Kettlebell Training

Have you ever found yourself bored with your workouts? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, I’ve recently collected a bunch of emails from folks saying one of their biggest stumbling blocks with getting results is that their workouts are unengaging. Let’s discuss 3 Strategies You Can Use to AVOID This Trap. [1] The Reframe: When I do a workout (or a “training session” as I typically call them), I’m never aiming for being entertained. I’m ALWAYS focused on my goal. That is - What is the objective of my training? What benefit do I want to achieve ? I’m not looking to be entertained. “Entertainment” is a completely distinct category - a whole ‘nother box that gets checked. So, when I’m lifting bells overhead, or squatting, or whatever… I’m ALWAYS thinking about the result . Then, I’m focused on that process - Feel of each rep… Managing fatigue… Body position… And adjusting accordingly when necessary. Then I log my work in my training journal so I can see what I’ve completed and look back on my work so I can measure successes and failures - to see what went well and what didn’t . So that makes the process easy . It’s kinda like following a recipe. No one ever feels bored of following the recipe to bake chocolate chip cookies. They’re focused on the delicious chocolatey gooey goodness they're about to enjoy. So, reframe - look at the reason you train - in a new way . Think “OUTCOME” NOT Entertainment. From my coaching experience, this is THE MOST ESSENTIAL way to view your training and to avoid “being bored.” [2] Variation vs. Variety: Most people jump from workout to workout to “keep things fresh ” or “ avoid adaptation”... You know, “switch things up .” Part of this is because of #1 - boredom. But the other part is misinformation - the mistaken belief that variety is necessary to create an adaptation. (Many times we can trace it back to P90X and “muscle confusion.”) That's actually far from reality . For example, legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, started playing the piano at age 6. He then moved to the drums. Played a short stint on the bass. Then he finally moved on to the guitar. The result? Voted #1 in a Guitar World Magazine poll for "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" poll. Ranked #4 in Rolling Stone’s 2023 list of the "250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." And “Eruption,” my favorite guitar solo of all time and voted number 2 in Guitar World's readers poll of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos". Eddie didn’t play the same song all the time. He played different chords and notes - mixed and matched - and made them his own. Likewise, you can still use the same 2, 3, or even 5 exercises, but change your: Load - heavier Sets - fewer or greater Reps - fewer or more Rest periods - short, medium, long Training frequency - 2,3,4,5 even 6x a week This is called “variation”. [3] Specialized Variety: This is arguably one of my favorites . Simply put, it’s using tweaks of the same exercise. In his book, A read more System of Multi-Year Training In Weightlifting, World Champion Coach and lifter A.S. Medvedyev shares over 100 different exercise variations for the Snatch, the Clean, and the Jerk. Examples: Power Snatch Power Snatch from above the knee Power Snatch from below knee Power Snatch from the hip Power Snatch from blocks Power Snatch without the hook grip Power Snatch on a box You get the idea . For your KB work, you can do the next: Clean Clean from dead stop Clean from dead stop under the body Bottoms Up Clean Clean outside the legs Press Press with pause at the sticking point Press with 2 pauses – sticking point and lockout Bottoms Up Press Push Press with drop to rack Push Press with a slow negative Push Press with an active negative Again, you understand. Apply these three methods to your KB workouts – ahem – training – and you’ll never have to worry about being uninterested again. Stay Strong, Geoff Neupert.