Strength & Health TV - Episode 52: Cleaning Up The Timing In The Kettlebell Jerk.

In this video I go over some tips I learned from my friend Steven Khuong, of the Ice Chamber Gym, for fixing timing issues in the kettlebell jerk.

I have been teaching kettlebell user workshops and instructor certifications for 10 years now and without a doubt the jerk is the hardest lift to master for most people. In fact, some organizations don't even teach it, or save it for an "advanced" workshop. Honestly, with these simple tips I learned from Steven, I have had 100% success getting students and trainers to learn the jerk in about 5-10 minutes.

Breaking the jerk down into positional drills then having students add a jump makes the timing perfect every time. I've found that once they are using leg drive and get the timing issues resolved we can then go back and clean the technique up quickly and very easily. This has resulted in everyone I've ever worked with leaving my workshops knowing how to perform the kettlebell jerk correctly that day. No need for a follow up workshop or advanced certification course.

This video is aimed at the beginner kettlebell lifter who is having problems with this lift as well as other trainers and teachers who struggle getting their students to master the technique and timing associated with this lift.

Hopefully you enjoy this video and if you have any questions or suggestions for future show topics please leave them in the comments section below.

Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive updates on future shows.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

Follow me online:
scott@eptsgym.com
http://www.scottshetler.com
http://www.eptsgym.com
http://www.facebook.com/sshetlerfitness
http://www.twitter.com/sshetler

Training Tips for Combat Athletes: Get the most benefit from the least number of exercises.

When dealing with combat athletes, like jiu jitsu players and MMA fighters, it's important to remember that all the stuff you do in the weight room is strictly general physical preparation (GPP). The bulk of their time is usually spent working on the skills needed for their sport.

The goal of the weight-room work should be to get the greatest return for the least amount of time. This does not mean that they should not train hard, it just means that you only have so much time in the gym that is beneficial before it begins taking away from their fight training.

Most of the fighters I work with do 2-3 strength workouts a week and 2-4 extra cardiovascular workouts, that represents about 4 maybe 5 hours a week of non-specific physical training. As a result I look at how we can get more benefit out of individual exercises, while ensuring that we are developing all special strengths including maximal strength, speed strength, strength speed, explosive strength and power.

A couple of the strategies we have found to be beneficial are incorporating torso activation during pressing movements and working the grip during pulling movements.

Here are some of the exercises we've seen some success with:

Alternating band punches on the GHR. Basically on this one you just set up in a sit up position on a glute / ham raise, hold that position statically, and perform alternating explosive presses against mini bands. We generally do 15-25 reps per arm.

Alternating seated kettlebell presses. These are done by sitting on the floor, leaning back slightly to increase pressure on the abdominals and pressing a pair of kettlebells overhead in a see-saw or alternating fashion. We usually do sets of 10-15 per arm.

Low cable pull-in alternating floor press. To do this week hook an average band to a low pulley set up. Lie on the back and pull the knees back toward the chest, this engages the hip flexors and abdominals and will help build torso strength for working in the guard. From here we do alternating floor presses with a pair of kettlebells. We usually do sets of 10-15 per arm.

Gi pull-ups. These are done simply by hanging a gi top over a pull-up bar or power rack. Just grab onto the gi and do pull-ups. This is great for developing insane grip strength while training the lats. We also loop a gi over a barbell to perform a variation of a t-bar row with the gi as well. Generally for pull-ups we super-set multiple sets of 1/2 the athlete's max reps throughout the workout.

These are just a few of the ways we can get more out of the time we spend in the gym. Remember, in the gym you are just trying to make athletes stronger, faster, more explosive and better conditioned. Do not let the GPP interfere with SPP, train general to enhance the specific!

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

Training Tips for Combat Athletes: Utilize a Variety of Jumps for Power Development.

Typically at EPTS I have our combat athletes in the gym twice a week. This means that every exercise we do has to deliver. In the gym we are trying to build many different physical qualities which is why we use a Conjugate and Concurrent Sequence System of training means. We use unidirectional loading strategies while developing many abilities, such as speed strength, strength speed, power, and endurance on a weekly basis.

For power and explosive strength we utilize a variety of jumps in training. To minimize impact stress on the body and reduce the likelihood of injuries we generally use box jumps. We utilize a lot of variety in the jumps we do to prevent accommodating to any specific protocol.

Some of the jumps we implement are:

• box jumps with body-weight only
• box jumps with a weight vest
• box jumps holding dumbbells or kettlebells
• box jumps wearing ankle and/or wrist weights
• kneeling jump to a box jump

For volume we generally do 40 jumps total per workout, twice a week.

We generally do these movements first in the training session, although on occasion we mix in the power movements toward the end of the session after some fatigue has accumulated. By the nature of sport, combative athletes need the ability to produce power while in a fatigued state. There are many other training modalities we incorporate to prepare for this, but working our power movements in the later part of the training session is a very effective approach.

A huge thanks to Louie Simmons and Tom Barry at Westside Barbell as much of what we've learned and utilized in our training plan has come from their work.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

Scott's interview with VoyageATL.

I was recently interviewed by VoyageATL for their "Inspiring Stories" section where they feature Atlanta area business owners and entrepreneurs.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Shetler.

Scott, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

I’ve been interested in physical training since high school. After finishing my enlistment in the Navy I went to college to pursue a degree in Health and Physical Education and became certified as a personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). I have been in the health and fitness industry since 1998 and running my own business since 2004. I am currently working out of my private training facility where I train individuals and small groups. My clients range from motivated fitness enthusiasts to athletes of all levels of competition from many different sports, including powerlifting, swimming, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, MMA, football, volleyball, tennis, baseball, and many others. In addition to running my own training center, I consult with people through my online coaching program and have authored nine industry-related books. I have experience competing in heavy athletics, through Kettlebell Sport and Powerlifting specifically. I have been vegetarian since 2010 and vegan since 2012 and am one of the powerlifters on Team Plantbuilt, a team of vegan bodybuilders and strength athletes who raise money and awareness to support animal welfare and vegan outreach programs. In addition, I have been a student of the internal martial art of Taijiquan for over 5 years. Along with my in-person and online training, I share as much content through books, online blogs, and video as I possibly can.

Has it been a smooth road?

For the most part, it has been a smooth road. My biggest struggle was..... click to read the rest of the interview at VoyageATL!

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Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

Strength & Health TV - Episode 44: Interview with BJJ Athlete Chris Jones.

Photo by Mac Warren from Fight to Win Pro 20

In this episode I interview Chris Jones. Chris is brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who trains out of Creighton MMA in Suwanee, GA. In addition Chris does his strength and conditioning with me at my gym, Extreme Performance Training Systems.

Chris got his start as a combat athlete wrestling in high school and continued through his enlistment in the Marine Corps. Chris has been training in BJJ for 5 years now under the expert eye of Paul Creighton who earned his BJJ black belt from Renzo Gracie. Chris has won gold at the Pan American Championships, 2x silver medals at the IBJJF World Championships, and numerous golds at various competitions throughout his career, as well as a recent victory at the Fight to Win 20 where he also took home a Fight of the Night award.

Training at EPTS Gym

In this video Chris and I talk about his experience getting into combat athletics, some of the major competitions he's won, what his normal training schedule looks like, and why it is important to for combat athletes to include a well planned strength and conditioning program in their training regimen. In addition we talk about the modern state of combat athletics and it's impact on the heritage of traditional martial arts.

Photo by Mac Warren from Fight to Win Pro 20

You can follow Chris online at:

Instagram: @007_jonesy

http://www.facebook.com/wcjones1010

Check out Creighton MMA at - https://paulcreighton.com/

Check out Chris' sponsors at: 

Day by Day Jiu Jitsu: http://www.daybydayjiujitsu.com/

Optimum Healthcare: https://www.optimumhealthrehab.com/

Extreme Performance Training Systems: http://www.extreme-fitness.org 

I hope you enjoy this week's episode and leave any questions or suggestions for future episodes in the comments section below.

Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive updates on future shows.

Stay Strong AND Healthy,

-Scott

Follow me online:

scott@extreme-fitness.org

http://www.scottshetler.com

http://www.extreme-fitness.org

http://www.facebook.com/sshetlerfitness

http://www.twitter.com/sshetler