Mixing Towels & Ropes with
Kettlebell Training
Zach Even – Esh
Kettlebells already tax the grip heavily, especially when you
perform high rep work or circuits and complexes! But, if you
want to step up the challenges and put those hands and forearms
to the test then grab some thick rope and a towel or two.
You’re about to make your hands and grip work over time!
Is this necessary to do on a regular basis? Not at all, but,
if you want to add variety and a new element to your workouts
then you should shock the body. Towels and ropes will definitely
change the effect of the kettlebell and every athlete needs
strong hands and a mighty grip.
A strong grip will almost always improve your strength in other
lifts and in performance. If you think about it, there are not
too many sports that do not require the use of your hands!
Look at some of the basic movements and simply add a towel
to them. You can add the towel in two ways:
1) Simply loop the towel around the handle so you are holding
the towel only
2) Wrap the towel around the handle and now grab the handle
(talk about using a thick grip!)
The 2nd option will only require a small wash towel to test
your grip big time. Once your grip develops the strength and
endurance to handle this thick grip training you can use a slightly
larger towel.
Some of my favorite movements for kettlebell – towel
combos are rows and swings. The velocity of the swings test
the grip extra hard as the kettlebell keeps tugging away from
the towel and you fight to hold on to your bell for dear life!
The rows allow me to use the one arm version, or double bent
over rows. Or, you can use one kettlebell holding each end of
the towel during the bent over row, but with this variation
I try to grab the heaviest bell possible.
The rope – kettlebell combo variations can be use din
similar fashion to the towel variations. The thicker the rope
the more challenging the grip work will become. If your rope
is thin, simply reloop the rope a few extra times to make the
rope thicker.
You will also find that the thick towel or rope effect forces
you to squeeze the hands much harder which in turn forces you
to engage the rest of the body more intensely!
You can also use a thick rope for heavy curls. I emphasize
the word “heavy” because the heavy curls will work
your back, shoulders, biceps, grip and hands! I am not talking
about those sissy concentration curls here! Go HEAVY on these!
The next time you use kettlebells, try throwing in some extra
challenges and attach a thick rope or towels to the movements.
Swings, rows and heavy curls will prove to be some extra fun
to your workout and you’ll definitely improve your hand
and grip strength!
Zach Even – Esh is a Performance Coach for Combat Athletes
located in NJ. For your FREE E book on the most innovative training
methods go to http://UndergroundCombatTraining.com. For the
definitive resource on Underground Training check out the ‘The
Ultimate Underground Strength Kit’ at http://UndergroundStrengthKit.com