Kettlebell Training for Power Endurance

Push your power endurance training to the next level with this Russian kettlebell routine developed by renowned strength and conditioning coach, and certified Senior Kettlebell Instructor , Steve Maxwell.

 

If you are a competitive grappler or mixed martial artist, you already know that it important to develop endurance, as well as strength. But how?

 

As a combat athlete, not knowing what the different types of endurance are and how to train them, will at best waste a good portion of your training time, and at worst make the difference between winning and losing.

 

At Team Maxercise, I have spent years developing strength and conditioning programs for elite Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Submission Wrestling and MMA competitors. Most of them arrive with the same concept of endurance training; long periods of time devoted to biking, swimming or running. This type of aerobic endurance training would be fine if they were triathletes, but it won’t do much to develop their strength endurance.

 

Strength endurance is anaerobic in nature. It is the ability to repeatedly execute at a high percentage of ones maximum capacity, which is exactly what competitive grappling is all about. Combat competition especially MMA, is incredibly grueling, recruiting every muscle of the body to perform multiple explosive efforts, separated by intervals of holding, over extended periods of time, sometimes as long as 30 minutes.

 

Strength endurance can be broken down into three basic categories: general strength endurance, power strength endurance, and static strength endurance. And since most of my combat athletes arrive for training weakest in the area of power strength endurance, I’ll start there.

 

Power strength endurance is the capacity to perform repeated explosive movements near the level of a single maximal exertion. It is the ability to shoot in for that 20th takedown attempt with the same speed as the 1st one. It is the secret weapon that you need when the match is so close, the judges’ decision will go to the fighter who doesn’t stop. It is the competitive psychological edge that puts you on top during the final seconds of a match as your disheartened opponent realizes that he is getting slower and weaker and you are not.

 

The Russian kettlebell is tailor made for power endurance training, because of its versatility and safety. This double kettlebell circuit has only five exercises, but don’t be fooled. If you can get through it the first time without quitting, mentally you’ve got what it takes to be a champion.

 

This is a timed workout with a one-to-one work-rest ratio. Perform each exercise for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds between exercises. Go at your own pace. Go through the circuit up to 5 times, resting for one minute between circuits.

 

This exercise is 1st because The Double Snatch is the most physically and technically difficult movement. The hip-thrust that is central to the snatch involves primarily the muscles of the hips, lower back and hamstrings. These are the muscles that are central to all explosive body movements. Make sure that your legs are far enough apart that you don’t hit them with the backswing of the bells. Inhale during the backswing and exhale during the upswing. Don’t try to muscle the bells up, the secret to the double snatch is the forceful hip-thrust that is essential to drive the bells upwards.

 

The Double Clean and Push Press uses the arms and shoulders in combination with the hips and thighs in an exercise that is slightly less difficult than the Double Snatch. The Double Clean and Push Press will connect your hips to the shoulders, coordinating forceful leg drive with powerful triceps and shoulders, for explosive strikes.

 

The hip-thrust helps you clean the bells into the rack position and an additional leg-thrust will help you push press the bells up. Breathe during the back-swing and again in the rack position, if needed. If you have to rest for a second or two, do it in either the rack position or fully extended position.

 

I call this one the Thruster and you can see why. Your arms are more tired than your hips and thighs, so I’m letting them rest for a few seconds during each repetition while you squat. I’m also taking the emphasis off your lower back because it’s fairly fatigued by this point, but don’t let it round. Breathe at the bottom of the squat and don’t forget to maintain total body tension. Fire out of the bottom of the squat.

 

I put the Clean and Squat here to let your hips catch up to your triceps and shoulders, which should be screaming for mercy by now. If they aren’t you need heavier kettelbells. Any brief rests should be taken at the top, with the kettlebells in the rack position.

 

I call this movement a finisher. It punishes practically every muscle group in your body equally. Putting it at the end will help develop your general strength endurance.

 

The Deadlift Squat Thrust is a 6-count exercise with a strong abdominal component. Pay special attention to maintaining the abdominal tension necessary to protect your lower back.

 

This kind of power endurance workout is very strenuous. To avoid overtraining, I recommend that you do it only 2 times a week .