One of the challenges of remote coaching and programming is hoping that your exercises you select and your instructions land with your training population. When you aren’t there in person some of the best ways to coach them without saying a word is by providing a few exercises that essentially coach themselves. Kettlebell “bottoms up” variations can accomplish this.
By holding the Kettlebell (KB) bottoms up (or upside down) one has to squeeze the KB incredibly hard just to start the exercise. By purposefully squeezing an implement as hard as possible we already create more strength than people realize through something called irradiation, a term made popular by strength coach Pavel Tsatsouline.
Irradiation refers to the phenomenon that when we attempt to display strength, if we tense all of our muscles, not just the ones we think we are using...but everything...we will not only create stability throughout the body (which makes for a safer lift), but we also engage our nervous system and generate even more force. We are basically summoning our body’s ability to generate strength, as opposed to if we just lackadaisically grabbed a bar or dumbbell and just lifted it. Which is far too common for average gym goers.
Unless the KB is very light, it is very hard to hold it in the bottoms up position without being mentally present. The bell will tip over if you aren’t gripping it tight. Even better, it often still tips over if you aren’t engaging your lats and abs when you’re holding it. EVEN BETTER, if we add movement and you forget to maintain that tension it will still tip over. That movement could be walking away with the weight, pressing it, etc. Without saying a word, the KB is forcing you to do things correctly. That is better than most coaches. In the variations below, notice there are moments where I have to almost correct my positioning because if I don’t I will drop the comparatively light 16K (35lb) KB.
If you have ever listened to powerlifters shout at each other during meets and training, which I know is hard to hear considering they’re usually blasting Metallica and the sound of denim rubbing together can be overwhelming...the common phrase is, “GET TIGHT.” Usually this phrase is combined with their training parting giving them a few light punches to the gut and lats as a friendly reminder to engage these muscles during their big lifts.
As much fun as that sounds, a bottoms up KB can be your silent teaching tool during your warm up or between sets as you ramp up to some heavy lifts. You’ll see this variation often in our accessory/assistance work in our Human Performance Programming. To me this probably shouldn’t be the focus of most sessions, but using it strategically in a well rounded program will complement any tactical/first responder program.
