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!
