In this post I will give a brief description of the importance of exercise selection for strength training, for kettlebell or Girevoy sport. I like to break down resistance training exercises, and categorise them into four main groups: general, specific, special and the competition exercise. This approach will help you with your programing or periodization.
General exercises are meant to improve maximal force production (maximal strength) in the muscles involved in the competition exercise. They will typically involve a greater range of motion and slower speed of movement and may not have the same order or types of muscle actions.
Specific exercises are exercises targeted to improve specific strength, power or endurance. They are more specific as they generally involve higher movement speeds, and utilize the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). This will mean that they have the same order and types of muscle actions or build a specific part of the lift.
Special exercises are similar to the movement itself. They typically involve kettlebell movement, mimic movement patterns, use similar ranges of motion and speeds of movement.
Competition exercise is the event itself! If you were competing long cycle (clean & jerk) a jerk would be considered a special exercise and visa versa.
Below is a list of exercises I feel could be useful for one of more aspects of each kettlebell movement. I’m sure there are a number of exercises that could be added to the list and many that overlap different categories. You should not do all the exercises on the list, but rather select exercises that suit your individual needs and phase of training. As a rough guide to structuring your resistance training (I will cover in more detail in a later post), in your general preparation phase you should use more general exercises, and utilise more specific and special in your specific phase. Pretty straight forward, however the best approach is an individualized mix of all the different types of exercises.
| Double Jerk | ||
| General | Specific | Special |
| Deep squats – front, back, overhead Lunges – back, front, walking Step ups, Single leg squats, Calf raise Military Press, Barbell Push press Push up, Floor press, Bench press Dips, Triceps extension Chin/pull up, Face pullsPre-hab exercises | Squats – ¼, jump, kettlebell overhead ¼ squat, isometric hold (at second dip knee angle) Barbell jerks – power, split Kettlebell press, push press Rack holds, Overhead holds Depth landing exercises. | Rhythm jump squat One arm jerk Double jerk with different loads Chest bumps |
https://youtube.com/watch?v=r2-_scz0Z_0%3Frel%3D0
Special strength training for double jerk with 32 kgs.
| One Arm Jerk | ||
| General | Specific | Special |
| Deep squats – front, back, overhead Lunges – back, front, walking Step ups, Single leg squats, Calf raise Military press, Barbell push press Push up, Floor press, Bench press Dips, Triceps extension Chin/pull up, Face pullsPre-hab exercises | Squats- ¼, jump, kettlebell overhead ¼ squat, isometric hold (at second dip knee angle) Barbell jerks – power, split Kettlebell- press, push press Rack holds, Overhead holds Depth landing exercises | Rhythm jump squat Double jerk Chest bump One arm Jerk (different loads) |
https://youtube.com/watch?v=i7aeF3a5Vgk%3Frel%3D0
Special strength training for single jerk.
| Snatch | ||
| General | Specific | Special |
| Deadlifts – clean and snatch grip, trap bar BB snatches – power, full, snatch pull. BB cleans – power, full, clean pull. Kettlebell- press, push press. Single leg squats Good mornings Chin/pull up, Y-pulls, Face pulls Pre-hab exercisesGrips exercises | One arm KB clean BB hang snatch/clean BB hang pulls Overhear holds Double swings Farmers walks Bar hangs | One arm swing (low/high) Snatch and swing Snatch with gloves |
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6o-EvNG_DZs%3Frel%3D0
Special strength training for snatch.
| Long Cycle (exercises from the jerk can also be added) | ||
| General | Specific | Special |
| Deep squats – back and front Deadlifts – clean and snatch grip, trap bar BB cleans – power, full, clean pull Good mornings Grip exercises Pre-hab exercises | BB Clean & Jerk Kettlebell- press, push press.Rack holds Overhead holds Farmers walks | One arm long cycle Swing and clean (single/double)Double clean Single clean Single arm jerk |
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