White Shogun
Hall of Famer
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2005
- Messages
- 6,285
Has any one tried kettlebells?
Kettlebells
- Thread starter White Shogun
- Start date
I know a little about them. Have you heard of Pavel Tsatsoline? He is a Russian trainer who used to train Russian Special Forces-maybe the toughest men on two feet. He has some good books-Power to the People, The Naked Warrior, Bullet Proof Abs plus some on Kettlebells. It seems that those who have tryed them say they are very useful in building useable strenght.
I have some cheap ones. I do a few KB exercises, more as an experiment at this point. Mainly the "around the waist pass" and H2H (sort of "juggling" the bell back and forth) using light KB's. I also do some light squats holding a KB, windmills (exercise for the obliques,) and some farmer's walks with two KBs. Nothing major. I like circuit training so I'll throw in a couple KB exercises for variety while I'm doing overhead presses, pushups, squats, lunges, etc.
I don't do the basic ballistic exercises. I aggravated my lower back a while ago and I'm not going to take a chance by doing swings (because of the bent over position,) and I'm not very comfortable with the "downward movement" on the snatch (after you've exploded the KB over your head, arm straight, and you bring it back down between your legs before exploding again.) It's quite a "ballistic shock" on the shoulder, in my layman's opinion. Both the lower back and shoulder are very vulnerable areas, so I'm going to tread lightly when it comes to exercises like those.
The ballistic exercises I think are more for people who are already in great shape. I'm by no means in great shape, so I don't think I'm advanced enough for a lot of what those guys are doing. A lot of the people who use KB's seem to be athletes, like MMA, powerlifters, etc. They're probably used to putting their bodies through some stress and strain. They have a very active forum at dragondoor.com. They know a lot more about it than I do, that's for sure.
I don't do the basic ballistic exercises. I aggravated my lower back a while ago and I'm not going to take a chance by doing swings (because of the bent over position,) and I'm not very comfortable with the "downward movement" on the snatch (after you've exploded the KB over your head, arm straight, and you bring it back down between your legs before exploding again.) It's quite a "ballistic shock" on the shoulder, in my layman's opinion. Both the lower back and shoulder are very vulnerable areas, so I'm going to tread lightly when it comes to exercises like those.
The ballistic exercises I think are more for people who are already in great shape. I'm by no means in great shape, so I don't think I'm advanced enough for a lot of what those guys are doing. A lot of the people who use KB's seem to be athletes, like MMA, powerlifters, etc. They're probably used to putting their bodies through some stress and strain. They have a very active forum at dragondoor.com. They know a lot more about it than I do, that's for sure.
Tired old White
Guru
- Joined
- May 1, 2006
- Messages
- 461
Yes,
I did years agon circa 1969. They make for a very intense strength and muscle endurance work out. Due to the bell shape and u-shape of the handle the KB it self tends to move around ( swing ) as you lift them which works a lot of muscles adjacent to the primary muscle you are working and some not so adjacent muscles. I tried them as means to increase my power and endurance for wrestling and Judo. It worked like a charm. I beleive KB's to be superior training for any athletic activity other than Olympic or power lifting. If you plan to use start at a much lower weight thyan you use on barbells or dumbbells and expect some major muscle soreness even if you are in good shape.
I did years agon circa 1969. They make for a very intense strength and muscle endurance work out. Due to the bell shape and u-shape of the handle the KB it self tends to move around ( swing ) as you lift them which works a lot of muscles adjacent to the primary muscle you are working and some not so adjacent muscles. I tried them as means to increase my power and endurance for wrestling and Judo. It worked like a charm. I beleive KB's to be superior training for any athletic activity other than Olympic or power lifting. If you plan to use start at a much lower weight thyan you use on barbells or dumbbells and expect some major muscle soreness even if you are in good shape.