Question: I’ve read Project Kratos and it’s well written with photo, progression, workout, etc., everything I need but I have a question: I want to work on my power and speed with kettlebells. How can I do the two together, kettlebells and high intensity training?
Answer: The stronger you are the more force your muscles can produce the faster you will be able to accelerate (speed) during other activities and the more work you can perform over time (power). Any type of training that makes you stronger will improve your speed and power, regardless of the speed of movement used during exercise.
To hold a weight motionless or lift it at a constant velocity requires you to produce a force equal to the pull of gravity on the weight. However, unless you are performing isometrics, your velocity will not be constant. It will be zero at the start and end of the movement and you will accelerate positively and negatively in between. You have to produce more force to accelerate a weight positively than to hold it motionless or lift it at a constant velocity. The more force you are capable of producing, the faster you will be able to positively accelerate the weight.
For example, if the most weight you can lift for an exercise one time is one hundred pounds, you are only capable of producing slightly more force than this and you will not be able to lift it very quickly. If you increase your strength so you are able to lift two hundred pounds, the amount of force you are capable of producing will be much higher, and you will be able to positively accelerate one hundred pounds relatively quickly.
How quickly you are able to generate the maximum force you are capable of, your rate of force development (ROFD) is also a factor, but you don’t have to lift fast to improve this either. If you perform an exercise to the point of momentary muscular failure you will not be capable of moving quickly during the last few repetitions, but as long as you are attempting to move as fast as possible at this point, even if your actual speed is quite low as long as your intended speed is high, your ROFD will improve (1).
If you want to maximize your speed and power in a specific movement like the boxing jab or cross, or kicking or throwing a ball, you must practice performing that movement quickly once you have learned the correct mechanics. However, there is little or no transfer of skill from exercise movements to other movements even if they bear a superficial resemblance, and exercise movements using even moderate loads can not be performed at anywhere near the speed you are capable of during movements not performed with weights, and no benefit to attempting to mimic a non-exercise skill during exercise in terms of improved speed and power.
While any type of training that makes you stronger will improve your speed and power, not every type of training is equally effective and safe for building strength. While you can get stronger using kettlebells, since the swinging movements are done quickly with a high rate of acceleration, usually for high repetitions, they carry a higher risk of acute and overuse injuries. Many popular kettlebell exercises like swings, Turkish get-ups, Russian twists, cleans, and snatches do not load any particular muscle group very efficiently, and since their center of gravity is outside of the handle they are inferior to dumbbells or a barbell for many conventional exercises (exceptions include exercises like stiff-leg deadlifts, bent-over rows and shrugs which involve pulling the weight straight up).
Any muscle group you can train with a kettlebell exercise can be trained more safely and effectively with conventional exercises, using bodyweight, free weights, or machines. If you are following the Project Kratos bodyweight high intensity training program or any conventional high intensity training program using free weights or machines you will improve your speed and power as much as you are physically capable of.
References:
1. Increased rate of force development and neural drive of human skeletal muscle following resistance training. Per Aagaard, Erik B. Simonsen, Jesper L. Andersen, Peter Magnusson,Poul Dyhre-Poulsen. Journal of Applied PhysiologyOct 2002,93(4)1318-1326;DOI:10.1152/japplphysiol.00283.2002
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Hi Drew,
I was reading your last 2 posts, the one about crossfit and this one, in which you mention that for one to get faster they have to get stronger. Well you know what I couldn’t agree more. I was a competitive swimmer for 15 yrs of my life and when I first started competition I did not have access to weights or should I say I could not afford it. However I had a section in my garden in Mauritius(that’s where I’m from), where I could do pull ups, push ups and squats. All with just bodyweight, well guess what happened as I got stronger, I got much faster. I must say I was really surprised that I was able to shave couple of seconds just from including these exercises in my training.
Obviously I don’t swim anymore now I’m 37 yrs old, but I still have better cardio than a lot of people who spend their gym sessions on the treadmill or doing other so called cardio activities and I just do weight training (mainly HIT/HD)
So yes to get faster you just have to get stronger and as you said this can be done efficiently and safely by proper weight training exercises.
Hey Alvin,
This is a great example of how strength can improve speed in athletics, and also how effective basic bodyweight exercises can be when done correctly. If more people understood this a lot less time would be wasted on inefficient or counterproductive methods and a lot fewer people would be injured by their training.
There is a youtube clip of Pavel citing some norwegian research, where heavy squatting significantly helped the times of long distance runners.
I think this depends on the degree of the endurance/distance involved, as the extreme adaptation for marathons, etc is pretty precise, ito exactly how much muscle is required for these events. But the cite was interesting nonetheless.
Hey Angst,
This isn’t surprising. The stronger you are, the less relative effort required to perform a movement, the faster or longer you can do it.
Drew,
Makes eminent sense.
I think people don’t get the premises of HIT bec they are still wrapped up in Muscle = slow, bulky, and that there is some magic potion or strategy, quite fomented by the likes of Crossfit, Pavel, Insanity, etc.
Ultimately there IS an “adaptive optimum” between raw strength and athletic performance, probably largely due to time constraints of balancing the neuro-muscular with the muscular.
But even THIS is moot, probably, for the Avg Joe, whose time for exercise/training each day is measured in minutes, not hours.
” and since their center of gravity is outside of the handle they are inferior to dumbbells or a barbell for many conventional exercises ”
BRAVO!!
FINALLY someone tells it like it is!
Aside from my own rantings/ravings on kb’s in various places, I don’t think I’ve EVER heard anyone echo these sentiments about kb’s… to do so is almost like dissing Bruce Lee, or The Pope.
Ross Enamait (Rosstraining.com) tries to “keep the peace” between kettlebellers and non-kettlebellers, but it’s pretty clear he uses db’s 95% of the time. The other 5% is peace-keeping. 🙂
Methinks kettlebells are sold with Koolaid.
And, I wouldn’t even make the concession for the exceptions you listed. Seems to me db’s are as good or better for those, as well, but I spose kbs must be good for something?? :).
Listening to girevoys exalt their precious kbs is very much like listening to crossfitters brag about rhabdo. And listening to the LOGIC of these characters makes you wonder what they are teaching in HS.
I was always taught and led to believe that speed is more of a component of skill where the muscle firing learned to respond at a faster rate. Clearly strength plays a critical role to be able to move the body/part from position A to B in less time but there is also a learning/adaptation process thru neuro-muscular training. The speed comes from the action where the muscle turns on and off at a faster rate.
Bay,
Many factors influence your speed in different movements. Strength influences speed in a general way. The stronger your muscles are the more force they can produce the faster you are able to accelerate in any movement. Skill influences speed in a specific way, by allowing the muscles to perform a movement in the most efficient manner possible, eliminating wasted motion and saving energy. A proper strength training program will produce improvements in functional ability which are general, and affect every physical activity performed. Skill, however, requires specific practice, and the skill of moving quickly during exercise does not transfer to other activities.
If you want to do be able to maximize your speed in some activity, you must improve both your strength and your skill, but these require separate activities; exercise for strength, and practice for skill. If you try to combine the two, for example, by mimicking sport movements with a weight, you end up with something that is relatively poor for both purposes.
Interesting post and nice example with Alvin. Thanks both 🙂
This question seems to come up over and over. People just simply cannot get over the idea that moving a weight quickly will build this elusive sports thing called “explosiveness” in the “fast twitch fibers”. Olympic lifting for sports, kettlebells, plyometrics, crossfit, etc … The weird thing is that you see office workers and school teachers training this way. Even if this nonsense did build “explosiveness”, what is a bookkeeper or sales rep going to do with it? I saw a school teacher who was probably 6’3″ and 170 lbs, approx. age 35 receive a 40 minute lesson on power cleans. That was one of the more pointless things I have ever seen. What could his goals possibly have been???
While the superstitions about these fast movements against resistance are much discussed, there’s an element to it that I don’t think gets much attention. It’s related to why a lot of people load up on cardio. As weird as it sounds, I think they are afraid of getting “too big”. They fear ending up looking like Ronnie Coleman, so they pick some physical attribute other than muscle size to shoot for. “Explosiveness” or “cardio conditioning” are common, especially among women, but the “explosive” thing is big with men.
I’ll start believing that “explosiveness” is a real and unique physical attribute the second I’m shown someone who gets more “explosive”, but not stronger, or vice versa. Oh, and those who are afraid of getting too muscular, go ahead and try. Give it your best drug-free shot for a year. If you don’t want to get too big, simply refrain from drug use. Or you could make excuses for your lack of gains by saying things like “yeah, but I’m training more for explosiveness”.
Thank you for continuing to fight the good fight, Drew. You seem tireless, but stupidity never rests between its multiple sets.
Hey Dan,
I laugh whenever someone tells me they “don’t want to get too big”. If only it were that easy for genetically-average, drug-free trainees.
A lot of different things people think they’re training for all come down to just getting stronger. Speed, power, “explosiveness”, local muscular endurance, etc. all improve with strength.
“Don’t want to get too big”. I had to chuckle as well when I read this. I’ve heard guys and girls say this before. I personally have to be careful if I lift for a couple of months consistently I can accidentally blow up to about 350 lbs. of rock solid muscle. It’s a tough thing to deal with so i have to be careful, lol.
Seriously though enjoyed the article as usual Drew. I’ve been enjoying Project Kratos as well Sir. Lots of great information to apply to body weight exercises as well as free weights and machines.
I can believe that, as for example the English long distance runner Mo Farah improved his running finish by just doing bodyweight exercises. That’s all his coach did differently for him to win in the Olympics in London, as he was apparently very weak in terms of muscular strength.
“I laugh whenever someone tells me they “don’t want to get too big”. If only it were that easy for genetically-average, drug-free trainees.”
Hah, exactly! I totally agree, because I want to get bigger after I get lean. No more traditional bulking, I got so much fat before. I really hope it would be easier to get big while staying lean, and yes I’m genetically-average at least in my opinion. But on the other hand, it wouldn’t be so challenging and thus “fun” to improve yourself.
Off-topic Q:
About dieting and getting lean. I’m trying to find a balanced calorie-deficit during the week, so I have to ask: How low can your weight go before it comes unhealthy?
You answered me before about calorie amount, and said that I should restrict calories as much as I can without losing muscle – or at least without losing to much muscle, I get that. But, I’m keeping track on my weight, of course, and I’m having this feeling that am I going to low. I’m pretty tall, around 185-188 cm (I don’t remember exactly and there is some variation between measurements and it’s been a long time since I measured my height) and I weigh about 82kg at the moment.
I really want to get rid this fat around my waist. Not that much, but still. My body fat has gone down pretty thus far: most progress on my delts, upper back, thighs, calves and in some degree abs too. Waist is a major disappointment.
I guess it’s not good for me to go lower 77-79 kg’s.
Chief,
While a certain amount of body fat is essential I don’t think going too low is a problem for most males, as you would probably have to be in the low single digits before it became a problem (females can experience amenorrhea if their body fat is too low, however).
As your body fat goes down your abs will gradually come out, but in men the abs and glutes are usually the most “stubborn” areas and take the longest to get really lean. You just have to be consistent with your training and diet, and patient.
in my opinion, getting stronger through high intensity weight training will enable the individual to be stronger and faster in the sports or activities they enjoy. I am a golfer and I do not use weighted clubs to practice with, nor have I ever seen a baseball player use a extremely heavy baseball to throw the ball faster. I have seen too many amateurs fall to injuries from swinging kettlebells or climbing ropes. it is amazing to me to see personal trainers put out of shape people thru the training programs that they do, especially seniors. just my two cents worth
Kettlebells are like Olympic Lifting. If you are a kettlebell Sport practitioner, use kettlebells. I you comptete in Olympic Lifting, Snatches and Clean and Jerk and the assistance exercises will make up the bulk of your training.
If you are not involved in these sports, they are very inefficient ways to build muscle, gain strength, rehab injury or “get in shape”.
The first rule of strength training should be, just like in the Hippocratic oath, “First do no harm….”
Hey Andy,
Absolutely. When you can get the same positive results with many different methods you should always choose the one with the greatest ratio of benefit to risk.
I’ve noticed that kettlebells allow for a slightly greater range of motion with unilateral dumbbell rows than dumbbells (since the weights on dumbbells come into contact with my chest before I hit the peak contraction).
Zidan,
This is only a problem with dumbbells if you are pulling your elbow back and up in the sagittal plane, rather than with your shoulder abducted around 30 to 45 degrees. Also, if you are keeping your shoulders low enough a kettlebell will not allow for full range of motion since the weight sits several inches below your hands, while most dumbbells will allow you to go all the way to the start point without touching the ground.
Drew,
I was wondering what recommendation you could make for a home gym. I was looking at a powertec lever gym as it seems I could train to failure without a spotter safely. I have been using dumbbells, barbells, and a trap bar along with a chin/dip tower. Do you think a powertec is a good choice or is there something better. Thanks for all your help.
Hey Doug,
I’ve tried the PowerTec lever gym but it was a long time ago and I don’t remember what things I specifically liked or disliked about it. A good power rack would cost the same or less, take up less space, and be a lot more versatile.