Advanced Essential Grinds
Supportive Strength for MEDKC
Before we get to Advanced Essential Grinds: Supportive Strength for MEDKC, I want to let everyone know that my next Coaching Group begins August 2, 2022.
MED Kettlebell Chains has become a tremendous success. Our coaching group has taught students the art of double kettlebell training in a sustainable and consistent model.
If you’ve been on the fence about mastering the double kettlebell clean, press, push press, front squat, and overspeed front squat, now is the time to begin the path to mastery.
I have also added new programming to the course: teaching the double kettlebell snatch and swing, and a spicy month 3 conditioning series featuring the double kettlebell renegade row and double kettlebell bent over.
Are you ready for MED Kettlebell Chains?
MED Kettlebell Chains
Over the past four years, I have dedicated my coaching career to the evolution of double kettlebell training. From my landmark course MED Kettlebell Chains, to more advanced complexes like Power Threes, the Essential Grinds are designed to offer the athlete supportive strength and hypertrophy training.
In this week’s newsletter, I want to share the advanced Essential Grinds that I’ve been practicing in my own programming. As a base rule for my own health and longevity, I use double 24kg kettlebells for nearly all of my training.* To add load to my lower body session, I wore a 5.11 Tactical Plate Carrier weighing 20lbs.
*I have found that putting constraints in my training offers me the chance for great creativity ie; MEDKC, MEDKCR, MEDKCRev, The Black Book (coming soon), Essential Grinds, etc. I maintain this relatively light load to prompt speed in my movements and to not unnecessarily overload my system.
MEDKC + Essential Grinds Schedule
As a coach, I have found tremendous success in honoring MED tenets with my clients: two MEDKC sessions per week alongside two Essential Grinds hypertrophy sessions per week. The off days from scheduled kettlebell training are used for sport, hobbies, and activities:
Here’s a sample schedule:
As a base rule, MEDKC, MEDKCR, and MEDKCRev are performed twice per week. My preference is to add two days of supportive strength and hypertrophy training (Essential Grinds) to accommodate recovery and parasympathetic tone.
Advanced Essential Grinds
Below are two sample training sessions from my personal exercise routine. The featured exercises are:
Seesaw Floor Press (Upper Body Push)
Prone Row (Upper Body Pull)
Bulgarian Split Squat (Lower Body Push)
Single Leg Deadlift (Lower Body Pull)
Although all four of the Essential Grinds can be performed in a single session, I prefer performing dedicated upper body and lower body sessions. This allows me to add in supportive exercises for my rotator cuff and core musculature, and my lower legs, and glutes respectively.
If participating in a sport or other activity that requires specific endurance, make sure to schedule the Essential Grinds in advance to avoid related soreness and fatigue when performance is needed ie; if you’re hiking on the weekend, perform your lower body session on Tuesday instead of Thursday.
July 29, 2022
A1. Scapular Strength: 15/3
Band Pull Apart 15/3
Hanging Scapular Depression 15/3
Scapular Push Up 15/3
B1. Seesaw Floor Press: 24kg 5/4
I love the Seesaw Floor Press because it is dynamic and fun to perform. The athlete must fully extend their hips to allow the upper body to rotate while pressing. The athlete can greatly feel the activation of the serratus anterior muscle which is vital for maintaining posture and shoulder health.
B2. Prone Row: 24kg 5/4
The Prone Row is a go-to for myself and my clients. It reinforces proper shoulder adduction strength and helps to stretch the often tight rhomboids in the bottom position. As a rowing variation, it disallows cheating. It also doesn’t load the lumbar spine - an important piece for back pain athletes.
C1. Get Up: 32kg, 36kg, 40kg 1+1/3
C2. Ab Wheel: 15/3
Stretching (All Contract/Relax Method with Breathing)
90/90 Hip Stretch - 5-8 breath cycles/side: ankle, knee, hip
Tactical Frog + Hip Rocker - 20 rocking reps + 10 reps/side
Lying Hamstrings Stretch - 5-8 breath cycles
Bretzel - 5-8 breath cycles/side
Prone Chest Stretch - 5-8 breah cycles/side
July 30, 2022
A1. Tibialis Anterior Raises: 5kg 20/3
A2. Flexor Hallucis Longus Calf Raise: 10/3
B1. Bulgarian Split Squat from 4" Deficit: 24kg + 20lb Weight Vest 5/4
The Bulgarian Split Squat is an exercise athletes love to hate. It is challenging. By positioning the foot on top of two plates equaling 4” in height, the athlete is able to get their working leg’s hip crease past parallel. They gain strength unilaterally, biasing their VMO and glute medius balance.
B2. Single Leg Deadlift: 24kg + 20lb Weight Vest 5/4
I will always love the Single Leg Deadlift and make it a mainstay in my own programming. Like the Bulgarian Split Squat, it not only works the prime movers of the posterior chain, but biases strength in the balancing muscles of the hips. It does not load the lumbar spine to a high degree like other deadlift variations.
C1. Lateral Banded Walks: Blue 12/3
C2. Monster Walks: Blue 20/3
Stretching (All Contract/Relax Method with Breathing)
90/90 Hip Stretch - 5-8 breath cycles/side: ankle, knee, hip
Tactical Frog + Hip Rocker - 20 rocking reps + 10 reps/side
Lying Hamstrings Stretch - 5-8 breath cycles
Bretzel - 5-8 breath cycles/side
Prone Chest Stretch - 5-8 breah cycles/side
Programming*
*Programming intentionally features low volume to inhibit delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). A focus on complete and tense muscle contractions is advised
I use my 5.11 Tactical Weight Vest for added load to my standard 24kg kettlebells. The lower body exercise load is 126lbs, hence the decrease in volume from the original Essential Grinds template.
Wrap Up: Advanced Essential Grinds
The goal in sharing my personal programming is to showcase the versatility of adding in supportive strength and hypertrophy work. Although a focus on the basics is primary, there are variations of upper and lower body pushes and pulls that can be implemented for improving the athlete’s training experience.
Training the Essential Grinds gives the athlete time for working their weak points: rotator cuff, lower leg, glutes, etc. Structuring a training session in blocks of supersets offers a structure not achieved in the demanding power, strength, and conditioning focused training in MED Kettlebell Chains.
Together, MEDKC and Essential Grinds offer a holistic and sustainable base of power and strength that will keep the athlete capable and healthy for a lifetime. Although there are infinite variations of these types of grinding exercises, I suggest you keep it simple and only choose those which offer you the most value.
John Parker
July 31, 2022