Big Heavy Kettlebell Training

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Heavy, hard work and hands hurt!

I think this type of 10 minute strength work will stay in the program once a week!

Video - 10 Tips to improve your kettlebell clean

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The kettlebell clean is always a technical exercise for people to learn so these tips should make it much easier for you!

Heavy kettlebells - 48kg snatch test

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Many years ago, much of my training was based on strength and endurance for kettlebells. I hardly ever trained sport style and just liked to increase the numbers and weight lifted in sessions. After the 2 competitions for strongman and weightlifting pass in just over 2 weeks it will be a 100% return to heavy kettlebells, endurance work and kettlebell sport as I realised just how much I miss this sort of training. The weightlifting will continue and the numbers gradually increase, but the main aim will be to get the kettlebells flying again like the good times!

Strongman Competition

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You guessed it - there is a strongman comp and it is in 3 weeks and I am going in for it.

I competed 2 days ago and just had a double session as the work does not do itself!

Session 1 was the standard weightlifting with a return to deadlift. Session 2 consisted of grip endurance as that is what farmers walk is about more than strength - how long can you last!

I worked the light hand grippers to warm up and then went up to a number 1 for about 20 alternate reps. This progressed to some block weight timed holds and then some lighter grippers for sets of 10. I sold my steel log and farmers walk bars so I will have to make do with what is to hand. I held a pair of 24k bells for 1 minute to replicate the farmers endurance and finished up with some bar hangs and more grippers. Nothing heavy, just laying solid foundations.

A week after the comp is the British single arm champs and my eye is on the left hand barbell snatch record at a lighter bodyweight. I am then training for another 25 records so keeping busy :)

Product Review - Liquid Grip @liquidgrip

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As a competitive weightlifter, kettlebell athlete and grip specialist I go through some chalk. The other day a mat fell over in the gym and the resulting dust cloud was like a snow storm! The problem with normal chalk is that it does get everywhere and the smallest gust of window can carry particles to all corners of the world. Fine if you train in someone else's gym with a daily cleaner, not so good in your single garage with a swing door that needs to be closed so you can lift big weights and drop them!

"Hoover" I hear you shout! "Dyson" would be my reply and a very good one at that! Then arises the problem - try hoovering a gym that has nearly everything you need for performance with a hoover - even the extendable nozzle - not easy and doing it properly would require a removal team, just for it to get covered again within a few days. So rather than look to minimise the effect, we can now work on eliminating the cause - enter Liquid Grip.

I first bumped in to Liquid Grip at the Bodypower expo last weekend. It was not until I tried it on what was possibly the Sorinex anvil that I realised just how good this stuff really was. With normal hands, you grip tight and just slide right off. Add a small amount of Liquid Grip, rub the hands to spread it and then wave them about for it to dry - the weights flew up and felt stuck to your hand!

I do a lot of grip training as you can see from the link -
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150840683721412.474411.769336411&type=1
I also purchased a small bottle to try at home based on how impressed I was with the anvil lift before and after application. The Rolling Thunder deadlift handle easily added 5kg and again the hand felt clamped on to the handle rather than slowly beginning to slip when trying to lift. Liquid grip is also very effective for plate pinch training, block weight lifts, hub lifts and anything else requiring a grip of steel.

Next week I will attempt to snatch the 20kg weight being lifted below for a genuine "stick" test -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS0h2rrY8Ek

With a comparison on a 48kg kettlebell snatch I actually felt my grip was stronger compared to a normal chalk block and this is probably due to the way that the resin creates a suspension formula to stick to the hands. Compare the difference when clapping your hands and observing the nuclear fallout. Liquid grip remains, a normal chalk block will mostly have disappeared with the essential contact points now only marginally covered.

And so on to weightlifting... As well as Olympic weightlifting I also compete in all-round lifting and cannot wait to give Liquid grip a proper test on the one-arm barbell snatch. Based on the thumb lock potentially being a lot stronger I am hoping to come back in August with the record for the left hand at 70kg with 79kg bodyweight - quite a lift! For standard weightlifting the hook grip is paramount to performance. I have found that the hook has less movement with liquid grip than a chalk block and the contact between the finger tip pads and the outside of the thumb feels much stronger.

If you train grip, or grip is an important part of your sport you will want this product. Not only does it minimise mess, it is far more effective than normal chalk.

The real test will be the single arms championships where I also have my eye on the left hand deadlift of 150kg - time will tell.

Get some as The Strength Academy knows a bit about grip training!

Liquid grip can be purchased here - http://liquidgrip.com/

Liquid grip can be followed on twitter - @liquidgrip

Liquid grip are also on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LiquidGrip

Overall verdict 10/10 I cannot fault this product and it has increased my numbers and decreased my hoover time - bonus!