In this issue:
Video of the week: "2 hands anyhow"
The "2 hands anyhow" is an impressive feat to practice and witness. In its standard form, it starts from a side or bent press-- which tends to be the most challenging part for folks first attempting the move. This week, Anthony show a modified form of this exercise that will help you master it for the first time... or it can help you make the move to heavier weights.
Artist Profile: Rory McCaffer
I just wanted to thank you for your Turkish Getup video clip in the March 11th Minute of Strength. It was professionally presented and broken down so well that it made the move seem more possible and even a little less like torture!!
I'm not a soldier or policeman-- just a regular bloke. I'm fairly active and enjoy cross country running and kung fu as hobbies… although you can now count kettlebells in there as well!
I used to play rugby and really enjoyed it (quite the religion here in Wales) but a back injury and operation forced me into “retirement” a couple of years ago. I began looking around for something to keep me occupied that wouldn’t involve a health club membership (I'd be too lazy to go).
I finally bought a KB at the beginning of March 2006 and realized that this is probably what I've been looking for. I should have bought one years ago! It was such a different training tool for something that looks so innocuous… and to think that a cannonball with a handle can make me feel like throwing up within such a short time!
Rory McCaffer
Wales
The Art of Strength: UK
On July 4th, we Americans enthusiastically celebrate our independence from Great Britain. The Art of Strength team is excited to announce our partnership with Kettlebells.co.uk. We couldn't think of a better day to reach out across the Atlantic to build new friendships. It's time to end the centuries of bitter hostility dividing our two great nations! Let this be a first step.
Jim Lewis, President of kettlebells.co.uk has signed on as the exclusive British distributor of AOS products. Jim has a long history of serving the UK kettlebell and strength communities and is also the official UK home of Steve Cotter, Pavel Tsatsouline, Dragon Door, and John Brookfield. We are extremely impressed with Jim's passion for the subject and are happy to partner with a like mind. Jim, his son, father, and grandfather all trained with kettlebells. His grandfather even met the great Eugene Sandow!
All Brits are now free to enjoy the AOS work-along kettlebell DVD series with the cheapest and fastest shipping possible.
Surviving with Kettlebells: Part III
by Anthony DiLuglio, RKC
(read Part II here)
Soon after arriving back in Rhode Island, I had a little set back. I developed severe edema in my right leg. It seems as though the combination of air travel, squats and running on the beach were just too much for my leg to handle. My doctor told me this may happen. As the effects of radiation set in, my leg was struggling to handle the volume of lymph fluid created by training. This sparked 3 months of treatment to manually drain the fluid from my leg.
“I thought this was over... Didn’t I already survive cancer?” It’s never over. Now I know what other survivors mean when they say “surviving with cancer.”
The treatments were 5 days a week. Training was off limits and nearly impossible anyway. My leg was wrapped 24/7 with foam rubber and 5 layers of ace bandages. This bandaging treatment was as barbaric as the radiation. By the end of February, I had about had it with everything. I felt totally disconnected. I needed something to re-inspire me. I started rereading my copy of Pavel’s Beyond Bodybuilding. That’s when it hit me! Once again I decided to take things into my own hands. Why can’t I train? I wrote a list of goals that would keep me focused on getting my strength back. Here is that list:
March 1, 2006
Deadlift 405
Press the beast (48kg)
Bench press 350
Run a 5k in 22min or less
Snatch 32kg kettlebell 100x in 5 minutes
Pretty aggressive considering this is what I could do on the same day I wrote this list:
Deadlift 250
Press 32kg x1
Bench press 245
Run (couldn’t walk a 5k)
Snatch 32kg x 20
I needed to carefully select a plan that would not set me back. I decided to stop the bandaging treatment. I had a compression garment made for my leg that I wore when I trained. This would keep my leg from swelling.
March 4, 2006
I started a new training program designed to help me reach my goals. I began with a high volume deadlift and bench press program.
Bench press
125x5
150x4
175x3x2
200x2x2
225x1x3
Deadlift
5x(110x5, 185x5, 225x5)
Bench press
125x3
150x3
175x3
200x2x5
Hanging leg raise
3x10
This was a good start. Now it was time to get my pressing power back. I decided ladders were the best way.
March 5, 2006
30 minutes
Clean and press (C&P)
28kg 5x(1,2,3)
Pullups
5x(2x5) as a superset with C&P’s
The C&P’s got heavy fast! I needed a way to make them feel light so I decided to superset pull-ups. It worked!
March 6, 2006
20 minute run
Deadlift
135x10x5
Benchpress
135x5
165x4
188x3x2
210x2x4
Farmer's walk 2/32kg kb’s up 15 stairs x3
March 7, 2006
30 minutes
C&P’s
28kg 6x(1,2,3)
Pullups superset with C&P 6x6 (one set for each set of C&P’s)
Parallel dips with 25lb weighted vest 3x10
March 8, 2006
40 minutes
Deadlift
5x(135x5, 185x5) alternate between weights with no break.
Benchpress
125x5
150x4
175x3x2
200x3x7
Farmer's walk
2/40kg kb’s 15 stairs x3
Bent press
40kgx3 L,R
Two hands anyhow (see this week's "video of the week" above!)
40kg and 24kg x1 L,R
March 9, 2006
25 minutes
C&P 28kg 7x(1,2,3)
Pull-ups
7x6 (superset with C&P’s)
I was only only a few days into my new program and I was feeling great! The amazing thing was my leg was getting back to normal size without treatments. I told my doctors what I was doing. They both thought I was crazy, but said “If it is working , continue!” They felt that I was forcing the fluid to drain through my leg with the tention from the deadlifts. I knew I needed to keep my heart rate up in order to gain further success with my new plan. It was time to try a Punch circuit.
March 10, 2006
Punch Circuit! Surprisingly, I was able to finish a one hour class. I love the variety and the non stop balls to the wall pace of the circuit. I realized that was the missing link to my training program. I started to do circuits 3 times per week. I felt stronger and more flexible when I went back to my base program.
March 11, 2006
I had completed my first week of training.
Bench press
135x5
165x5
188x4x5
Deadlift
3x(140x5, 195x5)
Parallel dips5x10
Bent press (superset with above dips)
48kgx1
40kgx2
32kgx3x3
Snatches
53kg1x16
In looking at my training log from the past seven days, I noticed a system starting to develop. By default most of my workouts were 30 minutes. Supersetting C&P’s with pull-ups was magic. I was able to stay much tighter during pressing. I also noticed that a simple farmer’s walk enabled me to increase my pullup strength. I also realized that C&P volume is necessary to transition to the next size kettlebell. I worked up to 10x(1,2,3) with 28 kg. I then started with 3x(1,2,3,4) adding sets until I reached 6x(1,2,3,4). By the end of March I was ready for the final phase of my C&P series: 2-4x(1,2,3,4,5).
I was one month into my training and feeling very confident that I could reach my goals. I was able to start a Clean and Press series with a 32kg kettlebell.
April 8, 2006
A-1 Deadlift 285x5 290x4 295x3 300x2 305x1
A-2 C&P’s 32kg x3(1,2,3,4,5)
A-3 Ab wheel 5x10
(Done in alternating fashion)
My program was proving more successful than anticipated! If it could work this well for me, I wondered what it might do for my others. In the next issue of "The Minute of Strength" I'll discuss the application of this program to one of my favorite clients. Stay tuned!