What the hell is a kettlebell?
I first heard of kettlebells in the context of back rehab. My first reaction was “what!?” that looks super aggressive for someone with a sketchy back.
But once I learned more it totally makes sense. We are already lifting heavy things - bags of mulch, kids, grandkids. But we rarely train to do that. Sitting on a bench in a gym doing a chest press or biceps curl isn’t going to give us the dynamic ability to lift with a safe spine.
We were always taught to lift with our knees, but it should really be about lifting with our hips! Once we get our glutes involved the magic happens!
But, how many of us sit all day? See our “Sleepy Glutes” blog for more info on what a train wreck that can be.
We always start the kettlebell class with a dynamic warmup, using the developmental patterns that we were born with. We establish our internal core, then build from there, working on how to generate force by interacting with the floor.
Once we are warmed up we move on to hip hinge patterns. The driving force of a kettlebell deadlift is getting our glutes on, lengthening our spines, and establishing a stable and expansive internal core.
When a good hip hinge pattern is established lifting becomes easy. The better our form the “lighter” the kettlebell becomes. Using weight is a great way to establish instant feedback on form. The kettlebell teaches you.
Classes also include overhead press ups (great for shoulders), carries (now you won’t care if the wheels come off your suitcase, you can still carry it), and the Turkish get up which is a super elegant way to learn to get up from the floor (a predictor of life expectancy).
Once students have mastered the basics we will start introducing the kettlebell swing. The swing takes timing and coordination so we ease folks into it with some hike repeats. Once they can generate force and momentum they can then stand up into a full swing. At the top of the swing you are resisting the bell pulling forward which wakes up your entire posterior chain. The swing teaches you how to control a moving weight, establish strong cardiovascular health, and strengthen the muscles that are weakened by sitting all day.
We love love love to teach folks about kettlebells, it is super empowering to see people grow in strength and confidence!