Ha! “Good for what?” is the question…
It’s amazing as complete a training tool as the kettlebell is that we are STILL, as a community, overall I’d say,
stuck in the “more is better” trap.
Long workouts are what I’m talking about.
Now sometimes, when you’re training for a very specific goal, like pressing half your bodyweight with one arm,
you’ll require some volume plus long rest periods.
So those workouts might take awhile.
And that’s ok.
But I want to give you a training rule to live by:
The more effort you put forth, the shorter the workout should be.
For [an extreme] example: Does anyone really think you need to do something else after a 10 minute snatch test?
If the answer is anything other than a resounding “no” go do one right now and then email me your new response.
The reality is this:
If you focus on quality and efficiency, you can do very well on a steady diet of 10 minute workouts.
Especially if you’re a “stress case” or your life seems less than manageable right now.
Think about it: 10 minutes.
Who can’t get that done?
When I think of the sheer amount of work, and very littlemental check-listing (you know, running down the technique
in your head), I want a one-stop-shop to get all my work done.
Something that works –
– my grip
– my hips
– my back
– my legs
– my abs
– my lungs
My choice?
Some variation of the Swing.
If I want to work solely on my conditioning I’m going with a 1H Swing.
If I want a hybrid combo to push up my strength and my conditioning, or even just my strength – I’m going with
the Double Swing. (More work, baby!)
Here’s how you want to set it up:
Use the “top of the minute” protocol.
At the top – or start – of every minute, you do a set. Then you rest the rest of that minute and start your next set –
you guessed it – at the top of the next minute.
Do that for “just” 10 minutes.
Start slow and be conservative. You shouldn’t feel trashed after your first workout. You should have plenty of room left to grow.
This protocol is one of my “secret weapons” for getting my clients in phenomenal shape. It works amazingly well.
How should your reps look?
Well that’s really up to you and your current abilities.
One of my favorite protocols is doing this for time.
It works phenomenally well, especially when you learn how to “cook” your swing – fine tune it to create more power.
Do that 3 times a week exclusively with a pair of moderate sized KBs and you’ll be amazed at –
how much your conditioning improves
– how much better you feel as you bust some major stress
– how much stronger you get – especially your upper body from “just” holding on to the bells
– how much better you look from dropping the body fat because of the effort you put forth on the program
– how good you feel emotionally knowing that not only did you get your workouts done this week, they only took you 30 minutes – leaving you mucho time for other things
And if you want to shed some blubber – you will – cause using more muscle uses more energy – which my friend –
has to come from somewhere – like stored body fat.
And if you demand superior conditioning levels – well then creating more torque, producing more power, and using more energy will get you there.
When you want or need short, focused, productive workouts, 10 minute workouts are the way to go.
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