Better grip endurance for your kettlebell swings, part II

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Subject: Better grip endurance for your kettlebell swings, part II

As you recall from a previous issue of our newsletter, when tension squeezes blood vessels shut, circulation is compromised and so is endurance.

But if you have a reserve of strength and are using only a fraction of your maximal tension, blood will keep on flowing. Look at the chart below to drive this point home.

Strength to isometric endurance relationship.

On the x-axis is % of maximal strength,

on the y-axis the maximal sustainable work time, min.

Today we will talk about building your grip strength.

One of the most powerful grip exercises—with or without a kettlebell—is the bottom-up kettlebell clean.

Chalk up your palm. Park a kettlebell on the floor a foot or so in front of you, the handle perpendicular to your shoulders. Place your feet as you do for swings.

Lean on the kettlebell, driving the handle deep into the webbing between your thumb and fingers. The handle should be parallel to your calluses. Reach your fingers as far around the handle as possible and crush the handle as you take a breath.

Shift your weight back to your heels, tilting the kettlebell toward you.

Swing the bell back between your legs and then in front of you, keeping your back flat. The action is identical to the kettlebell swing, as taught in Kettlebell Simple & Sinister.

“Tame the arc,” bringing the bell closer toward you…explosively. Lock your knees, cramp your glutes, and freeze, holding the kettlebell bottom up as shown by Jason Marshall, StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor.

Keep your triceps pressed against your ribs and flare your lat to provide a solid platform. It may take some time to figure this out. You will have to crush the handle to pulp and keep your whole body tensed like a statue.

Be ready to get out of the way of a falling kettlebell; do not try to rescue a rep that has gone bad!

Pause motionless for a second or so. Balance the kettlebell in place by using proper alignment with the elbow under the bell and a crush grip, as opposed to wiggling around like a circus clown.

Then, suddenly go loose and drop the kettlebell back between your legs and clean again for a new rep.

Tight…loose…tight…loose. Fully relax the muscles surrounding your elbow when the bell is going up or down; tense every muscle on the top.

Do not do more than a couple of single reps per training session, as this exercise can be hard on the elbow if you do not relax your biceps when the bell is in motion. Besides, since your grip is already getting plenty of work from S&S, you must be careful not to overtrain it. Eventually, build up to 5-7 singles max. Stretch a rubber band with your fingers between sets to speed up your recovery.

Fit bottom-up cleans into your Kettlebell Simple & Sinister regimen between the warm-up and the swings twice a week.

Crushing grip power to you!

Power to you!

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Subject: Better grip endurance for your kettlebell swings, part II