WAKSC Cali Open/ World Championships KB Competition

If you didn't know, last weekend I got to compete in my second kettlebell competition. But honestly, I don't know how you wouldn't have known cause i was talking about it nonstop. Like,  an obnoxious amount. (No regrets, but i know that I was talking about it a lot).

I competed in long cycle (for the first time with double bells) and snatch. All 12 kg bells. 

Training was with my badass and super amazing coach Brittany (@kbfitbritt) at Kor Strength and Conditioning (@mykorstrength). Literally couldn't have done it without them. If you're wanting to get into KB Sport, definitely shoot Britt a message cause she's awesome. 

So my goals this time around were: 

Long Cycle - Finishing the full 10 mins, over 70 reps 

Snatch - over 200 reps 

Long Cycle: 

Set: Finished with 75 reps! Had a few ugly reps but I found a pretty decent rhythm throughout the set and I was able to push myself the last minute! 

Long Cycle takes a pretty good amount of cardio & I feel pretty solid on my cardio. Definitely was feeling fatigue in that last couple of minutes (longest I had gone with 2x12kg was 8 mins) but my thought process is, if I can convince myself to run for 2 hours, I can convince myself to keep lifting for however more minutes ! :) 

Long Cycle was also great because I had Britt there the whole time coaching me through it, and even though I definitely zone out during my sets, I definitely appreciated having her there reminding me to keep my form and head straight throughout the set.

Results: 
Rank 1, Overall 2 

Snatch: 

Set: finished with a whopping 229 reps!!!!!! 

Absolutely destroyed my goal and I was/am SO proud of myself! It was the best  set of kettlebell lifting that i have ever had. I went in with a goal, and i was absolutely determined to beat that goal. I pushed myself really hard and I felt really strong throughout the set. I was wayyy more nervous for this set than I was for the Long Cycle set because I had set such high expectations for myself. But with my training, and the support of my team (if you watch the video you can hear them, mostly marian ( <3 @marianjhart) dan (@musclehipster) and JJ) cheering and yelling throughout the set) I hit and exceeded my goal. shout out to JJ for filming this set (@jjsavestheday) 

one of the best parts of that video is after the set... the counter couldn't keep up with me, so I thought I had hit 212... but then he came up and showed me the official count which was the 229 and you can see my eyes double in size.

So proud of that set. 

Rank 1, Overall 1. 

(beat second place by about 50 reps!) 

Overall, this was SUCH a fun weekend. 

Beyond my own sets, my team did awesome and I got to watch my friends hit their goals and lift crazy weights and I love it. I love getting to see people be successful in their sets. One of the best parts of kettlebell sport is how supportive everyone is and everyone is rooting for each other. It is such a cool environment to be in. AND I got to meet SO MANY cool people that I have been following on IG and I got to see SO MANY badass people lift. I got the opportunity to see some of the best lifters in the world compete which was so cool and so inspiring. Legitimately gets me so excited to keep pushing myself to get better for the next one.

If you have questions about Kettlebell Sport, leave'em in the comments below! Or send me a message on instagram and/or facebook page!  If you want to start training for something you're excited about and need some guidance... send me a message or check out my program packages! 

Kettlebell Training to Prevent Shoulder & Back Injury

By Kettlebell Kings

Kettlebell Training to Prevent Shoulder and Back Injury

Working out with kettlebells, whether it’s for sport or fitness can help increase strength and endurance, as well as decrease your chances of serious injury. Many kettlebell workout routines are full-body focused, and your entire body is being forced to move and stabilize muscle groups throughout the exercise. This strengthens the body and prevents future damage. The shoulders and back are especially vulnerable to injury when performing high-impact, weight-heavy workouts. Several kettlebell exercises can be done regularly during warm up to prevent back and shoulder injuries by building up and increasing the mobility of these areas.

Kettlebell Exercises to Prevent Shoulder Injury

When it comes to the shoulder, your rotator cuff is mostly to blame for muscle weakness and imbalance during exercise. The rotator cuff consists of four muscles tied together with the vital job of holding the ball and socket joint in place, allowing for mobility of your arm. Many exercises fire up the shoulder muscle and help increase stability and range of motion without irritating the rotator cuff.

The Kettlebell Swing – This exercise isn’t an apparent shoulder-specific movement since it is a full-body movement. However, it is an essential exercise for stabilization of your shoulder muscles. To execute, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, back arched somewhat and bend at the hips, forcing the kettlebell back and behind your legs. As you swing upward, thrust your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to propel the kettlebell up and away from your body. As you swing the kettlebell upward and as it falls downward, the rotator cuff muscles must contract to hold your shoulder in place, building strength and preventing future injury. Warm up with this exercise using a lighter weight, performing three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions to activate the shoulder muscles before a strenuous workout.

The Halo – Unlike the full-body motion of the kettlebell swing, this exercise focuses primarily on the muscles within your shoulders and is less cardio intensive. To perform this move, hold the kettlebell by the outer edges of the handle, pointing it toward the ceiling as you rotate the kettlebell in a circular motion around your head. This not only works the rotator cuff but the pectorals of the chest, deltoids of the shoulders and triceps located in the back of the arm. It is also an excellent way to warm-up the core muscles that are integral to any exercise routine. Warming up with three sets of 10-15 halo movements before a workout can keep your entire shoulder complex safe from injury.

Kettlebell Exercises to Prevent Back Injury

According to Physical Therapy Web, an estimated 80% of Americans will experience some type of back pain during their lifetime. This number could be substantially decreased if the general population would adopt a regular training program that includes kettlebell movements focusing on strengthening the back and spine. If the muscles surrounding your back are weak, it will compensate for the inadequate muscle strength, potentially causing injury such as a muscle pull or worse, a herniated disc. For example, if your glutes aren’t activated during a goblet squat, you will be more likely to use your lower back to lift the weight, increasing the potential for permanent damage. To ensure your glutes are firing it is also important to stretch your hip flexor muscles. Many exercises focus on these areas, improving their strength and allowing for less strain on the lower back.

The Kettlebell Snatch – This exercise is an excellent example of a movement that strengthens your glute muscles and opens up your hip flexors to protect your lower back. Unlike other exercises, it is a complex, full-body movement that should be mastered before executed. As you would in a kettlebell swing, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, back slightly arched and knees bent. Unlike the swing, you will only place one hand in an overhand grip position on the kettlebell. Using your hips and glutes, swing the kettlebell upward, keeping your elbow pointing outward as you pull the kettlebell slightly closer to your body and let the momentum drive it upwards. Unwind your hand and let the kettlebell fall downward, hinging at the hips and bending the knees as it approaches the bottom of the movement. Again, this is an advanced movement that works the shoulders, as well as the mid and upper back. After you have conquered the kettlebell swing, feel free to tackle this exercise using correct posture. By strengthening the muscles surrounding the back, you will be preventing injury and enhancing full-body strength. Warm up with this activity by doing three sets of 10-12 reps with low weight on each arm.

The Renegade Row – This not only builds strength in the upper back and shoulder complex, but it also requires stability of the core. This exercise will require two kettlebells of equal weight. Gripping the handles of the kettlebells, get in a pushup position, pushing off of the kettlebells to straighten both arms. Stabilizing your core, drive into the ground with your left foot and pull the kettlebell toward you with your right hand, lower the kettlebell and repeat on the other side. Maintaining core strength throughout this entire exercise will require squeezing and therefore strengthening of your upper back muscles. Using light weight, warm up with this exercise doing three sets of 10-12 repetitions on each arm.

It is important to note that you should never perform a kettlebell exercise if you feel pain or discomfort, especially when you are recovering from an injury. These exercises are only intended for advice concerning prevention, and a licensed physical therapist is always the best option for rehabilitation of particular muscle groups within the shoulder and back.

For more information regarding kettlebell workouts for injury prevention, as well as routines that you can perform in the gym or at home, check out our website at http://www.kettlebellkings.com/or call 855-7KETTLE for more information. We sell the most reasonably priced, high-quality products and come highly recommended by kettlebell sport athletes and regular gym goers and owners. We care about getting you the right product to increase your strength, stamina, and cardiovascular health to prevent unwanted muscular and joint injuries. We publish more helpful information about how to train with kettlebells on our blog as well!

my first kettlebell competiton!

if you follow me on any of my social media (which i am gonna assume you do if you are reading this) you'll know that this weekend was my first kettlebell competition! it was SO MUCH fun and now I am so ready to do another one (once my hand is all healed up, tbh)! 

this post is basically gonna be a wrap up of my sets and how i feel about them. also i need somewhere to post all the great pictures and videos I got from it.  

all my prep for deck the bells came from my bad ass coach, Brittany van Schravendijk (i am so hoping I spelt that correctly), also known as @kbfitbritt and I did most of my actual kettlebell sport workouts at Kor Strength and Conditioning in North Park. 

All of the following pictures and videos are taken by my awesome boyfriend Colt Magana. Video is on a GoPro Hero 5 Session, pictures on a Google Pixel 2! 

Snatch Set! 

10 mins, with a 12kg bell! 

This is the event that I was really training for over the past 5 months. 

My goal was 200 reps (I hit 198! :) ) 

below is the full video if you want to watch me swing a bell for 10 mins straight 

I am outrageously proud of myself for this set, because it was my first ever competition set. I was straight up shaking when i got up to the platform... and probably throughout my first few minutes too...and maybe after. (i'm only kinda joking there)

i don't think i thought throughout this set anything other than, "breathe" and "OK" to my coach's cues. i was concerned that i was going to slip into some sort of negative self talk, but we did go through a lot of mental prep with Britt, so I had plans on plans so I wouldn't do that. and the plan A mental game plan went great. and because I had SO much adrenaline going it knocked out my cough that i has been fighting off for the last week and a half. (woo!) 

most helpful, was the cues from my coach and teammates. SO appreciated that. and by the last minute I was able to rep it out really fast that last minute. I think I hit like 25 reps that last minute which is pretty solid for me. And then I hit 198 reps! Which is a PR for myself! 

onto my One Arm Long Cycle! (clean & jerk)  12kg, for 5 mins. I hit 59 reps! First in my flight, and 3rd overall! 

Not something I really trained for as much as snatch. I did practice clean and jerk a lot on my own, with hardstyle bells more so than comp bells, but it clearly translated pretty well! 

this one I had an audience outside of my team and Colt cause my friend Josh and his lovely ladyfriend Ashley came and watched me! :) 

here is the whole set for your viewing pleasure: 

I didn't have as much coaching in this event, but i felt really solid throughout it, and it was 5 minutes, and I felt really good during the set. Long cycle is just a lot of breathing, so it was just getting into that breathing rhythm and sticking with that. 

so i was and am very happy with how that set went! 

so, all in all, i had a great first comp! i am really proud of how i performed and really excited to do another comp! i learned SO MUCH about kettlebell sport and all the scoring and just little things i didn't know and I got to see amazing lifters do amazing things, which was and is SO inspiring for me to keep on going with this sport! shout out to my awesome team and for all the awesome performances that came out of Deck the Bells! legit, got to see a woman break the world record on 2x20kg long cycle.so amazing. so excited i got to do my first comp in the kettlebell world with my home gym, full of all sorts of great people! 

onto the next! 

if you are interested in following my future kettlebell lifting comps or if you want to kick off your own fitness journey check me out on instagram and facebook and drop me a line!