Kettlebell

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by aaradia, Dec 3, 2021.

  1. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    I just bought my first kettlebell. I need to work on my strength and flexibility.

    I thought some of the kettlebell exercises lend to developing more range of motion as you build your strength. Also, I bought an adjustable one, I live in a small place, so I really don't have room for a whole barbell, dumbbell set up. The picture attached is what I bought. I got a really good "Cyber Monday deal."

    I have never used one before. I do have experience with barbells and dumbbells.

    I just wanted to see what tips anyone here might have for me. What is your experience with kettlebells? Any tips you have for a newbie? Any particular exercises you found useful as a martial artist? Any you found are ones to stay away from?

    Really, any discussion kettlebell related would be welcome.

    upload_2021-12-3_11-24-14.jpeg
     
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  2. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Oh, kettlebell is a great thing! I have one - 16 kg and I find that's the weight that works well for all the exercise I'm doing. I might need a slightly lighter one for snatches, but that's about it.

    I haven't done a work-out with it for a few months now, but I am certainly planning to, again, hopefully soon.
    I am no expert, but I learned several exercises when I was going to a CrossFit gym. My tips would be to keep your back straight, not push the knees over the toes (those are quite obvious) and for most things, the power would actually be coming from the lower half of the body as opposed to arms, be it for clean & jerks, snatches, swings, etc.

    My list of exercises, if you need inspiration:
    - Russian/American swing
    - Goblet squat
    - Lunge
    - Single-leg Romanian deadlift
    - Clean and push press
    - Shoulder press
    - Windmill

    And a few more I don't do that often and haven't much experience with:
    - Side lunge
    - Bent-over row
    - Snatch
    - Thruster
    - TGU
    - Box step-up
    - Farmer's walk
     
  3. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    That last one, the Farmer's Walk, is one of the best full body functional exercises of all. That is strength and cardio training that directly translates to everyday life. It covers most muscle groups. You can really do it with any weight (I once did this carrying buckets of cow poop, believe it or not), but kettlebells are perfectly designed for it. You really would benefit from having 2 and just picking them up now and then throughout the day.

    Leave them lying out and around too. The worst thing to do with kettlebells is to put them away under the bed or in a closet. You'll forget all about them. :)
     
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  4. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    I've got a few KBs, and they are good for a compact way to build some strength and (moreso) muscular endurance, I'm not an expert but spending some time learning how to two handed swing, and them one handed swing really helps,

    Aside from that:
    Squats (billions of ways)
    Cossack squats
    single leg squats
    Single leg deadlifts (both same side and cross side)
    Turkish get ups
    Rows flat and shoulder presses

    Have been my gotos

    There's loads of bad YouTube resources out there,
    I'd be interested in recommendations on good resources to use.
     
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  5. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I have a 16kg 'bell but haven't really used it that much.
    Currently it's my warm up for more "regular" barbell lifting. So I do 3X25 two handed swings, some one handed alternating swings and some shoulder presses to get the blood flowing and main joints lubricated..
    The swing, done properly with a good hip hinge and snapping through with the glutes and posterior chain, seems to be the king of k'bell exercises and worth investing time in.
     
  6. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    Lordy...just looking for a decent K'Bell swing tutorial on Youtube and it appears the K'Bell world is beset by division, in-fighting and contradictory advice. Big names slagging each other off.
     
  7. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    Dan John is the only guy you really need to look at for tutorials.
    Same for OL lifting.

    As for the while KB infighting well when the whole overblown marketing scam was started by Pavel what do you expect :)
     
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  8. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award




    Thanks muchly!


    You mean it won't make me a Soviet superman? I'll have to settle for just being a part of the swoloteriat then!

    i+must+break+you.jpg
     
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  9. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    Where do we start, quoting Pavel in his 5x5 deadlift grease the groove book where he says cardio and lifting should be done separately you can't use weights for cardio..... Then promptly rights multiple books on using a weight implement for cardio...

    Or do we start with his whole kettle bells are so much easy to learn thank OL lifts, then promptly starts charging 10 times as much for a KB course than it would cost to learn OL lifts....

    Or the whole Pavel I'm certified in KB lifting in Russia.... Not according to his four main USA students who left him upon learning the truth :)
     
  10. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award




    Probably the best kettle bell Christmas advert your ever going to watch!
    (I'm not crying, you're crying!
     
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  11. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    Some drills for reference.



     
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  12. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    I have been thinking of getting kettlebell for some time.
    I saw it as a fad for a while, but working with single dumbbell to do some lifts, it seems it would be better to bite the bullet and get a kettlebell.
    Some great resources here, I have mostly used barbell focus lifts, but I like the idea of having 1 day a week for kettle bell type exercises.

    The stone lock training also looks interesting, not something I plan to get into, but it seems similar movements, with a lot of hand eye coordination involved. I suspect the carry over to this could be good for grappling with getting grips on in a dynamic environment. From what I recall this is very much related to Shuai Jiao training.
    has anyone done these style workouts with kettlebells?
     
  13. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    They are a fad
    They can be useful although most individuals and gyms tend to end up using them as expensive door jams.

    The question is never really about the tool you use or buy, but what your objective is.

    Generally speaking it's best to decide what your desired out come is from training, and then decide which tool best fits said objective.

    We all only have a set amount of time to train and recover, it's best to use the time wisely especially if it takes time away from your chosen sport or even worse from recovering from said sport.
     
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  14. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    Thanks everyone. I particularly appreciate the list of exercises you all do. It gives me a frame of reference to look up exercises.

    I also appreciate the references for who to look at and who to avoid in videos out there. I had heard the name Pavel and was starting to get suckered that he was the main guy to follow. So I appreciate the heads up about him!

    I have ordered a bunch of books from my local library as well.

    Thanks for the videos Youknowwho. I think those are too advanced for me, as I am a newbie, but they are cool to watch.

    I am starting slowly, just a couple of exercises with lighter weight than I think I can handle. I see the movements have the potential for injury if you don't get them done properly. So I am taking my time to get those movements down right. One never wants injuries. But I particularly don't want them right now. I need my workouts to handle the mental anxieties the pandemic has caused me. (OCD and a global pandemic are a BAD mix!) And I am also preparing, hopefully, to do advanced tests in both CLF and TCC. I don't want a set back right now.

    I don't go for fads, unless by coincidence. The things I were going for was more range of motion whole body move combinations that I saw in kettlebell workouts. They seem to go hand in hand with what I want to develop as a martial artist. Also, and this is a big one. I have a small granny flat with a small yard. I don't have room for a whole barbell/ dumbbell set up. Unless I want it to sit outside and get rained on. They have adjustable dumbbells similar to my adjustable kettlebell. But they look like they would take more time to change weights. My new kettlebell is really quick and easy to adjust weights with.

    I am not particularly interested in the cardio aspect. I get that from my CLF practice.

    One of my main influences was some video clips on FB by one of our instructors. He does both standard and kettlebell workouts. but watching the kettlebell exercises made me think they had value for my goals and living situation right now.
     
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  15. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    I think you have a great approach! I only own one kettlebell without changable weight, no dumbells etc., and it has worked very well for me for whole body work-outs. There are many exercises to do with it and it's helped me get some strenght back after time off training. I also used it a lot when I was preparing on my black belt grading. I can't recommend it enough. And it's perfect if you don't have much space.

    If you have any opportunity at all, I would perhaps consider visiting some kind of a gym where an instructor could help you get the mechanics of the exercises right. Sure you can learn it from videos, but chances are you might overlook something you're doing wrong and potentially hurt yourself. If you don't have that opportunity or don't plan to do that, starting with small weight is a good idea. Although I personally probably wouldn't stuck with too small a weight for too long as you might learn different habits compared to what you have to do with a heavier weight.

    Not sure if this is helpful and I am not sure how this kettlebell of yours is scaled weight-wise, but when I was going to crossfit, where I learned the kettlebell exercises, When working with a kettlebell for a while (like not doing an isolated exercise where you can take it easy and rest as much as you like), the required weight for work-outs for women was the 16 kg, scaled version 12 kg usually. That should be fine for doing most exercises, I think. Bud definitely start lighter till you learn the movements.
    For exercises like Farmer's walk, deadlifts or swings the weight could go heavier.
    This is just for reference. Sorry if I wrote something that is obvious :)
     
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  16. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Look at Pat Flynn on youtube, he does some good KB stuff with lots of suggested routines. He often has Dan John on his podcast, also available on youtube.

    I would pick 3-5 exercises and do reps that feel good.

    My usual routine is one handed swing both sides, overhead press both sides, goblet squat, press ups and farmers walk. I keep meaning to add Turkish get ups to this.

    Take time to get your swing right, it's a hinge not a squat, and is the fundamental movement.

    Keep weight low if you're trying new skills like the KB snatch. It's really important to master the movements before using much weight.

    Remember there are two styles of KB. We're all talking about hard style, competition KB style is a very different movement, designed for endurance.
     
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  17. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter


    I will check out the link! Thanks!

    I definitely am not interested in the endurance style. I have ungodly long forms for that. Some are VERY long. And I have a lot of them. And some day, I will get to spar again and build back that type of endurance.

    And now that my finger is mostly healed, I will again be looking into putting up a heavy bag in my yard.
     
  18. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    Just wanted to second this oft overlooked but very important point. I can't think of anything that less trained people tend to abuse more than kettlebells, other than the heavybag.

    The bell is deceptive in a way. I see people pick them up all the time and swinging for the fences without either warming up, or knowing their personal limits of range etc.

    Invariably, these same people walk around with pulled muscles and tendonitis later on, rubbing themselves like oh what did I do wrong.

    It's simple, warmup, and go easy! And work your way up slowly. Slow and steady wins, always. Later on when you're doing impressive monster swings effortlessly, you'll thank yourself. And then get a heavier bell, because you've probably plateaued. :)
     
  19. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    "Pat Flynn and his concept of Generalism" I wonder if Greg Glassman ever thought of suing him.... Not like he needs the money I know.

    But then I wonder if Bob Hoffman's decedent's ever thought of suing Greg Glassman.....

    Or if karl gotch's descendents ever thought about going after Matt Furey who I personally blame for everything wrong with strength and conditioning
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2021
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  20. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Nothing new under the sun :)
     

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