What do you get when you combine the following?
Kettlebells + Deadlift + Burpee + Farmers Walk + Plank + Deep Parallette Push-up
Introducing Matt's KettleHell:
(special thanks to my gym for letting me record one example round - always ask permission kids - never film without permission in a gym please!)
The standard "KettleHell" is based off the Barbell burpee and developed in Wisconsin in 1994 by my self and others on the wrestling team in highschool. This combination exercise came about by experimenting in our weight room during fitness sessions. Back then it was more stationary, involved much lighter weight, faster movement / cardio focused, and used as a way to make the "Burpee" more interesting and fun.
This modification "Matt's KettleHell" is specifically controlled to use heavier weight and more FORM based elements to translate to ski fitness.
The Setup:
You must work with 2 kettlebells which together are equal to your body weight
You must have room to walk at least 5 paces between motions
You must do as many sets as possible in 5 minutes.
Sets are 10 reps per set, with a maximum break of 30s between sets. This means in 5 minutes time you should be able to do 4-5 sets.
Weight: uhm what? How heavy!?!
This is a high weight exercise. You will be lifting equivalent to your body weight. Trust me you can do this because it's divided between each hand. 💪
Example: Since I weigh 240 lbs (as I like tacos 🌮 ) I should be holding a 54 kilo bell in each hand. These bells in the video are 48 kg (105 lbs each) but it's the heaviest available at my gym as a pair... so I guess I have to try and lose 10 kilo 😭 (goodbye tacos).
Form: Let's discuss the phases and the technique
Deadlift phase: Lift smoothly, do not jerk or rapidly rush the lift. Use a deadlift posture, everything rises at once. This works your glutes, lower back, quads, all major muscles needed for strong hips / legs / and ultimately control of your skis in tough conditions.
Farmers Carry: 5 steps minimum. You are holding two heavy weights, take slow intentional steps. This will strengthen your ankle and knee and hip stability as you'll need to shift your posture to account for the mass in each hand. Key to having a strong leg in mashed potatoes snow
Lower: When lowering, try not to "drop" the kettlebells. You want a smooth controlled motion, and you want to use the downward momentum to smoothly transition to the burpee phase. This works the lower back and hamstrings, as well as all stabilizing muscles in your leg. Key muscles for preventing knee and hip injuries
Plank to Push-up: When I extend out to do a push-up I am working on making this a smooth extension into a plank and keeping as much of my upper body on the handles of the kettlebells as possible. When I execute the push-up I am lowering down further than a normal push-up in order to activate the rotator cuff / scapula and really force a stretch + eccentric load of those muscles. Rotator cuff injuries are common in bad falls for skiers - strengthening this area and keeping it limber is key!
Return: It's a toe-spring and a simple rise. Try to keep your feet together, like a gymnast and land in position to rise wirhout taking multiple steps. Notice how I "spring" off my toes as a hop. This motion works all those tendons and ligaments in the soles of your foot that normally cramp in your ski boot during an intense day on the slopes!
Which muscles are worked?
In terms of muscles being worked... the answer is: all of them or almost all. Including your heart!
In fact, look at what this exercise does to your Heart Rate... it pushes it to the LIMIT during the peak movments: near 180 BPM for me:
This means this whole exercise is putting my cardio into the stress-zone and conditioning that's needed for High Altitude Sports... aka Skiing!
The ultimate exercise for ski season fitness!
All these elements combined, strength, joint stability, power, cardio, are why I have deemed this one of the best exercises to do to help really LEVEL UP your ski conditioning and fitness.
It's brilliantly simple, only takes 2 kettlebells, and is a fun and interesting exercise that has a lot of motion and best of all: it isn't boring.
Work this into your sets, and let me know how it goes. At first you'll probably curse my name for introducing you to "Matt's KettleHell" but once you experience the results, you'll crave the exercise.
Keep it up, and see you on the slopes! ⛷️
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