There are very few exercises you can do that have as much value, bang for your buck, as the swing. It is simple to learn, not easy to master, and has tremendous carryover to everyday life. We can perform this exercise almost anywhere, with a variety of implements, and it forces you to learn how to user your body in a synergistic fashion. In other words, it helps you become a better athlete. As an added bonus, you burn a ton of fat, which is probably the biggest sales pitch of the movement to the general public. However, we are not the general public. We are the athletic, the few who have chosen to do what is necessary to become the very best version of ourselves. That usually means making the harder decision. A decision that screams, "I will not settle for average!"  Just because things aren't lined up perfectly in your life, does not mean that you can't make the best out of what you have available to you. Some people make excuses why they can't do certain things, while others find ways how to get things done. In this video I perform a few variations of one of my favorite exercises, the swing, and show how it's not necessarily about the kettlebell. Although the kettlebell is my preferred tool for this exercise, if you don't have one available to you, you can still move your ass and get things done. 



Don't forget about The Strength Shop's Kettlebell and Bodyweight Training Workshop we have coming up next weekend, 11/06/10. We have just a few spaces left and it's the end of the road on this deal. If you're on the fence, time to make a move. It's gonna be a great day of training. Check it out here. 


As always, drop a comment above and let us know some of your favorite swing variations and what you had to do to accommodate certain situations. If we reach a whopping 10 comments, I'll make my next video a video of your choice. We will take a poll I guess. Post up, buddy. 

This final installment of this article is long overdue. If you have forgotten, or haven't read parts 1 & 2, you can do so here...


part 1


part 2 


8. Recovery/restoration 


Martin Rooney, pioneer of physical training for MMA and trainer to many superfreaks, said to "Schedule recovery first. Recovery is priority number one. Always build your schedule around it, not training." That alone should strike a nerve as to how important it is to get healthy and always feel on top of your game. If you are feeling banged up, tight, sore and stiff, you will not be prepared train at your best. We need to take the time to get our bodies prepared for the stresses that we put it through. Several things that must be considered for recovery are your nutrition, sleep, mental relaxation, contrast baths, massage, self myofascial release, and more. Mike Burgener, olympic lifting coach extraordinaire has been known to say he does not believe in overtraining, but under recovering. There will be a big difference between varying levels of athletes and their recovery methods, but make no mistake, if you are not scheduling rest and recovery into your lifestyle, your engine is bound to break down sooner or later. So do yourself a favor and make a little time for prevention and feeling healthy, or you will be forced to spend a lot of time and money on rehabilitation and injuries. The choice is yours. 


9.  Consistency/ sustainability


It is well known that olympic style lifting requires and develops lots of power for athletes. However, if one performs the movements with bad technique, there is a risk of injury to say the least. If you get injured, you can't train, if you can't train, you can't be a dominant athlete. That being said, the athlete needs to consider what they are going to be able to commit to on a regular basis. Just because the olympic lifts are ridiculously awesome, does not mean they are right for all athletes. It is not wise to force an athlete to train a particular way, it is better to adjust the training to the athletes needs and abilities.  This goes for any style of training, I'm not picking on snatching or cleaning here. If the only place where an athlete can train a particular way is over an hour from home, and can only be done once a month, it might not be best to prioritize this type of training. The BJJ practitioner might need to be rolling with a partner, but making it to the mats only once every third Wednesday of the month will not help them dominate their chosen sport. 
What you do must be practiced regularly and consistently. Dan John, author and world renown coach, has said, "If it's important, do it everyday."  Eric Cressey, author and owner of Cressey Performance near Boston said, "that the best strength and conditioning programs are the ones that are sustainable. I'll take a crappy program executed with consistency over a great program that's only done sporadically."  Of course, a great program executed with consistency is the ideal option. 


10. Mastery


Every once in a while a young kid from outer space picks up a golf club, swings it, and magically a little ball lands in a cup somewhere off in the distance. This occurs in every sport, some kid is just head and shoulders faster, stronger, and better than the rest without putting forth any real effort. They have these innate abilities and natural talents that allow them to progress through the ranks faster and easier than everyone else. These are the anomalies, they are not included in this discussion. For those of us non mutants born here, on Earth, we need to work hard, really hard, for a long time to get to be better than average at our chosen sport. Now if you want to be dominant at your chosen sport, this needs to be taken to a whole new level. The basics of most skills and sports can be taught and learned in a matter of minutes. However, to master these very skills can take a lifetime. Most people will see a ton of progress right from the jump, but then their improvement may slowly start to decelerate. Don't think because you have been throwing a football for 2 months that you're ready to destroy all opponents in your path. Just think, Brett Favre has been a PRO for 20 years and surely he hasn't mastered his craft yet, but the key is to always be trying to get better. Never stop learning. Mistakes are probably your best learning lessons, so make a lot of them in your experiences and grow from them. Surely Brett has made his share. One becomes better at their craft by mastering the basics and fundamentals. Once these foundational skills have been acquired and mastered, they must be repeated constantly. The level of training must also match the level of athlete. For example, you don't have a white belt practice the drills of a black belt. Likewise, you don't teach calculus to a second grader. One of the worst things an athlete can do is train in a way that is too demanding of their skill level. Just because the gold medal olympic athletes are using program X, does not mean that it is the right program for you. Beginners should focus only on the basics and make practical progressions from there.  Every step is based on the previous knowledge and skills acquired. After years and years of progressive training, you too can be a master of your sport. 


Every day you can get just a little better than yesterday by eating better, sleeping better, training better, etc. Utilizing the principles discussed above will help keep you on the path to athletic domination. What can you do right now to get better? Whether it's go stretch, eat, sleep, meditate or train, something can be done to make you better. 


If you're in or near the UK, you need to check out the Strength & Conditoning for Athletic Domination Seminar I am co-hosting with Sean Keefe and Zoran Dubaic at Strength & Performance in Manchester on Saturday, May 14th, 2011. Its going to be an amazing seminar with tons of information covered from bodyweight and kettlebell training, strongman and olympic lifting, sandbags and anything else that can enhance your skills and make you a more dominant athlete!


Also, please add any comments and ideas which you feel are essential for an athlete to achieve domination in their sport or life. 

Anyone in the Crossfit community is surely aware of the fundraiser that is underway all over the world right now, Barbells for Boobs! It is a great cause and all the proceeds go towards women who need financial support for mammograms, breast cancer,etc. You can donate money or participate in a Crossfit workout called "Grace", which consists of 30 clean & jerks with 135#/men, 95#/women done for time.  More info can be found at Crossfit.com or you local Crossfit affiliate. Please do what you can to donate some money to this charity and if at all possible, lift some barbells to help the cause. Save the tata's!

Donate here...

http://www.barbellsforboobs.com/

1. Barbell Power Snatch 8-10x1

2a.  Squat 4x1-1-1


3a.  Box Jump from seat 4x3-5
3b.  Bulgarian Bag Halos 4x10/10

4a.  Step ups 3x10/10
4b.  Walking RDL's 3x10/10

5. Ab rollouts 3 x 12-15

6.  Sprint 6x60 meters

7.  Prowler 5-10x30 meters

1.) KB clean and push press 12-10-8-6
-increase weight, use DB's if necessary

2a.) Bench Press 4x1-1-1
2b.) Face pulls + scarecrows 4x8-10
-use rings or suspension trainer

3a.) Ring pushups x minimum 80 total reps in as few sets as possible
3b.) Pullups x minimum 80 total reps in as few sets as possible
-after every broken set, switch exercises
-if you do a set of 30, then 22, then 18, for a total of 70, don't just do 10 more and quit, give it your best effort on your last set and every set

3-5 rounds

4a.) Double Unders x 30 seconds
- rest 30 seconds
4b.) KB Swings x 30 seconds
- rest 30 seconds
4c.) Burpees x 30 seconds
- rest 30 seconds

Count total reps of each



Don't forget our kettlebell and bodyweight workshop is coming up on the 6th of November! Get on board! E-mail me today!!

I had some fun playing around with my new stone that I built over the weekend. It's a light one, but my first one. There will be more to follow. In this workout I worked up to some heavy pressing and deadlifting, all while trying to shoulder the stone with speed between sets. 


Check out the video and shred me to pieces. Try to nitpick and comment on two things:

1. Be very critical of technique and see where improvement is necessary on any of the lifts. 

2. What is your favorite Strongman exercise or lift?

1a. 1 arm KB snatch 3x6-8
1b. Band pull aparts 3x20

2. BB Power Snatch 8-10x1

3a. Deadlift 4x1-1-1
-cluster set
3b. BB Power Curls 4x6-8

4a. Good morning 3x10
4b. Jumping lunges/bulgarian split squats 3x10/10

5a. Ab rollouts 3x10-15
5b. Reverse hypers 3x10-15

6. Sprint 10x25 meters

1. DB snatch + jerk 5x3-5


2a. BB press 4x1-1-1
-This is a cluster set, you do a single rep, rack the weight for a few seconds then perform the next rep, rack and repeat for required reps. You are doing 3 reps per set, but you will be able to do more weight than a regular 3 rep set. 
2b. Ring face pulls + scarecrows 4x5/5


3. Muscle ups 3 x submax 

4a. Pullups 5 x max
-Start at the top of the minute, rest the remaining part of the minute, then begin dips at start of next minute
4b. Dips 5 x max
-Rest the remaining part of the minute, then repeat round for required sets
-This is a 10 minute superset

Saturdays are one of my 6 favorite days of the week at The Strength Shop  because we typically will perform 1 max effort lift, some accessory work, then we perform a challenge. Our high school athletes who train with us do not compete in the challenges because their challenge is played in their sport. Our challenge is listening to our boss's and all the other stress's that we face on a regular basis. Thus our Strong Saturday Challenge for us guys, the washed up meatheads. We train hard all week long and we put it all on the line on Saturday.  Its a fun game, and the reward is found in blood, sweat and agony before a well deserved relaxing recovery Sunday.  Enjoy the quick video.   

There are obviously several different ways to achieve this elusive status. But quite possibly my favorite way to become a badass is to perform tons of clean and jerks, and all the variations. If you don't have a barbell, flip a tire. No tire? Find a big rock or log, pick it up and throw it. This will not require nearly as much technique, but you will get dirty points, and that counts for something. I got away from all heavy lifting for a little while, but I am making a comeback.  Here is my first attempt at moving any weight in over a month. My form is sloppy, try to find my faults. Its like a Where's Waldo? poster with 88 Waldo's! Nonetheless, I felt great with some weight in my hands, lots of recovery work to follow. My favorite recovery methods are the proper use of kettlebell and bodyweight mobility drills. These things keep me healthy and able to perform at a high level of performance. 


On another note, there have been a few spots already taken for the TSS Kettlebell & Bodyweight Workshop on 11/06/10, which is exciting! There are still a few spots left at the discounted rate. Don't wait, take action now. We will be covering kettlebell basics for beginners and progress to the level of attendees in addition to a ton of bodyweight drills and mobility work. It is going to be a lot of fun and very exciting, I can't wait to hit the mats with some of you guys. Email me for info on the workshop. 


matt@tssathletics.com