The Yin & Yang of Kettlebells - What is real Power?

Russian Kettlebell training has always been seen as hardcore, as strong, as aggressive (or yang) in its movement. But there's a balance. There's a yin side to the training as well.

For those of you who follow the RKC's principles, tension = strength. If you can't generate tension, you can't demonstrate strength.

However, the equation is a little more complicated than it first appears. Power is evidenced by the change in tension per unit of time. So the greater the change in tension through the smaller the amount of time, the greater the power output.

THUS... if you're fairly stiff to begin with, and then you generate an MVC (Maximum Volitional Contraction) in say 0.5 seconds, the change in tension levels isn't going to be that impressive.

However, if you're able to relax your muscles to the point of almost total flaccidity and then generate the same MVC in the same 0.5 seconds, your power output is phenomenally better than if you were stiff.

This is where the concept of "intelligent mobility" comes in to play.

If you spend all day stretching and kneading your body until you're as pliable as Gumby, that's great as far as being able to tie yourself into postures that'll be the envy of everyone at yoga class. But it doesn't necessarily mean jack when it comes to having the power to punch through a car window or an attacker's larynx to save a life.

I first heard this principle from my Combat Shuai-Chiao master's elder son, Sifu James Lin, before I started training with kettlebells under Pavel Tsatsouline. The late Grandmaster Chang Tung-sheng believed that stretching too much can actually inhibit your strength and power. Thus, Master Lin said that it's not good for a fighter to be too flexible.

This is where the Turkish Get-Up & Viking Warrior Conditioning methods come in. The Turkish Get-Up, taught in the FMS-influenced manner, is one of the premier movement patterning exercises in the US today. Its slow, precise movement trains the body to use its musculoskeletal system in the most linked fashion possible, giving you strength and control while developing grace and coordination.

The RKC Hard Style snatch with the VO2 protocols developed by Kenneth Jay train the body like no other to load & explode like a cross between a cheetah and Michael Jordan. When combined with the Turkish Get-Up, these two exercises will help you maximize your human movement potential like few others can!

Who in their right mind wouldn't want to have a physical training regimen that gave them strength through a maximal range of motion?

Who doesn't like the idea of having both the POWER and COORDINATED CONTROL to both pull a child to safety in a crisis situation OR to comfortably handle an unruly person in a non-life-threatening situation?

Who doesn't have a few pounds that they'd like to shave off in the right places?

When Master RKC Kenneth Jay & I hit Irvine, CA to teach our Yin & Yang of Kettlebells workshop at Kettlebells Orange County, be ready for some of the most detail oriented training of your life.

The 4+ hours you spend training with us will leave your brain (and probably a few muscles) aching for more... more insights... more training... more fun... more mobility... and more POWER without bulk.

The available slots may already be sold out. But drop Kingston Heng, RKC, a line at www.kettlebellsorangecounty.com and see if he'll squeeze you in.

The Viking & I are looking forward to seeing you!

Kettlebells in Korea: Jon & Doc's Excellent Adventure, Days 1 & 2

The CEO of Kettlebell Korea, Mr. Kenneth Lee, practicing the Naked Get-Up progression

Annyong hasseyo? Howdy from the Land of the Morning Calm!

The RKC's favorite Chinaman & TKD master are over here in Seoul, Korea, about to start Day 2 of our excellent adventure here. I should've brought the USB cable to be able to post pics directly to my blog, but I'll have to post some individually after I get back stateside or just point you to my Facebook page (search for kettlebells.losangeles@yahoo.com) to see the ones I was able to upload via iPhone.

Immediate impressions upon landing: It's FRICKIN' COOOOOOOOLD!
I haven't seen snow in person since a brief encounter back at the April RKC in 2008, and far too many years of shoveling it in my childhood. When I walked out of Incheon International and saw the white stuff descending from the heavens, I thought (to borrow a phrase) "No good can come of this."

Exhasuted from the trip, I fell asleep in the car on the ride to the center where our host is housing us. A hot shower & a comfortable bed made falling asleep far too easy.

The morning of our first day in Korea was spent preparing our organizer (Kenneth Lee) for the work that lay ahead of him. Deadlift, Swing, & a very brief intro to the Naked Get-Up put his brain into overdrive, along with giving him a taste of what Hard Style is really about. He'd taken an instructor course with a non-RKC group before, so I knew right away we'd be rocking his world off the foundations upon which it was built.

He struggled with the changes and the concept of "tension is strength", but you could tell that his brain was ruminating on everything he was fed from us all day long. During the meetings we had in the later morning & afternoon with some of Seoul's mega-gyms (we're talking like 11 floors in some of these, folks!), I heard his presentation go from simply pitching kettlebells as a new training tool to explaining the merits of the Hard Style method. From one meeting to the next, you could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he was mentally digesting the information taught to him in the morning.

Interestingly, one of the people we met with is an instructor who goes by the nickname of JK. JK's an enthusiastic member of the Gray Cook fan club, he's Titleist Performance Institute certified, and he's got some of Korea's top pro-golfers coming in to train with him one after another.

By the evening, Mr. Lee helped translate for us while we taught a small presentation to some physical therapists. And I heard him recap the material Jon & I'd taught him that morning almost point-for-point. "Korea's off to a good start!" I thought.

The next day was more of the same. Jon & I awoke early, had a massive Korean-style breakfast, and then spent the rest of the morning exchanging Taekwondo & Combat Shuai-Chiao training before Mr. Lee arrived. Going over the TGU in high definition blew his mind again & again, and Jon Engum's presentation on the Clean & Press using the principles of high tension made a bunch of light bulbs go off (both in the morning & evening presentations).

The afternoon was once again filled with meetings. From seeing Korean high-tech applications to fitness training to meeting with the Korean Olympic weight training facility directors, the meetings were high powered all the way.

The 2nd evening picked up where we left off, but with a slightly larger group. Jon & I sped through the Naked & Turkish Get-Ups, the Clean & Press, and the Snatch in what must've been record time. It's been an absolute pleasure to have Jon Engum along with me on this trip, since watching him teach is a reminder of some of the useful cues that I tend to overlook or fail to appreciate.

Again, more pics will be posted when we get back to the States, and more adventures will be posted hopefully at the end of today. We've got 2 interviews & a photo shoot today, so hopefully I'll have a chance for a nap somewhere before then!