Anyone use kettlebells?

Ever try the trap bar (aka shrug bar) deadlifts?

I discovered the trap bar nearly a decade ago, thanks to Stuart McRobert. He considers the trap bar deadlift the single best compound exercise for many trainees. Far superior to the barbell squat (inside a power rack) in every way, in my experience, for heavy duty, abbreviated training.

If you were injured most of the time, you might want to check out this classic:



Full disclosure: there are no kettlebells in this book, although they would certainly be a natural substitute for dumbbells in many exercises.

 

how much you bench man?

how big is your chest?

thanks

 

Ac the so-called “iron balls” may not be everything they are cracked up to be......

Kettlebells work the shoulders across a wide range of angles…and the wrists and the elbows and the lower back. They can work these areas
of the body really well. They can really stretch them. In fact, unless you are really careful and have perfect technique every time you move the bell, they can overextend them. Several message boards on the internet are replete with stories of people suffering extension-stress injuries from kettlebells, especially in the shoulders, wrists, elbows and lower back.
Another reason may be that the type of exercise may be too complex to perform alone, without the benefit of someone watching your technique. Kettlebells are particularly notorious in this regard, much more so than other forms of resistance-based exercise.

A fair number of the exercises, for example, are ballistic in nature. A good example of this is the simple swing. If done with one hand, it can hyperextend the shoulder joint itself and the muscles surrounding it. This is the case whether a kettlebell or dumbbell is used. However, because the centre of gravity of a kettlebell is that further away from the hand than is the case with a dumbbell, the risk is way higher with a kettlebell and the need for perfect technique all the more imperative. There is much more of a pull on the connective tissues because the iron is flying away from your body at speed. You can’t control it as well because you haven’t got the same close grip as you would if using a dumbbell.

The same can hold true for pressing exercises performed with a kettlebell. Take the one-hand overhead press. With a dumbbell, the iron is gripped either side of the hand and the wrist is upright. With a kettlebell, however, you have to really grip it hard, otherwise, the bell will flop onto the back of your hand. This will hyperextend the wrist, put undue (and unnecessary) strain on the forearm and if done regularly, can over time place the elbow under severe strain. Also, when pressing, the wrist and forearm will take the bulk of the strain, not the upper arm and shoulder. The first warning you will have of this is a burning sensation under the elbow. Your wrist may swell up gradually. Your lower back may complain in the form of sudden sharp pains n the evenings. If you keep it up, you may even get a clicking noise in your shoulder, which will definitely warrant medical attention. If you are wise, you will stop at that point.Your connective tissues are just as important as your muscles - and just as necessary to the smooth functioning of your body.

Can you do a one-legged squat? This is where you stand up right, then stick one leg out in front, toes pointing forward and away from your body. Holding your arms out in front for balance, bend the leg that is on the ground till your rear (I believe the American expression is “butt”?) touches your ankle and then straighten the same leg again. A tough exercise and no mistake, isn’t it? If you can do the one-legged squat, how did you first achieve it? I did it by holding a pair of dumbbells at arms’s length, as the extra resistance on the upper body kept the lower body in balance. Once I could do them with dumbbells, I tried doing them without and they were much harder to do. Why? Because there was no counterforce effect which helped me to remain upright. The truth is that one-legged squats are fair harder using your own bodyweight, whereas adding resistance makes them easier.

Can you do a handstand pushup? If so, have you tried with a weight tied to your waist or wearing a weighted vest? You might think that the added weight makes the handstand pushup much harder to do. In fact, the additional resistance causes the abdominal muscles to contract forcibly in order to stabilise the trunk of your body. This takes some work off your shoulders-work that your shoulders would be doing if you had used no resistance. Again, the added weight makes it easier.

How about endurance? Is doing thirty swings with a kettlebell better than doing one hundred pushups? One definite advantage is that the swings wouldn’t take so long. One definite disadvantage is that you are exercising for a shorter time. If you are involved in a sport or activity which requires you to remain active for protracted periods of time, then you should train to be active for protracted periods of time. You can do this with heavy resistance if you wish, but I hope your joints can take it. I doubt if mine could - or indeed most people’s. Bodyweight exercises use the weight of your own body - no more and no less. As a means of training for endurance, they are the sensible choice. It doesn’t even have to be a specific exercise. Brisk walking is by far the best overall exercise there is. Swimming is also fantastic, especially for your back, and the buoyancy of the water takes a great load off your joints.
Let’s get even more specific: boxing. Can you imagine the effort required in simply holding your arms up for a three minute round and having to do that twelve times? This is quiet apart from having to bob and weave or throwing any punches at all. Merely holding your arms up for thirty six minutes (twelve three minute rounds) takes quite a bit of doing. The best way to train for this is to use the arms, shoulders, abs and upper back and use them for a similar length of time. Now, can you see why boxers do so many pushups?

How about cardiovascular exercise? High repetition kettlebell swings are indeed a good cardiovascular exercise. However, they are in no way superior to other cardiovascular activities. Take brisk walking. If you can go outside and walk briskly, you’re getting fresh air and the whole body is getting exercised evenly. Also, the joints of the upper body in particular get a rest - unlike kettlebell swinging. Fresh air is in itself a very important component in health. How about swimming? Again, the buoyancy of the water rests the joints and the entire body (especially the back) gets a workout. Also, spending time in the water is a good way to prepare the body against sudden chills or cold draughts. Finally, swimming in a local pool can be a rewarding social activity. Let’s put it this way: Where are you more likely to see a bikini-clad beauty - in a swimming pool or in your own garage? If the answer is the latter, then I want a garage like yours. Hummmm. Good point here Ac, you have to admit.

As regards the “feel”, they definitely feel much different than dumbbells. A given amount of weight on a kettlebell is much harder to handle than the same weight on a dumbbell. Why is this? Again, there is nothing magical or mysterious about it. It is a simple matter of leverage. Because the centre of gravity of the kettlebell is at the end of a handle rather than either side of your hand, the weight itself is further away from the hand. Because of the added distance, the resistance on the body is actually greater than the weight of the kettlebell alone. If you want the science, then here it is: The amount of resistance increases with distance from the lever or fulcrum which is acting against the resistance. If you don’t want the science. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that adding a little more weight to a dumbbell will equal the resistance obtained from an equivalent kettlebell.

Most likely you already use your shoulders an awful lot just shrugging at your own posts on ET. This is true of most activities, as they involve the use of the arms. Even runners swing their arms as they run and derive some momentum from this, as well as keeping their body alignment correct.

Why am I saying this? Because every kettlebell move which involves using a kettlebell or pair without any other apparatus involves the shoulders to a greater or lesser extent. There is no way to take the shoulders out of an exercise session which involves the sole use of kettlebells.

Kettlebells are definitely not suitable for the beginner at exercise, or for those who are returning to exercise after a protracted period of inactivity. This is due to the high risk to the wrists, elbows, shoulders and lower back inherent in their use, plus the complexity involved in many of the exercises. Only those who are already fairly fit and who have trained their connective tissues to withstand repeated shocks of a ballistic nature should even consider using them.......~ stoney

 

if you ever use a good machine you'll throw away those relics of training past

 

I use a band system now and it is very tiring. there is a big machine in the corner with plates on either side and you pull and pull and then push down and pull and chest one arm and two and it is a very good overall workout. Unfortunately there are some pull up bars at the top that beg for use.

On top of that or I should say on top of a ball is another neat core workout. You balance with your knees on a big plastic ball and then your trainer hands you weights to do stuff with. It's a pretty zen exercise, some days I'm a rock up there balancing and can curl or overhead press anything... some days when I'm not focused I'm pitching and heaving all over the place and if you are as big as I am, this seemingly safe exercise can get pretty scary when you are being rolled off the ball quickly with your weights and hurled towards the big mirror.

A bench press in the corner and a pull down machine for shoulders & traps and forearms combined with a once a week martial arts workout with mostly leg squats and one can get fairly fit in just three hours a week. Add running or swimming to the mix which I really should do and you are 100% capable of kicking someone's ass -not that it should ever come to that but it's nice to know you can. ~ stoney

 

Good comments all, its obvious the possibility of injury, certainly not for rank beginners.

The importance of form is critical in any exercise, moreso perhaps with KB's than some others-i can only point out, i had many injuries from bodyweight work too, but moreso basic free weights, i guess the fact is, if you have structural problems you really need to take things easy.

I can only attest to this, by saying my best results occured when i could keep training, rather than taking weeks off from screwed up ligaments or exacerbating knee/back problems and the like.

Thanks guys!

 

You got it Ac. One thing I do think you are on to something trend wise. A slim blond showed up at my repro gym I couldn't help but notice... she was down the hall.... swinging F*ing kettlebells!

There also is a new movie coming out, a karate kid type and that too will emphasize kettlebells and most of the swank gyms in NY now have a set but they are chained up and you cannot use them without an instructor. The trend is on!

Good Luck! ~ stoney

 

Do you really want to look like this?

 

Lol, putting chains on 'em is a sure fire way to get all the ego trainers using them....an exercise thing, so demanding and dangerous, it has to be chained up!!
I guess it would have been boorish to have sauntered over, and asked the blonde about her hip thrusting technique.....

 

Sure, why not, looks plenty strong to me, i've never been that ripped.
Although, he appears to have no traps or neck, which is a little surprising, but he's not a bodybuilder either, i would guess there is more than enough strength there.
Is kinda a turkey neck, isnt it.....


With a....um, *solid* build, hell yeah, I would like to experience serious definition and low bodyfat.
Never had a problem stacking on muscle when i was training-what i found, was that, rather like current butterball state, monster muscles actually start getting in the way of things.
I dont mean flexibility, or co-ordination, they just darn got in the way, i cant describe it but they do, i just dont need that.