9 Lessons Swinging Kettlebells Have Taught Me
By admin
This is not one of those post where I go on and on about how great kettlebells are by listing out their benefits. If you want that, click here.
Instead, I want to focus on the actual lessons and changes to fitness that almost 2 years of kettlebells have taught me.
Why? Because I feel like so many people have access to these amazing tools but are either too nervous to try them or…
Well, too nervous to try them pretty much sums it up.
I was one of them.
A couple of years ago, Dan marched me into a Dick’s Sporting Goods. Had me close my eyes as we walked into the weights. Turned me around and said “okay, open them!”. With a “Happy Birthday” he pointed out that my gift was kettlebells.
We had done some research, studied the benefits and watched some pretty amazing people workout with them thanks to Youtube. And here we were taking the leap to bring them into our own workouts.
I was nervous, but never one to back down from a challenge, I selected a few weights I thought would be good to get started with, and walked up to the cashier.
Now, our little collection has grown tremendously and I couldn’t imagine working out any differently.
Okay, enough of the kettlebell pitch…
9 Lessons From Swinging A Ball With A Handle
Sure they can be intimidating, but it’s kind of like a protective father. Scary on the outside, but a big teddy bear on the inside.
Okay, perhaps a bad analogy, but really, learning proper form of kettlebells isn’t as hard as it may appear.
I learned this quickly, as we broke down the moves and realized that we could actually do them.
If you can do a proper deadlift, you can do a proper swing. If you can do a proper swing, you can do a proper clean. And if you can do a proper clean, then a snatch is just around the corner.
Everything ties together.
Before kettlebells, I would do two distinctive workouts… cardio and weight lifting.
I was under the impression that you couldn’t really bring the two together, at least not in the way I needed them to as a distance runner.
Then I swung my first kettlebell and realized just how much of a heart thumbing burn I could get and it was all over.
I love getting my runs in because I love running, but with the heat being what it is (100+ degrees) if I don’t, I’m okay with 30-40 minute kettlebell workouts taking the place of traditional cardio.
For years, I have tried to get more musculature and tone in my upper body. But it seemed as if nothing I did was delivering.
I was able to bench press my weight, do over a dozen pull-ups per set, and press a surprising amount of weight for my size, yet for no visible results.
Each of us in different in the way our body reacts to exercise, for me, it reacted to kettlebells in a way that traditional weights had not been able to do.
I’ve actually got a little muscle! Still a work in progress, but it’s definitely there!
I think Dan would agree 100% with this.
Just because you’re strong in one facet of fitness doesn’t make you strong in all of them.
Because of the way a kettlebell is shaped, the center of gravity is off, making it a bit harder to handle.
Squats with a 35 lb plate, bar or dumbbell might not be a challenge, but grab a kettlebell and you might find yourself struggling to complete 10 reps.
It was a great eye-opener. A fun way to be humble! And for those of you that love a challenge, it’s as if a new challenge door is being opened up.
Just like all aspects of life, there are the dividers in kettlebells.
“Oh, you do American style kettlebells?” “Oh, you’re certified through x and not y?” “OMG, did you see the way he did his swings?!”
Yes it exists, and I don’t know what that surprised me. There is a right and a wrong, people that think their style is the right style (I am one of them), and those that judge your expertise based on the particular certification you go through.
But there is also an awesome camaraderie among those that do kettlebells. It’s a small community, so we come together and share tips, tricks, exercises and stories. It’s fun!
If nothing else, working with kettlebells in our studio has taught me to be more open minded with fitness.
I used to be very black and white… “it’s this way, it’s the only way.”
Now, I’m much more open to techniques that before I may have turned away from. It’s been the best lesson ever as we’re constantly trying new forms of exercise and gear.
Our latest toy? Battle ropes!
What it comes down to is this… finding a form of fitness that you enjoy, where you can push forward for progression, and work towards your personal goals.
When I posted a video on Instagram climbing the rope, many people asked how I had built my grip strength up.
The answer?
I haven’t. Aside from a few grip moves I did for the Spartan race, I really never made if a central focus.
I learned quickly swinging, pushing, lifting, and holding a kettlebell does that naturally. It’s weird, but it’s probably the best side effect of training.
Think about that… grip strength plays such an important role in all fitness. Often time it’s not our muscles that tire out first but our grip on a bar or dumbbell.
Not to mention, that I can often bring up all of our groceries in just 1-2 trips!
The only downfall? The not so sexy calluses. The price you pay.
I’ve mentioned a time or two, I don’t have much patience.
Teaching kettlebells has definitely made me develop a certain level of patience I didn’t have before. Unlike most boot camp moves, which I have been teaching for years, kettlebells have to be broken down piece by piece and then put together.
No one learns proper form immediately, yet it takes learning proper form of one thing to move to the next.
It’s a process. And a process, I am happy to say I have managed. I love teaching kbs and I love knowing that I can!
And the final lesson learned… swinging a kettlebell into your knee sucks.
I’ve done it, and have vowed to never do it again. The best part? It was while I was filming this workout so it was caught on tape. Beautiful.
You learn quickly to correct mistakes! And your bruises serve as a daily reminder for a few days.
There you have it…
The lessons I’ve learned from kettlebells. I’ve seriously learned more about myself, my body and my fitness business from these things than any other form of fitness.
Cool, right?
So now tell me…