It's Not The Tools, It's How You Use Em'

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say "so you do kettlebell training" or "I used to do kettlebell training", well, I'd have a few hundred bucks.  Of which, maybe I'd use to by more kettlebells.  The problem with these comments or statements is not the fact that involves kettlebells, rather, that certain tools have become such a fad or trendy that people are basing their entire conditioning program on them.  A hammer is a great tool for construction, but if you had to build a house, is that the only tool you'd use?  Absolutely not! And if you would, I feel sorry for whoever has to sleep under that roof.

Now, don't get me wrong.  Kettlebells are an excellent tool.  I use them in just about every session.  But to develop every aspect of the athletic performance skill set, you need the help of as many tools possible.  For example, ketllebell swings are a great way to develop good hip drive and glute activation.  The problem is, what's the most weight you can push using a kettlebell? 80? 90 pounds?  Instead, take that same hip drive and reinforce it in other ways (and with potentially more weight). 

Developing an effective training program is less about the actual tools and more about how you implement them into your program and why.  Just because you saw a crazy exercise with a TRX, stability ball, or kettlebell doesn't mean it works.  Even if it does work, make sure you're using it at the right time, in the right way, and for the right reason.  Not just to look cool for YouTube. 

So you saw a great exercise to help develop lower body power.  That's the easy part.  Now, when is the most effective part of your workout to incorporate it?  Is it more beneficial to use it before or after another exercise?  Is this circuit or that circuit?  A hammer and a saw are both great tools, but would you nail a board down and then cut it? 

All in all, rather than asking "do you do kettlebell training", you should ask "how do you use kettlebells in your training". 

Integrating Strength and Power Movements into your Conditioning

 These circuits demonstrate an easy way to integrate both strength and power movements into a conditioning workout.  Power and endurance are usually seen as being completely unrelated, however, good program design can help a fighter produce high levels of power for a longer period of time.  Rather than having an extremely high max power output and a huge drop-off over time, fighters need to be able to maintain a high power output for longer, even if their max is slightly lower.

- Warmup (5 minutes

            - Include jog, backpedal, shuffles, and stance drills

            - Dynamic flexibility (Iron cross, scorpion, lunges, leg swings, etc.)

- Complete each circuit 3 times. Circuits consist of a heavy strength exercise followed immediately by a power exercise of the same movement.  Work quickly between exercise 1 and 2, and quickly between 3 and 4.

- Circuit 1

            - Bench Press - 6 reps

            - Plyo Pushup - 6 reps

            - Barbell Deadlifts - 6 reps

            - Box Jumps - 6 reps

- Circuit 2

            - Power Cleans - 6

            - Med Ball Granny Toss - 6

            - Dumbbell Push Press - 8

            - Med Ball Shot-put - 4 each arm

- Circuit 3

            - Barbell Front Squat - 6

            - Russian Hops - 6

            - Pulldowns or Rows - 8-12

            - Med Ball Slams - 8-12

Conditioning Circuit of the Day 9/6/11

I used this circuit today as part of a final workout for a fighter's upcoming Bellator fight just 4 days away.  At this stage, my goal was to have the circuit contain all of the movements and aspects of a fighter's skill set while staying relatively low impact.  This was the 3rd round of six 5 minute rounds.  The exercises vary from being on the ground to standing to mimic a fight that is constantly going from stand-up to the ground game and back (sometimes the most grueling type of fight)  Give it a try:

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds with no rest in between.   Two times through this circuit will put you at just over a 5 minute round depending on your transition time from one exercise to the next.
- Kettlebell Get-ups (right arm)
- Kettlebell Get-ups (left arm)
- Ladder Jab Steps - working laterally through the ladder, start with your lead foot forward (fight stance).  Alternate steps with the lead foot in and out of the ladder while every step with the right remains outside of the ladder (in-out-out-out).  Change levels as you step in with the lead foot as if you were throwing a jab or faint.
- Rope Slams
- Dead Ball or Slam Ball sprawls to granny toss.  Throw a 2-3 punch combo while the ball is in the air and sprawl quickly as soon as the ball lands.

Equipment adjustments:
If kettlebells are not available to you, you can use a dumbbell in place of one.  Use a line on the floor, turf, mat etc. if you do not have a ladder.  Replace the dead ball sprawl and granny toss with a sprawl and jump.  This still gives you the sprawl movement followed by an explosive lower body movement.  


Stay tuned for a video of this circuit later on this week.

For now, check out this video of Nick Catone prepping for his upcoming UFC fight in October.  A variation of the ladder drill in this circuit is shown at the 0:53 mark.