Ksenia Dedyukhina New world Record in Snatch

She does it again!! New World Record 202 reps in 24kg Snatch. Enjoy!

Get Ready!!! New Year of Competitions to come!

Now that World Championships in Hamburg has come to an end it is time to prepare for the upcoming year! I would like to just take a moment to Congratulations to the USA team for getting 5th place in the World and everyone who competed and received metals!! A huge Congrats to Will Metcalf for bringing home the Gold in 24kg Biathlon. Will has made a huge comeback from being injured and not being able to compete in many meets this year. Results from World Championships
Next year the IUKL World Championships will be held in Dublin, Ireland, USA Nationals will be in Chicago. If you plan to go to these competitions plan now and start saving so you don't have to worry about travel and hotel. There are some other great meets to get to so plan accordingly so you can compete at the events you want. I haven't decided which competitions I want to get to yet but here are a few I have in mind. Holiday Kettlebell Sport Championship in December,  West Coast Classic in February, Punch Sarasota in April, USA Nationals in August, World Championships in November. Those are what I have planned but I don't know what the schedule is going to look like so there might be some adjustments. Also something I brought to question was to stay at 73kg weight class or drop to the 68kg weight class and compete there. The USA team had a pro and amateur in 73kg but no one in the 68kg weight class. So there is a spot that is open for competition. Time to plan!!

In recent news I competed at the Georgia State Open Kettlebell Meet in Norcross, GA. The weight categories were compressed because of it being a small competition. Only 19 lifters so there wasn't a lot of competition so rather than saying I got first I'm prouder of my results. I weighed in at 73.8 kg (only one in my class) lifted 24kg Biathlon. My training leading up to this competition wasn't the best and has been very inconsistent so my goal was to hit a few targets. Jerk 80 reps and Snatch 160 reps. Here is what I did!!







Overall pretty good meet for myself. It's time to continue to prepare for the West Coast Classic in February but first the Holiday Kettlebell Sport Championship in NJ in December. More training ahead. And I have switched to the Adidas AdiPower shoe. It has a composite heel and it feels snug on my feet which is something I had a problem with before with other shoes. Also I have the Virus Intl compression shorts on which feel pretty great. If you have a chance check them out...similar to 2XU but not as expensive!!

Amazing Sprints sets

Here are some amazing sprint sets by some of the top professionals in the world of Kettlebell Sport. Check them out. Every rep is perfect, you can spot the fixation during lockouts. Nothing is being rushed. You can tell the level of expertise in these lifters....Amazing to watch!

Here is the link for Johnny Benidze 2 min sprint set with 32s
Johnny Benidze 2 min sprint

Look and the technique they both have!!

Training review- Oct 27- Nov 1.

A review of what happened this past week.
I started a training journal to keep track of all my activities I completed during the week. Even tracking weight and body fat percentage. Why? Because you need to know what works and what doesn't. I am starting this week to add some things to my training like I mentioned before. Flexibility is my weak area. It makes things like straightening my legs in my rack tough which weakens my jerk numbers. So this week I start a Prasara yoga program. It will be part of my cool down. Prasara Yoga is created by Scott Sonnon of Tacfit. There are several flows I'll be practicing because of the areas they focus on.
Training has been difficult this week due to my primary job as it was closeout so I wasn't able to get all my sessions in. Monday was Jerk, Tuesday was Snatch, Thursday was Jerk and Friday is Snatch again. It was a tough training week and consistency is what would have helped but not all training sessions were completed. This fact just hurts when trying to get to the next level. It really messes with your mind when you are capable if doing something but your body tells you NO. In a couple weeks I'll be competing in Georgia at the Atlanta IUKL open, lifting the 24kg in biathlon. So i will try to match my best in Jerk and increase in Snatch. Snatch has improved so the next couple weeks I'll look to maintain or improve my results. My training schedule will become normal again as I go into the last couple months of the year looking forward to the West coast classic in San Francisco.

This weekend I got my running legs back which is always a great thing. Saturday Nov 1st, 6.6 miles in the rain.

First long run over 3 miles in a while. The One hour Long Cycle event really brought back the "going for it" thought in my head. It really plays out that Kettlebell sport is all about enduring the suffering that is the sport and being mentally strong not just physically. Being able to sustain a pace and mentally pushing past what you are capable of doing. 

Now to planning out the week and sticking to the program.  

     

Update last couple months(Sept-Oct)

After Nationals in August I declined to compete in Germany at the World Championships. I didn't plan accordingly to fund my travels. So beginning now I plan to save so I have no excuses to travel where ever the championships are held. As far as training has been going, since I decided not to go to World championship training has been off. I am starting back up the road to Master of Sport in Biathlon. So there will be steps to achieve first before getting to the Master of sport level. 1) One step that I have achieved was getting CMS in June in NJ. The goal is to achieve similar results with the 32s. 2) Next goal will be to hit the (100+ Jerk, 200+ Snatch) 200+ points with 24s. That's something I have been working on for some time now. 3) Over 150+ points with 28s- New objective.

This November I will begin my journey. I am setting up my competition schedule for the next few months. Nov 15th I'll be competing in Atlanta, then February 7th San Francisco at the Ice Chamber, April will be in Sarasota, FL, and then I'll set the rest of the year up. From Nov to Feb there will be enough time to train and prepare for California.
Some of my recent training is showing some promise in hitting my target with the 24s. My two weak areas are my rack in jerk and my endurance on the snatch. The rack has always been an issue because of my lack of flexibility in the hips and upper back. Snatch endurance just takes more practice and fine tuning my technique. Here is a quick workout with the 28s and 24s snatch.
    
Competition is coming soon so this will show where I am at in prep for the West Coast Classic in San Fran. I will be journalling and making sure I get every training session in. Consistency will be key at hitting the targets that are set. More to come....I've been looking into some other training methods to add to my training- more along the stretching and mobility areas.

A.K.A. Kettlebell Sport USA Nationals 2014

USA Nationals was held yesterday at the Reebok Sports Club in NYC. It was a great event with a lot of talent from around the USA coming into NYC to compete. This event was a qualifier for World Championships in Hamburg, Germany later this year. Just like last year at Nationals I competed this year in the 73kg weight class Biathlon lifting the 32kg bell. My goal was to better last year's results and move closer to getting Master of Sport in the AKA/IUKL ranking table. To achieve those results would yield a more competitive field. This year there were 3 lifters in the 73kg weight class lifting the 32kg bells. It was the first time there were 3 people lifting the same weight bell. I was excited for that reason. The field was tough! Marty Farrell who has been doing this for a long time, Michael Cluse who lifted in the World Championships in Tyumen, Russia and myself.
So there were 4 lifters in biathlon lifting the 32s. John Lesko had a good showing putting up good numbers in both jerk and snatch. Note: he was the only one to last the full 10 mins snatch. Great job John!!
So my game plan was to do better than last year because I have improved but I didn't know how much better because training was off leading up to it. Whatever the excuse was it didn't matter. I was on the platform lifting the 32s.
First event in biathlon is Kettlebell Jerk


I did okay...better than last year and a new PR by 3 reps. I felt much better here and solid during the set. I ended my set because of the reps I was producing were starting to get worst and worst. I didn't want to push the reps out from the elbows. So I ended the set.
Next up Kettlebell Snatch


In snatch I didn't hit my intended target of 50/50. On my first hand I switched at 44 reps because I felt a tear starting to happen and it cause me to switch earlier than I wanted. On the second hand I felt pretty good and did 48 reps. I was able to get a personal best on both lifts. New Personal Best in result as well.
It was great seeing everyone and all the great performances. Friend from Punch Gym Sarasota made an appearance with 2 new lifters and they did exceptionally well with some adversities. Teri S. was so close in Snatch to win her event but it was a great job with it being her first time doing snatch. Cayla B. competed in Longcycle with the 16kg first time at Nationals(Next time you'll be prepared for anything). Chris S. great job next time not so many wafels and dinges before you lift ;). The ladies from Ice Chamber Kettlebell girls brought an expanded team out for Nationals. The core group of veterans as well as the newbies lifted exceptionally well. Rylee (13 yrs old) lifted great in the 16kg Snatch division and Miranda (14 yrs old) lifted great as well in the 16kg Longcycle division. They looked like they have been doing this for a while. Brittany from IC achieved CMS in Snatch and MS in Longcycle ( great set with her and Melissa S. going head to head).  Sakaya from IC also produced great results her first time out at Nationals! There were a lot of good sets: Amanada W and BJ from Texas, Chris D from DC kicked ass in 32kg LC, Doug S and Juan P went head to head in 28kg LC, Team Pride Conditioning lifted great, there were so many great sets! It was a long day and the event went well. OH yeah can't forget Team Lockout lifter Will M coming back on the platform lifting the 24s. Great seeing you all!! Can't wait for the next event.....maybe I can lol.

Training week review 8/2/14

This week I got in all 3 kettlebell sport sessions. With some time still left till USA Nationals I can make some improvements. I'm starting to get better at a few things especially in Jerk. But when one element improves there is chance another element falls behind (Snatch). So for myself I made it pretty clear that my rack position is where I need the most improvement for the sake of being able to rest the quads and legs to be ready for the next rep. So I've been working on my stretching upper back, traps, low back, hamstrings, glutes and hips. Stretching the legs helps in keeping them straight in rack....stretching the upper back and traps allow for my elbows to get into a position on my body. Charlie F. helped me out by providing a few cues to look for in training and somethings to be aware of so I can be consistent.

Here is the video from the side at Reebok Sports Club. Training with the 32s- supposed to do 7 minutes but couldn't get there yet.



Looking back there has been some good improvement in my technique but I still need to get better at jerk. Last year at Nationals was a second time lifting them. I also had a small hip injury so this year I will be ready...knock on wood! Mobility and flexibility will be very important part of training here on out.



So looking back I'm happy with where I am but I want to keep going. Exceeding last year's result is what counts.
I'm running more, stretching more and physical therapy also helps to keep me on track.

Training review and update 7/27/14

So far this week has been pretty good as far as training is going. The beginning of the week is always tough but I was able to get my sets in. I had low energy at the beginning and it definitely affect my training and sets. But as the week progress I was able to pick it back up. I recently dropped my training schedule down to 3 days a week. And the training volume has increased because of that but it also allows me to rest and recover while lifting the heavier (28-34kg) bells more often. I trust Coach C-Duff in what he is doing. Its just tough and for this sport it counts. You have to be prepared for competition. The nationals is where we in the US have a chance to compete against someone in the same weight class lifting the same bell. So this week since I started only training 3 days a week with the be I do both lifts in my workout. Here are the sets from my Friday training session at Reebok with the NYC crew.




Ladder Jerk set 2 mins on/ 2 mins rest 5x. Changing weights from 24- 32kg. Goal here was to maintain competition pace for the 2 mins, Keep a good rack position (something I'm still working on), and get use to 32s towards the end of the set. Everything is still a work in progress but still coming along.
Next up snatch.



With snatch I've had good days and bad days....pretty much similar to everyone else. Recently my elbows have been bothering me. Probably coming from my drop and not adjusting my legs or back. So this set I worked more on deflecting from the bell and absorbing with my legs to save my grip endurance. So I'll be analyzing my technique and seeing where I can get better to last the full 10 minutes with the 28kg and 32kg bell. Another area I continue to work on is my level of flexibility. I recently did a few back bends and found out my upper back was supper tight which could explain why my rack isn't the best.
On to the next week of training...

Training review and update 7/18/14

So far training has been a bit tougher than I though. Work load has gone up a bit since the summer has slowed the business down. So my training has been rough. Anytime you move up kettlebell weight consistency is the biggest factor. It takes longer to adjust to the weight and the volume so what you expect to achieve doesn't come in the time you were planning for.
Recently there has been some drama in the kettlebell sport world. Best thing for everyone that participates in the sport is to keep training and help the sport grow. It doesn't matter if you lift for fun, are really competitive, looking to compete on the international scale, bringing something different to your Personal training business, or just trying to learn something different. The drama does nothing but hold the sport and your personal growth back. There are many great lifters in the US that are getting better...My advice go follow them. They are living it along with everyone else trying to get better in this Russian dominating sport. Go with the people who will help it grow rather than one person trying to stop it. That's all :)
So back to training; I've been training maybe 3 times a week and running has stopped to maybe twice a week. Disgusting!!! I'm trying to progress with the 32s and its tough. 32kg bells can stop you right in your tracks if your not ready for them. So the last few weeks the goal has been to get my numbers up in snatch and jerk obviously. Most of my jerk sets I haven't been able to tape but snatch sets I have. Most of the work is developing time under the bell and building the rep number up. Sometimes sets are good and somedays they suck but gotta keep moving!! Here are a couple of my training sets. The more I train the more I can improve.

   

A little test this week with the 24s since I haven't been able to get the 32s in place. Still feeling good about progressing forward.


This week I don't have much time left till nationals so I have to pick the pace and get things moving. The 32s are no joke so I need to focus and get things in place. No missing training days. I dropped down my training so I can be consistent and continue to progress. If you have question about my training my coach is Chris Duffey. I've been working with him for over 3 years now. And he has helped me progress to where I am today in Kettlebell Sport. If you are looking for a Coach he is a great one!!

Starting the Road to USA Nationals 2014

47 days away till the best lifters in the USA will all come together in NYC and a team will be selected through competition to compete in the IUKL World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. Its that time again to get prepared and decide what bell to lift in my weight class. It's important to decide what it is that you want to do when going into a big competition. We don't have a large number of lifters in certain weight classes. So its best to decide what the game plan will be. For example, last year I decided to lift the 32s and there was only one other lifter in my weight class lifting the same bell. I knew that I wasn't going to win but my intention was to do my best and make improvements from my previous competition lifting the 32kg bells. I ended up coming in 2nd place to Marty Farrell but I had a good feeling about it. I figured out what the elite guys were putting up as numbers and what I needed to get to improve for the following year. This year I'm going in thinking about winning and making the USA National Team to be able to lift in Germany!
So this week Coach Duffey re-introduced me to the 32kg. We are seeing where I am at with the reds and if competing with them is a good or bad choice. I recently competed with the 28s and made CMS numbers. Usually before moving up you want to establish a good base with the prior bell. For example in February I lifted the 24s and posted really good results with them. So I was ready to lift the 28s. I did alright with them in April and much better with them in June. This is where we decided it was time to lift the 32s again. If anything I improve my numbers with both 32kg and 28kg bells. So training has changed a bit but the schedule has stayed the same. Monday and Thursday are Jerk days, Tuesday and Friday are Snatch. As I get closer to competition I'll have days I do both lifts. Duffey has put in some unique programs into my training; Pyramid intervals, Black Snatch (Snatch endurance work). I'm sure more things are to come. Here is a look at a couple of my training days this week. Goal for August is to be competitive with the 32s and make Master of Sport rank (125 points in 73kg)!!






Just a start on some new programming. Results will show in the consistency of the work put in.

Finally Candidate Master of Sport!!!

This past weekend I lifted in the IronBell Challenge in Warren, NJ at the Art of Strength New Jersey gym. It was an American Kettlebell Alliance (AKA) event which is the governing body of kettlebell lifting here in the states with over 15 competitions set for this year. They have similar rules and ranking to the IUKL which is their governing body.
The competition went great!! It was hosted by Valerie and Lisa (owners of Art of Strength NJ) and Alex and Yuri from AKA was there as well to make sure the event went smooth. It seems all competition I go to that happen at an Art of Strength gym run smooth. There were lifters from all over mostly from NJ or NY. It was a small event but still a good one. At these kinds of events I like to go in focusing on what I need to accomplish since there isn't a lot of competition these events are good to make rank. Bigger events is where you don't try anything new but go for PRs and go to win.
My goal for the day was to make CMS rank. Its the fourth time lifting the 28s in competition and the second time lifting the Vulcan Strength Kettlebells. So I was a bit conservative and wanted to make sure I got my numbers- (65 reps in Jerk and 120 reps in snatch) to get 125 points for 73kg weight class. I was prepared, I brought everything I had used in training and made sure I missed nothing. Chalk, belt, shoes, sandpaper, tape, nothing was left behind.
 There were 2 other lifters and myself in biathlon. Here is my CMS jerk set from Ironbell Challenge



Things went well although you'll see towards the end of the set. The bells weren't landing right back into a good rack position also not as comfortable on my hands (something I need to adjust to) so I re-racked the bells to sit comfortably. Next up CMS snatch set.



I figured if I had some pain in my hand that I should add some tape to my wrist for stability. So I put some on and see what happens. It was a great feeling making it this far and getting Candidate Master of Sport. These rank numbers were higher than previous numbers so it was a great achievement. Now it's time to prepare for Nationals and possibly Worlds in Germany!! I don't know what I'll lift at both events but I will give it my all!

Get the Chalk out!!

Whenever you plan to lift and you know the area will be humid be ready to get a good coating of chalk on your bell handle. Unless you are use to lifting without chalk everyone should know how to chalk their own bell. Yesterday I helped out a few Juan and Kyle perfect their chalking technique with certain things to look for. For myself chalking the bells are part of my ritual in getting ready to lift. I won't let anyone else do it for me. I'll get thrown off. But I get asked how do I get the chalk to stay on. Here is the video I looked at over and over to get the idea of how to get the chalk to stay on.



Here is another look at chalking the bell by Igor, similar technique. Work the chalk into the bell handle.



Hope these videos can help out and give you a better idea on how to apply a good coat of chalk before stepping on the platform. You want to be prepared and nothing stopping you from getting your goals. In humid conditions an good chalk job can go a long way!

Going into Taper week- IronBell Challenge

Finished the week on a good note doing test sets at Reebok Sports Club NYC on 6/6/14. I tested with the 28s in Biathlon. I did 7 minutes in each lift. I hit 53 reps in Jerk and 49/50 in Snatch. Snatch wasn't my best set because a couple days before I did a killer snatch workout with the 28 and 24kg bell. So going into this week I'll be preparing for the Iron Bell Challenge in Warren NJ. Its another attempt to do my best with the 28s and make CMS! The new rankings by the AKA for biathlon in the 73kg weight class I have to total 125 pts. So far my best is 109 pts (59 Jerk, 50 snatch) in competition. It'll be my second time lifting the Vulcan bells so I know what to expect and and I'll be prepared with everything I need this time. Here is a recap of this past week.
Monday Kettlebell Jerk training



Good start to the week. Next workout was a double set of Kettlebell Snatch. Hands got hot here.



Finished the week on a good note with a test biathlon set with 28kg bells at Reebok Sports Club NYC!!


Now going into taper week preparing for competition. Today I had a my first Bikram yoga session in the FlatIron district and I highly recommend it to any kettlebell lifter!! I see it helping with breathing, balance and flexibility. For myself and my tight hips, hamstring and upper back I may be finally able to release some tension up there!! This equals better rack position and better numbers in Jerk!  

NJ Iron Bell Competition- 2 Weeks away

This past Friday the NYC group of lifters got together again and lifted at the prestigious Reebok Sports Club on the Upper west side. It's a great facility with plenty of items that make training there great!!
Juan, Eric, Kyle, Cara, Megan and myself all met up and got to work. Training with a group really helps keeping everyone motivated. Its also great to see where everyone is and what their training cycle is looking like. Most of the group is getting ready for the US Nationals in August. Cara and myself are getting prepped for the competition in New Jersey and Art of Strength NJ. It's a prep for Nationals and a chance to get back at the 28s and get CMS rank. I missed it because of some personal mistake when traveling to Florida in April. This time I will be ready to go after them. Here are my sets from the AKA/IUKL Punch Gym Kettlebell Competition in Sarasota in April.
Kettlebell Jerk

Kettlebell Snatch


I travelled unprepared so one thing I did learn and it helps to practice training at another facility is to bring my stuff! Training with others also helps to show other lifters techniques and what to look for as far as mistakes and corrections. Your work can also drive others in their sets. Juan Pellot has a good rack position so whenever we lift together I try to get my rack position to be similar being thats where I lose it. So this past workout was Jerk being my week was thrown off from Memorial Day. I got in some good sets. I forgot my timer so my main set was thrown off by it. Here is my sets...Jerks are improving..speed under the bell and rack position are improving slowly but improving.


Two more weeks!!!

5/26/14 Memorial Day Training

No rest for the weary because there is a competition around the corner. June 14th in NJ I'll be stepping on the platform again going after the 28s in Biathlon. CMS is the goal 65-70 jerks with 55- 60 snatches per arm. So still working on specifics during training. Today was jerk goal was 2x26kg 7 min 9 rpm. Something I learned today was to make sure you have gas in the tank for the sets your coach gives you. If there is no fuel to burn you'll dry up really fast.
Today's work sets:
2x20kg 2 mins
2x26kg 7 mins 9 rpm
2x28kg 3 mins 4 rpm (work the rack position- find rest and breath)

Here is what today looked like - 2x20kg 2 mins 12rpm, 3 min rest, 2x26kg 4 mins 9 rpm, 2 mins rest, 2 mins 9 rpm, 5 min rest, 2x28kg 2 mins 4 rpm, 10 min rest. Squat/Squat Jump 135lbs- 5/35 reps- 2 sets.
Here is the 2x26kg Jerk sets

Training 5/23/14 first NYC group KB sport training!!

Yesterday I got the chance to train with other kettlebell sport athletes that live in NYC. We decided on a spur of the moment that we would all like to get together and train. One thing led to another and yesterday we all met up at Reebok Sports Club in NYC. This is something we haven't experienced being that everyone who usually lifts for kettlebell sport lifts alone or in a gym that has a group already training. So I met up with Megan D, Juan P, and Eric H and our liaison into Reebok was Aleksandr Khasin. It was a great experience Juan and Megan were training Longcycle and Eric and myself were training Snatch. We were inspired by each others work and pushed our selves. This looks like a great thing that can happen for the future of the sport here in NYC!! Here are my sets:

Lesson Learned....advice for all Kettlebell Athlete new and experienced

Since my last competition I started posting again I mentioned some of what has been going on but not all. This year there are so many competitions in the US and around the world. Kettlebell sport is growing and with that the competition is getting better and lifters have to do all it takes to perform their best when stepping on that platform.
With that make sure you have everything in training at the competition with you! And I mean this with the best intentions. Your results and performance will depend on it. Here is a recent experience I had at a great competition. It was a competition I had to travel for and one that I had done the previous year. I thought just like last year I had no worries so I could travel light and still be good. Bad Idea!! I didn't bring my roller, CHALK, drywall sand strip, athletic tape and supplements. These are things I use everyday in training and I forgot to travel with them. So what happens when you go unprepared into competition you have a hard time getting the results you worked hard for.
Advice for all make sure you are prepared for every competition near and far. I now have a container for my personal chalk, a mobility bag: roller, supernova, massage stick, stretch bands, Shaker bottle for pre and post competition supplementation. It's everything I need and use during my training so I can do my best when stepping on the platform.
You can not blame the host only yourself when go to the competitions and there aren't the pieces of equipment or chalk you use that throw you off.

"The Struggle is the Sifu" My weakness needs work

So far I've have been involved in Kettlebell Sport for almost 4 years now. It started out as a hobby and something different to do when I was just getting into Kettlebells. I am interested in a lot of different things and I like to keep myself educated in all aspects of fitness. I first got into kettlebells after I graduated from Lock Haven University as a way to get stronger and not bigger because I was boxing. From there I shifted to doing kettlebells full time because I just found the workouts with this tool to be so much better than other tools in the gym and it was different.
Onto kettlebell sport....the more I looked and found out about kettlebells I ran into girevoy sport. A competition in weight lifting for time and reps compared to boxing where you get punched in the face. Easy choice to make for me. So when I first started I didn't know what I getting into but I was interested. So I did the AKC/WKC coaches certification which was a start but only that. I started posting videos and was contacted by Chris Duffey. He took me under his wing and I've been there ever since.
So being that I have been doing kettlebell sport for a while I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. It's taken some time but I'm starting to see the progress and the work I've been putting in has gotten me to the point where I'm comfortable.
The struggle is the SIFU especially when you are in a timed event and you have to produce the best result. Biathlon 10 mins of Kettlebell Jerk and Kettlebell Snatch- tough as hell! You get better the more time you spend under the bell. My struggle is the rack position in Jerk and since I've injured my hip last year the rack position has gotten harder. Keeping the leg straight is my biggest weakness. The legs do a lot in the jerk.

 

Being able to keep them relaxed in rack allows them to recover and prepare for the next rep. As I go longer into my set my knees start to bend and my quads don't relax and hamstrings are firing and the pop from my legs start to get weaker and weaker and my upper body takes most of the work to get the bells up.

 
As seen here knees are slightly bent and that can cause the quads to lose its juice and the body not to rest. Moving at a faster rpm and lifting heavier bells causes this to happen earlier into the set.
So the goal for me will be to build up my leg endurance as well as flexibility and mobility in my hamstrings, hips and quads and can't for the spine and back.  So what I am focused on whenever I train Jerk is the correct position for rack. Which means more training in that position as well as a focus of flexibility and mobility on days I don't train Jerk. Here is what the correct position should look like.

Legs straight and back relaxed so proper mechanics of the Jerk can be applied for high repetition.

Here is video of my last training where I work on just these things. Interval training with increasing weight. 3 mins on/ 2 mins of rest x 3.

Some updates because it's been a while. (Part 1)

So the last time I posted a blog I was about to lift the 32kg bells in competition. I thought I was ready but glad I took the challenge. I found out about myself a lot during those sets. I competed in two events in 2013 with the 32s but figured something out. I STILL NEED MORE WORK!! The first competition was the White Oak Kettlebell Competition in CT. First time with 32s and a slight injury in my right hip. I ended up somewhat pleased but knowing I could do better.
Jerks 35 reps....I wanted 40. Snatch up next..

Snatch 45/42 reps. Pleased but not my best. I overcame the injury but still had to deal with it.
I took some time off and and decided with Coach Duffey to move back down to the 24s and put some work in till my hip flexors heal up.
So I did my next competition in Georgia with 24s going for the 100 Jerk, 200 snatch goal. I came close to the jerks but not the snatch. In Jerk I completed 86 reps and Snatch I completed 138 reps. So not totally close to the 100 Jerk and 200 snatch but thats a work in progress. After that I made way for the competition The US Nationals!!! First time in USA history that a team is formed from competition. Every weight class and discipline would end up with a member of Team USA. I elected to lift the 32s again in this competition but I probably should have went with the 24s again but I wanted to lift in the pro division. Another lesson learned. I wasn't ready for this one either. I was making some progress in training but training was off. I did PR in both lifts so I was very happy about that.
Another great thing that happened to me was getting sponsored by Team Kettleguard!! I was sponsored after the White Oak competition in March. So I was flying the Kettleguard name and colors!! I am happy to help represent the sport as well as a company made by lifters for lifters.

So I made another attempt at the 32s and had some success.

New PR 38 reps....then onto to snatch. With a hip injury the rack position it tough to maintain. Especially when you need to keep the legs straight! So snatch had a much better result.


New PR in snatch 90 reps total with 32kg.
And thats how I finished up 2013.
Next update will be tomorrow on what has been going on since the start of 2014.