Kettlebells Vs Standard Weight Training

Let me first start off with stating that I was a reasonably successful amateur competitor in both bodybuilding & power lifting. After realizing that without the use of "chemical enhancements" I would never achieve any higher levels of success - I concentrated my energies on my competitive martial arts career. 

There is NOTHING WRONG with weight training for strength - however most of the movements are from body building, power lifting and olympic lifting. The most beneficial manner of lifting for athletes is olympic lifting - however most programs don't include this type of training AND it's an extremely dangerous manner of lifting. What most often happens, is that athletes default to body building and this so called "functional training" where they do bodybuilding exercises on an unstable surface. Power lifting exercises are great for developing strength in the 3 major lifts - bench, squat and dead lift. However they do nothing to improve your athletic ability, flexibility or cardiovascular systems. 

Kettlebells address all of these concerns. They develop more what I term "useable" strength. Strength that is applicable to sports and the movements required to be successful. The hip pop & lock, the incorporation of multiple body parts working in unison - as opposed to single muscle or single body part isolation. Athletic movements require a training the body how to have strength in all positions and to cope with the instability of a resistive load that varies throughout a complete movement. No other training tool offers the answers quite like the kettlebell. The core, hips and the complete musculature are engaged with virtually every movement. The off center bell makes the body respond to an unstable load, yet with a firm base rooted in the ground. 

If you want to be a bodybuilder - focus on isolated single body development. If you want to be a strong in the bench, squat and deadlift - focus on powerlifting. If you want to be an athlete - use kettlebells to increase your strength, conditioning, flexibility and athletic development. 

www.philross.com    

Kettlebells aren't for Everyone - But they shoud be!

People look at Kettlebells and get awestruck. They think that they are impossible to do, that they are too hard and dangerous. They see people flipping the bells all over the place, they witness the pop and lock of the body and get intimidated.
OK- let's dispel some mistruths...Yes Kettlebells can be dangerous - especially when compared to jogging on a treadmill and watching Oprah. You need to focus while you are doing kettlebells and that's what makes them so beneficial. Focus, concentration and being in the present. People tend to waltz through life in a perpetual state of distraction. iPods, Reality Shows, Talk Shows, Gossip Magazines, Twittering, Video Games, Countless cellphone applications, etc...Live in the moment - Train in the Momement! Feel your body amd learn it. Know how it reacts and pay attention to your physical condition.
Yes you can get hurt with Kettlebells - if you do not have the proper instruction. Learn from and RKC Certified instructor and/or purchase their videos for the proper and safe training guidance.
Yes, if you drop a Kettlebell on your foot or your head, you will have some severe damage. If you walk across the street listening to your iPod, you'll get hit by a bus. Live in the momement, pay attention to your environment and maybe you won't trip in in pot hole or get mugged.
Kettlebells will help you with your body awareness. This will also flow into other areas of your life as well.
Train Smart & Live in the Momement!

www.philross.com

Hatton vs Pacquiao

Wow - if anyone ever had any doubts regarding Pacquiao as a legitimate fighter - they should be dispelled after his recent slaughter of Hatton. That was one of the most vicious beatings I have witnessed in the squared circle in quite a while. 

The preliminary bouts reminded me of why I became such an ardent MMA fan - BORING! In one of the fights - a fighter landed six (6) blows. That's one punch landed every 30 seconds. No wonder I was falling asleep.  But thank God for the final bout. Pacquiao knocked Hatton down 3 times in the 1st round and quickly dispatched of him in round 2 by hitting him with a powerful blow on the "sweet spot" of the face, where the chin & jaw meet. The scalp on the back of Hatton's head quivered from the blow. Kudo's to Pacquiao. 

Too bad Mayweather will never be able to get down to a low enough weight to get his ass whooped by Pacquiao. That would be a fight worth $49.95.   

Injured Kids - Kettlebells the Remedy

Many people have mixed opinions on pre-teens engaging in resistance training - and rightfully so. So many parents want their children to have an "edge" so that they can get a scholarship to college. Being a parent, I can appreciate their concerns. However, there are very few children that get a full ride to an accredited college. Add to that the increased incident of of torn ACL's, Menicus, Elbow tendon replacements, rotator cuff, etc...back in the 80's these injuries were reserved primarily for only the professional athletes. 

Why are children having these debilitating  injuries before they finish puberty? 

1) Parents allow and even promote, their children training and competing in the same sport year round. There is no real break or ability to use their tendons and ligaments in another fashion other then their chosen sport. The athletes constantly tax their joints and muscles with the same movements, thus opening them up to repetitive stress injuries. 

2) Over-training. Not only the aforementioned, but then they pile on strength and "sport specific" training. OK - let's face facts - NONE OF THESE 12 YEAR OLD KIDS NEED SPORT SPECIFIC TRAINING! It's a farce. More than the money these parents are wasting, they are actually creating weaker ligaments and tendons in their children and are making them more susceptible to career threatening injuries.

3) Resistance training. Lifting weights - more is NOT better, but kids get bored and their inexperienced trainers keep pushing them to add more weight instead of working on their durability, flexibility and reflexive strength. Any time a youth uses more than 1/2 their bodyweight - they are opening themselves up to permanent joint damage. 

Kettlebells - enable the children to develop their strength, endurance and explosive power - WHILE increasing their flexibility and durability by strengthening their ligaments, tendons and core. When you train with kettlebells - complex movements are performed and require the recruitment of multiple muscle groups simultaneously. The kettlebell practioner has to use considerably less weight in kettlebells yet yields better results than you'd get with weight training. This also lessens the amount of stress on the joints. 

www.philross.com 

  

Top 50 Kettlebell Workouts

I eagerly await the release of Pavel Tsatsouline's new kettlebell training book. It will have 50 of the top kettlebell workouts of all time in it. My chapter is dedicated to combatants - wrestlers, martial artists and other competitive fighters. There are two sections, the main section is based on what is seen in my Advanced Russian Kettlebell Workout DVD on the BayView label.