Take the slack out of your shoulders by using your lats when taking hold of the kettlebell before the hike pass. The working arm should be straight and the kettlebell handle stays above the knees during the backswing. Make sure to square off and pack the working shoulder, dig your heels in the ground, tense abs & glutes and lock the knees at the top of the one-arm swing. The body should form a straight line on the top of the swing with the neck in neutral position. The kettlebell forms an extension of the straight arm at the top of the swing.

Don’t shrug your press!

Keeping the shoulder down throughout the press will make the press stronger and safer, but it is not an easy skill to develop.

Think about pushing yourself away when you are pressing a weight.

Pull your shoulders into your body the way a turtle pulls in its head when you are supporting the kettlebell overhead.

Scan your body for any leakages. Plug them with tension. Stay locked and rooted. Greater strength and shoulder resilience will be the reward.

Hack Squat
This is excellent for opening up the shoulders, arms and entire upper thoracic. The positioning of the arms behind the back allows the lungs to always have room to take full breaths. It is also excellent for strengthening the stomach, legs, glutes and opening up the hips.

Squatting slowly, smoothly with control will challenge your balance. Maintain good body posture throughout the squat. This is not as easy to perform.

Place the kettlebell behind your back holding the handle. Squat down moving up on the toes and lifting up your heels. Keep the upper body as straight as possible.

Stand back up and staying off your heels. Make sure you engage as much tension throughout the legs and glutes on the way up. Your back should be straight at the top and shoulders rolled back.

Inhale on the way down and exhale when coming up from the bottom of the squat. Control the movement when going up and down moving at a slow controlled pace.

This drill is performed by a lateral lunging motion. The toes can be slightly pointed out or straight forward during the movement. The athlete will move their feet outward to a sumo or slightly WIDER than sumo position.

From that position the torso is braced and as the athletes moves to the right and left. The bent knee moves forward tracking over the toes and the foot stays flat on the floor – with the straight leg the toe comes up. Settling into the bottom position will depend upon your hamstring / glute flexibility and hip / ankle mobility.

The athlete can stand straight back up (easier) or slide across to the other side (harder). The slide technique keeps constant tension on the legs.

Benefits of Cossack Drill:

deeper squat
better setup on deadlifts
hip mobility
knee stability
hamstring / glute flexibility
better pistols
stronger kicks

Pause at the top position breathing shallow.

Hinge as before and, without looking at the bell, touch the ground with it between your heels and stand up for several reps, ending with the kettlebell between the heels. NOTE: Pushing the kettlebell back has activated the “armpit muscle”. The lat is a “super muscle” that protects the shoulders and the lower back. Keep an open chest and shoulders pulled back. Don’t shrug the shoulders.

Keep a tall posture in your goblet squat and don’t let your heels come up. Wiggle slightly side to side, clockwise, and counter clockwise to make figure eights.

Don’t stand up, keep sinking deeper in to the squat. Make sure it’s your rear end that is dropping and not your elbows. Your elbows must stay glued to the vastus medialis muscles inside and above the knees. Don’t go deeper if the extra depth comes from back flexion. Go as deep as you can while keeping a flat back.

Hold for about 10 and 30 sec. Stand up and keep your spine locked stiff and straight. Make certain that your butt does not come up faster than your shoulders.

Scientists at University of Wisconsin are stunned by research: Kettlebell calorie burn is off the charts. Pavel Tsatsouline and Dragon Door Publications introduced kettlebells to America in 2001 with their landmark Russian Kettlebell Challenge programs. Their claims that the kettlebell delivers superior fat loss to any other method have finally been vindicated by scientists, in research funded by the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 21, 2010 — Scientists at University of Wisconsin are stunned by the research: Kettlebell calorie burn is off the charts.

The ACE research protocol was based on Kenneth Jay’s Viking Warrior Conditioning

Pavel Tsatsouline and Dragon Door Publications introduced kettlebells to America in 2001 with their landmark Russian Kettlebell Challenge programs. Their claims that the kettlebell delivers superior fat loss to any other method have finally been vindicated by scientists, in research funded by the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

Kettlebell training is all the rage in the U.S. — sparked in great part by enthusiasts’ claims that kettlebell drills strip off unwanted fat faster than aerobics, running, treadmills or any other popular weight loss programs. “You get twice the results in half the time” is the claim. Truth or just hype?

Funded by the American Council of Exercise (ACE), research published in the January/February 2010 issue of ACE FitnessMatters proves that there’s plenty of scientific truth to back up the fat loss claims.

The research team led by John Porcari, Ph. D and Chad Schnetter, M.S at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Exercise and Health Program, used a VO2max kettlebell snatch protocol developed by Dragon Door author and Master RKC kettlebell instructor Kenneth Jay, in Jay’s bestseller Viking Warrior Conditioning.

After only a 20-minute kettlebell workout, research subjects burned an average of 272 calories. However as, Dr. Porcari states in his research conclusions: “We also measured the blood lactate, so anaerobically they were burning another 6.6 calories per minute, which is off the charts. That’s equivalent to running a 6-minute mile pace.”

The scientists credit the startling level of calorie burn to the fact that the kettlebell workout is a total-body movement that is also done very quickly, due to the interval-training format. Added researcher Schettler, “The kettlebell workout gives you a big bang for your buck in a very short amount of time.”

Gerard Butler supposedly used kettlebells in part to hone his chiseled physique as Leonidas in 300. Now, modern science has provided the proof that this “Spartan”

xercise tool offers new hope for those still struggling to lose unwanted body fat — or wishing to lose that body fat far faster than traditional methods.

To learn more about the fat burning methods of Kenneth Jay’s kettlebell snatch workout, get his Viking Warrior Conditioning, available at http://www.dragondoor.com/b39.html

Once a little-known Russian training device, the kettlebell appears to be rewriting the formula for truly effective strength, cardio and weight loss. To learn more about Russian kettlebells visit http://www.russiankettlebells.com

To arrange an interview with Kenneth Jay or receive review copies of Kettlebell books and DVDs contact John Du Cane at 651-487-3828 or email jducane(at)dragondoor.com

Dragon Door Publications, Inc is the world’s leading provider of both beginner and advanced kettlebell training resources.

Give these a try, VIBRAM FIVE FINGERS. It’s as close to being barefoot as you can get, but with some foot protection. You must try these shoes on before you purchase to make sure you have a perfect fit.

*”Breathe behind the shield”, while keeping your abs braced for a punch.

*Cramp your glutes.

*Tense your quads and pull up your kneecaps.

*Crush the kettlebell handle.