Kettlebell Clinch Squat will make you dig deep

Republished from the Aug. 10 issue of WIN

By Quentin Dunn

The Kettlebell Clinch Split Squat is a brutal exercise aimed to develop total-body strength from the ground up accompanied with mental toughness. The benefits are plentiful and consist of: single-leg strength, clinch strength and core strength.

Another added benefit is that it teaches the wrestler to breathe through their diaphragm. Clinching the kettlebell compresses the wrestler’s rib cage, which makes them breath through their diaphragm in a similar fashion as a wrestling match. When our wrestlers master this skill, they can continue to brawl on the mat instead of backing out for air. This exercise alone gives the wrestler a big bang for his buck.

This exercise can be heavily loaded once the wrestler can perform the movement with great control; bodyweight first, then progress from there.

The beauty of this exercise is it bypasses the lower back, which is a limiting factor in the traditional barbell back squat and in turn allows us to put more load on a single leg than we would be capable of doing in a standard squat; all while avoiding the ubiquitous lower back issues that can pop up.

Coaching this Exercise

• Elevate your back foot on a bench or box.

• Clinch two kettlebells in front of your chest.

• Squat down with the weight on your front leg.

• Maintain a straight line from the ankle, knee and hip.

• Don’t allow the knee to pass in front of the toes.