The Hammer Cast
Real strength. No fluff. 514 episodes.
514 episodes and counting. Every week, Aleks sits down with some of the strongest, most experienced coaches and athletes on the planet to bring you no-nonsense training knowledge you can use today.
Ep. 286: Bodyweight Tips for Improved Kettlebell Strength
November 3, 2022
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Ep. 285: How to Get Stronger (the RIGHT Way) with Bodyweight + Kettlebells
November 2, 2022
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com It's no secret that kettlebells and bodyweight exercises go together like Batman and Robin, peanut butter and jelly, love and marriage, and just about any other "perfect pair" you can think of. The reasons? There are two: 1) Bodyweight exercises teach you to master your…
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Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com
It’s no secret that kettlebells and bodyweight exercises go together like Batman and Robin, peanut butter and jelly, love and marriage, and just about any other “perfect pair” you can think of.
The reasons? There are two:
1) Bodyweight exercises teach you to master your body movements through free space
2) Kettlebell exercises teach you how to move both quickly and slowly with an awkward external load
What might still be a secret to you, however, is how to combine the two for maximum strength building in minimal time.
I dish on that in this episode.
Ep. 284: One-Arm Pullup Master Matthew Shoffner Dishes on His Training Methods
November 1, 2022
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I'm joined on this episode – his first podcast appearance ever – by Matthew Shoffner: a true calisthenics master and a real artist at the one-arm pullup. In this episode we discuss his origin story, how he got to be so freakishly strong, "the greatest…
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Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com
I’m joined on this episode – his first podcast appearance ever – by Matthew Shoffner: a true calisthenics master and a real artist at the one-arm pullup.
In this episode we discuss his origin story, how he got to be so freakishly strong, “the greatest sport of all time”, and his journey to one-arm pullup greatness. You won’t want to miss this one.
Be sure to check out his incredible videos on his YouTube channel: Matthew Shoffner – YouTube
Ep. 283: Top 3 Bodyweight Moves for More Powerful Kettlebell Front Squats
October 31, 2022
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Someone once asked a famous strength coach "How can I improve my squat?" to which he answered "Squat." Pretty straight forward. And make no mistake: if you want to get good at squatting, you're going to have to squat. It's just like any other movement…
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Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com
Someone once asked a famous strength coach “How can I improve my squat?” to which he answered “Squat.” Pretty straight forward.
And make no mistake: if you want to get good at squatting, you’re going to have to squat. It’s just like any other movement — you need to practice it specifically in order to get any good at it. And because the squat is one of the greatest movements for full-body strength (not just lower body strength), it’s worth your time to practice it and master it.
But there’s more to better squatting than JUST squatting alone. On this episode I dish on 3 assistance moves that can help boost your squatting strength seemingly instantly. Keep them in your regular rotation for a few weeks and watch as your squatting strength goes through the roof.
Ep. 282: 3 Badazz Gymnastics Drills for Greater Kettlebell Skills
October 30, 2022
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I'm a big fan of gymnastics-style bodyweight strength training. And while most people view it as basically just insane feats of bodyweight strength, such as iron crosses on rings and planches and what have you, in reality those are only examples of the more high-level…
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Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com
I’m a big fan of gymnastics-style bodyweight strength training. And while most people view it as basically just insane feats of bodyweight strength, such as iron crosses on rings and planches and what have you, in reality those are only examples of the more high-level strength skills and are not representative of the entire system.
Even at very basic levels, gymnastic strength training can help you build tremendous levels of immediately usable strength for everyday use — not to mention hit PRs in your favorite kettlebell lifts.
On this episode I dive into 3 badazz gymnastics drills to build up your kettlebell skills.
Ep. 281: Build Freakish Leg Strength with 1 Light Kettlebell
October 29, 2022
Let's talk about your matchstick legs and how to muscle them up a bit, shall we? There are two things I am not a big believer in: 1) That Monday should remain International Chest Day 2) That your thighs have to be massive and chafing before you can claim to have reasonably good leg development….
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Let’s talk about your matchstick legs and how to muscle them up a bit, shall we?
There are two things I am not a big believer in:
1) That Monday should remain International Chest Day
2) That your thighs have to be massive and chafing before you can claim to have reasonably good leg development.
Now, as far as #2 goes, that also doesn’t mean that I think you should intentionally maintain twig legs. Far from it. You can have great and respectable leg development (not to mention strength and explosive power) without having thighs so big that they sound like a round of applause whenever you run.
This episode will show you how.
Ep. 280: The 2nd Best Bodyweight Drill for Stronger Pullups
October 28, 2022
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com there are two big mistakes people make in bodyweight training: 1) They take too traditional of an approach and ignore various "unusual but effective" bodyweight drills 2) They avoid the "basic" drills in favor of flashy advanced stuff Both of them are ultimately going to…
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Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com
there are two big mistakes people make in bodyweight training:
1) They take too traditional of an approach and ignore various “unusual but effective” bodyweight drills
2) They avoid the “basic” drills in favor of flashy advanced stuff
Both of them are ultimately going to short-change you when it comes to strength, muscle, and skill building, and both of them are a big reason why a lot of people quit seriously pursuing bodyweight strength training as a discipline, AND why their bodyweight training never has a significant carryover into their kettlebell training. Let’s fix that.
This episode will help get that journey kicked off.
Ep. 279: Top 4 'Gymnastics Tactics' for Increased Kettlebell Strength
October 27, 2022
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I'm a big believer in gymnastics-style strength training for helping improve my own strength as well as my students' strength. This is for a couple of reasons (3 to be precise) that I dive into in this episode, along with the top 4 gymnastics tactics…
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Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com
I’m a big believer in gymnastics-style strength training for helping improve my own strength as well as my students’ strength. This is for a couple of reasons (3 to be precise) that I dive into in this episode, along with the top 4 gymnastics tactics for increased (and freakish) kettlebell strength.
Ep. 278: How to Squat Up To 85% of Your Bodyweight for 25 reps
October 26, 2022
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com This is a somewhat different (but still exciting) episode today. Today we cover a case study from Frances Moylan (who has been a guest on this show) about how she worked her way up to squatting 85% of her bodyweight – with kettlebells – for…
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Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com
This is a somewhat different (but still exciting) episode today. Today we cover a case study from Frances Moylan (who has been a guest on this show) about how she worked her way up to squatting 85% of her bodyweight – with kettlebells – for a whopping 25 total reps!
Listen in and be amazed. And take good notes, too, because you might find some details that you’ll be able to apply to your own training.
Ep. 277: Old School Training for Modern-Day Gaining
October 25, 2022
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Believe it or not, the old time weightlifters and strongmen have a LOT to teach us to help us overcome the various challenges and frustrations we face in our own fitness. Listen in to this episode and find out just a few such tips that…
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Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com
Believe it or not, the old time weightlifters and strongmen have a LOT to teach us to help us overcome the various challenges and frustrations we face in our own fitness. Listen in to this episode and find out just a few such tips that you – yes, you – can start implementing right this very day to start seeing some undeniable gains in no time flat.