves should start having that kind of effect in the way I practice Kenpo.

I also hit the bike again. I got a bad case of the winter knees training out in the cold and trying to strengthen up too quick. Apparently 90km in 2 weeks in high gear in sub freezing temperatures causes your knees to get sore. Read that it is quite common. My cardio is as high as when I was a teenager and my foot strength (under rated quality) is through the roof. For a nearly 140kg (300lb) man, I can hop using only the power of a single foot.

Read that as starting to get light on my feet. ;)

Hope the training is well with you.

-Lance

[pigram86]

Lance,

The KB training is going well. I am glad your back is doing well. I finally hit the USSST 200 snatches with the 53lb KB in 10 minutes. I am also doing the 'Warrior Diet' which is more of a lifestyle. It targets stubborn fat. It seems to be working.

Keep getting stronger.

http://pigram86.blogspot.com

Todd

[pigram86]

Lance,

How are things going? Training going well? How's the back?

My Kbs are multipling. i now have a 4kg, 8kg, 20kg, 2 24kg and 2 32kg. I am saving up for 2 40kg or 48kg. i haven't made my mind up yet.

I also made a pair of 20lbs clubbells that I use as active rest. These are awesome for working circular strength.

Have you bought any yet?

Http://pigram86.blogspot.com

[Lance C]

Todd,

I have been looking for kettlebell's but did not want to get charged more than $1 per pound shipping. I found a place in Toronto that sells them, next trip up (this fall) I will carry a pair home with me (on the train)

My back is now better than it was, it was really effective to follow the physiotherapy, not only can I do everything from before, but learned some new stuff ;)

A goal has been to up the club's average physical fitness. So for the summer we have been following a free-running regimen (self-defense running, not the extreme version that is becoming popular) which means alot of back and leg exercises. In the fall we will return to indoor, climate controlled Kenpo, but for the time being we are bumped, bruised and scratched up in the nice weather (good thing I am too old to worry about the paint being scratched!)

Kettlebells and Indian Clubs make your effective, practical strength go through the roof!

Too many people hit the machines and only develop their looks and not their physical attributes.

Keep training and be well!

-Lance

[Lance C]

Interesting Fact, a local hardware store, know across Canada as Canadian Tire, just started selling kettle bells. They currently have the 10lb and the 5lb versions in stock. Funny, if you wait long enough Canadian Tire will sell it, wait a bit longer, buy it on sale. :) Will be purchasing some in the near future. Pinched a nerve in my neck and am off the bike for a bit. Just when I was getting at my personal best again.

-Lance