The Secret to Safe Kettlebell Training: How to Avoid the Most Common Kettlebell Mistakes
Simple Advice to Avoid Kettlebell Injuries in Your Workouts
Kettlebells are a terrific tool that can deliver a multitude of benefits, but when used poorly they can cause several kettlebell injuries. These include wrist and shoulder injuries, bruised thighs and torsos, and lower back pain caused by kettlebell swings with poor technique.
The most common kettlebell injuries are a result of improper handling or poor loading. While you may feel energized and enthusiastic to purchase a couple of kettlebells and get going at home, it’s crucial to slow down and get proper coaching in kettlebell use.
In this article, Reload trainer Jenna Langhans discusses how to avoid kettlebell mistakes and stay injury free when working out with kettlebells.
What can go wrong with kettlebells?
Training with kettlebells is quite different from training with other weights. It’s a very fluid way to exercise, using much lighter weights. It’s tempting to jump right in, but there’s quite a learning curve. You’ve got to be disciplined, controlled, and use the correct technique. Getting the basics right is crucial.
The kettlebell swing is the starting point. Get this wrong and you risk lower back pain. Indeed, the swing is one of the kettlebell’s moves that people complain most about.
Mostly, this is because we don’t have the foundational strength or knowledge of the proper technique to execute the swing correctly. Often, there is a misconception about how much weight we can swing. It all looks good at, say, 12kg, but at 20kg the mistakes start to appear.
So, even if you think you have the technique down, if there is a small error in your technique this will be magnified when you increase the load. Your technique breaks down because of the excessive load, and this is when you get injured.
Part of the job of a trainer is to ensure you’re ready to step up on loading, making sure you are using the correct technique and giving you the confidence and guidance to make that next step successfully.
It’s crucial to build a solid foundation
While the swing is a basic kettlebell move, there are many things that can go wrong. It’s crucial to build a solid foundation before you move to kettlebells. When we work with clients, we need to ascertain that they have this foundation. To do this we gauge the ability to:
Do a deadlift effectively, driving feet through the floor, getting hips through, getting a hip extension, etc.
Do a squat
Get into the hinge position
If we see that there are any foundational techniques that need development, we work on these first. We’re not going to throw you straight into a swing. Sometimes this means working a little slower to get more rapid and effective results – without injury – later. You don’t get this level of help, experience, and expertise from watching videos or reading a book. Videos and books can’t see you in action.
We take the same approach to all our training. We look at the prerequisites for the move, what pattern you are training, and whether your body is ready or not.
If your body isn’t ready, we figure out ways we can prepare it so that you feel comfortable when we move you up to the next level. It all comes down to getting the basics right, making sure you are ready and then working on the rest.
The key to safe and successful kettlebell training: consistency and practice
Social media is both some help to the fitness world and a hindrance.
On the one hand, it has helped to spread the word, motivate people to get fit, and show that there is plenty you can do to improve your fitness.
On the other hand, people want to do the coolest workout they see on social media. So, they jump right in, not realizing that the people on their screen didn’t start there. They did all the foundational work first. They prepared their bodies for what was to come next – and at every level, too.
You cannot start on advanced techniques or technical exercises on day one. The ability to do all the fun workouts is because of the foundations you build.
It’s never a straight-line journey, either. Whatever your goals – weight loss, improved strength, greater mobility, etc. – it can take a long time to achieve them. That’s not what most people want to hear. In this crazy fast world, we have unrealistic expectations for immediate results.
At Reload, we train for long-term results that stick. And to see real progress from kettlebell training, you must stick with it. Practice often and consistently. It’s not a microwave-ready meal, it’s a slow cook. If you want to do all the fun exercises and kettlebell routines, then you must know how to do the kettlebell swing first.
Our main goal for our clients is the longevity of good health and fitness, without injury or pain. We don’t train for a fad. We want our clients to be able to hike and swim and do things with their kids when they’re older. This is why we love kettlebells at Reload – they help you train and progress in your fitness long-term.
Would you like to learn more about what we do and how we can help you toward your fitness goals?
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