What Would Kettle Do?

It’s always awesome when Dolby comes to Oaksterdam for a little work and a little fun! We spent a lot of time working on our upcoming workshops in North Carolina and Columbus Ohio and we actually had the time to get some good training in. It is always nice to have the Caveman to throw stuff around with!

On Saturday we went caveman trolling at the Home Depot and came up with the idea to make a strongman log. I have been doing a lot of overhead pressing lately and I really like it. The problem is my hands are at the wrong angle. When I am pressing a barbell my palms are facing forward. When I am locking out my kettles (or trying to) they are at (or should be at) 45 degrees with my palms facing towards each other (not entirely facing each other but you get the idea).

So I have been dreaming of getting a strongman log for pressing because at least the handles are facing in and not facing forward. These logs cost a freakin’ ton so we thought “Caveman see tree, Bigman carry tree home”. So, we started looking.

We went to a few different places before we found a huge post sitting in a bin outside a hardware store in Berkeley. We told the guy we really wanted it but we only needed about 5 feet. He said he couldn’t cut it because his saw blade was not big enough (seriously!) so we asked if he had a handsaw. He started laughing at us but sure enough he had one, a really REALLY small one and gave it to us to use. He actually sat there watching us cut cut cut

Not really, difficult.

We picked up some other accoutrements to make her pretty/keep giant splinters out of our mitts, and we were off.

So this is what we’ve got so far.

It weighs (I’d have to guess) 120lbs or so. I will be drilling out the ends to jam some plate bars in there soon and I need to do something about the handles. Right now it feels like a “bottoms up” log. But whatever, it is still freakin’ awesome!

If anyone has any ideas on where to get some better handles please let me know.

Other than that, I love it. The handles are a little wider than my lockout but as I get more flexible I will move them in.

For now I will store it on top of the squat rack because when I lean it against the wall it looks like a cat scratch post thing. The boys will destroy it

Making this was super fun and I can’t wait to make the next thing which will involve, well, powertools that’s all you’ll get out of me for now because my landlord may be reading this LOL.

Thanks Jason for the awesome weekend of building/lifting/throwing.

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I’ll keep you posted on any alterations!

Kettle,

An Article I wrote for Centro San Ti Magazine

The Rack, it’s not just for resting.

By John Wild Buckley

Recently I was talking with a couple of lifters who are new to the whole Kettlebell Sport game. We were discussing the rack position and one of them said that he needed to sprint his set because he had no rack but his friend didn’t even need a rack because she didn’t need to rest during her set. Personally I have been searching for my rack since I started Kettlebell training in 2004 and I have yet to find a position that is comfortable enough to be considered “rest”. The way that I have learned to cope with the lack of rack is by pacing and slowly building up my endurance so I can complete a whole set without stopping. So far I have only made it about 70% through on my best day. Even though I am making progress there is still a major problem with my approach. The rack is not just for resting.

First, I think it is important to identify what the rack actually is. I like to split it into two parts, the waist up and the waist down. Most kb lifters are familiar with the rack as the position one holds the bells in above the waist. This is partially correct but incomplete. The rack is like an ice burg as most of it exists below the surface. Keeping your legs straight and your hips forward is the first key to a good rack position. Even if you can not get your elbows to rest on your hips, if your legs are locked and your hips are forward you are in a safer position structurally than if your knees are bent or if you are standing strictly vertical and the bells are out in front of your body. This is what I call the Standard Waist Down Position. It is a position that is present in in your Jerk, Snatch, Rack, and at the end of your swing. It is a position that you will need to master if you are looking to advance in this sport.

The rack position from the waist up is as natural as walking to some and world of mystery to others. If you can rest your elbows on your hip you have the kind of structural advantage that a 7′ tall person has playing basketball. If this position does not come naturally to you it can be a long journey ahead. The most obvious advantage is that you can rest. If your legs are locked straight and your hips are forward you can rest your elbow on the top of your hip and let the weight of the bell rest on your structure as opposed to your musculature. This allows you to rest (at least a little). The rest is important but it is not the only reason to put your elbow on your hip.

During a Jerk set, you will be driving through your legs and your elbow will be bursting off your hip. Think about it like placing the elbow on the hip is pulling back the hammer of a gun and exploding with your legs though your hips is like pulling the trigger and going all Dirty Harry on your Jerk set. Jerking from the hip is such a huge advantage for a lifter. Not everybody does it but most lifters who can, do.

Me learning from Mishin

As for the Long Cycle, the elbow to hip is key. Your clean must be deliberate and clear. The Long Cycle is two distinct movements. The clean is the first one. If you establish an elbow to hip connection you will have no problem with your initial bump which leads to a crisp jerk.

Every time you swing you work your rack position from the waist down. Every time you jerk or snatch you work the rack either wholly or partly. In the long cycle you live in the rack position. It is where you can recover, reload, and blast off. Just remember, the rack is not just for resting.

Check out Jeronimo Milo and more articles from Centro San Ti @

http://www.centrosanti.com.ar/articulos/

kettle,

Our hero was sitting there with Fame, on the corner of Carmine and Bleeker St.  “So you have really never had a standup slice huh,” he taunted her. “Nope” she said as her focused brown eyes were staring at the prize in his hands. “You know, this is the best pizza in the whole world” the young man smiled with great confidence. “Reeealy??? I would like to try” and her glorious smile snapped at the crust nearly taking off one of his large strong fingers. “Your quick” he laughed. “Mmmghmm” she lustly groaned, catching a drop of sauce with the back of her small delicate hand. Her brown eyes were staring at him in agreement now. “See”, he said, “the best in the world”.  Fame’s gaze was fixed on the youthful man.

Across from them in the square was a young couple. She was sassy and sitting on his lap. He was smooth with his hands clasped over her belt and his arms laying slack on her lap. She squeezed his cheeks between her four fingers and her thumb as she locked his eyes with her own. He was helpless. She fed him a bite. They had a slice of the most delicious pizza in the world as well. He took a huge bite, maybe a third of the slice. She made a shocked expression as he swallowed and smiled. She slapped him. He kissed her, she squeaked and slapped him again he kissed her again, longer this time. She didn’t squeak.  She simply placed her palm on his cheek.

Our favorite bruiser could feel Fame looking at him now. Her eyes burning into his cheek like the sun. Her fragrance was light and intoxicating.  She snuggled up next to him.  “Maybe a walk” he popped up as if he had just thought of the best idea. “If that is what you would like to do,” she said with a warm and loving smile.

“Fame”, the young man started “I have to tell you something”. ”Yes darling?” Fame replied. “I just needed to get you alone, and here by the river you just look so, beautiful”. “Thank you my love” Fame said with her flashing smile and deep brown eyes”. “I don’t know what, I don’t know what you are doing with me, I mean, look at you, look at your wings”. “Ah” Fame spread her wings high for our confused and hulking hero to see her at her full scope. “Do you like the crimson with the gold tips? I did it just for you”

The young man stumbled and nearly fell off of the dock. “Fame I, you’re just so, how can I, how can you?” “Darling are you ok?” Fame reached out to touch him on the cheek. “I love you,” she whispered to him. She kissed him and he inhaled her fragrant breath. “Why do you? How could you? I’m just a, I’m fat. I’m ugly. You are beyond perfection. If I had never met you I would never have been able to imagine anyone or anything as gorgeous as you”.

Fame blushed as she stepped into him putting both of her delicate hands on his hips. “I like your belly, I really do, I really really do. Am I weird? Does that make me strange? It is you, and I love you. And you are Not Ugly. You are the gorgeous one.” Our hero reached around her waist and pulled her voluptuous body close to his clasping his huge hands behind her and letting his long muscular arms hang slack around her waist.  He looked as far into her has he could “I just want to be here forever” he confessed. Fame spread her crimson wings wide and high for him and asked “Will you fly around the world with me”?  “As long as you will have me,” he promised.

*Fame is an homage to Thomas Wolfe. He is my literary Idol.

There was whiskey and there was blood.

A little bit of both were frozen to my forehead. My feet slid about a foot and almost out from under me as I tried to make the quick turn in the ally. Big men like me were not designed to chase the little folk.

Everything was smoke. My hands, speckled with red and brown were angry and hot. Everything seemed to be freezing. I see them, all of them, through the steam and blue night air. I wiped some from my eye.

I started to chase.

My boots were sticking, every step felt like my soles were melting to the ground. It was slowing me down. I couldn’t breathe.

Why are you running from me?

Why won’t you fight me?

I’m so confused.

I am so tired.

I just need to get this out of me. I need this release. Please.

There were so many of them, a dozen at least. Sure, they hadn’t done all that much to me, but I wouldn’t really hurt all of them before they took me down, and I needed this so badly. I certainly couldn’t kill anyone. It would end the way it should. Some of them would be whimpering a little as the rest of them overwhelmed me and stomped me out.

I knew I wouldn’t die. They were just a group of preppy fratty date rapists. No real men. No real danger. They would get to say they took big john down, and I would get this demon out of me.

Well, at least for one night. Maybe I would even sleep.

I am so tired.

I never understood why one would pick a fight with someone they can surely take, or frighten, or really hurt. If you can do it, easily at that, why bother? You know that just makes you an asshole. You always fight up. If you are not a pussy that is. If you don’t know the guy/guys you are only fighting yourself anyway. If you can’t really let go, if you can’t really get to the edge, if you don’t get that release, what’s the fucking point? You’re just a bully, and I hate bullies.

12 guys? I can’t take 12 guys.  It was a rough day. I had done a bad thing to a good person. I needed a beating.

I didn’t get it. I had to eat what I had done and it still sits in my gut like small fire.

I was asked recently why I do what I do. It’s hard, painful, torturously boring, and I am not very good at it.

I do it because I am too old to fight 12 guys in an ally.

I do it because I still need to get that release.

I need to fight up.

I need to sleep.

I am so tired.

I’m no critic, and usually no fan of commercials but this Nike “Write The Future” spot is incredible. If you all haven’t seen it check it out.

The song in the video is named “Hocus Pocus” by Focus who apparently are one of the most “togetha groups goin”,,,in 1973

Check out these tweeky dudes!

Aside from all of this awsomeness, training has been going well

kettle,

I spent most of the day training yesterday and although I am a little under the weather I was satisfied with the results and was looking forward to the monster workout lined up for today. I was all showered up and relaxing when my roommate called from the Memorial day BBQ he was at to let me know a few of his friends were stopping by. What ended up happening was about 20 bartenders/servers/chefs came over and fired up the pool table and beer tap and a full on party broke out

It was a really good time. It didn’t take long for things to creep into the gym where everyone was trying to lift the “kettleballs”. So I ran downstairs to make sure I didn’t miss the opportunity to hand a buzzed partygoer a macebell. It did not disappoint.

Anywhoo, since I have been back from Russia training has been great and I have never felt more focused so I was not going to blow it. I behaved and didn’t imbibe anything but water (not even when they ordered pizza). It was actually easier than I thought it would be. Once everyone took off I ate my dinner and called it a night.

There were no casualties

kettle,