Training Articles

Lifting Big, Staying Small

by Melissa Klundby, RKC

Dec 02, 2011 10:35 PM

In November of 2009 I watched 94 pounder, Jessica Okimra, from Hawaii, deadlift three times her bodyweight at the World Association of Bench Pressers and Deadlifters (WABDL) Championship in Reno Nevada. Watching her and the other lifters that day inspired me to pursue the competition deadlift as an outward expression of strength. Since 2010 I have competed in several WABDL deadlift events, and several American Powerlifting Association (APA) full power events. Why do I compete?

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Getting Stronger

by Shaun Cairns, Senior RKC, original beast tamer

Nov 07, 2011 12:00 AM

This program was designed and implemented by myself when I prepared for the very first official beast tamer challenge, which was held at the October 2005 RKC in St Paul. Please note that this is a very intense program that can only be followed for a short period of time otherwise burn out will set in. An additional note is that prior to the actual Beast Tamer challenge I had not trained for a week as I was traveling to the US and arrived a couple of days prior to the RKC. I had 3 challenges...​

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5 Weeks to the Beast

by Jake Altomare, RKC

Nov 06, 2011 11:00 PM

When I first signed up for the Russian Kettlebell Challenge, I knew it was going to be a difficult task. After watching countless Youtube videos on the RKC, one particular video caught my eye. It was called “Beast Tamer Challenge”. With a title like that I was curious to see how it related to Russian kettlebells. I started watching the video with expectations of a safari backdrop with wild animals. Instead, I saw an amazing feat of strength with a 48 kilogram kettlebell! Not only did the RKC...

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Demystifying the Iron Maiden

by Valerie Hedlund, RKC

Nov 06, 2011 10:00 PM

Since successfully completing the Iron Maiden Challenge at the August 2011, San Diego RKC, I keep getting the same question: “How did you train for it…?”That’s a bit of a trick question and everyone wants the easy answer… If you do (fill in desired program name) for (fill in requisite time duration) of time then viola, in no time you will be Iron Maiden #(fill in number)!!! It feels good and pretty darn cool to be the 3rd woman ever to complete this challenge successfully, especially at 5’3” and​

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Calf Work

by Andrew Read, RKC Team Leader

Consider the following: A recreational runner has an 80% chance of an injury every twelve months of running that will require up to 4 weeks off running. The average runner is forced to absorb between two and three times bodyweight through the feet on each step. The average person takes between 1000 and 1200 steps per kilometre (based off Tony Benson’s chart for runners averaging 6-8 minutes/ kilometre). So if the average person weighs 80kg (180lbs) they are forced to absorb up to...

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Manly and Organic are NOT Contradictions in Terms

Want to take your performance and athletic abilities to the next level? Improve the quality of your nutrition

Marty Gallagher, IPF world champion Master Powerlifter

Sep 06, 2011 06:58 PM

Say “organic” around a group of hardcore lifters, MMA fighters, Spec Ops operators or elite athletes and watch as the sneers appear and listen to their derisive, obscenity-laced comments. Organic brings to mind visions of effete, well-heeled urban and suburbanite female and metro-sexual males purchasing tofu and $18 a pound sockeye salmon at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s on their way home from Bikram Yoga or Pilates class. Organic food purchases at one of these...

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HAND STRENGTH: What Is It and Why Do YOU Need It?

by Dave Whitley, Master RKC

Aug 25, 2011 01:00 PM

Why are strong hands important? Because your hands are the portal to your strength, the thing that connects you to your kettlebell, barbell, golf club, tennis racket, opponent or bag of groceries. Without your hands you cannot express your strength in the majority of sports. Even in a sport like soccer, which is hands-off, the athlete must have a connection to a barbell or similar implement to develop strength. So what does it mean to have a strong grip?

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Just Add Water

by Jon Engum, Senior RKC

Aug 25, 2011 12:00 PM

"Mother mother ocean I have heard your call...in your belly you hold the treasure few have ever saw"...Jimmy Buffet A Pirate Looks at 40. Water is the giver of life. The sustainer of the earth, the primordial fluid our ancestors first crawled out of. The human being has always had a connection or a call to the water.Want to ease your way into a greater range of movement? I suggest taking your training into the water. Now I am not talking about joining the local water aerobics class and...

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Phat Boys, Traveling Vikings, and Devil’s Triplets: Hard-Core Cross-Training for Hard-Style Junkies

Gus Petersen, RKC

Aug 24, 2011 12:00 AM

So you’re a self-proclaimed hard-style junkie. You live for your next intense kettlebell workout. You’ve read Enter the Kettlebell at least three times. You walk like a Russian. You quote Pavel at parties. You may well have a kettlebell tattooed on your calf. In a pinch, you’ve probably even tried pickle juice as a pre-workout tonic. You’re training hard and heavy most days, and your workouts are packed with intensity...

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Armbar Secrets Unclassified: Supercharged Roundhouse

Jon Engum, Senior RKC

Aug 04, 2011 02:00 AM

“Give me your strongest most powerful kicker and you’ll see the power of their kick improve by at least 15 %.” Speaking to a room full of Martial Artists who were skeptical of kettlebell training I was there to convince them that they too, could improve their sport of choice with kettlebells. The volunteer had been kicking since a young age with several championship titles under his belt was ready to go and true to my word, in less than a minute, he had increased his power by...

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