Today I'm going to talk a little about one of the best things that you can do to start your physical transformation off on the right foot.

Over the years I've talked about the difference in physique between a marathon runner and a sprinter. But there's more here. Look at the physiques of the vast majority of kettlebell sport athletes, then look at the physiques of hybrid kettlebell lifters. Now, look at the physiques of the average person in the gym and then look at the average Olympic style weightlifter (not a competitor, but a hobbyist). What have you noticed?

Let's take a look. The average and vast majority of marathon runners have a pretty lousy looking physique. Rail thin arms and legs and soft and gushy bellies. The average and majority of kettlebell sport athletes have a very similar body type. The average person that just heads out to the gym with no guidance, or under the eye of a typical gym trainer, usually fairs no better in the physique department.

Yet, the average sprinter, the average hybrid kettlebell lifter, and the average Olympic lifting hobbyist are chiseled, strong and impressive.

Why is that?

Don't sprinters and marathon runners perform a similar activity? They both run, right. Don't kettlebell sport athletes and hybrid kettlebellers perform the k-bell long cycle, snatches and jerks? Don't both the average gym goer and the average Olympic lifting hobbyist both lift weights?

Why then is there such a different in the quality of their physiques?

One of the biggest differences is the speed of the movement that they use.

Sprinters, by definition are going all out, we're talking 95-100% o their maximum effort. Marathoners are jut trying to finish the race, and they plod along at moderate to slow paces to make sure that they have enough gas left to finish.

Kettlebell sport athletes pace themselves and move at moderate to slow paces. For instance, they'll set a pace for 12 snatches a minute for the 10 minute round. This way they make sure they have gas left in the tank to finish the 10 minutes. Kettlebell hybrid people try to bang out 300 snatches in the same time, no pacing, just 95-100% balls out speed.

The average gym goer will hit the machines and lift at a controlled cadence. Let's say two seconds for the concentric (lifting) phase, a pause at the top of the movement followed by a slow and controlled 4 second eccentric phase (lowering). Even the hobbyist in Olympic Lifting has to explode the weight from the ground to overhead as quickly as humanly possible, hitting that95-100% all out speed.
That's right, the speed that you exercise at will play a huge role in determining how much muscle you build, how much fat you burn and how much you stimulate your good hormones. I'm not talking about rushing through your warm-up and then having no control and sloppy technique. I'm talking about lifting with good form, but as fast and as explosive as possible.

Try it for yourself. Replace your run with sprint intervals. Grab your k-bell and hit your movements with as much speed as you can. Hit some hard barbell cleans, jerks, snatches, high pulls and clean and jerks. Keep it up for a few months and see the difference it makes in your body.

Now, go train smart, hard and heave and create your greatness.

Yours in strength and health,
Brett

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