Tag: Kettlebell
January 3, 2022
Back in the USSR many gyms were closed in the summer “for repairs.” Out of necessity, lifters and bodybuilders switched from barbells to kettlebells and bodyweight for a couple of months. When they returned to the bar in the fall, after a brief re-entry most were able to set PRs. If you take a planned […]
August 5, 2021
There are times in life where your circumstances do not allow for much training. I am in one of those times as I write this. The only way for me to allocate an hour at a time to train would be to cut into my sleep, which would be a poor trade off considering the […]
June 10, 2021
We are StrongFirst. Therefore, we know kettlebells. We know the many benefits they can have. The swing is why you get into kettlebells right? Well, it was for me. What I realized after practicing with kettlebells for many years was that I got better athletically. Simply put, the kettlebell swing exudes athleticism. The swing has […]
March 18, 2021
The Goal The idea of the Five-Rep Iron Maiden was planted in my head back in 2018 after completing the Iron Maiden Challenge at The Dome in Chicago. Training for something as big as Iron Maiden takes years of practice and after training for something for so long, it’s hard to be “finished.” Ben Eisenmenger […]
October 8, 2020
As the COVID-19 quarantine closed gyms and found many of us stuck in small spaces with little equipment, kettlebells suddenly became a hot commodity. When a single piece of equipment gives you the ability to build strength and endurance in equal measure—all while taking up very little of that precious space—they are bound to be […]
August 19, 2021
The pistol squat is one of the best exercises to develop strong, flexible, and resilient legs, but it also requires skill, practice, and consistency. When I started practicing pistols in 2005, I didn’t have a roadmap or a solid progression, I just kept practicing until it got easier. Once I got acclimated to training pistols, […]
July 22, 2021
So, you’ve decided to train for the StrongFirst SFG II Kettlebell Instructor Certification. Prepare to get stronger, go deeper into the skill of strength, and learn a lot about yourself. Like any goal worth chasing, earning your SFG II requires perseverance, grit, and coaching. In addition to retesting your SFG I skills and five-minute snatch […]
May 13, 2021
In the movie “Remember the Titans,” Coach Boone is the new head football coach of the first integrated school in Virginia. The school staff and parents immediately begin criticizing him. As they are preparing to leave for pre-season camp, Boone is carrying his playbook—a very thin portfolio of plays. Assistant Coach: “Awful skinny playbook in’t it?” […]
January 28, 2021
Training has always been a passion of mine, actually it’s been more of an obsession. To say that I love to train would be an understatement. I need to train. Despite this obsession, it’s important for me to have a goal or at least an objective. These goals have taken several forms. The specific training […]
September 24, 2020
I often describe that my personal training career took a fortunate turn in the road when I attended my very first kettlebell level 1 certification back in 2009. I had already been training for a number of years, held several nationally accredited certifications, and was three years out of grad school with a master’s degree […]