Go to my Kettlebell Class

If you are on the Revolution team, you need to think about coming.

All the cool kids are doing it.


If you've got questions about how KBs can transfer to your on mat training,
you may like to check out the link below;
Me 'n Klint: KBs



word!

Kettlebell Workshop

Kettlebell Workshop

Eric Burdo ( www.richmondbjj.com )(sexiest vegan I know) is going to be hosting a 2 hour workshop at his academy January 31st.

Space is going to be limited; our goal is to present a smaller breadth of material but to explore that material in much greater depth than most coaches/classes.
It is with this in mind that we've decided to call our class a 'Kettlebell 101' workshop, and to focus on the fundamentals.
After all, a house is only as sound as it's foundation.
After completing the workshop, most students should feel confident practicing the techniques on their own in solo training or with a partner. After some review, they will be well prepared to begin training in more advanced techniques later on, as they will have increased their capacities in the basics substantially!

I will post a little more on this soon.

3000 hits

Hooray!

Well, my blog and this video reached the 3000 hits mark in the same week. Thought I'd celebrate.

Check it out


Thanks for checking us out!
And don't hesitate to check out some of my other videos here; my youtube

Where do I get some Bells?

The response to the video that Klint and I made has been pretty great!
My tiny little blog has seen about 150 new visitors in the last 30 hours or so!
The video as posted on youtube is already my most viewed one...
I guess people really are very interested in KBs for enhancing their BJJ, Judo and MMA.
It seems like a lot of the viewers are new to KBs, and people want to know;

-what brand were we using?
-what is the best brand?

Well, in our video, we were using MuscleDriver bells.
MuscleDriver is a newer company, and they don't quite have the reputation that say DragonDoor or one of the older brands may have. Truth be told, there are a number of quality bells out there, but these two are my favorites. Valery Fedorenko and the American Kettlebell Club also produce some of their own bells, specifically designed for Girevoy Sport. They are great, but maybe a little too expensive and specialized for a beginner. DragonDoor too are not cheap. This is why I almost always recommend the MuscleDriver bells. Bang for the buck, they can't be beat!

A little one: 8kg or about 17.6lbs (1/2 Pood)

12kg- a great starter for women

24kg, or 1.5 Pood; considered the standard for men

and the 32kg... for the unusually strong!

Well, I hope this helps. I find that the MuscleDriver bells are about 90% as good as anything else out there on the market, but cost about 40-60% as much. Shipping is cheaper and faster(particularly if you are here in Richmond!), they are rarely out of stock (though at the time I write this they will be out of several popular sizes for a few more days) customer service is excellent, and they carry a line of other great strength training equipment, like sleds, plyometric equipment and lifting shoes.
They also sponsor NAS, and are heavily involved in the StrongMan world. Very cool.

Why Kettlebells for Grapplers?

A lot of people ask me 'why should I use kettlebells?'.
First off; you don't have to.
You could use anything you want.
Most of the movements that are now considered de rigeur in kettlebell lifting (the windmill, the turkish get up or the side press) were all once performed with anything, including but not limited to, the kettlebell.
As Greg Glassman of Crossfit fame says 'the magic is in the movements'.
That being said, here's why I think you should use a kettlebell; the coaches. There are plenty of great coaches out their that don't teach kettlebells. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that you have to do kettlebells to be good. What I am saying is this; the RKC certification is a pretty rigorous one, and focuses in more detail on a smaller number of skills than any other to which I have been exposed. There aren't many bad RKCs... they simply don't pass the course, which has a pretty high failure rate.

Now that I've got that off my chest... I will say this as well. You could perform most KB moves with a barbell or a dumbbell. The most compelling reason to use the KB at all is because it just works. The off-centered nature of the weight makes it ideal for movements featuring an overhead lockout component... the windmill, TGU and side press again, as well as others such as the snatch and jerk. They are also convenient; they are pretty sturdy, portable and indestructible. Compared to a complete set of dumbbells, or a nice barbell and bumpers, they are pretty affordable as well.

So much for philosophizing about the KBs themselves... what about the movements? Well, my interest is in sports performance, and most specifically grappling. I love Judo, Bjj, wrestling, sambo whatever. I also love training others with the same interest! To that end, my good friend Klint Radwani (Yamasaki jiu jitsu brown belt) and I have compiled a short video pointing out a few ways in which kettlebell lifting is perfectly suited to grapplers in the gi. Check it out!

find this compelling? Come to one of my KB classes.