Kettle Bells

[sandy]

So I took my first Kettle Bell class givin by a Certified Crossfit Trainer.It was quite a challenge. Don't know if I love it but would have to give it more time. My lower back is a little weary. Don't know if its a good weary or bad weary. It was a small group so the instructor was giving good form checks so I don't think I had bad form through most of it. For you Kettlbellers, what do you think this workout gives you that keeps you "hooked"? Or why do you love it.

[like2bike]

Good thread Sandy and I look forward to hearing more from some peeps here. I'm pretty sure Cfoam and Viv are into Kettle bells and could offer some thoughts.

[Funhog]

Just don't watch Jillian...

[Pink]

Because of my good pal, Cfoam, I swallowed my initial hesitation of swinging heavy weights around and decided to give KB a try. I did it right. I hired a trainer to work with me one-on-one for 5 weeks Then I took a 6-week fundamentals workshop with one of the guru's from Russia.

I think you could ask many people, some will absolutly love them and tell you all the reason why and how much they helped them. Others will tell you why they didn't like them and all the reasons why.

I think that if it's something you want to try, make sure you get good instruction and give it an honest try, because it's easy to get hurt. I really wanted to love it because I LOVE weight lifting....but it wasn't for me for a lot of reasons.

[sandy]

Today my back is pretty sore. I don't know if thats a signal about a weak lower back or if I wasn't doing something right. I don't mind the Hamstring soreness, I did many sqauts so its expected but the back, oye. Pink or someone else, did you have any soreness in that area?

[jsejt]

I'm taking a Kettlebell workshop at WSSC, I guess I'll let you know after that. :)

[megale3]

Just don't watch Jillian...
I could look at her for a little while, shes kind of hot.:cool:
Meg

[Pink]

Today my back is pretty sore. I don't know if thats a signal about a weak lower back or if I wasn't doing something right. I don't mind the Hamstring soreness, I did many sqauts so its expected but the back, oye. Pink or someone else, did you have any soreness in that area?

Sandy, I have L4-L5 & L5-S1 herniations that flare up from time to time, but have been under good control since initial treatment & PT about 5 years ago. I did have lower back pain while I was doing KBs, but I didn't want to believe that it came from them (I really wanted to like them!). I was pretty uncomfortable for about 2 months, although it never went down my leg. I blamed my mattress, teaching too much, etc. However, once I stopped KB, the back pain ceased within a week. So was it a coincidence? Ummmm, don't know because I don't see me starting them up again to test.

Also, another thing I didn't like (again, this is just me)...I don't like to mix cardio & lifting. Meaning, I don't like any kind of fast, continuous lifting circuits. I like concentrated lifting, heavy & slow. When I am doing a circuit, I feel like I can't lift as heavy because my breath is compromised, and I don't mentally connect with the movement. Now I know that circuit training is 'all that,' but I don't enjoy it. I do enough pure aerobic exercise. I like to separate out lifting.

I don't want to turn anyone off of kettlebells, as your mileage may vary.

[cfoam4me]

Good thread Sandy and I look forward to hearing more from some peeps here. I'm pretty sure Cfoam and Viv are into Kettle bells and could offer some thoughts.

Yep, I am and I have to tell you I really love them! I began using KB's about a year ago and I could feel a great deal of difference in how my knee (which is pretty bad), felt within a few classes. They help to lengthen and strengthen muscles, ligaments and tendons and that is helpful to anyone, (cleared to exercise), with weaknesses. I am teaching my second KB workshop now and have heard comments that echo my knee with shoulders, hips, elbows and backs. That being said, I do know that there are folks who don't find it enjoyable for many of the reasons Pinkster has already offered.
I guess what keeps me hooked, (beyond the fact that I enjoy doing it), is that I have seen such positive results and it has changed my body(30 pounds lost to date), and I am overall much stronger.
From a general perspective kettlebells can increase cardio conditioning, increase metabolism by developing a denser muscle mass, increase mobility, flexibility, and strength, as well as increase your overall functional training benefit. It's not for everyone anymore than spinning is, but if you enjoy them you will definitely see results.

[ditchwoman1279]

We have cert American Kettlebell Coach at our facility.
I take cardio kettle and Kettlenetics when I can. I love them
but I HAVE had back pains because when my legs
start to fail my back wants to compensate. We actually do
cardio intervals between bell lifting and I noticed I wasn't
as sore...

[sandy]

We have cert American Kettlebell Coach at our facility.
I take cardio kettle and Kettlenetics when I can. I love them
but I HAVE had back pains because when my legs
start to fail my back wants to compensate. We actually do
cardio intervals between bell lifting and I noticed I wasn't
as sore...
This is good info. When my GF Director asked the next day how I found the class, (this was a democlass and she wanted my opinion) I told her that if you want people to develope a "love" she had better break them in more gently. I am in pretty decent shape and train with a trainer every Monday and have good basic form on excercises. But when you try something new its always a challenge and with this the results can be harmful if not done correctly or overdone. Breaking it up with intervals was her suggestion too. Thanks!

[joyofspin]

This is good info. When my GF Director asked the next day how I found the class, (this was a democlass and she wanted my opinion) I told her that if you want people to develope a "love" she had better break them in more gently. I am in pretty decent shape and train with a trainer every Monday and have good basic form on excercises. But when you try something new its always a challenge and with this the results can be harmful if not done correctly or overdone. Breaking it up with intervals was her suggestion too. Thanks!

Sandy, most gyms around here that have started it as a group fitness class have done so by adding in a segment of kettlebells to other formats. Equinox has full kettlebell classes. I got certified over a year ago for group fitness KB but I haven't taught a class yet.

[cfoam4me]

For sure the choice of intervals and intensity, as well as coaching form are things an instructor has to be careful with where KB's are concerned. I mix mine up and have received favorable feedback on the balance.

[veespin]

Joy and I both did a KB workshop and certification course together and I have to say that, as much as I love KBs I don't think they lend themselves to traditional group ex. settings.

Although Keli Roberts (who did the workshops and the cert. course) emphasized that she wasn't a KB trainer, I don't think she emphasized how technique sensitive KB work can be and to have random gym members dropping in and out of classes in the way they do for IDC is a fast track to injury (at the ECA where we did the initial workshop, Joy finagled a free DVD for us and it showed Keli Roberts's introduction of her routines at the IDEA a few months earlier......watching the way that most of these group ex. instructors were making a dog's breakfast of the basic swings convinced me that teaching it as group ex. is definitely not for me)

Love the routines for myself. Around here we have a bunch of KB only gyms....the Punch gyms that I mentioned in a different post being just one brand. This is the web site for just one of the certifications out there (one of the best sites, I think) http://www.artofstrength.com/. Check out the minute of strength clips also the DVDs.....I have Anthony's Training Clinics and Providence. I have an online buddy who's going through his certification programme and it's demanding, expensive and not the sort of thing that would attract folk who just want an extra certification.....e.g. she's just about my weight (and age) and for just the test for her level 1 trainer cert. has to do all the basic moves (swings, clean and press, snatch and TGU) with a 16 kg bell.

Can't beat KBs for functional strength.

Vivienne

[veespin]

Just don't watch Jillian...

Ditto.....unfortunately, when I e-mailed my online buddy about my "certification" course and Keli's group ex. programme, it seems that for KBs at least, Keli is to KBs what Jillian is to Spinning.

Vivienne

[veespin]

This is good info. When my GF Director asked the next day how I found the class, (this was a democlass and she wanted my opinion) I told her that if you want people to develope a "love" she had better break them in more gently. I am in pretty decent shape and train with a trainer every Monday and have good basic form on excercises. But when you try something new its always a challenge and with this the results can be harmful if not done correctly or overdone. Breaking it up with intervals was her suggestion too. Thanks!

Sandy, I think the problem isn't so much the kettlebells but the philosophy of Crossfit trainers......which is basically if you haven't been spanked within an inch (make that a centimeter) of shaking hands with Mr. Pukey or an episode of rhabdomyolysis, you're just playing.

Check out the early AOS minute of strength clips and see if you don't see a difference between the way the AOS dude breaks down the different moves and the BTTW method the Crossfit folk advocate (I sometimes try the Crossfit w/o of the day but can't be doing with the quasi military stuff)

Vivienne

[amybatt]

My trainer uses KBs with me in place of hand-weights and to work the body in a different way than hand-weights do; don't ask me to write here what I mean, but those who use them like that know. What I am opposed to (and don't like about them) are the exercises with them that seem stemmed in momentum, like once you get them swinging, they just keep swinging. That feels unsafe to me and I just won't do those. But otherwise, I like them for what I use them for. I can't imagine how they'd be used in a group setting (but then again, my gym only has one set of them to begin with!)

[veespin]

My trainer uses KBs with me in place of hand-weights and to work the body in a different way than hand-weights do; don't ask me to write here what I mean, but those who use them like that know. What I am opposed to (and don't like about them) are the exercises with them that seem stemmed in momentum, like once you get them swinging, they just keep swinging. That feels unsafe to me and I just won't do those. But otherwise, I like them for what I use them for. I can't imagine how they'd be used in a group setting (but then again, my gym only has one set of them to begin with!)

Well, the whole rationale and benefit to using kettlebells is using your muscles to control the momentum. You should use a weight that's heavy enough so that you need the hip thrusts to overcome inertia and so it doesn't swing on its own......much like having enough resistance on the flywheel of a Spin bike so that you don't feel like a perpetual motion machine's Spinning away with you.

If you see some of the infomercials around for kettlebell routines right now, they have these dinky little weights that I swear are smaller than some of my earrings and are guaranteed to start you off with bad form.

Vivienne

[veespin]

Here's a link to another set of Anthony's traning clips

http://www.performbetter.com/catalog/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_180_A_PageName_E_Ket tlebellExercises

Amy......is this how your trainer uses them/sets you up to use them?

Vivienne

[amybatt]

Here's a link to another set of Anthony's traning clips

http://www.performbetter.com/catalog/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_180_A_PageName_E_Ket tlebellExercises

Amy......is this how your trainer uses them/sets you up to use them?

Vivienne

I just watched a few of those, and yes, he tried showing me that way. I tried once and said no more because to me it felt unsafe and I'm just recovered from one injury caused by stupidity (my own), I didn't want another. It's more my own nervousness about them than it is his ability to show me how to do it. Instead we use them more to do the chest progression exercises and the Turkish getup that are on there.

[sandy]

Thanks V. I watched carefully the basic swing as he describes and from what he said if you don't get that basic swing just right you dont move on to anything else. I also found that basic squat facing the wall drill interesting. I guess if your not properly aligned your knees and or face meets the wall first. I noticed no hyperextending of the lower back at all. Which I had to be doing in order for me to have such bad pain.

[veespin]

Thanks V. I watched carefully the basic swing as he describes and from what he said if you don't get that basic swing just right you dont move on to anything else. I also found that basic squat facing the wall drill interesting. I guess if your not properly aligned your knees and or face meets the wall first. I noticed no hyperextending of the lower back at all. Which I had to be doing in order for me to have such bad pain.

I think the wall squat is the greatest idea for getting the position just right.

I cannot for the life of me get my husband to do a basic squat......he does a sort of deep knee bend as performed by Mr. Bean channeling Charlie Chaplin (if you can imagine) He won't try the wall squat because he reckons it stops him from DOIN' IT RITE. Nooooo, sez I......you need to do the wall squats because U R DOIN' IT RONG!!! He won't use a heavy enough bell so does this Mr Bean/CC thingie and hefts the bell in a sort of stiff armed front raise. Then he complains because it hurts his back.

I could see this scenario over and over again in a regular group ex. class so I'm steering clear of teaching any of that.

Vivienne.....BTW, was your Crossfit teacher out of the mold I described for the typical C-F trainer??

[cfoam4me]

Using the wall, ( a corner is even better), for learning how to do the KB clean is a great way to maintain form too. I think learning how to do KB's from an RKC trained instructor or someone that was taught by one is a much better way to learn than from some of the inevitable spin offs that always tend to crop up with any "new" popular exercise or workout routine. I have been lucky to have been trained by several of these instuctors and it makes all the difference in the world. My guess is Jillian will be using them in the next biggest loser season and her form and instructions will be as brilliant as her spinning expertise...sadly.

[sandy]

Hard to say about the trainer. I know what to you mean about the normal Crossfit routine, but since we didn't venture to anything else besides the kettlebell no knowing what he would be like in that scenario. But I do think we tried too many moves for a "demo" class. Basic should be instructed for a while before progression to more involved moves. And we were doing many moves during the hour. As a matter of fact he said that since we were doing really well he was showing us some more intermediate moves.

By the way, those ropes are no joke!

[veespin]

My guess is Jillian will be using them in the next biggest loser season and her form and instructions will be as brilliant as her spinning expertise...sadly.

It just so happens.....

http://irontamerblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/biggest-loser-jillians-kettlebell.html


Vivienne

[cfoam4me]

Alas, just wait till she does a whole last chance workout with them. First, off with the seats on the spin bikes, then KB clean and presses while balancing on the pedals, burning thousands of calories in the blink of an eye...:roll: