Long Cycle Jerk Training for Kettlebell Competitions

The Skinny on the Long Cycle

• Because the Long Cycle combines the clean and the jerk exercises into one long exercise cycle, its name is well earned. The clean requires that you bring two kettlebells from the floor to shoulder level in one movement. Begin by standing with feet shoulder-width apart and sinking into a half squat with the kettlebells on the outside of your feet. Grab the kettlebells with your palms facing your body and then explode up, thrusting your hips forward and straightening your knees. As you draw the kettlebells upward in front of you, you then rotate your arms backward and flip the kettlebells over to catch them at shoulder level. Finally, extend both arms overhead. Return to starting position, lowering the weights first to the catch position and then to the ground. When you’re in competition, you’ll swing the kettlebells between your legs to begin the next rep instead of lowering them to the ground.

Lift and Run Weekly

• If you’re beginning a training regimen for the Long Cycle competition, aim to do one workout per day and a total of five to six sessions per week. Allow your body one or two days off to recover. Designate day one as a test day in which you attempt a 10-minute session at your target reps per minute, according to “Kettlebells for Sport, Strength and Fitness” by Scott Shetler." Beginners should complete four to five reps per minute of the clean and jerk. Once you can manage eight to 10 reps per minute, then you can add load and move up to the next weight. After lifting, run at an easy pace for 20 to 30 minutes. For the remaining four to five training sessions, reduce the time spent on the clean and jerk to anywhere from five to seven minutes. Gradually increase your reps per minute by one rep as you grow stronger and more consistent. For general physical conditioning, perform a 20- to 30-minute run or jog after every clean and jerk session.

An Internal Clock for Performance

• If you start with high-energy fast reps, you can burn out midway through a competition. Train your internal clock and develop a sense of competition pace. Begin with single-arm clean and jerk, using six reps per minute as a baseline. Start with light weights and perform the exercise for 60 seconds for each arm. Repeat the exercise in 30-second intervals for each arm until you reach 10 minutes. When you feel confident at six reps per minute, increase the number of reps by one and reduce the duration of the exercise to six minutes or three minutes per arm. Continue adding 30-second intervals per arm until you again reach the 10-minute mark. Repeat this technique of adding a single rep, initially reducing the duration of the exercise and then working back up to 10 minutes. Once you’re comfortable with the single-arm version, move up to the two-armed clean and jerk. For advanced lifters, gradually build up to 12 reps per minute for 20 minutes, using two kettlebells.

The Key: Mobility and Flexibility

• If you’re inflexible or have mobility issues, these deficiencies can truncate your range of movement on the clean and jerk, create tension, hinder your technique and increase the risk of injury. After performing five to 10 minutes of light cardio to warm up for a Long Cycle workout, do joint mobility rotations to loosen your joints, according to “Kettlebell Training” by Steve Cotter. Slowly move your joints -- neck, hips, spine, knees, ankles, wrists, elbows, shoulders and fingers -- in a circular motion, working from top to bottom or vice versa. Perform 10 to 20 reps for each major joint, moving in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. In addition to joint rotations, you can do forward, side and back bends, spinal rolls and ankle bounces in which you rock from heel to toe.