NAILING THE DVRT CLEAN AND PRESS TEST - FIND YOUR FLOAT!

By Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner

DVRT Master Chief, Senior RKC, OS Instructor, MFF Rad Dad

Hey buddy, Let’s talk about the dreaded DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training Clean and Press Test. Yup, it’s a bitch.

But it’s also completely doable if you train properly for it. Having tested many folks at this point, I’ve seen a big number of common flaws that cost people the win on cert day. What’s the biggest flaw?

Not getting the float on the Clean to Fist.

Float? 

Yeah, Ultimate Sandbag Training (USB) cleans fall in the “ballistic” category. We need to generate enough force to propel the USB off of the floor high enough to get our fists underneath it. 

Where does the float drive from? Your legs, hips and ass. The Ultimate Sandbag Training Clean to Fist has similar properties to the beloved Kettlebell Swing. It is even more similar to the single rep KB Dead Swing which starts from the floor every rep. We hike the bell back, snap into our plank, make the KB float and then reverse the motion back to the starting position.

There are 3 key differences between a Swing and the USB.

-We don’t hike the Ultimate Sandbag. It starts on top of our feet. 

-Our feet will be narrower (more hip width, than shoulder). 

-We are projecting the USB up, close to the body, and not forward.

On the flipside, there are 3 key similarities between the Swing and the USB.

-Power is generated by driving the feet hard through the floor using your hips, legs and ass. -----Push that floor down, find your plank and find it fast!
-We do not use our arms or backs to pull the Ultimate Sandbag up. In kettlebell land, the arms do what we call “taming the arc.” The path or “arc” of the kettlebell in the swing is determined by the length of the extended arm. In the DVRT Clean to Fist, the arms guide the USB vertically close to the body. Guide is the key word here. Not pull, yank, or muscle. 
-We decelerate the eccentric phase (think backswing) so it lands softly back to the starting position.

Now once you nail your float, you simply have to get your fist underneath. This will be way smoother and easier when your arms aren’t tensed from yanking the USB up. Keep your elbows high and then scoop your fist underneath as the USB hits the right height. This will save you a ton of wasted energy and keep you fresher for those last 10-15 critical reps. Every try to do more pullups after you hang from the bar between several reps. How’s that usually work out for you? It’s the same with the Clean to Fist. Make each rep crisp, light and efficient.

How do we get there?

Well depending on how much work you need here are a few things to try.

Deadlift a heavier USB and/or alter the holding position or foot position (ex. Front loaded Good Mornings, Sprinter Stance DLs).

Front Loaded Good Mornings are a powerful exercise to developing more core stability and power through the hips.

High Pull with an appropriate weight that allows you to generate enough force/float and then go heavier.

Ideally, you would train to the point of using a heavier USB for High Pulls than your Clean and Press Test weight. Nail high pulls heavier than test weight and watch how easy it becomes to drive your test USB into the air and scoop your fists underneath.

Nail the float. Nail the Clean to Fist. Nail the Clean and Press Test.

Stay tuned for more tips!

-Fury out

Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner’s superhero headquarters is Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC. Fury’s a DVRT Master Chief Instructor, Senior RKC, and an Original Strength. He is available for classes, semi-privates, instructor training and programming at MFF. He also has availability for private training at Catalyst S.P.O.R.T. Check out www.coachfury.com, facebook.com/coachfury  IG @furyinc and Twitter @coachfury for more info.

IS IT THE TOOL OR THE SYSTEM?

By Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner

DVRT Master Chief, Senior RKC, OS Instructor and MFF Metal Head

Being injured sucks. It takes a level of patience to let things heal. With the nickname of Fury, it probably won’t surprise you to know that patience is skill I often don’t possess. Well, we all have our burdens to bear. After participating in a 3 day certification (no, it wasn't DVRT;), I've been dealing with a slightly torn supinator in my left forearm and some pain in my left shoulder. The tear has had a pretty severe effect on my ability to grip and the shoulder hasn’t been feeling stable or sturdy. After two weeks of chilling the hell out, I was dying to move. Dying to move, but super cautious not to create any setbacks.

Here’s what I did:

Kettlebell Swings x20: Light weight to keep pressure of the left arm.
Pistol Squats to box x5 per side: These were just to parallel using my fire escape as a box.
Incline Push-ups x15: Again, these were to fire escape to keep undo pressure off of the shoulder and forearm.

*As little rest as needed for 5 rounds

I focused on quality of movement and everything felt great. I decided to try loading my pistol squats, but was super concerned about how my arm and shoulder would feel. I came up with two options to try. I ended up giving Pistols a shot with a 12kg kettlebell and a 20 pound Core Ultimate Sandbag. The results were interesting but not entirely surprising. The kettlebell demanded more grip but less shoulder stability. Neither was awesome in my current state. Darn it though if your desire to stay on track doesn't make you work through some discomfort. 

The Ultimate Sandbag was the clear winner!

The outer handles allowed me to pull the Core apart the whole time demanding less crush grip force and truly activating my lats the entire time to keep the shoulder feeling packed, happy and healthy. Another benefit was the wider distance between hands allowed me to use less counter weight to get the same sense of stability on the way down.

The simple idea of manipulating the way the load was held allowed me to actually train. If I were more healthy I could have held the Ultimate Sandbag differently to focus more grip. However, the goal was to get me to train and not feel the pain that has driven me crazy! 

Most people just grab a weight and they don't think about the simple, but important nuance of things like how they hold a weight. With just a simple alteration to what I was doing, I was able to both train and keep some of my sanity and joy in training.

Now the important point I’m trying to make here isn’t which tool is better. This piece isn’t a kettlebell versus Ultimate Sandbag battle.

What this piece IS about, is the DVRT System that provided me the coaching fundamentals to take a look at a problem, devise some options and create a safe plan of action. In other words…

F&#k yeah DVRT!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and again, and again... infinity), Dynamic Variable Resistance Training is a fully realized strength training and coaching system. Given my current situation, I was able to figure out the best possible holding and body positions to accomplish the task at hand. There will be times when the kettlebell would win in a comparison. Regardless, I would still be using it through a DVRT lens.

I hope this concept makes sense. When you are training or going through a workshop or cert, are you learning how to use a tool? Or are you learning how to train/coach people with a deep and growing system. Systems equal success regardless of implement. A tool is just a tool. Don’t be a tool.

Check out a DVRT certification or workshop near you HERE.

Yours in strength and fury!

-Fury out

Steve “Coach Fury” Holiner’s superhero headquarters is Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC. Fury’s a DVRT Master Chief Instructor, Senior RKC, and an Original Strength. He is available for classes, semi-privates, instructor training and programming at MFF. He also has availability for private training at Catalyst S.P.O.R.T. Check out www.coachfury.com, facebook.com/coachfury IG @furynyc and Twitter @coachfury for more info.

ORIGINAL STRENGTH IN-SERVICE AT MFF

Today I had the supreme pleasure of teaching an Original Strength in-service to my family at Mark Fisher Fitness! Two hours of OS Resets and fantastic questions flew by. Big thanks to the best team in the world for the opportunity! 

-Fury out