The Kettlebell Swing

(Even Lance is doing them!)

I am taking this awesome strength training class with Human Motion called "L.I.F.T Camp". Basically, the owner is not a firm believer in boot camps and the style of training they traditionally put their clients through. Typically, boot camps are just an ass kick and if you come across one, a lot of participants demonstrate bad form and are very susceptible to injury. If you do choose to take one, make sure the instructor is going around and making corrections and is not just getting you to do 10 more push-ups (when your form go's) because that's what the program called for.

This class is much the opposite. The class size maxes out at 4 people. This way our instructor, Kevin, can make sure all 4 of us are doing the exercises correctly and has the time to make corrections.

We use all sorts of equipment, from the TRX, sandbags, big medicine balls, and most often kettle bells. I am now super stoked on developing my kettle bell skills and am looking to do the RKC (Russian Kettle Bell certification) next year. Apparently, the certification is very intense and not everyone passes. You have to do a specific test (strength test) to pass. The owner of Human Motion told me it would probably take me 6-9 months to prepare for the certification, so it looks like I have some work to do!

For those of you who have no background knowledge on kettlebells and any of the exercises you can do with them, I am going to introduce to you the most fundamental exercise of all- The Kettle Bell Swing.

Here is a link to an article by Bill Fox, who goes into detail about the benefits of the kettlebell swing: http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/323/.

Here is a video for those who want to see the movement in action. Although this guy is wearing over-sized clothing, he does a great job at describing some of the most important aspects of the motion. check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygv4nOcoaDw&feature=related

Alright, time for a run. See you in the trails!