American Kettlebell Club Blog

By Catherine Imes 

If you’ve spent any time around me at a competition, certification or workshop, you’ve heard me yell the phrase “Stick the Lockout“.

What does it mean when I say this? In the context of a Jerk, it means that you are not locking out the bell long enough before the drop. It might mean that you are push pressing, i.e. the arm locks out before the legs, or even that you are locking the arm and legs simultaneously and dropping. In the context of the snatch, it means you aren’t fixing the bell overhead in one motion or stopping it.

What are the common reason folks don’t get good lockouts?

1. Ignorance
2. Fast Pace
3. Fatigue
4. Lack of technical skill

Ignorance  You may think you are locking out and you aren’t. Many of us do not have the luxury of training under a watchful eye of an experienced coach on a daily basis. Even though we may train with others, if the coach or individual watching you isn’t adept at recognizing these flaws, you may do 100s or 1000s of reps incorrectly.The remedy is to have you or your coach occasionally submit video to someone who is experienced. I have commonly watched videos of athletes at their request and provided candid feedback on lockouts and of course other technical issues. Most people simply don’t realize that they aren’t doing it correctly.

Fast Pace  If you don’t have a good rack because of body type or flexibility, you may use a different pacing strategy especially with 2 arm Jerks. So, it isn’t uncommon for folks to knock out 5-10 reps, and then rest for a period of time and do it again. Unfortunately, this strategy can lead to sloppiness because reps aren’t always treated as “individual” units. I’ve done it this way and I know. If I  did 5 reps in 30 seconds on the Jerk, I thought 5 reps….not one rep at a time.  This pacing strategy may work for some who cannot rest in the rack. However, you need to change the way you think about reps. Yes, you may do 5 reps and then rest. But, pause long enough so that you still take each rep one at a time.   With the snatch, knocking out mindless reps may make one totally unaware of whether they are really fixing the bell.  If you’re snatching to 10′oclock, you are not fixing the bell overhead.  You really shouldn’t even bother with snatches; those aren’t snatches.  Swings would probably be easier on your hands and give you the same benefits.

Fatigue  This is an obvious one.  Many of us have gotten a no count for lockouts in the late stages of a set.  The cure for this is basically more time under the bells and conditioning.  Fatigue will cause technical issues.  That’s why it is important to remain mindful of pace and technique and fall back to technique when you are tired.

Lack of technical Skill  This is probably the biggest reason for many. Crisp lockouts are really demonstrative of high skill in the lifts and not a necessity for a legal lockout. It requires athleticism and coordination.  I’m amazed at the folks that overlook this.  Fedor Fuglev is stopping the 24kg bell on a dime in the right spot everytime at a blazing 27rpm pace in the snatch.  Valery Fedorenko can make his lockouts on all lifts look the same regardless of whether he is using an 8kg or a 60kg. 

The ability to stop a snatch on a dime and have it land in the right spot in your hand requires coordination.  You are stabilizing a moving weight!  Great lockouts in the jerk require precision in power and timing of tension so that the bells are fixed in the optimal spot.  You are demonstrating that you know how much power to apply to the first bump and how fast you need to drop under the bells to get your arms into the position for lockout.

Let’s say you have a problem locking out, let alone having a great lockout in either lift.  The inability to lockout is usually symptom of a technical problem. Examples of technical problems that could lead to shoddy lockouts in the jerk:  Disconnecting the hips and the elbows so that power is leaked on the first bump.  Not dropping under the bells quick enough on the second dip.  These are just a few problems that may cause you to push press or to move the bells in a position overhead where they may not be in a position that would be well supported by the skeletal system..

Examples of problems that could lead to shoddy lockouts on the snatch:  Not dropping the bell correctly from lockout. This problem is actually cyclical.  If you don’t get a good lockout, then chances are the drop will also be bad and the problem will perpetuate itself.  A poorly landed lockout on the snatch could be the result of poor timing in terms of the hip pop.  If the bell is not moving fast enough, it will not go to the spot you want.  The poor lockout may also be the result of not being aggressive enough in stopping the bell overhead.  Some people are too relaxed in this position and so they don’t fix the bell in one motion. 

Keep working technique issues. If you have access to a good coach, work with them. If working alone, pace  yourself. Pause when the bell is fixed overhead. Evaluate the position of the bell. Do you feel like you could stand there all day or after 5 seconds is it really difficult? Are your shoulders fatigued? If so, chances are that you are not locking out well. If Jerks are done correctly, you should feel little muscular fatigue in your shoulders. 

Keep working the one arm jerk!!!  If you can’t lockout a one arm jerk, you won’t be able to lockout a jerk with 2 bells and I doubt very seriously that your snatch lockout will be anything spectacular.  I’ve said before that the One Arm Jerk is the assistance exercise that I credit with improving my snatch even more-so than the swing.

We should all strive for great lockouts.  If we don’t, we are missing out on the benefits of the process; The process that will improve our flexibility, joints, and athleticism.

A great lockout is a defining symbol to a great repetition.  A bad lockout or non-lockout  is typically a symptom of a problem with an ill-performed repetition and low skill.

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-Catherine Imes is an AKC Coach and the first Master of Sport from America. She is also Women’s Team Captain for Team America, and is a Champion Kettlebell Lifter with several years competition experience, having placed Nationally and Internationally among the best in the World. She can be reached from her website www.catherineimes.com for Coaching, Workshops or Kettlebell Fitness.  Catherine is now a WKC Master Trainer and authorized to License new WKC Fitness Trainers. Please contact worldkettlebellclub@gmail.com to schedule a Course with her.

Have you heard about the new Master Trainer Program implemented by World Kettlebell Club and Valery Fedorenko? A select few who have shown exceptional teaching ability in the high level techniques introduced by Valery, are now responsible for Licensing new WKC Fitness Trainers in what is now the most sought after Kettlebell Fitness Protocol in the Industry. This MT Program has already been running successfully for a few months, but now we need to announce some of the Master Trainers publicly so you can get on their schedules ASAP. As you may or may not know, the Fitness Course is a Pre-Requisite for the Coach Certification overseen by Coach Fedorenko. If you want to come to any of these Coach Certifications, you absolutely MUST pass your Fitness License first!

KETTLEBELL LIFTING COACH CERTIFICATIONS 

San Diego / June 6-7

New York / June 20-21

Denver / September 5-6

Ann Arbor / September 19-20

Cincinnati / November 14-15

 

The Master Trainers are located throughout the world and conducted Courses in different venues or in their own gyms. If you don’t know a WKC Master Trainer, write to WorldKettlebellClub@gmail.com and request one speak with you. Congratulations to these new Master Trainers! Your hard work has really paid off and we are proud to have you part of the WKC Team! 

MASTER TRAINERS 

Mike Stefano

Catherine Imes

Gregor Sobocan

Steven Khuong

Maya Garcia-Khuong

Skip Chase

Jon Hoskins

Scott Shetler

Eric St-Onge

Chris Hoffmann

Ken Love

Eric McCarty

Chris Duffey

More MT’s to be announced soon… 

ALSO! We are so excited to announce our newest designation. Our first ever MASTER COACH Title! What does it mean to be a Master Coach? It’s an honored position, attained only by merit in the Sport of Kettlebell Lifting, and an appointment by the Chief Advisor of World Kettlebell Club, Valery Fedorenko. How can a Coach be considered for Master Coach status? First and foremost, a Coach who brings a Master of Sport in Kettlebell Lifting is considered. Also, an Athlete who is a WKC Coach and who attains Master of Sport is also considered for Master Coach Title. It is with great honor and respect that Chief Advisor Valery Fedorenko appoints these outstanding people as Master Coaches! 

MASTER COACHES 

Catherine Imes

Marty Farrell

Kelly Moore

Mike Stefano

Ashley Hughes

Scott Helsley

Kevin Jodrey

Bonnie Mullaney 

 

Sincerely,

WKC STAFF

I can offer no simple explanation for this.  Suffice it to say that ever since I found out that the Pro-Grade AKC bells were hollow I have been obsessed with finding ways to make them heavier.  For the better part of a year I dabbled with melting lead and pouring it into bells.  The result of all this mischief was a moderately annoyed wife, a patio with shiny silver spots, a pair of 36kg bells, a 45kg bell and a 51kg bell.  It is important to point out that this type of experimentation can be risky.  I think that is obvious based on the fact that you are dealing with liquid at a temperature in excess of 600 degrees.  Fortunately I didn’t get burned…much.  Also I know for a fact that the AKC is not too fond of people modifying their bells.  It will void the warranty of course and currently they offer size options all the way up to 48kg.  So whatever size you are looking for they have got you covered.  It wasn’t always like this though so a few pioneers (like me) had to improvise.  Seriously, messing with this stuff can be dangerous and I do not recommend it. Anyhow, when I found out that a regulation size bell was brought up to 60kg and was in the protective custody of the AKC, well lets just say I was intrigued.  How did they do this?  What did they use?  Where could I get some?  Could I surpass this feat?  I wondered for a long time about this but I didn’t do anything about it until inspiration came from an unlikely source.  That source as it turns out was my previously annoyed wife.  A friend of ours is in the metal recycling business and my better half said one day “you should ask him if he can get you any yellow cake”.  (We will call this massive mystery substance, yellow cake.)  Unlike the cake you buy at the store though, this cake is expensive.  Turns out my buddy had some cake but at the last minute he sold it out from under me.  No worries, as a comparison shopper I found it cheaper from someone else anyway.  After a few nights of smashing, welding, melting and painting it was done.  I had myself a 61kg bell in regulation size.  This was the heaviest in the world (at the time).  I was feeling pretty smug.  I put it up on my blog.  I even made some t-shirts for anyone who could get it overhead.  I still have a few left too.  I thought that was that.  Then I told Eric Liford about this and he was interested.  He asked me if I could make a heavier one as he wanted to surprise Valery with it at the Arnold Classic.  I figured I learned a thing or two from my previous adventure and I was confident I could beat it. 

Eric sent me a couple of bells and some funds and I sourced some more yellow cake.  Being the total rock star that I am, I figured this would be a slam-dunk.  I loaded it up and in what seemed like no time I was done.  (For some reason time moves quickly during this process, maybe it is a side effect of inhaling vaporized lead).  I figured I had my previous result beat but when I weighed it I had another 61!  I immediately recognized the significance of this. This is an example of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. I now had a pair of the heaviest competition size bells in the world!  I still have them too.  I told Eric about this minor failure and he said try again.  We really wanted to get to 65kg but we also came to the conclusion that 64 would be better as these bells were often referred to in poods which are an old Russian measurement of mass.  One pood rounded to the nearest kg is 16kgs.  Thus 64 kg would represent 4 pood.  For this project I got some nice yellow cake that was denser but more difficult to work with.  I strategically placed the pieces in the bell to get maximum mass.  I ran the calcs a few times and said a prayer.  It was a good melt and things went well.  We got it to 63.8 kg on one scale and about 64 on another so we made it.  A new world record!  There was not a bit of empty space in that bell I can assure you. The monster got painted up nice and pretty for the Coach and it made the trip to the Arnold.  Let me tell you, securing this thing in the car was no small feat.  Getting it up out of my basement wasn’t fun either.  I also brought one of my 61s as the AKC had their 60kg bell there.  I want to see if anyone out there can clean a pair of 61s (or a 60 and a 61) and put them overhead.  Some strong men have tried so far, including the best that the Arnold had to offer.  All failed.  Everyone had a good time with the 64.  Especially Coach Fedorenko.  I figured this was the end.  My wife threatened me with divorce if I ever make another.  Something about the hammering of yellow cake at all hours of the night really bothered her.  Women can be so capricious at times.  Anyway, as I was getting ready to leave the Arnold, coach said something that gave me pause.  “Do you think you can make heavier bell?”  I don’t know, can I?  To quote the Godfather:  “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in”.
 

Scott Helsley is an AKC coach living in Erie, PA.  He achieved Master of Sport in Long Cycle in November 2008.  When he is not lifting kettlebells or scheming of ways to make them heavier, he works as an Anesthesiologist.  You can always see what he’s up to by checking out his Rational Fitness blog.  blog.rationalfitnesspractice.com  By the way there really is nothing rational about making these monster bells, more like insanity.