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I really enjoy being an Art of Strength Kettlebell coach. Every day I get to help people be their best, to achieve their personal physical goals through smart and hard training. Recently a good friend of mine, Glenn Revell, asked me to help him with his strength and conditioning to not only make it on a competitive arena football team but to also prepare for the upcoming football season. I felt completely honored he came to me with this big task and I wanted to make sure to train him in a way to maximize the time that we spent together. Our schedule was to train Tuesdays and Thursdays and Glen would work out on his own 3 other days out of the week.
We wanted to work on his metabolic cost so that he has more energy through the game and season. Also we wanted to work on his neuromuscular characteristics to add power to his mechanical movements.
Arena football requires an anaerobic characteristic to metabolic training because of the high intensity through a short period of time. But also an aerobic quality because the duration of the entire game and to aid with recovery. As far as neuromuscular aspects we wanted to focus on 3 things; maximum strength, explosive strength and reactive strength. Focusing on all 3 of those aspects will aid in optimal performance during competition.
The key exercise to help promote all these aspects discussed in Glenn’s training was the infamous kettlebell longcycle (clean and jerk) and shortcycle (jerk). At first we started with moderate weight and turned up the volume to work on the technique. Second we worked on the endurance aspect by manipulating the rest times between Glenn’s sets, really testing his will power at the same time. Third, after we got those aspects down we used heavier kettlebells to work on his maximum strength and to really ramp up his training.
We used many different tools in Glenn’s training including barbells, dumbbells, bandit loops, Ropes Gone Wild, sandbags, etc…. the list goes on and on. We focused on results and had a lot of fun. We used the Kettlebell as the elite tool it is and it aided in giving us great results. Strength, Endurance and Technique is a must and the kettlebell clean and jerk demands mastery of all.
I just want to say how proud I am of Glenn. The training we did was no joke, a lot of guys would have caved in after a week but Glenn came stronger and more fierce every time. He will be on that field and the opposition will be looking for his weak spots and they will find NONE! That speaks tons on his work ethic. We look forward to big things from this guy. Much Respect to you Glenn Revell. Looking forward to seeing you crushing catz on March 19th.
Training with kettlebells this off-season was very effective for me as an athlete. I remember laying on the floor of Punch Austin Kettlebell Gym saying out loud to Henry “this is harder than football”. The combining of strength, endurance & cardio simulated football more accurately than any other strength & conditioning program I’d taken part in. Lower body explosion, especially in the hips is key to football. Lower body explosion, especially in the hips is key to successful kettlebell movements as well. Every element of training with Kettlebells translated almost directly to the football field. Cardio, strength, endurance, and explosive power were all trained for and maximally achieved. Kettlebells, ropes, heavy bags, and every other tool in Punch Gym helped me achieve the results I not only wanted but needed. It’s easy to see why Kettlebells should be the new tool of choice for athletes. |
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| Happy St. Patrick’s Day! | ||
| We’ve got a special recipe for you on St. Patrick’s Day, one that actually comes to us directly from Ireland. Steven Woods, who traveled here for one of our certification weekends in late 2009, wrote in from his home in Ireland with what he considers a quintessential dish for those cold Irish nights.
Irish Stew 1/2oz butter
4 carrots
salt and pepper
4 onions chopped
6 potatoes cut in large chunks
2lb stewing lamb cut in chunks
2 sprigs fresh thyme
for the stock:
1 lamb bone
1 carrot
1 onion
2 peppercorns
1 bouquet garni
For the stock place all the ingredients in a pot and fill with cold water.
Bring to boil and simmer for 2.5 hours
In a pan over high heat melt the butter and add the carrots until brown. Remove and set aside. Repeat with onions, potatoes and lamb.
Put all the vegetables and lamb back in the dish (placing the potatoes on top) pour in the stock and cook over low heat for 1.5 hours. Serve with crusty bread and butter.
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