Taking the Fear out of the Kettlebell!

Kettlebells don't have to be scary!  After speak with many of my clients, two things seem to keep them from picking up the kettlebell.  They look intimidating and moving so quickly looks like it could hurt many parts of the body, mainly the back.  Let me start with a little history to help build a foundation.  Kettlebells have evolved many times in the past century.  They started as the counterbalance weights often used in markets when measuring bulk grain or food products.  They became a staple modality for the Russian military and olympic athletes.  They were typically lifted from a hardcore olympic lifting approach.  Lifts like the deadlift, clean and jerk, clean and press and snatch are the foundation.  These lifts are still taught and I believe they should be depending on the goal of the client.  

Today, kettlebells have entered into the group fitness world.  In this setting they can be more fluid in motion and used in creative movement with a more dance feel. Currently, I teach a TRX suspension trainer and kettlebell fusion class, which is fun and takes the fear out of working with the kettlebell.  The makers of kettlebells have made lighter more colorful versions, which help to reduce the intimidation factor.  In my class, I focus on teaching all versions of the kettlebell swing (two hand, alternating, over head with a straight leg kick back, two handed with lateral hops). I leave the Olympic lifts for one-on-one clients who really want to advance their kettlebell training and create more skill.    

Now to address the second concern I hear from clients, "kettlebells look like they will hurt my back."  The best answer to dispel this concern requires us to look at our activities of daily living. Our bodies whether male or female are designed to move quickly.  This is mainly due to the fact that we are made up of mostly third class levers.  This makes humans most efficient when moving weight quickly. And kettlebells are perfectly designed to be moved quickly.  This is due to the U shaped handle, which allows the kettlebell to be rotated in the hand smoothly.  The ability to move the kettlebell in a curvilinear plane verses a vertical plane is also what makes them different than lifting a dumbbell or barbell.  Kettlebells constantly challenge our center of gravity, which requires a full body approach.  When you put all this together kettlebells are most similar to the objects we move and use during activities of daily living.

Let's look at some examples, when at the airport baggage claim we don't think twice about hauling our bags off the conveyor belt.  This is an object where weight is not evenly distributed in the palm of our hands or moved in a slow controlled pattern.  How about when we pick up grocery bags? Typically we are unevenly weighted, lifting, walking and swinging them either into the back seat or trunk of our cars.  And finally, I ask, what does a purse look like.  Let's see...they typically have two straps that are U in shape and the weight is at the bottom of an roundish looking bag.  If you ask me, that sounds a lot like a kettlebell.  Have you ever swung your purse on to something while maybe not standing perfectly even on both feet?  That is actually more dangerous for your back than lifting kettlebells properly.

Ladies and gentlemen, there you have it, if you look at the activities you encounter on a daily basis you are moving objects most similar to kettlebells.  How come we don't train to prepare ourselves for these activities?  


Demo during segment:  It's all about the swing!  A proper two hand swing, alternating swing, overhead swing with a leg lift, lateral hopping swing,


Isolated abdominal series:  Half turkish get-up, side plank with kettlebell, Russian twists with KB. 


It's as simple as doing these variations in a circuit style to get an efficient full body workout.  You will be surprised at how fun, how much you sweat and how cardiovascular kettlebells can be.

If you're interested in trying a kettle bell class, I teach one every Tuesday & Thursday!  Check out the link below for more information.  Also, Saturday April 20th I will be teaching kettle bell for Dr. Ian Smith's Shredder Nation!  He's the author of Shred.  Join us this Saturday at Hi-Fi fitness!

http://www.victoriadgray.com/group-classes/