What is the point?

The kettlebells are a great tool for rehabing a shoulder. Doing movements like swings, slingshots, figure 8 pass under the legs, and cleans really helped. Using proper technique is extremely important!!! Use a weight that you can “feel” but not too heavy that you sacrifice form and potentially cause injury to yourself.

There are a few certified kettlebell instructors around, but if you can’t find one an instructional DVD can help you learn proper form. One of my favorite is from Art Of Strength, and another is from kettlebellinc. Just don’t go at it on your own!

So if kettlebells are good for rehab, then why resistance bands? Certain kettlebell exercises can cause more harm than good when you have an injury because the motions are very dynamic – which is what makes the kettlebell a fun and excellent tool for getting lean and strong. Therefore, resistance bands helped to strenghten the rotator cuffs, traps, serratus anterior, and lats. Once my shoulder got stronger, more kettlebell exercises could be added like the windmill and bent press.

Whatever your fitness goals are, adding kettlebell training to your workout will help you get there a lot sooner.

When I bash myself up with my kettlebell I’ll treat it as badge of honour!

I can totally sympathize with you over your problem with the damage snatching a 24kg bell did to you. I used to run (on the roads) on a regular basis with no pain whatsoever, until quite recently when I could not get out of bed in the morning due to severe knee pain. On inspection by a knee surgeon it was revealed that my knee joints are completely ‘shot’ due to repetitive pounding on the roads while running. The club who I used to run for, the shop where I bought my trainers from and indeed the leaflet enclosed with my Nike shoes never once mentioned that running on the roads is bad for you. Despite repeated e-mails to Nike, they refuse to accept any responsibility. But even some of their marketing hype shows people running on hard tarmac and concrete. Like kettlebell banging against the wrist, people must be made to be aware that repeated pounding on hard concrete will cause problems. Nike ‘Air’ is not like running on air! I’ve learnt the hard way like you. My quest now is to make people aware of the trauma that running on the roads can cause. I will try and post comments on every running shoe website, advising potential customers about this.

What started out as a fitness regime, destroyed by knees and now I even have trouble walking.

Definitely won’t be doing any kettlebell training too, looks like bad news to me.

I sincerely hope you make some kind of recovery John.

My prayers are with you.

God bless

Andy

People who criticise a training method with their narrow and sterile views hold the fitness industry back and destroys the courage required to try new training methods or even create new methods of their own. If these people who complain about a certain methology (not just KBs) sought out an expert in the field and listen with an open mind it may actually propel the industry forward.
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Fitness comes down to commitment and persistence

I’m a college undergrad who has recently purchased a 24 kg bell of my own (in place of a gym membership) under the premise of training for the USSS snatch test. After considering your posts, I’ve decided that for my fitness goals I have no need to condition the bones of my forearms to withstand repeated contact with heavy iron flung at maximum speed. It seems like common sense, when the kettlebell mystique is removed, that the risk to benefit ratio of the snatch is exceptionally dangerous compared to other movements.

Further, no RKC has been able to provide a consistent rationale for why the snatch provides better athletic benefits than a high pull or one armed swing performed to head level. That seemingly negligible flipping action of the bell does seem to infuse the snatch with more risk than benefit, especially when the weight becomes as heavy as 32 kg.

I’ve decided to adopt the moderate approach to kettlebells, using the strict military press and turkish get up (neither of which absolutely require a kettlebell) for upper body conditioning, and using the one armed swing and high pull for posterior chain development and cardiovascular conditioning. I still stand by aspects of the RKC training philosophy, but with serious reservations concerning ballistic movements with a potential for impact.

It should stand to reason that regardless of whether kettlebell lifters agree with your account or not, the precautionary principle dictates that we should weigh potential risks with potential benefits. Athletically, suppose a parkour club decided that running downstairs two steps at a time was the proper way to run stairs, simultaneously training coordination, reaction speed, and concentration under fatigue (the claims of the USSS kettlebell snatch test). Suppose even one of them fell and broke an arm while running downstairs two at a time.

A member of the club might criticize the injured person’s technique like a bully…

Or they might conclude that the risk of running in that fashion negates any perceived benefit, and further, that running downstairs one step at a time would yield the same benefits without the same potential for disaster. For those who train with kettlebells, I suggest considering the benefits and risks of each movement, and diminishing risks when possible.

I believe you’ve done a service to the fitness community through your testimonial, John. Best of luck,

-Ben Reynolds
Nevada, USA