Russian coach, Andrey Kozhurkin, made an observation on the two diametrically opposed philosophies of stimulating adaptation. The traditional one is pushing to the limit: “What does not kill me, makes me stronger.” The alternative is to train to “avoid (or at least delay) the unfavorable internal conditions… that lead to failure,” or reduced performance. […]
Co-authored by Ryan Toshner The TSC is StrongFirst’s bi-annual strength challenge, where participants put their training pedal to the competition metal. Judged on performance while adhering to solid lifting technique, the upcoming TSC is the perfect opportunity to focus your training on new goals—learning to lift, beating a previous personal best, or ascending the podium. …
Avoid Common Deadlift, Pull-Up, and Snatch Mistakes to Own your TSC Read More »
“Music is the silence between the notes.” Claude Debussy Like a bar of music, a kettlebell swing has points we aim to hit on different beats. The difference between a messy, choppy swing and one that is powerful and graceful, lies in its rhythm. When looking at a swing or other ballistic drills, it can …
“Hindsight is 20/20” Typically reserved for situations where we look back with greater clarity than we had at the time, this oft-used saying might have special meaning in the year 2020. Yes, the year of ‘perfect vision’ is upon us. So, let us see if we can use our hindsight on 2019 and look forward …
Our most recent program at Queensland Kettlebells has included a lot of floor presses, with good reason. If you haven’t encountered the floor press before, think of it as a bench press performed on the ground. Although the two lifts are similar, the floor press requires a few technical adjustments and also offers some new …
Angles and Arches—Using the Floor to Strengthen Your Press Read More »
“Time is the school in which we learn, time is the fire in which we all burn.”—Delmore Schwartz Density Training Eighteen years ago, when I began my kettlebell journey, I also started relying on the clock to manage my training. Specific work-to-rest ratios were my foundation. When renowned wrestling and strength coach Ethan Reeve posted …
The Timeless Solution for Swings, Snatches, and More Read More »
The Tactical Strength Challenge—StrongFirst’s strength triathlon—happens twice each year, with hundreds of participants, and in facilities across the globe. Each year’s opening event is community-focused, where we highlight charities served, outstanding personal achievements, new participants, remarkable stories, and other matters that can’t be reflected by numbers alone. The second event—the Competition Edition—which recently happened on …
An interview with Cole Summers. If you were to ever mention the name Cole Summers to anyone involved in Canadian track, hockey, or rugby, you’d most likely get a knowing nod and a smile in return. The title of ‘legend’ is overused in sports, but in Cole’s case, it’s valid. Writing out his entire resume …
You’re Part of Our Family: Cole Summers on Building a Legacy in Coaching and Life Read More »
We are proud to officially present Kettlebell Simple & Sinister: Revised and Updated Edition, or simply S&S 2.0. Time is a man’s best friend if he makes good use of it and a man’s worst enemy if he lets it run him. Most people who live by the clock are miserable sorts of critters. But …
Lift No Faster Than You Can Talk: An Excerpt from S&S 2.0 Read More »
If you’ve ever encountered StrongFirst Certified Team Leader Jimmy Yuan at a certification or event, you’ll probably remember him as the good-natured joker whose wicked sense of humor livens up any room he walks into. This belies the fact that Jimmy is also a highly dedicated professional who is not only a fully qualified chiropractor, …
Swinging for the Fences and Driving the Greens—Training Baseball and Golf Pros Read More »