Common Kettlebell Mistakes

Aug 13,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

I have been teaching kettlebell training for over ten years and in that time I have seen just about everything. I have had people ask me the most bizarre questions to the most observant ones and none of it ceases to amaze me. Most of the time when I see someone doing something ineffective or borderline unsafe, I figure they just need a few pointers. When I see another trainer using kettlebells with their clients in a manner that is ineffective or unsafe however, I feel total despair. Demonstrating unsafe or ineffective kettlebell training not only injures people and kills their motivation but it also gives the wrong impression of this kind of training.

Today, I want to talk about common kettlebell mistakes people make in their training, especially when just getting started.

The biggest mistake I see people making is using the bell for muscle isolation exercises. These are exercises such as the bicep curl and chest press that bodybuilders use. Kettlebell training uses three primary lifts; the swing, clean & press and snatch, it also has many other fully kinetic lifts that are within the spirit of the teaching. Some of them can be performed with other types of weights, whereas others are almost certainly kettlebell specific. Do you want to look like a kettlebell pro? Simply perfect the three primary lifts and a few of the various strong person lifts that complement the training such as the turkish get-up, goblet squat, cossack squat, overhead squat and windmill, and refrain from trying to make up your own muscle isolation exercises.

Another common mistake people make is using too light of a kettlebell. This is another carryover from our muscle isolation exercises. If you are going to lift a weight with one muscle, you might find it is much harder to do than using your whole body properly to lift a weight. Generally, when a person uses a kettlebell that is too light, it causes them to use the wrong muscles. In order to get the hips to move the weight properly, people use the smaller muscles of their arms and shoulders to lift it. For this reason, I often see big improvements in someones technique when they move up in weight! That said, always work with what feels right for you at the time. As you learn the fine points of the art, you will know when it is time to move up in weight. Please refer to my kettlebell weight selection material to help you determine the weight that is right for you!

Kettlebell Mistakes

The last mistake I want to talk about is sloppy technique. Even if you know what the other lifts are, that doesn’t mean you are doing them properly. Kettlebell training is not to be taken lightly, if your technique is sloppy you will not only miss out on the benefit, you could injure yourself. Lifting kettlebells improperly will cause improper motor patterns and posture in every day life. Don’t let this deter you from training. Properly training with a kettlebell will create the kind of strength that will prevent you from ever getting injured in your work or play. Take your time and pay attention, the benefit of kettlebell training is as much mental as physical!

Getting Started With Kettlebells Lessons The Basics

Hand Position in Kettlebell Training

Jul 11,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

Using proper hand position in kettlebell training will not only make your lifts stronger, it will also help save your wrists

Sometimes when it comes to teaching proper use of kettlebells, or health in general, I find myself talking about the tiniest details. I often feel like I talked for an entire hour and never touched the same topic twice. Without a solid foundation of the basics you will never be able to advance your training. Today’s detail is hand position in the various lifts and holds of kettlebell training.

Dead Position

In the dead position the kettlebell will start side to side for deadlifts, usually performed with two hands, but can be progressed to one hand and even one leg. Snatches will also start with the handle side to side and be performed with one hand. When performing a clean, put the handle of the bell front and back and grip the bell thumb pointed back. This will put a “corkscrew” on the bell that will help it float to the rack position more smoothly. Make sure that your hand isn’t gripping so far under the bell that it causes a kink in the chain, usually at the wrist or elbow.

Rack Position

The rack position is where the bell ends after a clean. The fist should be under the chin, women can move it slightly to the side and shift the hip slightly to the side of the bell. In this position, keep your hand straight up and down, don’t let the wrist fall backward under the weight of the bell. You do not need to over grip the bell in this static position either. Increase the grip as you press or jerk the bell, or control it back to dead. In the rack, your fingers can be straight up, barely even contacting the bell, or folded over on top of the handle. The handle of the bell should sit low in your palm, right on the lines in your hand that go from your wrist to the web of your thumb.

Overhead Loaded Lat Position

The overhead loaded lat position is located in the most neutral place you can find, the balance spot right over the plumb line of your body. It is the position you will find yourself in after you have successfully cleaned, pressed, or snatched a kettlebell. People with tight shoulders and lats have a hard time keeping the bell there and as a result it always feels heavier than it should. Your hand doesn’t have to be holding on for dear life in the overhead position, just increase your grip as you move the bell up or down. Let the bell hang off your hand, fist straight up and down without death gripping with your fingers.

Using proper hand position will not only make your lifts stronger, it will also help save your wrists from the banging that can occur when you are first learning proper technique. You may find that your hands get blisters or calluses, improving your hand placement on the bell can help with that too. If you find blisters on your hands are getting painful, remember that snatches and cleans from dead will have less effect on your hands than ballistic or circular versions of the same lifts. Personally, I don’t use much chalk because I have dry hands, but I know a lot of people who do benefit from using it. I do not recommend gloves, as they they will diminish your capacity to grip. However, if it is a choice to wear gloves or not train at all, then do what you have to do!

Thank you for reading and whatever you do, love your practice!

Getting Started With Kettlebells The Basics

Pro Style VS. Hard Style Kettlebells

Jul 4,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / 1 Comment

Pro Style VS. Hard Style Kettlebells:

Today in the blog I want to talk about hard style vs. pro style kettlebell training and the differences between them. I also want to cover how the two different styles apply to the average person that train with kettlebells for their own health. Here’s a quick breakdown of the differences between the two in terms of teaching and the equipment.

Hardstyle

Hard style is about inefficiency, through exact and real world lifting patterns. It is the razors edge between making the bell feel as light as possible without giving in to the momentum of the weight.

Hard style bells are better for progressions to the basic three lifts. You will find it much easier to palm the bell of a hard style bell than a prostyle . When you begin learning goblet squats, figure eights, and any lift that requires you to lift the bell bottom up, you will want a hard style bell.

Hard style handles sit lower as the weight diminishes, making it difficult for people with tight hips to use safely from the dead position.

The center of mass is smaller on hard style bells making them easier to hold in the rack position especially for people that lack the ability to hip extend (tight hip flexors).

Prostyle / Girevoy Sport

Pro style is about maximum efficiency in a given motor pattern, allowing the practitioner to last as long as possible in endurance events. The girevik will follow the bell down with their chest in the back swing of any ballistic lift and the plank position at the top is much softer.

Pro style kettlebells are designed only for use with the three primary kettlebell lifts in mind. Not to say you can’t do different movements with them but they aren’t designed specifically for versatility. Pro style bells are meant for endurance competition for highly trained athletes.

Prostyle bells are often more expensive, but they have smoother handles and tend not to bang and bruise as much, especially when you are first developing the various techniques.

So what is the conclusion?

Personally, I don’t believe that extremely high rep endurance training with free weights is healthy for the average person. That said, if you want to dedicate your life, going through hours of coaching, practicing and lifestyle discipline, then I do believe it can be done safely and Girevoy sport is for you. If you have pro style bells already, they will be fine for the vast majority of what we do. You will see that I use them often even with hard style lifts.

I believe that you are far more likely to remain safe while snatching a heavy kettlebell for low reps than a medium-sized weight for ten minutes. Safety is all about focus and motor pattern awareness, that is much easier to maintain with fewer reps of heavier weight. Therefore, if your goal is to stay healthy and strong in your own way and not necessarily to compete, then hard style is probably the best choice for you.

Getting Started With Kettlebells The Basics

Kettlebell Weight Selection

Jun 27,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / 2 Comments

What Kettlebell Weight Is Right For Me?

Today I am going to talk about the most important thing to know before learning how to train with kettlebells, kettlebell weight selection. As my teaching progresses and I share my years of training experience with you, I want to provide workouts that require very little equipment on your behalf. I want to teach you to do more with less, that said, investment in more than one kettlebell may be necessary. You can start with just one bell, and purchase new ones only when needed, or you could start with a set of three or four bells of varying weight dependent upon your lean muscle mass and prior athletic experience. Use this guide to help you select the right equipment for you:

Female

9lb/4kg - Beginner, no athletic history, used only to get basic movements down. Will have to move up quickly
18lb/8kg - Beginner, little to no athletic experience, sedentary
26lb/12kg -Beginner, average strength level, decent overall posture, some athletic history
35lb/16kg -Beginner but strong or advanced in motor pattern awareness and flexibility from athletic training
44lb/20kg -Prior kettlebell specific experience, strong, flexible and smart
53lb/24kg -High level kettlebell practitioner, using this weight primarily for low rep lifts

Male

26lb/12kg - Small build, beginner, little to no athletic experience, highly sedentary
35lb/16kg - Beginner, little to no athletic experience, highly sedentary
44lb/20kg - Beginner, average strength level, decent overall posture, some athletic history
53lb/24kg - Beginner but strong or advanced in motor pattern awareness and flexibility from athletic training
62lb/28kg - Prior kettlebell specific experience, strong, flexible and smart.
70/32kg - Experienced practitioner, Flexibility is the key to moving beyond this two point.
106lb/48kg -High level kettlebell practitioner, using this weight primarily for low rep lifts.

Take notice that the increments are all 4kg (8.8lb). I am aware that there are many in-between kettlebell weights available these days. I only use the increments of true Russian kettlebells. I am not much of a traditionalist, but I think some things should be left alone. A part of the reason for the big jumps in weight is that it promotes the use of the correct muscles to lift the weight. Most people tend to use too light of a kettlebell at first. Remember when selecting your kettlebell weight, this isn’t muscle isolation. When your whole body works together as one it is far more capable of lifting heavier!

Cheap kettlebells will give you blisters because of rough handles and the coating will come off leading to rust. You may also notice there is such a thing as Girevoy Sport (GS) style and hard style kettlebells. At this point in your practice it is matter of personal preference. There are benefits to both, either one will work great for our practice. As we move into more complex movements later on the hardstyle bell will prove more versatile because of your ability to grip the bell portion more easily. I am going to go into the differences between these two philosophies in training, girevoy sport vs. hardstyle in another blog. In the meantime, may your practice be both safe and effective!

Thank you so much for reading and best of luck finding the kettlebell that is right for you!

Getting Started With Kettlebells The Basics

Understanding Kettlebell Basics

Jun 20,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

Kettlebell training is about learning how to use your body and developing motor patterns that will empower you to work to your bodies true potential. It is an art form for the thinking person that wishes to develop strength on the level of the mind and body as well as reshape their body at the same time.

As we go through our teaching, we will learn the kettlebell basics, clean&press, snatch, and swing. However, before we start lifting the bell in this way I’m going to help you feel comfortable manipulating it in the various ending positions of the clean, press and snatch. I will show you how to control the bell from the overhead loaded lat position, down to the rack, and back to the dead position. You can practice this with very little weight, even a water bottle is fine. Once it feels consistent and comfortable, you will be ready to learn the three primary kettlebell lifts. Remember, the essence of the kettlebell clean&press and the kettlebell snatch is keeping the weight as close to your body as possible, where it is the lightest and easiest to manipulate. When these movements are performed properly it gives your nervous system an awareness of what neutral posture is. This will make it easier to maintain good posture throughout the day. By combining reprogramming of the central nervous system with increased flexibility and tension in the muscle, you will see immediate and long lasting changes to your posture when you train and develop these movements properly. The better the movement becomes, the heavier you will find yourself wanting to go. As you use heavier weight your nervous system and muscle flexibility become even more powerful, just remember to never sacrifice form to lift heavier. I will get to the very specifics of lifting heavy at a later date, for now, let’s just focus on consistency by making every rep look the same as the last. Using a light weight here, lets learn how to control from the top down.

The loaded lat
The overhead position. This requires flexibility in the lat and shoulder girdle to get the weight directly over it’s neutral balance point. Do not arch your back in this position to accommodate for lat or shoulder tightness! Drop the shoulder down (don’t shrug) sinking the shoulder blade into the lat and keep your arm straight.

Taking the bell from the loaded lat to the rack position
From the overhead loaded lat, push your hips forward, while “crunching” your abdomen, and slightly twist the bell to the outside. Pull the bell down with your lat to the rack. This may take a moment to get right. By putting the hips forward, it enables you to keep the bell in the neutral line of your body where it is lightest. The slight twist as the bell begins to descend allows you to get your fist under your chin when you “pull” the bell with your lat into the rack. Remember, practice light and develop the motor pattern before going heavier.

Rack Position
Keep the abdomen tight, hips slightly extended under the weight and your fist under your chin, elbow against the body. Your knees are straight but not locked.

Lowering the bell from the rack to the dead position
This will look virtually identical as the lift from the ground to the rack, it’s the reverse of the kettlebell clean. Once you’ve developed the motor patterns I’ve already discussed, you’re ready to learn the deadlift and then the clean. This final phase of movement, from the rack to the dead position, will then become apparent. Remember to keep the bell close and move in the hips. We will spend a lot of time developing this motor pattern so I won’t go too much more in depth here.

The Dead position
Lined up to your heels, directly in the middle of your body. This is where the weight will feel the lightest for any lift with a vertical trajectory such as the deadlift, clean&jerk or snatch. This is not the starting position of a kettlebell swing, as the swing is a front-to-back (horizontal) movement.

Getting Started With Kettlebells The Basics

The Benefits of Kettlebell Workouts

Jun 6,2014 / By Peter Hirsh / No Comment

In the past decade, I have trained countless people with kettlebells and almost all of them say it was nothing like what they thought it was going to be. People don’t realize what this piece of equipment does for your body, so let’s take a moment to look at some of the benefits of kettlebell training. Please take your time to learn what kettlebell training is specifically, and learn from a master of the art. There are many people out there using this tool improperly and when used improperly not only is there little benefit, it can be quite dangerous.

Benefits of Kettlebell Workouts

Kettlebell training, when performed properly, works first on the level of the mind and the connection through the nervous system to the muscle. It creates strength by teaching;

Correct motor patterns for real world lifting and moving
Improved coordination
Better flexibility throughout the nervous system
Stability of an unstable object
Balance of ones’ own bodyweight
A mental awareness of where neutral alignment is
Mental Focus

Kettlebells work second on the level of the muscle and develop:

Tension
Flexibility
Neutral posture
Power phase movement
Strong joints
The ability to absorb force

Kettlebells also work on the level of metabolism, assisting with:

Weight management
Toxin release
Sleep cycles
Cardiovascular conditioning

Finally, the kettlebell works in the real world because it is:

A portable gym.
Kind to your bank account (very, very kind)
A confidence booster.
Designed to make you move around the real world easier.
Fun and always something new!

You may notice I listed a couple of the benefits twice. Under two different categories are flexibility and posture. The reason they were put twice is because you will improve your posture and flexibility in different ways. First, on the level of the mind and nervous system and then on the level of the soft tissue. I also wrote two benefits back to back that may sound almost contrary to one another, tension and flexibility. Bruce Lee once said, “Water flows and water crashes, be water my friend.” He was remarking on developing the balance between flexibility and tension.

Many people train their muscles in ways that create only tension, not only is that strength in the real world useless, it nearly always leads to injury. The art of strength training with kettlebells will teach you that balance Bruce Lee was pointing at. It will keep you safe from injury and make you stronger than you ever thought you could be, without unwanted bulk.

For me, the benefits of this art go even further, it is a way to align myself and to release and cultivate energy. I live in a beautiful place and train outdoors, it is also a chance to connect with the earth, under the sun, my feet in the grass or sand, with the smells and sounds of nature nearby. That seems much better to me than a rubber floor, fluorescent lights, smells of sweat and cleaning solution and the sound of spinning treadmills and slamming weights.

Please join me as I teach you how to achieve all of these benefits with my one step at a time approach. Always feel free to ask questions, work at your own pace, and love your practice!

Category : The Basics

Common Kettlebell Mistakes

Kettlebell Mistakes

Hand Position in Kettlebell Training

Using proper hand position in kettlebell training will not only make your lifts stronger, it will also help save your wrists

Dead Position

Rack Position

Overhead Loaded Lat Position

Pro Style VS. Hard Style Kettlebells

Pro Style VS. Hard Style Kettlebells:

Hardstyle

Prostyle / Girevoy Sport

So what is the conclusion?

Kettlebell Weight Selection

What Kettlebell Weight Is Right For Me?

Female

Male

Thank you so much for reading and best of luck finding the kettlebell that is right for you!

Understanding Kettlebell Basics

The Benefits of Kettlebell Workouts

Benefits of Kettlebell Workouts

Kettlebells work second on the level of the muscle and develop:

Kettlebells also work on the level of metabolism, assisting with:

Finally, the kettlebell works in the real world because it is: