Five Tips to Press a Heavy Kettlebell

One of the most challenging strength movements for me is overhead pressing; it is just one of those lifts that progresses slow and steady for me. Even with my limited success, I still enjoy performing this movement and constantly challenge myself to get better at it.

When a movement is difficult to progress with, it is very important to analyze how the movement is performed, what the optimal technique is and how to make adjustments to make the movement optimal for you.

I have received help over the years from some great kettlebell coaches and I will share a few tips to help you press a relatively heavy kettlebell.

Set it up Right
Before you can press a big kettlebell it is important that you are set up to succeed. Getting the kettlebell into the proper rack position allows the kettlebell to be stable so you can get a good initial pressing movement. If the kettlebell sits loose in the rack position, not only will it be tough to make the initial press successful; it will also take more strength to stabilize the kettlebell in the right position, therefore wasting valuable strength needed to press the kettlebell overhead.

The right rack position varies from person to person depending on body structure. The kettlebell should sit comfortably close to the body and be able to remain there without effort to keep it stable. When I train people on how to set up the rack position, I tell them that the forearm should follow the angle of the ribcage.

Wrist angle in the rack position is also crucial for a successful press; you want the wrist to be strong and as vertical as possible. It is very common to bend (gooseneck) the wrist which makes your pressing platform weak.

Squeeze the Sponge
Squeezing the Sponge is a direct tip I got from Master RKC Mark Reifkind which helped my strict press tremendously. This metaphor is used by Mark to get people to activate their Latissimus dorsi muscles to press. Too many trainees consider the press to be done with the shoulder muscles; however Mark advises that the Lats should be the primary mover and great stabilizer of the weight.

Once the weight is in the racked position, before you begin the press, squeeze the arm into the side of your body as if you are trying to squeeze all the water out of the sponge that is between your arm and the side of your body; this will prime the Lats for assistance with the movement.

Create Tension
Tension is a killer of efficiency and endurance but it is very useful when you want to move a heavy object. The sponge tip above is a form of tension building, along with this you will want to grip the kettlebell handle firmly, tense the mid-section and glutes, feet should be strong and driven into the ground and also tense the non-working side (if you are using a single kettlebell).

Push Against the Contact Point
The biggest question I get from my athletes about overhead pressing is how the shoulder should move. I tend to avoid flaring the arm outward into external rotation because of safety reasons due to the weight displacement on the shoulder joint; keeping the arm in can be confusing until I got a second eye opening tip from Mark Reifkind.

His tip was to press against the contact point of the kettlebell where it meets your wrist and forearm. Keeping this contact seems to move the kettlebell through a smooth and proper groove, keeping the shoulder inward, the weight over the hip and in a position where the Lats can assist effectively.

Be Patient
This last tip may seem self evident, however if you are used to pressing lighter kettlebells with ease overhead and you try a heavier one that seems not to budge, you might quit too early. Pressing a heavier kettlebell may take up to three seconds to get overhead so as long as you are safe and stable, stick with it until it locks out overhead.

There you have five tips to help your strict kettlebell press. Enjoy.

Tags: Core Training, kettlebell, kettlebell press, Kettlebells, Strength, Strength Training

How Sweet is Sugar? The Hidden Dangers

This article might seem a little clichéd due to the holidays coming up as many authors like to write about the dangers of all of the fun holidays treats.  I know I have a very intelligent and practical audience who understand the common dangers that sugar can have on our health so in this article I wanted to focus on some of the lesser known health risks associated with sugar so you can keep them to moderate levels during the year and be able to splurge a little more during special holiday occasions.

Sugar: Getting up to Speed

One of the biggest problems with the attempt to keep sugar consumption to moderate levels is that sugar can be found almost everywhere.  Even if you think you are avoiding the obvious locations like candy and soda there are many other products that have sugar as an ingredient that you might not be aware of.  Ketchup, energy bars, specialty coffee, dried fruit and even common lunch meats all have added sugar.

It’s not enough to avoid the obvious, we have to check the labels and see if the other unassuming products that we consume have unnecessary sugar in them to enhance the taste and texture.  With all of the consumption of sugar from different sources it won’t take long for our total daily sugar consumption to reach astronomical levels.

Lesser Known Health Risks

• There are some common diseases associated with over-consumption of sugar including: obesity and type II diabetes but there are several other lesser know health risks associated with excessive sugar consumption; enough of which should make anyone want to keep consumption to an absolute minimum.
• Sugar disrupts the mineral balance in the body by disrupting the pH levels in the blood.  Several different minerals like sodium, potassium, magnesium, copper and chromium are used to correct this imbalance, however when they are used for this function they are not utilized for their intended use like proper bone and muscle building and function.
• Too much sugar increases the rate of aging of the skin causing the decrease in skin elasticity.  Skin requires healthy collagen to maintain its shape and structure.  Too much sugar in the blood decreases the use of the minerals necessary to build and maintain healthy collagen in the body.
• Testosterone can decrease in the blood up to 25% with the consumption of sugar because of the high insulin levels associated with excessive amounts of sugar in the blood.
• One of the most alarming correlations is found in a recent US study where cancer cells use sugar (fructose) to fuel their division and proliferation.  With cancer being one of the most prominent diseases facing mankind and with the average American consuming about 100-120lbs. of sugar per year who knows if cutting down on sugar consumption would also decrease the risk of cancer.

Conclusion

It’s a shame that we can’t simply just trust the food that we consume to be beneficial to our health and well being.  We must take it upon ourselves to truly understand that what we eat can have either significant benefits or repercussions towards our health.  We must also dig deeper beyond the basics good and bad foods and truly know what is in the other sources we are consuming.  A healthy and balanced diet comes down to the decisions we make and the dedication we instill.

References:

Cancer Cells Slurp up Fructose

Effects of Sugar on Skin and Aging

Shocking: Sugar Content of Common Food Products

Sugar: A Sweet Invitation to Disease

Sugar Kills

Tags: health, Nutrition

Should You Supplement: Can You Build Muscle with Branched Chain Amino Acids?

It’s been a while since I have added another article to the Should You Supplement Series and I have not written on the topic because I initially thought I covered everything I wanted to.  Personally, I do not supplement much.  I always prefer that individuals establish a diet from a wide variety of healthy whole foods first before they consider needing to supplement.  After that is addressed it may be a good idea to add in some essential fats that are frequently missing in our diets and possibly doing some vitamin C supplementation as well as a nutrient dense, whole food based multi-vitamin.

With the above being my primarily regimen for an optimal lifestyle, I feel I should address another supplement source, because I do get quite a few questions about it; what protein supplement do you use?  This is a fair question because I have used several different protein supplements throughout my life and there are some really good products out there and some really bad ones as well.  I have taken a few different brands for a number of years and have weaned myself off of them almost entirely because I realized that with protein power supplements you don’t really know what you are getting.

Read the labels; usually it’s some protein propriety blend consisting of protein in indistinguishable ratios and from sources unknown.  Add artificial sweeteners, colors and tons of sugar, fractionated oils and fillers and you have a crazy unknown cocktail with questionable nutritional value and muscle building benefits.

After I train I am not hungry but I know that my body needs nourishment before I can get some solid food into me so protein shakes were the choice at the time.  At the same time, I was trying to fill my body with the best food and supplement sources possible and slamming down these protein shakes seemed liked a contradiction to that.

What I found to be a better alternative for me is to use Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplementation in powdered form.  I usually take a little before, during and after my workouts to keep my muscles full of these protein building blocks.

 

What Are BCAAs?

All amino acids are necessary for the body to function properly, and BCAAs only make up three (leucine, valine, isoleucine) of the 23 used during protein synthesis to build muscle tissue.  These three are also part of a group of nine amino acids considered essential.  Essential refers to the type that cannot be created by the body from other sources, so the BCAAs must be present in the protein source consumed to be used by the body for protein synthesis.

These three cannot be produced by the body and are very important because they account for the majority of amino acids directly taken up by the muscles where protein synthesis can occur.  The other amino acids are primarily metabolized by the liver for either energy or to be shuttled to the muscles.

The theory behind their effectiveness for building and maintaining muscle is the idea that the body spares the breakdown of muscle/ protein to be used for energy when the bloodstream is saturated with these BCAAs.  When BCAAs are present in the bloodstream the body will assume that there has been a breakdown of the muscle protein and will therefore spare the muscles from breaking down more and then find another source of fuel.

                                                                                                           

Benefits of BCAA Supplementation

There are several studies touting the positive effects that BCAA supplementation can have for athletes.  Gualano et al. found that BCAA supplementation for glycogen depleted endurance athletes allows the body to enhance the use of fat for energy which spares the breakdown of the muscles and their protein to be used for energy.

There are several studies, including Matsumoto et al. concluding that BCAA supplementation may reduce fatigue and muscle soreness.  Shimomura et al. found that muscle damage caused specifically by squatting may be suppressed by BCAA supplementation which, in turn, could decrease the symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness.  BCAA supplementation can also alleviate soreness caused by eccentric exercises as concluded in the Jackman et al. study.

BCAA supplementation can also help the endurance athletes work at a higher capacity as shown in another study by Matsumoto et al.

What I Personally Use

After researching and reading numerous studies and benefits of BCAA supplementation I have since replaced my protein shakes for BCAA drinks. I have tried a few brands and the one I prefer is the UPS Labs Modern BCAA.  (PIC)  Just to note I do not make any money by endorsing this product, I have just found it to be the best because it comes in a powder form, which can be consumed before, during and after training and the product does not contain any artificial flavors nor colors like some other products do.

On heavy training days I mix up two scoops with water and begin to sip 30min before training, have whatever is left over during training and then two more scoop to consume when I am done.

Conclusion

The studies and support are out there and show that BCAAs can spare muscle breakdown by using other sources of energy without loading the body up with protein powder supplements.  For the athlete looking to add or maintain muscle, decrease soreness and enhance recovery from intense workouts or increase your endurance capacity, they may want to consider BCAA supplementation.

 

References:

Gualano AB, Bozza T, Lopes De Campos P, Roschel H, Dos Santos Costa A, Luiz Marquezi M, Benatti F, Herbert Lancha Junior A. Branched-chain amino acids supplementation enhances exercise capacity and lipid oxidation during endurance exercise after muscle glycogen depletion. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2011 Mar;51(1):82-8.

Jackman SR, Witard OC, Jeukendrup AE, Tipton KD. Branched-chain amino acid ingestion can ameliorate soreness from eccentric exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 May;42(5):962-70.

Matsumoto K, Koba T, Hamada K, Sakurai M, Higuchi T, Miyata H. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation attenuates muscle soreness, muscle damage and inflammation during an intensive training program. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2009 Dec;49(4):424-31.

Matsumoto K, Koba T, Hamada K, Tsujimoto H, Mitsuzono R. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation increases the lactate threshold during an incremental exercise test in trained individuals. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2009 Feb;55(1):52-8.

Shimomura Y, Inaguma A, Watanabe S, Yamamoto Y, Muramatsu Y, Bajotto G, Sato J, Shimomura N, Kobayashi H, Mawatari K. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation before squat exercise and delayed-onset muscle soreness. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2010 Jun;20(3):236-44.

Tags: supplements