Base Camp, 12/5/2015

Focus 1: Knees-to-Elbows (“K2E) and Kipping K2E
Focus 2: KB Swings & Single Arm KB Swing
Workout: KB Swings, KB Front Rack Step-Ups, & K2E

“…Head, shoulders, knees & toes, knees & toes…”

Okay, so maybe not so much on the “toes” part, but we got the rest of the song covered! This week in Base Camp, we’ll take a swing at teaching you how to properly move a KB, as well as Knees-to-Elbows, the just-as-tricky-cousin of Toes-to-Bar.

Specifically, class will include:

• fundamentals requirements for knees-to-elbows (such as proper back engagement, and body position), and how to apply kipping to the movement (starting with the kipping knee raise)
• proper form for the multiple versions of KB swings, including Russian-style, American-style, Short-arc American-style, and even single-arm swings;
• advice on how to choose which style of swing to use in class, as well as a review of common cues you’re likely to hear from coaches; and,
• how to scale all of the days movements for various class workouts, and when to choose to appropriate scaling/substitution option.

To review before class, we highly recommend checking out the following descriptions and demonstrations on both movements (Knees-to-Elbows pages courtesy of GymnasticsWOD); Kettlebell article from Tabata Times):

1. Knees-to-Elbows
2. Kipping Knees-to-Elbows
3. Improving Your Kettlebell Swing