Speed test.

Some are disputing the numbers that I put up on the post "power", saying that I just posted numbers proving what I wanted to see. I wish that were true; as that would mean my two pood swing to chest height took the same 2 seconds that my 24 kg swing did. but that is not the case.

Tim Dymmel and I worked on this and he timed me and vice versa for sets of FIVE reps.We counted total elapsed time and divided by five to give us the speed per rep.Not perfectly accuracte but certainly good enough to prove the point.
Of course it is obvious that one can move a lighter bell faster than a heavier bell but this precisely the point.
When one's goal of a set is to produce maximal force then the speed of the rep is very, very important.But it has to be the right weight. Too light and it will move too fast to produce max force; too slow and the same thing happens.But one's INTENT is just as important. You must try to move fast in order to move fast.

This is not to say, of course, that everyone's goal should be to produce maximum force for every rep; just as it shouldnt be to produce minimal force per rep. How hard or easy one swings or snatches must be determined by many factors, not the least of which is the individuals goals at the time.

Some have also said that this is only even relevant to powerlifters and not to 'joe or jane average'. I thoroughly disagree with that belief as what most clients I encounter are lacking is decent strength and the ability to coordinate their entire body while they are attempting to produce strength.

So if "jane average, desk jockey" uses the minimal amount of force necessary to swing a 26 pound kb she is producing only 26 pounds of force per rep. If she, with proper biomechanics , alignment and compensatory acceleration techniques, learns how to increase her force production per rep she is increasing the load available to her muscles, bones and cns as if she were using a heavier kettlebell! Virtual force.

Hardstyle is NOT just for martial power, or athletes or others seeking max speed and strength. It is also for 'joe average' who wants to progress their strength in a safe and productive manner.

And comparing kb swings or snatches to barbell snatches is also silly.You have to compare apples with apples. And no, one does not start out trying to produce max force per rep,nor is is by any means the only way to use the kb. Certainly not if your goal is 100 reps in one set.

I certainly am not advocating trainers to time their charges' swing sets and make dropping seconds off their time the goal.But the test does prove my point that by accelerating a lighter bell, purposefully, through the range of motion one produces more force and thereby more power. Even for the simple fitness crowd how can this be bad?

So I propose a test:

1) measure the distance the bell swings from directly underneath the body( for simplicity sake) to chest height

2) swing the heaviest bell one can for five reps, time it and divide by five

3) do the same thing with the next lightest bell down.

4) try to swing the bells as strongly as possible.

do the math: weight x distance/ time. see what produces the most power.

Even if your goal is to be a good jogger how can it be bad to develop the ability to produce more force? Or,another word for force: STRENGTH.

So for all the haters and naysayers take the test yourself and report back, comrades.Prove me wrong.