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WED 01.15.14 Kettlebell swings

Kettlebell swings- American or Russian?

Some CFMers have asked about the kettlebell swings in the programming lately…LOTS of Russian swings.
The reason for that is to work on mechanics, and to give the overhead (American swing) position a break when some students are unable to maintain proper form on the American swing. So we’ve just been focusing, over the past month, on the Russian swing’s shorter range of motion, to get those mechanics down before moving on.
So in today’s conditioning work, you can choose which swing you’d like to do – the Russian swing (chest level), the American swing (overhead), or a hybrid of the two (somewhere in between).
Before deciding which version is right for you, read this post from CJ Martin at CrossFit Invictus, and/or try his following range of motion test to determine which one you can do properly:
Step 1 – Lay down on your back with your chin and spine in a neutral position and your hands down at your sides.
Step 2 – Squeeze your bum and belly and at belly button level interlock your thumbs with your knuckles lined up – mimicking the position of your hands on the kettlebell.
Step 3 – Have a partner place their hand between your back and floor. (If you train alone, you can also stage your camera on the floor beside you and videotape this drill.) It’s likely (desirable, in fact) that there will be some space between your lower back and the floor. The more impressive your glute development (think Olympic-caliber sprinter), the larger that gap between back and floor will be.
Step 4 – Slowly begin to raise your hands from hip level to chest and eventually overhead until your knuckles touch the ground. Your partner will be there to determine if you change positions at any point. If the pressure on their hand decreases as you raise your arms (i.e., the space between your back and the floor increases) they will stop you. That is the height to which you should swing the kettlebell until you improve your thoracic mobility and/or midline stability.

IMG_7299Dan & Rugo on kettlebell swings

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Rebecca
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Rebecca
8a: Open Gym- Jason
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Amy
4p: Open Gym- Jim
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Lis
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Lis
7p: All Levels CrossFit- Raul
8p: Open Gym- Raul

Workout of the Day (WOD)

A. Skill work: Rope climbs
B. For time:
21 Kettlebell Swings 70/53
21 Knees to Elbows
21 Lateral Hops*
18 Kettlebell Swings
18 Knees to Elbows
18 Lateral Hops*
15 Kettlebell Swings
15 Knees to Elbows
15 Lateral Hops*

*Jump over cone or parallette. Scaled: jump side to side. OVER AND BACK equals one rep.

And coming tomorrow… BRING A FRIEND DAY!

A. Back squat or goblet squat: 3×10 workups
Partner Cindy*:
As many rounds & reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

*:30 on, :30 off… you work for 30 seconds, then your partner works for 30 seconds.
One partner works while the other rests.
Pick up where your partner left off.

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