Does anyone know of anyone else interested in GS?

[Paul in Hobart]

Or am I the only one keen to take on the Ruskies?

June , world masters...

Paul

ya pikers...

PS World GS champ Fedorenko did 2006, 16 kg jerks in just over 2 hours. get a life mate!

[markmclean]

whats a good way to begin to train if one was to begin the sport ie a program so one doesnt kill oneself :twisted: :shock: :D

[Paul in Hobart]

Mark - first you need a base of general conditioning , as for any sport. You would have plenty of knowledge and ability through MA. Then you need to determine what aspect of GS appeals eg snatch only is much easier than traditional (jerks are quite technical ) and long cycle is in a special horrible category all on its own! Actually to learn long cycle you need to learn "ordinary" jerk technique first.

From There it's a matter of starting light, learning the right technique to enable you to cope with the high volume training without injury issues. 16kg is fine for starters , esp with jerks. It doesn't matter if you don't have 2 matching bells at first but later it's a necessity for jerks.

As for training , you break the lifts into component parts and try to identify major weaknesses to concentrate on.

For snatches, grip endurance is the limiting factor for most. Also you need overhead shoulder endurance as you do not want to expend XS energy trying to maintain stability. So snatch assistance exercises include 1 armed swings with a heavier bell say 24kg, couple of sets of 30-40 reps after the snatch session , plus one arm jerks with a 2 second pause overhead - again with a heavier bell if you have one. Until you master jerks , presses are ok- push presses not military presses are a good stepping stone to jerks.

Jerks require excellent conditioning and strong legs/hips and back. Squats are necessary ; kb front squats , barbell full or partial squats , squat jumps build explosiveness (you can substitute bw drills like bunny hops for a while), lunges and split squats give you quad strength etc. Although you need to develop strength it doesn't have to be massive - you need enough to make each jerk intrinsically easy...if one jerk leaves you struggling , you've got leg work to do!

One arm swings will give you good back conditioning ; you have a 32 so 2 hand swings will help develop hip drive. Kettlebell good mornings can be used. Low back tightness will definitely hinder progress so back mobility drills/yoga are important before/during/after jerk sessions. With a MA background you should have plenty of info.

Feel free to add in pullups , hanging from a bar, handstand pushups , dips as necessary. Plus farmer's walks , and some rack holds/walks with 2 kb's to develop the feel for a relaxed rack position.

Train 2-3 days a week at first and you should leave a day of rest in between. Jerks are generally followed by snatches and swings. Or you can do jerks one day and snatches on others. It is quite an individual thing in the early stages, and even later eg sometimes I split a session over 2 days - after a high volume jerk session I can't always maximize my technical effort on snatches. Because you need to develop tolerance for high volume and near a comp - intensity, it is necessary to train smartly and to rest up before another session...otherwise you will run yourself down. There is no reason for the training to become monotonous as there are many ways to skin a cat, and periodisation is necessary for improvement. Only when you are advanced is the diet largely snatches , jerks and more snatches and jerks!

Have a think , tell me what you've got to train with and what else you are doing and write a sample program for comment. Be very self critical and if something seems unusually hard ask for help! Sometimes it's just a technique issue.
I am having a local comp with ~ 5 events to choose from mid July - are you interested? It's pretty low key; participation is the aim. You can even do the "SSST" rather than pure GS type of event - or do 1 or more events.
Anyway the event provide a focus , for without a focus training sometimes goes nowhere.

cheers
Paul

[markmclean]

:D thanks mate would concentrate on snatchs do heaps with 16kg work up to to heaps with 24kg say five sets of thirty alternate days yeah keen to get involved in local hobart comp will be away all june in thailand but can train still there what would you be 8) doing reckon my son max who is sixteen would compete to thanks Paul will have to keep in touch. :lol: 8)

[Paul in Hobart]

Mark I'll prob just do jerks then some rest :) and snatches with the 2 pood. Maybe some juggling too for shits n giggles at the end. I'll send you a schedule soon. Last X world a mate and his son (60 & 16 yrs) did ~ 125 snatches each . GS style. Something to aim for, They didn't specifically train either. The 16yo has snatched the 32 though.

[markmclean]

that would be great i would appreciate a bit of direction and it sounds like it would send my cardio and also strength through the roof it would be good if you could point out benefits to motivate me i have several items i purchased off rick to view correct technique but ive noticed some things i read i havnt sited anywhere.

[markmclean]

Hi Paul been researching the post and advice you gave have an understanding now of what it means and what ive put my hand up for :shock: :oops: :o :roll: :wink: wheres my program :twisted: man

[Brock Savage]

Howdy Paul,

I'm Brock, live in Port Macquarie, NSW, been reading your posts & just bought Jarad Sevick's GS Sport ebook. Gotta say I'm interested in GS, but at the moment way under-prepared for it.

Only had the kettlebells for a month, and while I've made good progress, I'm a fair way from 'hardcore'. I'm not a complete newbie to strength training though, having trained in & out of gyms for years and up until recently was a martial arts instructor.

Enough of the lame history trip though: I'm interested to know if there's some guys who get together for meets in NSW. I want to get involved. From your posts here and your website you seem to have a good handle on the GS scene, so I was hoping you'd know or be able to point me in the right direction.

Thanks for your time.

[imported_Rick]

Brock,

Can you make it to the Steve Cotter workshop?
You'll learn plenty about GS if you can come along.
http://www.kettlebells.com.au/store/Ste ... p-124.html (http://www.kettlebells.com.au/store/Steve-Cotter-Melbourne-Workshop-p-124.html)

[Brock Savage]

Hey Rick,

Mate, I'd love to get down there, but the mid-week timing and the closeness to the end of the financial year make it impossible to get away from work (at an accounting office).

Thanks for the thought, hope you have a good one.

[vladimir]

Hi Brock,

I'm in Sydney and just started GS training, following a program from our resident GS guru - Paul Tucker.

Vlad

[abowe]

G`day Brock
I am in Singleton in the Hunter valley. I have trainined on and off with KB`s for about 3 years. Unfortunately The bells belonged to a mate when I lived in Adelaide. So I would be interested to do some training but haven`t got any bells yet. I will be getting a 2 pood in the next couple of months though.

[Brock Savage]

Sorry for hijacking your thread Dr Paul.

Thanks to Vladimir & Abowe. Guys, if I'm ever in the area, I hope I can drop you a PM and we can talk GS and do some training. Same goes for you guys, if you're ever in Port Macquarie, look me up.

I was asking more about competitive meets - is there anything in GS competition, even real small, happening in NSW? If not, if there's ever enough interest, I'd be happy to organise something. Like I said before, I want to get involved.

It seems like a hell of a sport. Keep me posted.

[Paul in Hobart]

Hi Brock - I just got back from hols today
GS is still in it's infancy. Getting a critical mass in a small spread out population is not easy! Hopefully we can share the knowledge around.

Next month I am hosting a small local comp and hopefully a few punters will turn up. The best way to garner some interest in the actual sport is to offer several events , really to pique the interest and promote the idea of competing (which for most of us is about beating our previous bests). Once a personal standard has been set then it's just a matter of maintaining the committment and tweaking the weak areas as the months and years go by. I leave plenty of time for other activities ; I'm not just GS obsessed.

Here is what I'm offering in the local comp by way of ideas: By all means use it as a skeleton "programme" to work on conditioning. No doubt we'll talk more. Jared's book is very good but like any new hobby , experimentation will enable you to grow your own garden so to speak. No doubt we'll talk more! cheers , Paul

Event 1 : grip , stamina , timing (technique of power application)
1 Arm Long Cycle - option of 5 or 10 minute time limit
1 rep = (Clean, then Jerk, Push or Press to Lockout)
Only 1 Switch of Hands
Do not touch the ground but can rest bell on shoulder or in hang position
24kg (men) 12kg(women)

Event 2
Snatches - options : 5 or 10 minute time limit : kb weight optional but in general men use 16-24kg women 12kg

Girevoy sport style (Only 1 hand switch allowed , bell must not touch body or ground (if you drop the bell you are dq), can rest overhead or in hang position )
Test of stamina but especially grip endurance.

[Brock Savage]

Paul, I'm sure you'll keep us posted with the goings on at the comp; I await eagerly.

Can I pick your brain about the organisation a bit?

Will everyone use the same bells? In respect to the competitors, do they all train with kettlebells regularly (as best you know, or perhaps best left till after the comp)? Would you be the sole judge?

I'm familiar with the exercises with the exception of the juggling. Sounds like some dangerous fun.

Enjoy the comp and best of luck with your participation.

[Paul in Hobart]

Brock - I have no idea how many will actually turn up on the day. Kettlebells are pretty new down here as far as "personal training" goes. A couple of PT's I've hooked up with are trying to encourage their clients to enter. Most have only been using bells a few months , prolly less than a year.

One guy to keep an eye on is a young bloke Rick sold a 48 kg to. (I'm still to test one out) He recently did 138 32kg snatches in 10 minutes(non GS rules). Maybe I'll square off against him :D I'm a David ; he's a Goliath of a man!

I have left the weight of bells up to the individual. It's more important to compete than set records.
Juggling is fun but also a neat test of skill and confidence. I'm a great believer in keeping sport fun.


By & large these comps are fairly easy to judge. I've seen enough of international comps to know what a good rep is, and timekeeping's rather straightforward. It's just a matter of being organised.

Down the track no doubt there will be "official" state comp and hopefully a national comp. One day :lol:

Paul