Flexibility for Kettlebell Jerk

One of the biggest issues for men when learning the Jerk is the rack position. The rack is the place to rest and recover from each rep, enabling you to duplicate and complete another rep (refueling station). What most men and/or women that lift double kettlebells find difficult is to find that area of rest. So, in breaking down the rack position we can look at areas to improve to make the rack position comfortable and tolerable.

 In the above picture the lifter is in perfect rack position to perform the jerk. The body needs to be prepared for each repetition, so rest and recovery is what we are looking to achieve in rack. The spine needs to allow the upper body to deviate from the straight line in order to have a place for the bells to rest. If not the body will go under tension trying to support the bells.

                                             

 

In rack position the upper body (shoulders and trapezius) must be able to relax. Through this relaxation, the arms (elbows) will be able to reach the hips and allow the legs to support the weight of the bells. When the elbows can’t reach the hips and the knees bend an area that is analyzed is the flexibility of the hips and hamstrings. When the area that needs to be worked on is the flexibility of the upper body particularly the spine. The back (upper and lower) plays a key role in allowing the elbows to reach the hips or at least get close (depending on body type).

First thing is to get the T-Spine (thoracic) mobile and flexible. A tool I use to enhance the mobility of the spine is a foam roller.

I use the foam roller to help loosen up the muscles and work range of motion. Working my way from the low back to the upper back continually working flexion and extension. I also use the roller to loosen up the shoulders and latissimus dorsi a.k.a. Lats. 

The second exercise I continue to work on and improve is the gymnastics bridge. The bridge is a full body stretch targeting the upper body, shoulders and forearms also the quads and hips. If you can't get the bridge in the beginning don't worry. Here are a few ways to build up to the full gymnastics bridge.

1.     Wall walks

2.    Bridge with head

3.    Full bridge with small ball (not shown)

4.    Back bridge press ups 

5.    Cobra position (yoga low back stretch)

Start by increasing the range of motion of each stretch and the length of time in the stretch building up to a minute per stretch. The next areas to increase flexibility are the hips. This is a large area because we not only need to look at the hips but the low back, glutes and hamstrings.

Some great mobility exercises for the hips are the Cossacks squat and the rock bottom squat (ATG squat). 

Some stretches I recommend for the low back, glutes and hips are the pigeon stretch, butterfly stretch, hurdler stretch and straddle stretch, lunge and quad stretch. 

Theses are just some of the ways to increase your overall flexibility.

As flexibility in the thoracic spine and lower body increase you’ll be able to feel comfortable in the rack position allowing you to last longer and complete the ten-minute set.

My interview with Brittany VS about Kettlebell Sport!!

Recently I was interviewed by Brittany VS of KOR Strength and Conditioning. Here is the link to her page and the interview. Hope you enjoy!!
What do Waffles, Guinness and Kettlebells have in common?

Competition Re-cap

It's been some time since I posted and between now and my last post I had competed in two competitions.
First competition to take a look at is the IKSFA/AKA Holiday Kettlebell Sport Championships in NJ. It was a the last competition of 2014 and it was a local event (tri-state area) so it was a good place to see where I was in my training. It was a great competition with a lot of the kettlebell community (old and new) there. Personally is was one of the better competitions I had with the 24s. I should have been lifting the 28s or 32s but training has been so off. One thing that has hindered my progress in the inconsistency of my training. One things that has helped is that I have been in this sport for so long that I am somewhat of a seasoned athlete. I can put up some decent numbers (in the States) with little training. Back to competition my teammates were there. Will Metcalf hit CMS rank with the 28s. My coach Chris Duffey put up decent numbers with the 24s and Judi Demuro (superstar) hit some good numbers in Snatch with the 16s. All in all it was a great competition and a fun way to end the year lifting. Here are my sets from the competition 24+24kg Jerk - 91 reps, 24kg Snatch 150 reps.






After that event I felt re-energized to get back on the platform and lift even better than before. This is the usual thought after competing but a plan must be set in order to get the results you are looking for and consistency needs to be there as well. So I set a goal to lift at the Annual West Coast Classic hosted by the fine group of lifters of the Ice Chamber in San Francisco. If you ever get a chance to go out west or are in the San Fran/ Berkley/ Richmond area please take some time and visit them. Its a great facility and the team there is very welcoming. They do a lot for Kettlebell Sport in the US and have produced a lot of great lifters and champions.
So I wanted to lift the 28kg bells at this event but as usual training had not gone the way I wanted it to. I came off a great event at the Holiday Championships and wanted to continue that progress but not so much. So I reverted back to the 24s and did what I could with them. Not my best performance with them, but its a lesson learned even being somewhat of a seasoned athlete you can't have a good performances all the time. My jerk set didn't go as planned and I stopped early in the set, snatches were a little better but not my best there either. Here is what my jerk set looked like.


I got to share the platform with Will M. who is a great lifter and one to watch going into the 2015 season. He competed at the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany and had a great event there winning the amateur biathlon Championships. We both didn't compete to our potential but its a learning experience. One thing I can take away from this competition is that every time I step onto the platform its a learning experience. Whether good, great or bad in competition you pick up a new gem that can take you to the next level in lifting and LIFE. So there is a plan and schedule that is coming.
What is needed to get back to where I was and surpass and move up to be competitive in the states and around the globe?