Happy Friday,

You guys ready for a long Memorial Day Weekend? I am. I don’t think pools will be opening like they do every other year but you should find a way to celebrate Memorial Day this weekend.

Let’s close out the week with another Kettlebell exercise: the Clean. When I work on cleans (with a barbell or kettlebell) I have one goal in mind: Power.

Power is different from Strength. If Strength is measured in how much can you lift/move, think of Power as how fast can you lift/move that weight. In other words, think about any explosive movements in wrestling or grappling; you need power to execute these maneuvers. Strength is an input for power.

There are tons of examples of where you need to apply force quickly in transition to accomplish your goals in martial arts training. I encourage any of you interested in exercise/sports science to look this stuff up. While I basically gave you the bro science overview on this topic, there is tons of literature online you can look up on these topics. Very fun stuff.

When you’re new, like any other lift, you want to start with light/medium weights that you can manage while you develop skill/competency. I want to make that clear. Personally, though, I like using heavier weights for cleans. So, I’ll take a bigger kettlebell, or preferably a barbell when I can access one, to train cleans. In a lot of ways, like the snatch, you are practicing pulling a heavy weight off the ground (quickly), jumping off the ground slightly to get your acceleration, and catching the weight mid lift. By its very nature it is an explosive, power based exercise.

When I am preparing for BJJ competition I make sure I practice heavy cleans at least once a month. If you’ve never practiced cleans before now’s as good a time as any to start!

———————————————————————————————————–

The Kettlebell Clean:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0B1SrcGAIA

10 Minute Max KB Clean:
-Set a timer for 10 minutes and let it run
-Break down sets as you see fit, for cleans you can bust out a good amount per arm/per set
-Write down your # for each set
-Take as much recovery as needed

If you want you can add a press at the end of each clean too if you want to work the shoulders – I love adding the press at the end.

————————————————————————————————————-

I hope you guys close out the week strong. We will get back after it on Tuesday after the long weekend.

Celebrate and honor our military and America this weekend. Enjoy the holiday folks!

Best,
Scott
District Martial Arts