In our publication, “Powerful Pressing”, I took some time to talk about this unique little thing I like to call the “WHAT THE HELL!?!?” effect. This effect, aka “the cross over effect” , is an effect where one particular method of training carries over to another unique training area unrelated to kettlebell specific lifts. In my experience, I have found the military press, and it’s variants, to be incredibly useful for dead lifting and my new found love, rock climbing.
First up, the dead lift, as I know you power lifters are itching for some massive lifts! 😉
I have worked with a number of power lifters who have increased the weight of their deadlifts
without ever having touched the bar. Honorable mention goes to my best guy friend here in the city, Daniel Byrnes. Dan came from a a serious power lifting background but had sought my attention over a year ago for more kettlebell specific strength training. With the grip work he fostered through heavy double presses and heavier swings, he was able to significantly increase the load of his deadlift. To quote the man directly . .
“My previous record was a 315 pound deadlift, but 405? That’s incredible! For me, the
past 90 days have consisted of swings, get-ups, presses, and pistol squats. So, I guess the Academy goes to the one-handed swing. Why? Well, hip hinge and grip strength. Swinging a couple of 32 KG kettlebells and heavy double presses makes you stronger. Good to know.”- Daniel Byrnes
Recently, I had been diving back into some of my favorite pressing variations to gear up for the start of our pressing coaching forum this April. One of my favorite pressing variants is the see-saw press. The see saw press is a double kettlebell drill that involves pressing one kettlebell up as you pull the other ketltbeell down (you got it! Just like a see-saw). I have noticed that the grip work, especially when you slow the see-saw press down, really carries over to some interesting and fun climbing drills. take a look at the next few videos below to see how I demonstrate this press and show the “what the hell?!?!” effect with climbing.
Pro Tip- if you’re a climber, I recommend a light to medium load on kettlebells for see-saw pressing practice. Ladies two 8kgs or 12kgs and dudes, 16-20kgs. Set up a ladder of 1, 2, 3 for 20 minutes and work up to ladders of 4 over a 4 week time period. Here’s an example of how to set it up.
Week 1: see-saw ladders 1,2,3- 20 minutes
Week 2: see-saw ladders, 1,2,3 – 20 minutes
Week 3: see saw ladders, 1,2,3 – 20 minutes (note: on week three increase both weights by a factor of 5-10 pounds or 2-4 kgs).
Week 4: see saw adders, 1,2,3,4 – 20 minutes (note: use the new weight from week 3 on this ladder)
Instructor Note: if you’re a serious climber, I recommend testing your finger board drills and longer climbs on week five after completing the training outlived above.
Without further delay, here’s the carry over effect. See the similarities here between the see-saw and the climb?
Ready for more?
Powerful Pressing is out and I want YOU to pres on into incredible feats of strength! Register today by clicking this link. Snag your copy of our training program and we will get you on board for our online coaching forum set to start on April 4th.
Thanks so much for visiting the blog today!
-Janelle
