Early warning signs of injury in GS

I was Novacaned at birth. Apparently it was a needless choice on the doctor's part to speed up a delivery already underway. Justified or not, uncovering this detail has helped me make sense of my capacity for endurance sports, Girevoy Sport in specific.

Recently I achieved Master of Sport rank in Women's 20kg LC on my third attempt. I was viewing this as a stop along the way while training for the same event with 24kg. I was feeling pretty dialed into the form, had the routine down. But this one nagging ache keep cropping up in my left forearm when working with 22 and 24kg sets.

20kg LC 2nd attempt. CMS set.

"Meeh, wrap it up and call it good," says I.

20kg LC MS set.

It worked moderately well all the way up until the week after the MS set. Looking at the timing for the next event I felt impatient to carry on despite the Stage 5 mandate we all know and love. With a 5 day rest I went back to the program. Two days in I felt a pain that blinded me. It didn't go away no matter how many wraps I added to my left forearm, the command from every nerve in my hand was "PUT DOWN!"
The forearm sprain was going to happen. Not just because I was ignoring the discomfort. My left arm was previously injured. I was going through a growth phase that transferred new patterning into my hand. And I asked a coach known for high-level programming to get me ready for the next kettlebell weight. And we were working remotely.

Two notes before continuing on with the warning signs.
First, for the coaches: As a bodywork therapist, I have learned to see unconscious pain cues. People touch a place where they feel discomfort, protect it with supports and layers, and keep it farther away from potential hazards. Depending on a person's relationship with discomfort, he/she may ask an "expert" about it earlier or later. Those of us with less-healthy habits will wait until later.

Second, for the athletes: Many kettlebell lifters have great success with online coaching. If you can find a remote coach who programs you well you can succeed through many competitions with excellent results. Even better if you find a local coach! Either way you cannot count on him/her to notice early signs of injury. Seasoned lifters will recognize an overtrained athlete dragging around the gym (pictured above right) and express their concern. But please learn from my example and acknowledge your pain.

Most of what I have to share is through my own training or working with other GS lifters. All the GS lifts are full-body efforts, so if you have an isolated area of pain there is a weakness in the chain. The difference between muscle fatigue and joint damage can be a fine line, so here are typical problems for beginner/intermediate level lifters. I do not guarantee my solutions, as everyone is different.
Consult a trainer in person if possible.

Feet:

• Soles - Allowing the arch to fall can cause pain here, also heavy Jerk sets. Examine foot positioning on the bump and under squat. This pain is acceptable only at a competition/max effort. Do not train with it. Stretch calves thoroughly and massage the feet before finishing the training set and use less weight.
• Toes - Cramping could be due to dehydration. Also gripping the floor during part of the lift. Back off weight load and evaluate areas where you hold your breath until this habit is corrected.
• Achilles Tendon - Are you wearing weightlifting shoes? Excessive pull from the calf muscles will micro tear this tendon. Also evaluate your foot-to-knee positioning in the under squat.

Knees:

Advanced positioning.

• Front Knee pain - Check initial squat from the rack position. This is a knees-forward-hips-locked stretch. If the heels lift in this movement there will be shear on the front knee ligaments. Another cause of Front Knee pain is weak heel drive into the under squat. Isolate and practice these movements with a manageable weight. Invest in weightlifting shoes.
• Out side Knee pain - If you work with double weights, what are your feet doing as they pass through the swing? Often lifters will bow the legs to the outer side and lift the inner foot which begins a stress pattern on the lateral knee ligaments. Examine foot positioning and stance. 
• Inner Knee pain - Did you hit it with a kettlebell? For Jerk, check leg movement through the entire bump and into the under squat. If one or both feet rock toward the middle at any point, this will accumulate stress on the inner ligaments. For Snatch, examine foot-to-knee position coming out of the backswing and in the under squat.
• Back Knee pain - In getting out of the under squat, if you straighten your legs without adjusting your hips forward you will eventually feel pressure in the knee. This technique can be seen in many advanced lifters (pictured right) to save time getting out of the under squat. Practice standing out of the under squat in a vertical line to start. This takes more time but will build core strength and flexibility.

Hips:

• Back and Side Hip pain - May be caused by too much squat in the back swing, or a deep under squat with weight overhead. This is not the worst pain to have in the conditioning phase. Examine form, develop pre-work mobility and dynamic flexibility to condition your inner legs and allow hamstring extension in the backswing. Practice full-range back-loaded squats to condition the thighs.
• Inner Hip pain - May be too much contraction in the acceleration pull to the rack position or overhead. Work with less weight, use more leg and abdominal strength. Examine your feet at the point of acceleration pull. Correct this before it becomes a hernia.

Low Back:

Abs engaged!

• Not enough core stability in undersquat and overhead positions. This will not go away with out form correction. Shift the base/pelvis forward when straightening out of the under squat. A low-slung weight belt may help remind you of this correction plus add support for the sacrum under load.
• Insufficient abdominal power when launching the Jerk. Hyper extension of the chest over arches the lower back and accumulates stress. Use your abs.
• Examine your posture in the descent. For Snatch, rounding the shoulders and taking the maximum velocity of a descending kettlebell in the lower back will wear you down. For Long Cycle, when lowering from the rack if you round into your back you will not last long. For both of these cases examine core and leg stabilization, and allow your arms to extend before going into the backswing.

Shoulders:

Weight racked too high.

• Above the Shoulder Blades pain - Over extending the arms upward in the lock out position and/or not resting in the rack position. Develop shoulder flexibility through full-range of motion and mobility drills before work. Be diligent with shoulder flexibility, it will only cause you pain to ignore this part of your training.
• Above the Breast Bone pain - Weight is racked too high causing chest muscles to overwork. Usually a flexibility concern, this will effect efficient breathing. Use mobility and dynamic stretching to warm up the chest before work. Static holds with heavy loads may help stretch the back of your chest.

Arms:

• Upper Arm outside pain - For Snatch, inserting the hand late. For Jerk, arms extended out of the resting position, also a growth pain due to the nature of the lift.
• Upper Arm inside pain - Lack of shoulder flexibility: bumping with the elbows lateral puts stress on the inner arm in the under squat. Lack of stability: you may be allowing the weight to roll your arm open at the lock out. Another sign of this is the head pitched forward. Train your arm into the bottom of the shoulder socket when you lock out.
• Forearm Grip pain - Welcome to the club. Learn everything you can about refreshing the grip through out your lift, also examine hand positioning overhead. This is everyone's weakest link. Sadly, the grip strengthens best with overload training.
• Forearm outside pain - My pet issue. Increasing weight load or pacing without learning to relax forearm muscles under the load. Repeated kettlebell impact on tense muscles will sprain the tendon. Focus on relaxing your hands with the weight on your forearm.  If you don't want the "knuckles" below your wrists, start early with wrist coverage. Efficient hand insertion will help. 

Hands:

• Blisters - Gonna happen at some point with the Snatch. Examine your leg movement at the three points of friction through the swing. Use assist exercises, glove sets to develop timing and perfect the acceleration pull. For LC, refine the three points of friction and develop a chalking routine.
• Callouses - It's the nature of the beast. Use chalk in exercises with a swing. Manage your callouses with a file or razor so they do not tear in training.

Head:

• Did you hit it with a kettle bell?
• Over training or dehydration. Jaw tension will cause head pain.
• For Jerk, if you use the "throw-the-head-back" method, examine your timing in the bump. The firing sequence from tailbone to occiput must be smooth to maximize this movement.

Another worthwhile note:

• If you are a convert from other sports you will be bringing old habits and injuries along. Warm up thoroughly, practice sport-specific mobility and assist exercises to mold yourself to GS lifts.
• If, like me, you had a numbed birth or similar experiences that affect your ability to detect discomfort, be real about your pain threshold. Learn to read your body's signs.

Please comment on this list of symptoms and solutions. Questions are welcome. It is my aim to support Girevoy Sport as it grows in popularity, thus hope to pass around some inside information on how to stay in training and avoid unwanted setbacks.

Contact me for information about GS training in Boulder, CO.

mindbodyenergetics@gmail.com

Best wishes for safe, effective training!

Christian

NW Kettlebell Spring Invitational + Big Iron Balls Challenge! Yeah!

April 27, 2013
Rainier CrossFit Gym, Sumner, WA.

Here it is, the moment I've been training for. My third Master of Sport attempt with 20kg LongCycle. And what a joy that it's at an event hosted by KB Nic and the NWKB crew!

Nic congratulating the CrossFit Women and Men's Champions!

Nic came to my attention in 2011 at my first NW competition. He defines Indomitable Spirit, that one! One of the few people I know who could MC an event in an echo chamber without a megaphone, his enthusiasm is up lifting and his coaching is spot-on. Last Saturday his team was able to run simultaneous KBSport and CrossFit events with Nic alone as the announcer!

So what else happened? We had a fairly small but committed turn-out of KBSport lifters and a determined gang of 5 Men and 5 Women on the CrossFit challenge. One first-timer, Bethany and her coach flew from New Jersey! Slava and myself, representing IKSFA, traveled from Colorado, and my KettleTeam mate Tricia traveled from Canada just to help run the event! Many of the 19 KBSport lifters came from the NWKB and OKC teams, located in Washington and California.

IKFF team member turns out to judge with Tom and Misha.

Because I was so focussed on my goal I beg total obliviousness toward the other competitors. I missed most of the Jerk and Snatch sets, and all of the 5-Minute Chair press. But did see an impressive final half of a 20-Minute OneArm LongCycle set from a last-minute entry on Team NWKB!

I saw lifters from the entire 2 + years of my KBSport world setting up for personal records as well as first-time lifters watching in awe. What a great meet to start with! Every one of the lifters turned in great sets, everyone learned and had a moment to grow at this competition.

The chalk-pit/warm-up area.

Of special significance to any KBSport athlete are the organizers and judges. We must have rules first and foremost, and we've got to have a standard for our achievements. At this point in the US not every weight class/weight load and lift has a field of competition at regional meets, so we use ranking systems to qualify our massive efforts. Nic chose the IKSFA standard: IKSFA Unified International Ranking Table At National/International events first, second and third place awards are given for each category listed on the table being used.

The judging rules have been refined into a fairly consistent standard in the US, so at the Rules Review (before the first heat) many of us heard and saw the same information we've been hearing and seeing about No Count, Warning calls, and what it takes for a judge to terminate a set. Those of us headed for higher numbers were held to strict standard, and I did hear Tom Corrigan calling one of my heat-mates on No Counts. Happily, I didn't get those calls from Misha Marshak, who judged my set....
Several people, including Coach John Wild Buckly, Coach Jason Dolby and Tricia Dong all put in time in the judges seat and supported their team throughout the event. Misha did the noble act of judging and then competing!

I feel so blessed to be in this picture! The kettlebells being all the same color seemed to make us equal as competitors.

I want to express my gratitude for the choice to play the National Anthem before we started the competition. This doesn't always happen at KBSport events in the US, and was a welcomed addition.

My last word is in reference to a comment made at the Rules Review. Tom gave the obligatory rule that good sporting conduct is expected, quickly followed with a statement that it is never a problem. Luckily, my team mate and best friend Slava was raised speaking Russian, and later translated this quote next to our Coach Sergei Merkulin:

"In Girevoy Sport - there are no bad people;
all the junk sweats out under the weight of kettlebells, especially on the 10th minute."

(This must be why so many people attend the OKC Annual One-Hour OneArm Long Cycle event!)

Thanks again to KB Nic, KB Nic's Mom (Jan - yeah! 12kg!) and the many unsung heroes of the NW Kettlebell Spring Invitational! You gave us a stage to play our sport, to connect with ourselves and each other more deeply. Many happy returns!

Athletic Mind as a Horse

A friend once used this analogy to illustrate how our bodies respond when learning new skills. With the help of a knowledgable horse woman,* I've tweaked it to represent general temperaments of our minds as athletes. As a disclaimer, I know that generalizations are never the entire picture, but I'm particularly fond of this "Athletic Mind as a Horse" concept. I see my own mind in each horse type as I've moved through a few years of Girevoy Sport training.

One last thought about the Mind as a Horse: This equation is symbolic of mental maturity and evolution. It acknowledges the potential power of the well-trained mind, and the potential chaos it creates when the mind is left wild. In my perception this addresses Girevoy Sport athletes. None of us are exempt from physical discipline and hard work, and any one competition can illustrate the mental game involved. See if you can relate with some of the descriptions below.

The Light Horse: Most commonly known as Thoroughbreds, these include Arabian or other riding breeds. These horses, known to be "spirited," twitchy, and distractible, have been painstakingly domesticated from their wild, lightening-fast ancestors. Historically these horses were a main force on  battle fields. Horse and rider developed a symbiotic relationship as they faced victory or death together. Through time Light Horses were bred specifically to maintain the "hot blood" qualities that make them excellent racing and riding horses. Now they are seen in equestrian events such as jumping, hunting and show riding competitions, sports requiring subtle cues from the saddle thus a well-trained rider. These light-weight horse are not suited to haul a heavy load, but will pull a light carriage or work in teams. They are likely to throw an inexperienced rider rather than endure that person's learning curve.

This athlete's raw skill shines in individual sports. As a mental perspective, this is when I want to perform according to what I already know. As a learner my Light Horse Mind has difficulty learning from someone who is not attuned to my subtlety (horse-people joke about this quality in Arabians). I expect to be the star even if I'm on a team. When I am in Light Horse Mind, I do not like excessive prompting. I would rather be appreciated for the hours of training I've already done. I want helpful reminders of my training like "slow down" or "active breathing," not overplayed encouragement like "Okay, that's 2 minutes! Only 8 more! Good job, Christian!" And I do not want to be recruited to count someone else's reps.
Poor attitude and resistance is to be expected when I am this type of athlete. You can see how this is a problem...

Just because the mental space of this athlete is light-weight does not mean he/she is physically delicate. For instance a Light Horse Mind athlete might be able to compete with 32kg LongCycle, but refuses to do cardio conditioning between seasons - it's outside the comfort zone. Or perhaps it's a light-weight lifter who refuses assistant strength training for fear of going up in weight class. In essence, the Light Horse Mind puts up resistance to skills that could change his/her relationship to that specialty move. In the world of horses it's a matter of matching the task with the animal; in Girevoy Sport reality this Mind-set will only last so long (unless the lifter only plans to do exhibition meets). If this is you, or one of your athletes, I advise a Reality Check. Check out your competition. What is your closest "rival" doing to win? Also, how long do you plan to be in this sport? As we know in GS versatility supports longevity. Maybe this is your Year of Snatch, but next year, Biathlon-a-thon!

The Warmblood Horse: This includes several breeds of stock horse, including the Quarter Horse, that are carefully crossed between sure-footed Light Horse breeds and sturdy Work Horse breeds. In riding stables, "warm bloods" are known as the "nannies;" naturally agile and patient, they are safe for beginner riders due to the willing, even temperament of these animals. In history, these mid-weight horses were loved for their versatility, having capacity for long distance running and cattle drives. Now they are used to race, carry riders, pull in teams, herd cattle and in equestrian shows. This type of animal has a bond with its rider, and needs surprising little prompting to do new tasks. Because they are willing and intelligent, these horses can be pushed to injury, which could be their only weakness. If a rider is confused, the Warmblood Horse will go the way it sees fit.

This athlete's natural physical awareness seems to grant innate skills. This is when my mind is "grounded in my body" and I am interested in refining technical skills that will improve my lifting. In my Warmblood Mind I will persist, incorporate new movement skills and enjoy the fruits of intense concentration. As with my animal counterpart, I can take corrections constructively and integrate new physical awareness with familiar techniques. I want to use training sessions interactively, alternating between physical practice and cognitive processing. In the Warmblood Horse Mind-set I am inspired to train outside my comfort zone, share training sessions and support my team at competitions. This is the phase that has me preparing two different events for three different competitions.

The athlete with Warmblood Mind has mental patience and agility, but might not immediately excel at all physical skills. In Girevoy Sport this could be an athlete who wins the Absolute Lifter award (for total volume) but does not win all three events. The Warmblood Mind is coordinated, so a trainer might attempt to pack too much into one lesson. This will frustrate the athlete, being unused to repeated failures. He/she will eventually  change coaches rather than follow erroneous guidance. My advice to this athlete/coaching team is to examine challenging techniques as a composite of various awarnesses: body positioning; breathing; and visual/mental focus. Using physical compartments the athlete will improve skills in solo-practice and look for fine-tuning in coached sessions.

The Work Horse: Well-loved for strength and patience, in history the draft and pony breeds were used for pulling heavy carts and plowing fields. Also called "cold bloods" these heavy-weight horses can pull immense loads alone or on a team, and carry riders. Historically these animals hauled loads and carried the cannon-wagons on the stage of battle. They were, and are, a staple of agricultural cultures. Strong musculature and power are the most notable attributes of this horse type. These calm, docile animals perform best with a handler who interacts with them as they work, thus avoiding the tendency to plod along into complacency. This quality is seen in the Pony Ride at a circus, where the horses are harnessed to a central hub and prompted by the ride boss. Out of laziness rather than a dull mind a Work Horse will come to a stop with lack of guidance.

This athlete's work capacity produces impressive results. When my mind is a Work Horse I need to be guided with technical accuracy. Once in gear I will run to exhaustion, and once out of gear I will rest until directed to move. As with my four-legged counterpart, the most effective training style for me in this Mind-set focusses on efficiency. This is when my trainer and I need to agree on the goal. In my Work Horse cycles there are only two words in my vocabulary: "Okay" and "Coach." I train with staunch determination, devoid of emotions, to master my one lift. Eh, one lift....

It is inaccurate to say an athlete with Work Horse Mind is big and slow. This person might be amazingly adept with one skill-set but stumbles over less complex tasks. For example, a lifter who can LongCycle (Clean+Jerk) but lacks capacity for Jerk Only may be a natural Work Horse, or in a Work Horse Mind stage. This lifter will power his/her way to the Co-Efficient (Relative Strength) award in one event with the right coaching. And the coach is key. Work Horse Mind will do whatever the coach wants. It is important for an athlete's longevity in GS to not burn-out with one lift, so if this athlete/coach team hopes to make use of our sport's extremely long athletic career potential I suggest changing events every few seasons. This may translate into less-than-perfect results for a few competitions, but it will round out the athlete's physical repertoire. A time-tested training method that is well suited for the Work Horse Mind is "chunking:" a complex movement sequence is segmented into smaller parts and trained as separate movement skills. Over time, the segments come together with technical precision.


So what are you saying, Christian?.....  Although I did advise a GS athlete to only stay briefly in the Light Horse Mind, I am not saying it is "bad." My real purpose for this article is to suggest that athletes consider their natural mental tendency. Once you can honestly recognize yourself, then you can endeavor to look outside and refine your Mental Skill-set. Ultimately, we will all do our best work if we allow a variety of perspectives to enrich our original natures. This does require some self-examination and the ability to be uncomfortable with new ideas while their value becomes apparent. In the long run, looking at the Mind as a Horse helps to make it a little less personal and vital for our true being. And this, in my opinion, is an important step in living up to our potential as athletes.


*Thanks to Rachel Jarvis, who knows more about animals than anyone I know, and her friend Christina for helping direct my comments on horse training. To contact Rachel for riding lessons in the Sugarloaf Mountain area, or advise on your horse, dog, cat, snake, or whatever creature you love, email : racheljarvis313@yahoo.com

As always, your comments and opinions are welcome. Please see my website for more information about my services : www.mindbodyenergetics.us

Put it where it counts

What with so many big GS competitions going on this season I've noticed plenty of footage and comments circulating about great lifting feats. As a perpetual student, I've learned to consult my teacher before considering the actual excellence claimed from any one lifter's peer group.

My first Kettlebell Sport coach Ken Blackburn recently reminded me of the good old efficiency-in-action principle: Say you have 10 units of energy to complete a lift. How do you distribute those units through all the parts of that lift? And is there any energy being saved for consecutive lifts, or are all 10 units being thrown into each lift?

So this has become one consideration of my own training, that is, how much effort does it take to get the kettlebell into a lockout with fixation (AKA. a rep that counts)?

The second teaching that has impressed me is my programming coach Sergey Rudnev's assist exercises.
Specifically LongCycle drill: 1swing + 1clean + 1jerk + 5second fixation hold = 1repetition.
(At first I videoed these sets because it takes some practice to keep track of the count!)

I really enjoy the ingenuity of this exercise because 1) it is tailored to over-eager lifters like myself who get too excited at the beginning to maintain a pace, and 2) it provides a full-body teaching of the most important places in the lift.
The first swing helps me find the dead point on the upswing (important point #1). There is a delineation between how little effort it take and how typical it is to pull early. Most kettlebell lifters were trained this way, but in Girevoy Sport the early acceleration pull throws the weight beyond the dead point. This causes me to then de-accelerate the downswing and work too hard to control the weight for the next clean.
The 5-second fixation hold (important point #2) reminds me to emphasis the main event of the lift, that is, where it gets counted. It also emphasizes the overhead position as a rest position.

To add one element of urgency to the above drill complete 6 repetitions per minute. Either by calculating the seconds or doing it yourself, you quickly figure out there is one place not to linger in this exercise: the Rack.

Thus inspired with the teachings of my coaches, I've enjoyed looking in on my fellow-lifters. And the World Champions are still my ultimate role-models in the seamless execution of 10 or more minutes of one Classic Lift.

Wishing all my fellow-lifters excellent results!
Christian

Please contact me for more insight or training with kettlebells!
kettlebellfitness@yahoo.com
www.mindbodyenergetics.us

Spring training and competitions!

Kettlebell Private Training in Boulder @ Body Balance Gym, 2747 Iris Ave.:*

Personal Training Schedule:

Monday times available after 3:30 pm

Wednesday times available after 3:30 pm

Sunday times between 10 am and 4 pm
Contact me to reserve your times! mindbodyenergetics@gmail.com

Kettlebell Fitness (for whatever your level is): $75/hour

$350/pack of 5 training sessions

Girevoy Sport (for people already familiar with kettlebells): $60/hour, trainers pay $40/hour

$280/pack of 5 training sessions, trainers pay $185/pack of 5 training sessions

(trainers = personal trainers and CKTs)

*Special prices for Body Balance gym members and Body Balance trainers! 

Check the link below to pre-pay for great deals.

link to register page

**Competition reminders and new KBSport competition announcements!**

Local Competition

Sunday May 26th, BOLT Standard, Denver, CO

$25 to compete in up to 4 10-Minute events!

Link to BOLT registration page

Competitions in US

Saturday, April 6th IKSFA NY Open KB Sport Championships, Long Island City, NY
$85. Registration closes March 24th.

Link to registration

Saturday, April 27th IKSFA Northwest KB Open Spring Invitational, Sumner, WA
Registration cost dependent on the number of events performed.
Traditional and Additional KB events available. Check the links below for your event!

http://nwkbspringinvitational.brownpapertickets.com/
Link to registration

Saturday, May 18th KettleBell Classic Pro/Am, Dayton, OH
Registration: Single Event $25, Multiple Events $45, Relay Only $15
Biathlon, Long Cycle and 3-Person Relay

http://thedirtygym.com/2013-kettlebell-classic
Link to registration

Saturday, June 1st Mid-Michigan Open KB Sport Competition, Spring Arbor, MI

Early Registration: $55, goes up (April 2 to May 1) to $65, late registration $85

Grand Opening event of the official IKSFA training facility in the US!

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=14487
Link to registration

Saturday, June 8th IKFF Chicago Kettlebell Classic, Chicago, IL

Early Registration: $50, goes up (March 17 to April 20) to $60, late registration $70

http://www.chicagokettlebellclassic.com/Event_Info.html
Link to registration

Contact me for more information, if you are ready to train kettlebell fitness or GS with me, or have comments/questions:
mindbodyenergetics@gmail.com

Best wishes for safe, strong training!
Christian

Look Straight at the Fire

Ceremony has been the most awakening experience of my life.

Before half of my readers click away, allow me to define ceremony: a set ritual or routine that has a beginning, middle and end with results that are (mostly) predictable; also the act of collecting certain elements/objects to complete an event.
Everyday ceremonies include breakfast, meetings at work, classes, and the bedtime routine. And of course preparing for a Kettlebell Sport training session. These ceremonies become like habits to us, thus requiring a low-level of awareness to complete. However, certain elements (including people) can determine the experience we have. For example, at the gym you find that the socks didn't make it into your bag. Or there is a group that usually isn't there during your gym time, and they are using your equipment. The absence or presence of key elements will affect your training.

High-level ceremonies include rites-of-passage, weddings, graduations, etc. And of course, GS competitions. I can say with complete confidence that the person leading these ceremonies has a big responsibility on his/her shoulders. Rituals of this nature are rich with meaning on multiple levels. In highly focused ceremonies people are offered a look at their role in the bigger picture. When the person leading a high-level event is well-suite to his/her position, all the participants bring or do something that contributes to the ceremony, emerge awakened to their role in the community and are loaded with wisdom to integrate into everyday life. Here is one example of said wisdom:

Don't look right, don't look left, just look straight at the Fire.

Fire is a dual element of Inspiration/Light and also Purification/Refinement. It is a metaphor for the Creative Spark in the heart of humanity. And and extremely appropriate representation of the effort required of a Kettlebell Sport athlete.

I've been training for Kettlebell Sport only three years now, but I am clear about my training sessions being a ritual. I arrive with a gym bag full of gear. As with any ceremony, not everything comes out of the bag, but some things cannot be managed without. In the past three years almost every variable has arisen to test my determination to complete a training program. It's clear to me that I'm supposed to compete.

When regular gym folks pick up ProGrade kettlebells it's obvious to me within the first 10 minutes if GS is a fit. When it's right for them, people want to continue to struggle with it, learn it and let it change them. A relationship is created that people will give into. It occupies their workouts, they want more training, more efficiency and good equipment. Soon after learning the main lifts they may look at their chances of achieving ranks, and if they are naturally competitive learn what it takes to win in their weight class.

Those folks who aren't right for Kettlebell Sport do what I did when offered Olympic Weightlifting, look at the effort, skills and time required to begin to be good at it and then take a seat with the other spectators. When we know we are not for a sport, we stand aside with respect to the athletes who are drawn to it.

Those of us who are at home in athletics know what it is to find a challenge that must be achieved. It's the thing that rivets our focus to the exclusion of everything else. Like my teacher said, there is no use looking at what other people do or what they think of you doing your thing; the Spark is very personalized between the lifter and the Fire. When the challenge has you, nothing else exists anyway. No one else gets it, but might have an idea what a privilege it is to witness. A coach understands the importance of it to the lifter and can watch your progress from across the gym.

Best wishes to you for efficient, effective and safe training.
mindbodyenergetics@gmail.com

It's all in the details

With kettlebells as a fitness tool on the rise, attitudes about "correct technique" are rising in proportion. Though my personal goals are in Girevoy (Kettlebell) Sport, I support all correct training techniques. In my opinion, the most important part is safe, effective technique for a specific goal. For the sake of helping those new to kettlebells, without any particular bias, I offer basic observations about the techniques offered at any gym based on the type of kettlebells in the house.

If you walk into a gym with cast iron weights, here's what you need to know:

• Most personal trainers have some experience with the cast iron weights.
• The smaller ones are lighter, the bigger ones are heavier. The weight is stamped in pounds and kilograms on most bells. 
• A fantastic tool to improve Cardio-vascular endurance and for Strength & Conditioning if used correctly.
• Excellent tool to improve range of motion and flexibility if used correctly.
• If practiced correctly, basic kettlebell exercises have a high potential to correct back and knee problems when nothing else has worked.

4 different weight sizes.

Basic exercises: Two-Hand/One-Hand Swing, Sit-up Get Up, and various Squats.
Intermediate exercises:  Clean, Press/Push Press, Turkish Get Up, Russian Twist, and various Deadlifts.
Advanced exercises: Windmill, Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Doubles, Bottom-up and Overhead Squat.

A trainer who has learned from a good source focusses on details at the foundation of kettlebell work. Things to look for:

• Shoulders are back and legs/hips are straight at the top of a Swing.
• The breathing pattern is obvious and trained. 
• In a Turkish Get Up or overhead exercise, the athlete stops in rest positions.
• In overhead exercises, the wrist, elbow and shoulder are "stacked" and look natural.

By contrast, an athlete or trainer who has learned from "YouTube University" can be seen Swinging the kettlebell with shoulders and hips going in different directions. The overhead position looks treacherous, the lifter's wrist and/or elbow are bent. Major red flag if the lifter passes a kettlebell over his/her body when changing sides for the TGU.

Special mention must be made of CrossFit-style gyms, known for rapid-fire functional training formats. What to know:

• Continuous Circuit Training is a time-tested conditioning and weight loss exercise format. 
• Just because they have pro-grade kettlebells and Eleiko bumper plates does not mean they teach correct technique.
• It is rare to walk into a functional training facility during a workout because they happen so fast.

The focus can be seen in the effect. In the aftermath of a WOD (Workout Of the Day) we see what is important to trainers and athletes. Signs of well-informed lifters:

• The presence of a chalk bowl (which also represents focus on Olympic Lifts).
• Time in the gym schedule for "Clean and Jerk/Snatch Skills" or Skill Training. 
• Trainers have initials after their names, such as RKC, CKT, IKSFA, WKC or AKC (the K means Kettlebell), and are willing to put extra time into gym members who need special skill training.
• Gym members use wrist covering and put time into stretching and recovery.

Signs that the gym lacks advanced training might include:

8 different weight sizes

The kettlebell selection is mostly yellow/16kg, green/24kg and red/32kg, are muddy and the handles are dinged-up; the gym members have bruised writs, blisters and shoulder injuries from the kettlebell work; or the trainer has no consideration for your level of fitness at the first workout.

CrossFit gyms have done great things for spreading awareness of kettlebells. Bringing the pro-grade equipment on board has made room for the most technical use of kettlebells, Girevoy Sport. Basic information about GS:

• A GS gym is a mythical place. Most typically it is a traveling seminar that happens in a gym with the word CrossFit or Kettlebell in the name. Serious GS athletes find a corner in the gym to train in and bring their own timer.
• GS is a competitive sport. The three traditional lifts are Jerk, Snatch and Clean&Jerk (Long Cycle).
• Even if an athlete competes as an amateur, a competition or Personal Record session is part of the training season.
• Pro-grade equipment is essential for an athlete to excel. A solid foundation and well-developed programming makes the difference in a person's competitive season.
• An athlete may be coached remotely, thus often videos sets for his/her coach.
• GS training increases an athlete's Strength Endurance and Work Capacity.
• Lasting benefits of training and recovery cycles will carry over from season to season.

The color-coded weights are referred to in kilograms. Both men and women will improve with progressively increasing weights from Beginner to Advanced:

Beginner-level: amateur class competitor, pink/8kg, light blue/10kg, blue/12kg, brown/14kg, yellow/16kg.
Intermediate-level: begin using doubles, brown, yellow, purple/18kg and 20kg (also purple), and green/22kg and 24kg (also green).
Advanced-level: professional class competitor, purple, green, black/26kg, orange/28kg and red/32kg.

A clear sign that Kettlebell Sport is being practiced in a gym is that there is chalk on hand. The kettlebells have paint missing around the middle, and the handles may be sanded and caked with chalk. Many GS athletes wear low-slung weight belts and weightlifting shoes. The trainer focusses on what may seem like minute details such as positioning of the handle, small movements of the shoulder or hip and breathing cycles.

Because few GS athletes learn efficient technique intuitively, people refer to World Class coaches when asked where to get good training. If you want to be a GS athlete or get the benefits of Sport training, prepare for some meticulous, patient training sessions to start. You must be ready to rest one day between training sessions and do good old-fashioned running to develop cardio-vascular stamina.

Feel free to check in with me regarding any aspect of kettlebell lifting or GS. I'm happy to work with lifters on their own level.
email kettlebellfitness@yahoo.com

Best wishes for effective, safe lifting!
Christian