Kettlebell Exercises - Safety first.
Filed under: kettlebell exercises, kettlebell safety, kettlebell training
There’s nothing more exciting than swinging a huge weight around your body. It’s a strangely exhilarating feel as you feel it flying through the air with momentum and thrust.
But, getting wrapped up in the moment while losing concentration isn’t a good thing. While kettlebells are perfectly safe to use in a kettlebell training program, they need to be treated with diligence and respect. Here’s a few tips to make sure your kettlebell training is both safe and productive.
First of all, stay in the moment. This is a very zen concept, but it’s crucial. Focus on your form, technique and breathing instead of thinking about things that don’t matter in that moment, like the bills that came through the letterbox that morning or what you’re going to have for dinner tonight. When working out, you should be thinking about kettlebell exercises and nothing else.
Secondly, never try recover a bad rep. It’ll only lead to disaster. If the kettlebell starts to go of on its own path, let it! Move out of the way and leave it to its own devices. Then, once it’s come to a rest, start the exercise again. Make sure to train in areas with loads of space. You never know when you’ll need it.
Thirdly, don’t get cocky. Even light kettlebells need to be used carefully. If you find yourself training with a 12kg kettlebell having used a 16kg for a long time, you should focus more than ever on the technique. “Light” kettlebells are still a force to be reckoned with. Don’t learn this the hard way.
Fourthly, push yourself, but do it sensibly. If you’re new to kettlebell training, starting with a 24kg kettlebell and performing 500 swings is not a good idea. Build up gradually, listen to your body and exercise good judgement when it comes to progressing to more difficult kettlebell exercises and heavier kettlebells.
And, finally, focus on technique rather than number of reps. If you find yourself tired, exhausted and physically unable to do another rep, then switch temporarily to another less strenuous exercise or take a breather. There’s no shame in performing a few sumo deadlifts to catch your breath because you can’t physically do another swing. Performing an additional rep while being physically unable to do so is simply asking for trouble.
Kettlebells are really, really fun to train with. They’re also very effective at building strength and conditioning. When you’re injured, you don’t improve your strength or your conditioning. It worsens.
Train hard. Train well. But don’t train stupid. It works out better in the long run.
The first step. Goal setting.
Everyone’s in a rush. Do this. Do that. We act first and think later. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing, of course. If you don’t take action, nothing ever gets accomplished. The problem occurs when it comes to results – we want results now and sometimes don’t have the patience to see things through. I’ve been guilty of this many times, as I’m sure you have too – its human nature! By setting goals, you can overcome this problem.
Before starting training, it’s important to define goals and decide what course of action is to be taken. It’s important to know what you want so that you can decide how you’re going to get it. By doing this, you can define what results mean to you specifically thereby giving yourself the motivation and the drive to keep on pushing when the going gets tough.
When it comes to goal setting, it is equally important to focus on both the short term and the long term. There are entire books focused on setting goals, but I’m going keep it simple and describe the two most effective techniques I use to make sure I’m on track and headed in the direction I want to be.
First of all, I write down my short term goals and leave them in a place that’s easily visible. I write down a few different types of goals; daily goals, weekly goals, a monthly goal and an over arching three month goal. By breaking your goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, it means that you won’t get overwhelmed. Every step forwards, no matter how small, gives a feeling of accomplishment and keeps the momentum going.
To keep my long term goals in check, I created what is called a vision board. In my vision board, I have pictures of the people I admire when it comes to athletic ability and also body type. For example, my vision board currently has pictures of Pavel Tsatsouline and Mike Mahler, both kettlebell athletes, as well as Daniel Craig and Ryan Reynolds, two celebrities whose physiques I admire. Whenever my motivation lapses, taking one look at that board reminds me why I’m doing what I’m doing.
When you reach a goal, there are a few important things you should do. Firstly, celebrate! Give yourself a pat on the back! Secondly, make a note of your success. Whenever you’re feeling a little down in the dumps, it’s a great feeling to look back and take in what you’ve already accomplished. And, finally, make new goals! Push the boundaries – don’t get complacent. Keep pushing yourself.
The importance of goal setting cannot be understated. This simple exercise can be the difference between failure and success.
So, open a notepad document, grab a piece of paper, whatever – you decide – and spend a few minutes writing down some goals. They don’t have to be perfect - just start writing.
Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
(A bonus technique here for those of you who might be experiencing an especially rough patch. About a year ago, I was having a bit of difficult sticking to my regime. About a year ago, I’d been injured sparring while boxing and I couldn’t find the motivation to get back into training. I decided I needed to take drastic action. I wrote out a check for $250 and gave it to my best friend.
“If I miss a single training session and I don’t have a good excuse, I want you to cash the check and spend it on something as soon as you possible can”, I told him.
Funnily enough, I haven’t missed a session since! Not for the faint of heart, but definately effective.)