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Stiffness and tightness are hugely important to allow you to lift any big weight. By creating stiffness across the whole body we become like a brick wall, solid! Think of the body like a chain, when tension increases in the chain, if there are any week links in that chain it will break. The same can be said for the body, when we talk about the kinetic chain we are referring to the muscular, skeletal and neural system and if this chain functions well, we are more likely to perform well on any level. Being more specific to stiffness however we need to look at the body as a structure, a bit like scaffolding or a pylon. If we are strong across each joint within that structure we will create overall stiffness and thus overall optimal strength.

So how do we do this?
Every joint in the body is surrounded by supporting tissue and it's these tissues that we need to use to create strength in the joint. The tissues I’m referring to are the muscles, ligaments, tendons and soft tissue. By contracting all of our muscles around a joint we will create overall stiffness in that joint. If we contract all of the muscles around all of our joints we will create total body stiffness and thus a strong structure to lift with or press with.

Technique
If we're about to perform a military press we want to create stiffness in every joint below the Shoulder. It is a good idea to start from the bottom and work your way up, locking off each joint as we work our way up the chain. Are you starting to see how this is a bit like scaffolding?!
1. Try to grip the floor with your feet. Martial Artists call this 'routing' to the floor.
2. Lock your knees out and contract your quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. (basically all the leg muscles)
3. Perform an abdominal brace (see section on abdominal bracing in the Heavy Lifting with Kettlebells Manual)
4. Take a deep breath in to create intra-abdominal pressure and thoracic pressure. (see my section on intra abdominal pressure and thoracic pressure in the Heavy Lifting with Kettlebells Manual)
5. Raise your chest high as you create thoracic pressure to ensure your thoracic spine is extended and in a strong position
6. Now you're ready to lift!!
7. As you're pressing imagine you're trying to keep the head of your humerus locked into the shoulder joint (acetabulum)
8. As the kettlebell passes your head start to slowly release air, a bit like a piston or a pressure gauge. I like to do it under pierced breath, people end up looking at me funny but it works!
You've got to let the air out otherwise like a gas tank that doesn't have a pressure gauge on it, the tank will overfill and explode. Sounds a bit extreme but it's a similar principle with the body when we're lifting. If we hold our breath throughout, the pressure that builds up is often too much for us to handle. This is where you will start to feel head rushes from lack of blood to the brain and then possible fainting or burst blood vessels.
So best to breathe I think!

Stuart McGill talks of the phenomenon of 'super stiffness' being used by top athletes to create power, speed an ultimate performance. The same can be applied to lifting kettlebells and if we create super stiffness we will achieve great strength and power.

Tommy Matthews

Extract taken from the Manual for Heavy Lifting with Kettlebells.

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There are 69 pages of tips, techniques, lifts, training programmes, theory and much more. It's the perfect training manual for anyone looking to start lifting heavy kettlebells.
Manual Facts:

• The Manual includes 38 Different Lifts with colour pictures and technique tips.
• 12 week strength program.
• 1 Super set training session.
• A 40 day lifting challenge session.
• Tips on Nutrition.
• Tips on programme design.
• Tips on recovery.
• My 40 Lifts for Lent Diary and Experiences.
• My top 5 favourite lifts.
• Key Techniques and Principles of Lifting.
• The Benefits of lifting heavy kettlebells.

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