Kettlebell S&S bodyweight alternatives for travelling
- Thread starter Oscar
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Oscar
Level 7 Valued Member
Great feedback, I have now a lot of good alternatives for when I'm away. I think I will do some sort of DB swing or barbell DL if I have access to weights, and jumps if I don't. About the tap test, @Shahaf Levin @pet' I didn't know about that test and it looks like a great tool. I was doing crossfit on 2015 and I probably overtrained CNS and HIIT without even noticing. It would have been useful back then.
That exercise by Pavel looks like a great alternative, in particular if I can't find a heavy enough DB to tax the posterior chain with normal swings. Sometimes hotels only have up to 10kg DB which will probably be too light for chest high swings
That exercise by Pavel looks like a great alternative, in particular if I can't find a heavy enough DB to tax the posterior chain with normal swings. Sometimes hotels only have up to 10kg DB which will probably be too light for chest high swings
I like a 1-leg DL and touching my fingertips to the ground - less weight, slightly increased range of motion.
I also want to point out that if one takes the Flexible Steel approach to flexibility, one can strength train by working on one's flexibility. E.g., although I'm not really away from home, I'm playing 8 hour rehearsals every Saturday for 6 weeks in a row. During breaks, I go find a quiet corner and work on my splits using a contract-relax protocol.
Bodyweight-only windmills are also good, again go for a slightly increased range of motion - I like to get my palm to the floor.
Bodyweight-only getups to the elbow or hand, focusing on _no_ jerking but a smooth, controlled motion are another fine thing to do when away from your usual gym.
-S-
pet'
Level 8 Valued Member
Hello,
I will echo @Steve Freides
Kind regards,
Pet'
I will echo @Steve Freides
Increasing ROM increases difficulty. If you also reduce speed (you do the move very slowly), you would increase difficulty even more. Plus you will have a better move control IMO.
Kind regards,
Pet'
The 1-leg DL, except with a truly challenging weight, ought to be done slowly and under complete control - that's where the benefit in doing it is.
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Oscar
Level 7 Valued Member
@Steve Freides thank you for the suggestion. I havent read Flexible Steel, but will take a look at it, also to have as an alternative to stay active while travelling
offwidth
Level 10 Valued Member
+1 to this. It's remarkable how challenging some seemingly 'easy' things can be when you do them slowly and concentrate on perfect form.
Kozushi
Level 7 Valued Member
This topic keeps coming up from time to time but it's always worth a revisit.
I had to do what you're doing for 2 months this past summer while in Korea away from my weights.
Strong First has the "Naked Warrior" programme, which has two bodyweight only exercises:
1. One arm pushups (one leg too if you can!)
2. Pistol (one leg) squats.
An ideal workout is to do 5X5 of both if possible, but of course that may be difficult, so you adjust down as needed.
I ended up doing the pistols only 75% of the way down, which was still fine.
Also, I was lucky enough to have an outdoor workout station in front of my house there, so I used the chin up bars extensively.
I'll always prefer weights to this kind of workout, but it's amazing in its own way, and it certainly keeps you in good condition!
I had to do what you're doing for 2 months this past summer while in Korea away from my weights.
Strong First has the "Naked Warrior" programme, which has two bodyweight only exercises:
1. One arm pushups (one leg too if you can!)
2. Pistol (one leg) squats.
An ideal workout is to do 5X5 of both if possible, but of course that may be difficult, so you adjust down as needed.
I ended up doing the pistols only 75% of the way down, which was still fine.
Also, I was lucky enough to have an outdoor workout station in front of my house there, so I used the chin up bars extensively.
I'll always prefer weights to this kind of workout, but it's amazing in its own way, and it certainly keeps you in good condition!
Kozushi
Level 7 Valued Member
Ah,
I used it only to maintain and even to increase my (mainly pushing) strength. NW isn't a full out workout the way S&S is as it lacks what one might style the "cardio" aspect.
I was getting so much walking in due to my not renting a car, that I got plenty of exercise this way to supplement my strength training with NW.
When I got back my swings were horribly weak, but by Turkish Getups were very good.
Actually, my swings were so bad that I hurt my back and had to scale back my training for about a month because of it.
ANYHOW, the NW training did keep me very big and strong, and the pistols really helped with all the hiking and walking I was doing around Korean castles and cities and such.
Oscar
Level 7 Valued Member
@Kozushi that is mainly what I want to avoid, regressing on either the swing or the get up while travelling. This is why I rather replace the swing by a pull-like excercise, such as the DL, 1-leg DL or dumbbell swings, even jumps as they have a similar mechanics as the swing, instead of replacing it by a squat variation. When you returned to your swings, what part did you feel it suffered most? Was it the swing power, or maybe the grip?
Kind regards,
Kozushi
Level 7 Valued Member
Ah, actually my grip was okay due to the pullups I was doing, but my lower back was horribly weak. Actually the Naked Warrior book says that the programme doesn't do anything for the lower back, and this fact was borne out clearly in my case. Before the summer in Korea I was doing the S&S programme single handedly all the way with the 32kg. When I came back I hurt my back on the first set of swings and it stayed hurt for about a month. The book says to definitely do a "big pull" exercise at least twice a week - preferably something like deadlifts, and also to do pullups if at all possible, the book suggesting even using the top of a door if you have to(!)
Also, like I mentioned, the Naked Warrior programme is a way to maintain weight-training-level pushing strength in the arms and legs, but it just is not a cardio exercise. S&S is cardio, push, swing (similar I think to a pulling motion), and leaves no muscles untrained. However, the fact that Naked Warrior works with absolutely NO equipment at all is amazing in my mind. Still, there is a lot of anti-twist strength activated in single arm pushups, not unlike what you get doing single armed swings.
Basically I'd say that the weak spot in Naked Warrior is the lower back, and that's pretty much all, and I don't know what to do about that besides find something heavy and do deadlifts with it.
The choice of pistol version can make a difference, e.g., you can do assisted pistols - full range but holding on the a door knob with two hands - in an A + A fashion and it's a fine exercise session, IMHO.
-S-
305pelusa
Level 6 Valued Member
While Jumps and Swings do seem mechanically similar, I have a hard time imagining that jumping would strengthen your back any more than a Pistol will. If your concern is regressing in Swings because your lower back gets weaker, I'd opt for Steve's suggestion or the 1-leg DL. Also the 1-leg glute bridge is an excellent exercise in its own right.
You could potentially regress in Swings since those exercises don't have a large conditioning aspect however. Might be worthwhile to add in some basic Burpees (which, interestingly enough, do incorporate a jump!) just to maintain the edge.
Kozushi
Level 7 Valued Member
Steve, thanks for pointing that out. I've already started to fret about how to stay strong while going on some upcoming business and leisure trips.
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