Strength
& Conditioning
Your new favorite ball of cast iron
A few benefits of kettlebells:
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They are an inexpensive piece of equipment. Making them a perfect choice for home training.
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They are virtually indestructible!
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They can be easily used anywhere. Transport them to your local park or take them on a family vacation. All you need is a little space and some motivation.
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Majority of kettlebell movements are compound exercises which means they offer full-body benefits​
Kettlebells are also specifically helpful for building upper body and core strength
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Due to their design, during use kettlebells offset your center of gravity. This forces your body to stabilize itself via your abdominal muscles. During kettlebell swings it helps maximize hip use to build leg/glute strength and assist you in developing the "hip pop" needed for Olympic lifts. ADDITIONALLY... during overhead movements, the offset gravity places extra load on the shoulders. So... if you are looking to build a strong foundation, kettlebell is a perfect option for you.
Still not sold???
Here are a few more kettlebell benefits:
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Improved grip strength
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Builds full-body strength
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Improved endurance
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Improved balance, coordination and agility
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Functional variability in training regimens - What do we mean by this? Well let's say you are trying to build your pull-up game. If your work-out plan consists only of strict pull-ups... you may improve but you will also likely burn out and lose your love for pull-ups in the process. Instead, you could train with kettlebell rows, lat presses, Australian pull-ups, deadlifts and numerous other exercises. Same end goal but with diversity. Because of their versatility, kettlebells have been shown to help athletes improve many marks of strength and athleticism. So you can train efficiently without boredom and excessive repetition.
A study conducted by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) found that a kettlebell snatch workout burns at least 20.2 calories per minute. This is comparable to running a 6-minute mile pace. One of the only things they coud find which burned more calories was fast paced uphill cross-country skiing. This makes kettlebell training excellent for fat burning.
What kind of Strength & Conditioning training can you expect to receive at VCF?
Incorporating the StrongFirst Hardstyle Kettlebell style with multiple modalities to build foundational strength.
The School of Strength method couples body tensioning techniques with exacting standards through a mix of grind and ballistic movement patterns to build the strength and conditioning you always dreamed about!
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Come see what it is all about and you will not be let down...
"Strength has a greater purpose"!
It is all about maximizing tension, meeting power with power and fostering strength. This is accomplished by slowing down movements to make them as inefficient as possible. Muscles generate force by tensing. This style of lifting also helps maximize fat burning.
Some of VCFs favorite aspects of StrongFirst's Training:
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Quality over quantity
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Focus less on reps and more on rep speed and quality of movement. Stop the set when your technique breaks​
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Safety is a big part of performance
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We increase safety by spreading load across many muscle groups and joints rather than smoking the weak links (examples of this include bracing the core, power breathing and tightly gripping weights)​
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Performance should never be improved at the expense of health
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This occurs when you neglect preparation, force rate of adaption, poorly support the nervous and endocrine system, fail to understand free radical stress, use sloppy technique and abuse glycolytic training at the expense of aerobic development.
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StrongFirst considers the words strength and health interchangeable because what is the point of being strong if you arn't also healthy. Here at VCF we aim to support both strength AND health!
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Think of your training as "practice" rather than "a workout." This helps you prioritize technique, skill development and mind-body connection.
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Foundational strength goals
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Strict pull-ups for women and single arm kettlebell pressing half of bodyweight for men
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Fun facts:
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It is suggested to train with kettlebells either barefoot or with flat, thin-soled shoes
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Your feet have specialized sensory receptors which help improve balance and coordination. Working out barefoot also allows you to grip the ground with your toes creating a more stable base​
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The foundational kettlebell movements are... the Turkish get-up, swings, clean, military press, front squat and snatch