Kettlebell injuries: what insiders don"t want you to know
Ketlebell injury is common: a lot more common than insiders want you to believe.
These secrets are not revealed in the endless pages of marketing hype that kettlebell "experts" use to try to sell these overpriced lumps of iron, but check out any internet fitness forum and you'll find post after post complaining about elbow tendinitis, wrist strains, blisters, shoulder problems and more. And what do many of these cries for help have in common? They are all from people who mis-used and over-used the latest fitness fad: kettlebells.
Kettlebell injuries are not limited to hardcore kettlebell addicts
Yes, kettlebell culture is a cult. It's been proven over and over again on the 'web, both by kettlebell adherents and by those who try to shed light on this troubling phenomenon. But all jokes aside, preventable injuries are no laughing matter.
Since kettlebell workouts are a fairly new fad, most of the problems with them are only now coming to light. Over time, embarassing information that kettlebell marketers would rather you didn't know about will come to light, and the entire fitness community will benefit.
Bad elbows can result from kettlebell injury
Most kettlebell users like to do the kettlebell snatch. It's a decent full-body exercise that combines muscular endurance and conditioning with some strength work. But it has a fatal flaw: it is very difficult on the elbow.
The only way to snatch without hyperextending the wrist is to torque the 'bell around so it lands on the forearm (hopefully gently enough to avoid bruises). But this violent rotational torque will, over time, wreak havok with the elbows. High-rep snatches are a ready recipe for kettlebell injury.
Most strength trainers use barbells to perform the snatch. It's a safer exercise this way, and it lends itself to the development of power, unlike the kettlebell snatch which is mainly a conditioning exercise.
Some folks prefer to do a unilateral snatch with a single dumbbell. This exercise is superficially similar to the kettlebell snatch, but it is much safer for the elbow and it doesn't cause blisters either.
Kettlebell injury often strikes the wrists
Any pressing exercise is hard on the wrists if a kettlebell is involved. Wrists often fall prey to kettlebell injury over time, because the off-center handle causes the wrists to get hyperextended by the force of the movement.
The only way around this sort of kettlebell injury is to either drastically reduce your reps, or to dispense altogether with pushing movements like overhead presses, push presses, and kettlebell jerks.
If your wrists are bothering you as a result of kettlebell overuse, switch to dumbbells. There is nothing you can do with a kettlebell that you can't do with a dumbbell.
How can I treat kettlebell injury?
The most important thing you can do is to avoid aggravating the injury. This means rest until the problem is a thing of the past. Of course, there is no guarantee that, after a period of rest and recovery, the injury won't flare up again.
To prevent the injury from recurring, you should think seriously about abandoning your primitive kettlebells and adopting a modern dumbbell workout. Dumbbells offer all the conditioning benefits of kettlebells and they add adjustability and an ergonomic design.
If you are suffering from a kettlebell injury, or even if you are simply interested in the latest information about kettlebell injuries, don't delay. Read the detailed and informative report entitled Kettlebells are Inferior to Dumbbells for all the latest news about kettlebell injuries.
(article origination source: Kettlebell injuries: what insiders don't want you to know)
These secrets are not revealed in the endless pages of marketing hype that kettlebell "experts" use to try to sell these overpriced lumps of iron, but check out any internet fitness forum and you'll find post after post complaining about elbow tendinitis, wrist strains, blisters, shoulder problems and more. And what do many of these cries for help have in common? They are all from people who mis-used and over-used the latest fitness fad: kettlebells.
Kettlebell injuries are not limited to hardcore kettlebell addicts
Yes, kettlebell culture is a cult. It's been proven over and over again on the 'web, both by kettlebell adherents and by those who try to shed light on this troubling phenomenon. But all jokes aside, preventable injuries are no laughing matter.
Since kettlebell workouts are a fairly new fad, most of the problems with them are only now coming to light. Over time, embarassing information that kettlebell marketers would rather you didn't know about will come to light, and the entire fitness community will benefit.
Bad elbows can result from kettlebell injury
Most kettlebell users like to do the kettlebell snatch. It's a decent full-body exercise that combines muscular endurance and conditioning with some strength work. But it has a fatal flaw: it is very difficult on the elbow.
The only way to snatch without hyperextending the wrist is to torque the 'bell around so it lands on the forearm (hopefully gently enough to avoid bruises). But this violent rotational torque will, over time, wreak havok with the elbows. High-rep snatches are a ready recipe for kettlebell injury.
Most strength trainers use barbells to perform the snatch. It's a safer exercise this way, and it lends itself to the development of power, unlike the kettlebell snatch which is mainly a conditioning exercise.
Some folks prefer to do a unilateral snatch with a single dumbbell. This exercise is superficially similar to the kettlebell snatch, but it is much safer for the elbow and it doesn't cause blisters either.
Kettlebell injury often strikes the wrists
Any pressing exercise is hard on the wrists if a kettlebell is involved. Wrists often fall prey to kettlebell injury over time, because the off-center handle causes the wrists to get hyperextended by the force of the movement.
The only way around this sort of kettlebell injury is to either drastically reduce your reps, or to dispense altogether with pushing movements like overhead presses, push presses, and kettlebell jerks.
If your wrists are bothering you as a result of kettlebell overuse, switch to dumbbells. There is nothing you can do with a kettlebell that you can't do with a dumbbell.
How can I treat kettlebell injury?
The most important thing you can do is to avoid aggravating the injury. This means rest until the problem is a thing of the past. Of course, there is no guarantee that, after a period of rest and recovery, the injury won't flare up again.
To prevent the injury from recurring, you should think seriously about abandoning your primitive kettlebells and adopting a modern dumbbell workout. Dumbbells offer all the conditioning benefits of kettlebells and they add adjustability and an ergonomic design.
If you are suffering from a kettlebell injury, or even if you are simply interested in the latest information about kettlebell injuries, don't delay. Read the detailed and informative report entitled Kettlebells are Inferior to Dumbbells for all the latest news about kettlebell injuries.
(article origination source: Kettlebell injuries: what insiders don't want you to know)
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