Pavel Tsatsouline Kettlebell Strength Training Weight Lifting Workouts Exercise and Flexibility Questions & Answers.

Click on the link at the bottom of this post to go to our web page and to order. John Du Cane here, letting you know that our RKC, Lisa Shaffer has just published a wonderful new kettlebell manual… which I believe anyone remotely serious about kettlebell use and instruction should consider a must-have. Why? Frankly, when I saw the job Lisa had done with her manual, the publisher in me was envious. Very envious… The Brit in me exclaimed “Bloody brilliant, mate!” Because Lisa has stuffed her manual full of the most downright practical exercise charts and nitty-gritty detail you could ever want. You can really, really GET the exercises from her great full-color spreads. This manual will end up dog-eared and mangled from all the use you’ll put it to. If you’re an RKC, then every one of your clients will be begging for their own copy. To see sample pages from Lisa’s manual or to purchase now go to our page for Get in the Best Shape of Your Life! A Complete Guide to Kettlebell Exercises and Kettlebell Training And if you order before midnight PST on Monday, June 6, you get a five dollar discount on the regular price! "Lisa Shaffer’s workbook is a valuable companion to the Russian Kettlebell. You will enjoy the variety of exercises and the author’s “can do” attitude. Com. Lisa has done a great job!" —Pavel Tsatsouline, Chief Instructor, Russian Kettlebell Challenge “For me, kettlebells have greatly improved my functional strength, endurance and helped change my body composition. My kettlebell workouts helped me stay in shape during my third pregnancy and helped me recover in record time. The exercises covered in this book are challenging and fun. The information and articles in this book will help do for you what it did for me, Get in the Best Shape of Your Life!” —Lisa Shaffer, RKC Here’s what you get with Lisa’s manual: (Kettlebell Basics) Over a dozen kettlebell basic moves and positions for getting your KB training off to the right start or just brushing up on your form. Perfection is in the details. Get your form perfect with these complete kettlebell basic descriptions and photos! Over 50 Kettlebell Exercises An encyclopedia of kettlebell exercises, from Beginner to Advanced! Full descriptions with step by step instruction and accompanying photos. Over 300 hundred full color photographs outlining all the basics and little known RKC tips. Zoom in detail and RKC “Tip Boxes” for teaching you every detail of every exercise. Learn these details compiled from years of experience and hundreds of trained clients. Exercises are organized into Pulls, Pushes, Core, and Leg exercises for easy reference and easy workout structure. All exercises are rated for difficulty and cross referenced in the table of contents for easy program design. No longer will you be stuck thinking of exercises to include in your workout. With these 50 exercises, the workout possibilities are endless! Your workouts will never get stale! Included are 6 brand new exercises, not seen anywhere! Notes section included on every exercise page for detailing your own personal observations and notes. The handy spiral bound workbook format makes this kettlebell book functional, just like the Kettlebell itself! Take it with you to wherever you work out, take notes, plan goals, and make it YOUR personal kettlebell Workbook! Bonus: Over 20 Pages of Articles Giving You Highly Practical Tips on How to Fully Benefit from Kettlebells “The Dreaded Snatch” – No more banging up your forearms. Complete two page article supplement to the Snatch exercise page. Master this highly effective kettlebell drill and make it a staple of your workouts! Kettlebell Workout Structure – Learn how to structure your kettlebell workouts for achieving your specific goals, whether they are increasing strength or burning fat, this article will show you how! Workout structure for beginners to advanced lifters. Beginner’s Plan – A flexible 4-8 week plan on how to learn the basic kettlebell drills and incorporate them into a kettlebell program for reaching your goals. Flexible enough for all fitness levels! Combination Workout and Walking Workout – Tired of the same old routine? These kettlebell workouts and all their derivations will take your training into high gear and snap your body into shape! Kettlebell Training During Pregnancy – Learn from my experience of kettlebell training during my entire third pregnancy. Feel great and alive during pregnancy with these guidelines, workout strategies, and sample programs. Kettlebells, A Sure Fire Way to Get Back in Shape After Pregnancy – No longer does pregnancy mean the end of a tight, youthful figure! With KB and this article, you will be back in your pre-pregancy clothes and looking great in no time! What Do I Do if my Kettlebell is too Light? – Tons of tips for making your Kettlebell exercises more challenging. You will never again say, “My Kettlebell is too light.” No Excuses! – Do you need motivation? Do you sometimes need a kick start to get going on a new cycle or finish up on an old one? Read this article for a shot of motivation and get goin’! And More! To see sample pages from Lisa’s manual or to purchase now go to our page for Get in the Best Shape of Your Life! A Complete Guide to Kettlebell Exercises and Kettlebell Training And if you order before midnight PST on Monday, June 6, you get a five dollar discount on the regular price! “You did a tremendous job, and I will recommend your book. You really put your own stamp on the KB programs that you prescribe and your workbook sets the standard for readability, creativity and usability. You are also a tremendous role model, even more so for women with children. You are proof that having children is not the end of a fit and healthy body for mothers. All men should buy a copy of Get in the Best Shape of Your Life! for their wives or girlfriends. Congratulations” —Steve Cotter, Sr. RKC and author of “Full K.O.ntact Kettlebells: The Martial Art of Strength Training” “I had the opportunity to preview Lisa's manual while flying to the last RKC. She did an excellent job! It's very well organized, user friendly with lots of pictures and very well researched. It takes in consideration the special needs of women. Lisa's new book will make a nice contribution to your kettlebell resource library.” —Jeff Martone, Sr. RKC and author of “H2H Kettlebells” “Best Kettlebell Manual on the Market! Lisa clearly put a great deal of work into her manual/book and has raised the bar very high. Flawless product with tons of great info! Very comprehensive manual, excellent photos, instruction, and tons of programs. Must have for all women who train with kettlebells and also a great manual for anyone that wants to maximize the benefits of KB training. Great job Lisa!” —Mike Mahler, Sr. RKC and author of “Kettlebell Solution for Size and Strength” "Lisa Shaffer's kettlebell workbook is a must for any level kettlebell enthusiast- from the beginner to the advanced. As a kettlebell exercise how-to, the workbook is truly outstanding. Shaffer has a knack for taking each exercise and teaching it in a clear, concise manner with incredibly detailed photos." —Sarah Lurie, RKC and Founder of Iron Core, Certified Kettlebell Fitness Studio, La Jolla, Ca. To see sample pages from Lisa’s manual or to purchase now go to our page for Get in the Best Shape of Your Life! A Complete Guide to Kettlebell Exercises and Kettlebell Training And if you order before midnight PST on Monday, June 6, you get a five dollar discount on the regular price! More Praise for the Get in the Best Shape of Your Life! : I'm a veteran lurker and occasional poster here for almost three years now. I arrived in Baghdad, Iraq three weeks ago and ordered Lisa's manual two weeks ago. She got it in the mail right away--the first one sent to Iraq--and now I've had a chance to skim through it. If you didn't know it already, Lisa is an outstanding instructor, both in person and now in print. In our e-mail correspondence she mentioned a walking workout (dragon walk that is), so when the manual arrived I turned right to it. Then I turned to the dragon walk page and tried it. Now I've tried the DW before and always ended up tripping myself or flailing wildly to keep my balance. This time, something about her photos and text clicked with me and I immediately fired off 5 steps each leg. Not a lot, I know, but much better than falling on my rear. I've picked up similar tips from some of her other exercises. Something about her explanations just clicks with me. Additionally, the manual is professionally compiled with great photos and "animation." I love the spiral-bound format. It's easy to open and lay flat for study while executing a drill. As soon as I finish up my 1-month of Westside-inspired powerlifting training from Mens Journal, I'm going to start on the walking workout along the cool, shaded banks of Saddam H's former lake in sight of his former palace. (Of course if I don't do this by 6AM it's neither cool nor shady.) I think two days per week of Pavel's "Commando PT" and three of Lisa's walking workout should allow me to keep the strength I gained in the powerlifting cycle and allow me to master the dragon walk. I'll keep you posted.” —Charles Lee “I have to say that my clients love this book. I ordered copies when it first came out and am about sold out. My clients buy it to have a reference for when they travel and want to continue their workout on the road. Clients who don't live close enough to Iron Core to come three days a week for classes, buy it to train at home after we have given them some instruction. Our local police department just bought it for a reference to train with their unit. Everyone has commented about its ease of use and detailed, colorful photos. Excellent resource, buy it!” —Sarah Lurie, RKC “Wow, Wow, Wow. Lisa, your workbook ROCKS! I just got this today and can say without a doubt if you are a trainer working with clients in kettlebells you want them to have this book. or at least have access to it. Great organization, very user friendly and such a great amount of information and DETAIL! Photos and diagrams clear concise points of interest are excellent! Very visual and very well done. For those training without RKC instruction this would also be a great thing to have as a reference tool. Mine will get tons of use. Well done Lisa, congratulations on a superior product. —Mark Reifkind, RKC To see sample pages from Lisa’s manual or to purchase now go to our page for Get in the Best Shape of Your Life! A Complete Guide to Kettlebell Exercises and Kettlebell Training And if you order before midnight PST on Monday, June 6, you get a five dollar discount on the regular price! “I was taking a nap when my lady, Gina, came in and told me I had some mail from Texas. It was an advanced copy of Lisa Shaffer's KB Workbook. I've been waiting for it, so I got up, made some coffee and sat down with it and started to check it out. This thing is first class all the way, great pictures, excellent descriptions, loads of programs and professional layout speaks well of Lisa's KB knowledge. She makes no bloated, off the wall claims. She don't have to. It's just her story and exp. gained as a pro KB instructor. Lisa's unique perspective, based on her exp. on KB training during and after pregnancy, interested Gina quite a bit. (We're expecting our 2nd child in early Sept.) Gina really never got into KBs, even with me slinging them around and her tripping over them in the house, but seeing Lisa in the book and the fact that Lisa looks so great (after 5 months from her 3rd child-Wow!) in the pictures got her interested in K'belling herself. I guess she always looked at it as this hardcore, martial thing her crazy man and his buddies did, not something that she should do. This is a great product and is well worth it for any gender K'beller. I am going to buy a copy when it goes on sale to give to one of my client's pregnant wife. I am suggesting this book to all my clients and fellow K'bellers. Great job Lisa, I always thought you had it together and you're a great friend, but after this I am double glad we are going to be teaming up on projects in the future.” —Dylan Thomas, RKC “Hello Lisa, I was away at camp this weekend, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find your workbook waiting for me today! Thanks so much for printing it in color, I really appreciate it! To say that it exceeded the high expectations that I had of any product with your name on it is no small accomplishment. I think it is the finest KB training book I have ever seen, and I've seen almost all of them. I especially liked the "No Excuses!" excerpt. I'm glad that this kettlebell workbook is just that--it is equal parts "work" and "book." I think your book addresses training the heart (and not the one that is trained with cardio) much moreso than some of the other books. This is so important, because I think having heart, courage, and passion in your training is just as important (in most cases more important) as having great knowledge of training. I also like all the generous space allowed to write notes (this is the "work" part of "workbook"). There are also plenty of drills I haven't seen before and lots of tips and illustrations that I haven't thought about before (the "book" part of "workbook"). This is a good thing, because like so many KBers, I'm a somewhat cerebral, overthinking type. I love adding a new wrinkle or two to the kettlebell section of my brain (another training benefit)! You've done an amazing job, just as I knew you would! The workbook is beyond awesome, and I know I'm going to get a whole lot of benefit out of it. I'm going to start doing the "Walking Workout" to see if I can't shed a few pounds from the effort. Thanks again for producing such a masterpiece!” Yours Truly, Matt To see sample pages from Lisa’s manual or to purchase now go to our page for Get in the Best Shape of Your Life! A Complete Guide to Kettlebell Exercises and Kettlebell Training And if you order before midnight PST on Monday, June 6, you get a five dollar discount on the regular price! “Wow Lisa! Your book turned out awesome. After seeing some of the pages that you sent softcopy, I knew it was going to be a really great book. But I can't even begin to tell you how blown away I am by seeing the entire book bound and printed. Great idea with making it workbook style with the spiral binding. It will be really easy to use while working out and the notes section is a great idea as well to jot down observations and goals. Hope I'm not stealing too much of your thunder, but the 1, 2, and 3 kettlebell rankings for each of the exercises was clever and really useful, looks cool too! The articles are all really good and informative. I especially like the "No Excuses" article. You hit the nail on the head with that one and something that I'll read often when I need a good shot in the butt to get me out of a workout rut. Pictures, graphics, the zoom ins and boxes, the step by step instruction to go with the step by step pictures, all great stuff. Something for everyone with all of the beginner to advanced exercises you cover. The crossing side lunges and all of its variants look really tough and something I haven't seen before. And the pictures of you speak for themselves that KBs are an effective training tool and they speak volumes of your hard work with them. (You look great!) Your work and instruction has always been high quality, and it's easy to expect that all the time, but you really outdid yourself on this book. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Way to go Lisa, I'm incredibly proud of you!” —John Starego, RKC “Lisa Shaffer, RKC has published a workbook, "Get In The Best Shape of Your Life!, A Complete Guide to Kettlebell Exercises & Kettlebell Training". The word "complete" is an understatement! There must be hundreds of pictures. (I can't imagine what her photographer charged.) She must average 6 pictures for each drill. The pictures are annotated with instruction nuance & detail. The descriptions are well written, with obvious attention to detail. It is well organized & covers not just individual drills, but workout structure & plans. The book was written with lot's care. Although a women wrote it, & several pages deal with pregnancy & after, no man should shy away. There is more instructional value in this little encyclopedia then one could get in even 10 individual sessions with an RKC instructor. Great job Lisa.” —Len “Her book is very thorough, offers great information - some of which I have not seen in other books, and is especially great for women. She has provided great pictures and very good descriptions of a broad range of KB exercises. If you are trying to get your wife involved with KB's, get her this book. (Lisa got my wife loving KB's!) Lisa - she can press the 26lbs 3 times on both sides now!” —John Daniel “Lisa, I just got your book today. Great stuff as it is so user-friendly. You do a stellar job of depicting dynamic motions in a two-dimensional format.” —Jeanine “I received mine yesterday and dug right into it. Even changed my workout this morning and can I already feel it. Excellent book Lisa and well worth the wait and the money.” —Jeb Pein “I got it today and have only looked through it but am very impressed. Loads of information, pictures, and text. I think this is extremely well done and a good model for anyone offering training manuals in the future. I haven't had a chance to really read any of it yet, but again, I am very impressed. Definitely worth the money. Well done!!” —Jonathan Frost “Very, very, very thorough, wildly crazy amounts of illustrations of more exercises than I ever would have imagined, very good advice on workouts. Lisa, really great job, THIS is a great workbook for working out with kettlebells.” —JLB To see sample pages from Lisa’s manual or to purchase now go to our page for Get in the Best Shape of Your Life! A Complete Guide to Kettlebell Exercises and Kettlebell Training And if you order before midnight PST on Monday, June 6, you get a five dollar discount on the regular price!

http://dragondoor.com/mb001.html 

Ouch, I'm still sore from Mike "Mauler's" Saturday session. Killer stuff Steve Cotter started us off on Saturday morning with some (Qigong) and a basic leg/stepping drill from there we went into some cool methods of body hardening and kb drills. Mike Mauler was next on Sat and we did a lot of leg work and on how to do double swings, cleans & snatches and must have done a few hundred squats with kbs throughout his 2+hr section. Jeff Martone finished us off on Saturday & picked up on Sunday with H2H work. Cool stuff, watch the toes. Steve Maxwell spoke for about an hour on program design then drilled us with 2 10 min workouts that he uses for some of his athletes. Pavel finished us off with a talk on the focus need to train LEO/Spec Ops etc and also on pullups and ways of use tension to get better at them. He also covered material that included improving power in your punches & kicks by getting rid of energy leakages in the body. All in all it was agreat weekend and just the right amount of suffering. It was great to meet a Chuck & Tom, Jason, George and all the others. A bunch of great guys. And for you big guys, you have no excuse for not doing pullups. Will WIlliams, whom I guess to be about 230-240 and about 6'5 or 6'6 was knocking them down with ease especially after Pavel showed him some tips. Poor guy was the biggest there so everyone use him as the demo guy. It was great watching Steve C. move him around! Thanks John, Dennis, Pavel, Tammy, Nicole & everyone behind the scenes for making it another great course. Each one keeps getting better. Keep up the great work!! Another thanks to John for inviting us to his QiGong class Sunday night. 2 classes lasting about 45 mins each, great stuff. I do feel better today but my legs are still trashed. John reall knows his stuff & I highly recommend his QiGong sets for any interested in it. Off to the airport now Dave Randolph 

In other words, do you do them for low reps or high reps? Thanks, Glenn 

Could any one explain to me what exactly duck walking and dragon walking are? Thanks. 

I recently found out that I have a torn meniscus in my right knee. I have decided to treat it conservatively and avoid any surgery at this point. I wanted to know how I can train around this injury for a few weeks, to let the pain and swelling subside, while still keeping a decent strength and cardio base? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  

i am a patient care assistant at the hospital. i work 40 hours a week (2 days on 1 day off) from 11 pm-8 am. i get plenty of sleep at around 8-9 hours a night, but i just have NO energy. i go to martial arts and am sluggish and tired. i have no motivation to lift weights cause my body is just drained. it's been about 2 months on this shift and i have no problem staying awake at work or sleeping, but i'm just physically drained and always want to sleep. any advice? side note: i tried a schedule of staying awake from 7 pm to 11pm and sleeping from 11pm to 7pm b/c i figured i could lift when there is sunlight outside and this would help, but it didn't.  

Comrade Steve Cotter Very well written and insightfull, the part about application brought back memories about the 1st time i heard the word Bunkai. Very good job. Sincerely Heimdal 

Hello Everyone, This is my first post on this Forum. After getting dumped by the girl I thought I was going to eventually marry, I went on a self-improvment binge of sorts. I've been reasonably athletic for a long time--Western fencing (foil & saber), Filipino martial arts (stick & knife), and a little BJJ (just grappling; no NHB)--but I decided that I needed a different workout approach, so I got myself a 16kg kettlebell and the book and video by Pavel. A friend on mine who's a personal trainer had already working with KBs at the BJJ school he trains at, and he helped me with my form in the swing, clean, & snatch. It was a type of lifting that I was truly unfamiliar with, but I was pleased with how comparatively quickly I picked it up. I have combined kettlebell training with a modified diet, and I have gone from 173lbs (at 5' 7") to 162 lbs, in a matter of two months. I'm stronger too. In addition, I find a good KB workout to be a tremendous antidote to depression (I realize that exercise in general can do this, but KB workouts seem to have a particularly visercal "flavor" to them, that just makes bad thought go away. In fact, the Elizabethan swordsman George Silver's comments on the "exercising of weapons" applies equally well to the Kettlebell, for it: "puts away aches, griefs, and diseases, it increases strength, and sharpens the wits. It gives a perfect judgement, it expels melancholy, choleric and evil conceits, it keeps a man in breath, perfect health, and long life." (George Silver, 1599) One-Arm KB Snatches totally kick my ass, and I like the Under the Leg Pass too. The hip action of the swing/snatch seems to work so many muscle groups. It seems to be very beneficial for other "kinetic chain" movements like the Fencer's Lunge. What I want to know is, since I'm still rather new to KBs, what other exercises would be of most benefit for me, especially in regards to fencing and FMA stickfighting? Again, I'm stronger and more explosive in general, but I don't want to miss anything obvious. Much Obliged, Olde_Cudgeller/David Black Mastro P.S. I want to say "Thank You" to Pavel for introducing me to Kettlebells--it could not have come at a better time for me.  

There is a wealth of truly useful information from one of the best in the business. Steve really delivers!  

It seems like a lot of people dismiss high kicks as more show than function, and I thought you guys might know for certain. I know people use high kicks in things like UFC and Pride, but rarely, and I was wondering how impractical/practical it would be out of the ring. 

It seems like a lot of people dismiss high kicks as more show than function, and I thought you guys might know for certain. I know people use high kicks in things like UFC and Pride, but rarely, and I was wondering how impractical/practical it would be out of the ring. 

John, A while ago a you answered a post about yoga v qigong with the following statement: "It was more satisfying, more entertaining, I felt better, got to move around more, better for energy generation, stronger healing, developed better mobility, spiritually more advanced, more subtle, broader range of applications. Just personal, I have plenty of respect for Yoga. " I was wondering if you could outline for me why you feel qigong is spiritually more advanced? Thank you in advance, Richard. 

Hey Guys, I'm new to K-bells and would like to increase my endurance without gaining any size. How would I go about increasing strength endurance without adding any size? thanks.  

Hey Guys, I'm new to K-bells and would like to increase my endurance without gaining any size. How would I go about increasing strength endurance without adding any size? thanks.  

Hey Guys, I'm new to K-bells and would like to increase my endurance without gaining any size. How would I go about increasing strength endurance without adding any size? thanks.  

I am thinking about signing up for Hsing I seminar when you come to atlanta In addition to the Kettlebell one, but am curious to know what, and how much can be covered in one day. I have never trained in any internal art forms. 

First of all I have to say that I love that article. It along with Naked Warrior has lead to great improvements for me in the pistol. In regards to your trouble shooting section of balance is there any performance tips you can give someone for standing on one leg. I have been focusing on gripping the deck with my toes and pressing my heel through the ground. . Is this what I should be focusing on or are there other techniques. Thanks Craig Vogel