How To Eliminate Kettlebell Lower Back Pain

We had an AWESOME ‘Kettlebells For Fat Loss’ workshop last Saturday at my gym in Sacramento, CA.  I love doing these workshops (I get to talk about one of my favorite things for hours on end!) – and it’s cool to see folks from 50, even 100 miles away come in for a half day of intensive, un-interupted kettlebell instruction.

Now like anything else that’s rapidly growing in popularity, there’s a lot of mis-information out there on kettlebell training/technique/etc.  And with folks at these events more often than not being self-taught, there’s some serious “re-learning” of the basics going on, to say the least

That being said, I see the same “kettlebell issues” pop up over and over again at these workshops – and with training clients in general – and one of the biggest ones is kettlebell lower back pain.  That is, people complain of their lower backs hurting during and/or after a kettlebell training session.

Plainly put, this is bad.  Because kettlebell exercises folks typically get back pain from doing – like swings, snatches, and cleans – aren’t exercises for your lower back! In fact, if you’re doing these exercises correctly, you shouldn’t feel them in your back at all.

Now while there are a variety of reasons why this can happen, in 90%+ of cases I see there are two main causes: 1) muscle (specifically core) weakness and 2) poor form.  In this article, I’m going to cover each of these KB LBP causes in a little more detail, and show you how to fix them.

Kettlebell lower back pain reason #1: muscle weakness

Lifting a kettlebell in a balistic fashion – as you do in a swing, snatch, or clean – will require your body to brace to stabilize the movement.  It will also place demands on the core muscles of your torso, including your lower back.

If your core muscles are weak, you won’t be able to brace effectively.  And you’ll get lower back pain.

Fix:

Check out this post for a quick test and my #1 exercise to improve your core strength:

How To Tell If Your Core Muscles Are Weak (plank test)

Kettlebell lower back pain reason #2: poor form

Poor form – specifically during KB movements where you flex forward at the hip – is another cause of kettlebell lower back pain.

Fix:

In a previous post on this blog, I covered two common kettlebell technique mistakes that cause lower back pain (and fixes to them as well) – click the link below to see that post now:

Lower Back Pain During The Kettlebell Swing – Causes & Fixes

In summary, kettlebell lower back pain can be caused by a variety of factors, but the two main ones are 1) muscle weakness and 2) poor form. The tips in this article will help you address both of these issues – use them to eliminate your lower back pain and accelerate your KB training results!

Train hard -

Forest Vance, RKC II

P.S. For more great tips and tricks like these delivered straight to your email inbox – and a free copy of my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training – just sign up for my newsletter by dropping your name and email address into the box at the upper right hand corner of the page!

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In part one of this “Kettlebell for Seniors” series, I outlined the benefits of kettlebell training for seniors and provided a sample KB workout …

(For the record, I also mentioned that I’m personally not a big fan of the term ‘senior’. The images it conjures up are far different than the folks in the 50+ age group that, for example, I’ve met and trained with at RKC events.  I have personal training and boot camp clients that defy ‘senior’ in every sense of the word.  And I certainly won’t be excited about being called a senior myself 20 or so years from now )

I still get emails almost daily, though, with questions about exercise progressions/regressions, modifications, technique pointers, etc. for this specific demographic … so I thought I’d put together a  list of the top 10 articles/videos/etc. on KettlebellBasics.net for seniors:

1. The Kettlebell Swing 

The most basic of HardStyle kettlebell moves – I start all of my kettlebell training clients, no matter their starting fitness level or goals, with some kind of variation of the swing.

2. The Turkish Get Up

Along with the swing, the TGU completes the core duo of HardStyle kettlebell moves.  This post includes a video showing the 1/2 get up as well … a valuable variation of the exercise when you’re just getting started.

3. A Beginner Kettlebell Workout 

Simple yet tough workout that incorporates the swing and TGU.

4. My Kettlebell Story

My personal story about how I got into kettlebell training, and how you can learn from the mistakes I made when starting out.

5. How To Select The Right Size Kettlebell

How to figure out the proper size kettlebell to start with.

6. The Kettlebell Squat 

The next kettlebell exercise you should learn after the swing and TGU.

7. Troubleshooting the Turkish Get Up 

A great post about common problems – and fixes – folks experience with the Turkish get up.

8. Perfecting Your Kettlebell Swing 

A post that breaks down your kettlebell swing form further, covers some common mistakes and how to fix them.

9. Kettlebell Workout For Seniors 

Part one of this series that details a kettlebell workout specifically designed for seniors.

10. Two Easy Exercise Mods For KB Beginners 

Examples of two exercise modifications/regressions for kettlebell beginners – with video.

In conclusion, there are some special considerations older people should keep in mind when training with kettlebells.  This post points you towards the best information on this blog on the topic of kettlebell training for seniors.

That’s it for now – have a great week!

Forest Vance, RKC II

PS - Stay tuned for more details about a complete kettlebell workout program I have coming very soon designed specifically for seniors … and make sure to sign up for my email list if you haven’t yet to get first news of when it’ll be available!

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It’s an interesting (but logical) phenomenon … I see very predictable movement problems and pain patterns with new kettlebell training clients.

For example, folks who sit all day – as in working at a desk job – typically have tight traps, pecs, shoulders and lats.

Folks who stand up for long periods of time at their jobs frequently have chronic back pain.

And folks who participate in endurance sports like running and cycling seem to have, among other things, a weak and neglected “core”.

This isn’t surprising, since many endurance sports essentially involve only straight ahead movement – movement in what we call the sagittal plane. (It’s also important to remember that the “core” referred to in this context not only includes your abdominals, but your hips, glutes, and middle/upper back muscles as well).

So here’s a kettlebell exercise that addresses these issues and is great for endurance athletes – it’s called the single leg deadlift:

Video Recap

Athletes that are involved in endurance sports like running and cycling – sports where you largely move through the sagittal plane – have specific muscles that typically get weak and neglected.

One great exercise you can do if you’re involved in these sports is the single leg deadlift (SLDL).  It’s a great move for strengthening your core, balance muscles, and glutes.

Start by doing a regular kettlebell sumo deadlift.  Keep in mind that the movement pattern for the one leg version is very similar.

Then progress to the SLDL.  Make sure that:

• You initiate the movement with your back leg
• Your hips stay square
• Your hips travel backwards as your body moves towards the ground

In conclusion, endurance athletes have special strength training needs. Kettlebells are a great tool to address some of these needs.  And the SLDL exercise covered in this article/video is a great kettlebell exercise for endurance athletes.

Keep training hard and talk soon -

Forest

P.S. The SLDL is just a starting point in your kettlebell training for endurance sports … for a complete and well thought-out workout program that takes on the movement and pain issues endurance athletes have and stops them in their tracks, click here ——>>kettlebell/body weight workout for endurance athletes

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Special announcement – massive website update!

Whether you’re brand new to KettlebellBasics.net or you’re a long-time and loyal reader, chances are you haven’t really seen all the site has to offer …

We’ve been working hard this week to organize and bring everything 100% up to date.  Getting around and finding everything you need to reach your kettlebell training goals should now be easier than ever.

To start, check out the new and updated About page – it outlines all the site has to offer – including now over 119 kettlebell routines, exercises, and videos.  Click the link below to go there now:

http://kettlebellbasics.net/about/

As you look around, another area I think you’ll really enjoy is the new and updated Kettlebell Routines section – it’s been our most popular post to date and now features over 40 free kettlebell routines!  Click the link below to check it out:

http://kettlebellbasics.net/2010/05/25/kettlebell-routines/

Thanks for your support and talk soon -

Forest Vance, MS, CPT, RKC II

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You’ve just bumped up a kettlebell weight/size for your presses.  You’re getting stuck at a specific rep count and can’t seem to get any higher …

Or, maybe you’re going for a new personal best on the kettlebell press, but can’t quite press the next weight up.

If either of the above scenarios describe you, your press/re-clean technique could be the key to unlocking extra pressing power …

In a post earlier this year, I talked about how to boost your kettlebell pressing power using whole-body muscle tension techniques … this concept is a follow-up on that idea and will further help you get more out of your KB pressing.

The idea is that for light weight/high rep/lower intensity sets, you can do your presses right from the shoulder for reps.  However, for heavy weight/low rep/higher intensity sets, try re-cleaning the ‘bell between each rep.  This will allow you to use some of the kinetic energy you generate with the clean to assist in ‘boosting up’ your press.

It’s amazing the difference this technique (combined with the tension principles discussed in the article I’ve already mentioned) can make in your strength and overall rep totals.

Check out this video where I discuss the re-clean principle in more detail:

That’s it for today – a simple but very effective technique for boosting your kettlebell pressing power.  If you’re looking for that edge to press more weight and make faster progress, add it to your training technique arsenal and enjoy the benefits!

Keep training hard and talk soon -

Forest Vance, RKC II

P.S.  If you liked this post, you can get kettlebell tips like this one delivered straight to your email inbox every week when you sign up for my email newsletter … just drop your name and best email into the box at the upper right of the page to do so now.

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The Best Kettlebell Exercises For Women

I’m going to make a statement that’ll probably ruffle a few feathers, that’s probably a little politically incorrect, that a lot of strength coaches might disagree with … but one that, in my opinion, is a simple truth -

Women have different training needs than men.

Given that roughly 60-70% of my in-person training clientele is female – and has been for the duration of my (nearly) decade – long personal training career – I feel I have enough first-hand experience to make this statement.  Here are a few ways a woman’s training needs differ from a man’s:

• Women commonly have different areas of focus (lower vs. upper body, for example)
• Women have different strengths and weaknesses (women will smoke most men when it comes to strength/endurance-type work but will typically lose a pull-up match – or any other test of relative upper body strength – to a man of the same fitness level)
• Women generally have different goals (i.e., most women don’t want to put on slabs of bulky muscle)

So this blog post is all about the best kettlebell exercises for women. I’ll start by explaining how women can benefit from kettlebell training. I’ll cover some common target/problem areas. And then I’ll outline some kettlebell exercises to target these areas along with a full kettlebell workout.

Kettlebells For Women – Benefits

Here are a few benefits of kettlebells that are specific to most women’s fitness goals:

• Fat Loss (kettlebells provide intense fat burning workouts)
• Strength without bulk
• Endurance and stamina (without the running)
• Muscle balance and function (promotes proper body mechanics)
• Boosts metabolism with high rep balistic exercises like swings, cleans and snatches
• Confidence to handle anything that life throws your way!

Specific Target Areas

Here’s a short list of typical ‘problem’ areas for women:

• Midsection/Abdomen
• Hips
• Thighs
• Butt
• Arms
• Back

The Best Kettlebell Exercises For Women

The basic kettlebell exercises hit all of the problem areas I just listed above very effectively. The swing and snatch, for example, work the heck out of your hips, glutes, back, and core muscles. The Turkish get up – as well as the clean and press – are both great for hitting your midsection and arms. And the goblet squat is hard to beat for complete lower body strength and development.

Here are the main kettlebell exercises women should be focusing on learning first – all other more advanced kettlebell drills are built on the ‘base’ of these five:

(For more specific technique tips on each drill, click the exercise name):

• Swing
• Turkish Get Up
• Goblet Squat
• Clean and Press
• Snatch

Sample Kettlebell Workout For Women

Here’s a workout that incorporates everything we’ve covered so far – it’s designed to help you lose fat, build strength without building muscle bulk, improve endurance, and hit those hard-to-target areas like the midsection/abdomen, hips, thighs, butt, arms, and back :

Warm up – foam roll/joint mobility/dynamic stretch

(For exercise pairs – perform each exercise back-to-back without rest, rest for :30 and repeat pair two more times for a total of three sets of each exercise):

Exercise pair 1

Turkish get up – 3 each side
Body row/pull up – 2 reps short of failure

Exercise pair 2

KB lunge – 10 reps each side
Swing or Snatch – 8 reps each side

Workout ‘finisher’

Double kettlebell clean and press – 5 sets of 6-8 reps, heavy enough weight to get 1-2 reps short of failure, 15-20 second rest between each set

finish w/ 5 mins. of static stretching for tight muscle groups

In conclusion, kettlebells are a fantastic training tool for women. They meet specific training needs that many women are looking for and are great for targeting typical female problem areas. Even better, the basic kettlebell moves are all you need to meet all of these goals.

Keep training hard and talk soon -

Forest Vance, RKC II

Additional resources you might enjoy:

The 10×10 Kettlebell Solution – Complete 10 week kettlebell body transformation course – lose fat, gain lean muscle, and learn all the basic kettlebell moves in the process

Kettlebell Basics Premium Workouts Series – ‘Mega-bundle’ of kettlebell workout videos and manuals, meal planning guides, and much more

Low Carb Holiday Fat Loss – Don’t underestimate the importance of diet in your fat loss efforts … this is a meal plan (and workout guide) designed to help you lose fat during the holiday season

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One of my favorite ‘same-but-different’ kettlebell exercises is the Kettlebell Overhead Lunge.

Why is it ‘same-but-different’?  The movement is very much like a portion of the Turkish Get Up – so it should be familiar to you – but it’s performed in a different fashion and provides a unique challenge.

Watch the video for detailed description and demonstration of the exercise, then check out the recap section below:

Video Recap

• To begin the movement, clean the kettlebell up to your shoulder and press it overhead.
• Keeping the weight completely locked out the entire time, the shoulder ‘packed’, and the bicep directly by the ear, take a giant step back.  Remember, it’s like a Get Up – if the weight is in your right hand, you’ll step back with your left leg.
• Keep the abs braced hard.  Moving through the hips, bring the back knee down towards the ground, then reverse the motion by driving through the front heel to stand back up.
• I like to do these in place, reverse lunge – style, all reps on one side consecutively before changing sides.
• Switch and repeat on the opposite side to complete one full set.

Add the kettlebell overhead lunge into your kettlebell exercise mix today for a new challenge and increased results!

P.S. If you liked this post, make sure to sign up for the KettlebellBasics.net newsletter – you’ll get KB training tips and tricks just like this one delivered straight to your email inbox every week (AND a free copy of my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training).  Just drop your name and best email into the box at the upper right of the page to do so now.

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Learn how to perform the basic kettlebell exercises

By far, the most popular posts on this blog are the free kettlebell workouts I share on a regular basis …

An important point to keep in mind, though, is that perfecting your kettlebell training technique should come before you start changing up your workouts.

I just went through and updated the kettlebell exercises page with 13 new articles on learning and perfecting all the basic kettlebell drills … click the link below to check it out:

http://kettlebellbasics.net/2010/05/18/kettlebell-exercises/

Keep lifting hard and talk to you soon!

Forest

P.S. Make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter if you haven’t yet … you’ll get new kettlebell training tips just like these delivered straight to your email inbox every week, PLUS a free copy of my ‘Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training’ just for signing up! Drop your name and best email into the box at the upper right hand corner of the page to do so now.

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Perusing the fitness/health/exercise section at the local bookstore last weekend, I stumbled upon a new kettlebell training guide I’d never seen before …

There were a huge variety of kettlebell exercises in the book – I’m talking like hundreds.

Sounds cool at first – lots of variety, lots of different kettlebell exercises to  impress your friends, etc. …

The problem, though, is that with this much exercise variety, it’s almost impossible to learn all the moves correctly in any reasonable amount of time – especially if you’re a kettlebell beginner.

I can’t tell you how many folks I’ve trained that have started with kettlebells in this info-overload, learn-many-exercises-but-master-none, no-real-structured-program fashion, and upon meeting with me and being put on a steady diet of swings and TGU’s for a month or two, have seen their progress go through the roof!

So, that being said, the best kettlebell exercises for beginners are the swing and the Turkish get up. In this article, I’m going to talk about exactly why these exercises are the best for beginners, explain how to do them, and give you a sample beginner kettlebell workout.

Why the swing and the Turkish get up are the two best kettlebell exercises for beginners

In the HardStyle kettlebell system, everything is built upon mastery of the swing and the Turkish get up. The swing is the ‘base’ balistic exercise, and the get up is the ‘base’ grind.

And this makes perfect sense when you analyse the rest of the basic kettlebell moves (the goblet squat, the clean, the press, and the snatch). For example, in the clean and the snatch, the ‘bottom’ position is identical to the swing; so if you don’t really, really have the swing down, your clean and snatch are going to be jacked up.

The Turkish get up is fantastic for strengthening your wrists, conditioning your forearms, and building the necessary shoulder mobility and stability for doing a great press and snatch. If you can’t lock out the ‘bell overhead at the top position of a get up properly, you sure as heck won’t be able to while you’re doing a clean or a snatch.

How to perform the Turkish get up and the HardStyle swing

Here are two videos I made that show you how to do the swing and the Turkish get up:

Also, here are more detailed descriptions of each exercise that I covered in previous blog posts:

The Kettlebell Swing

How To Do A Turkish Get Up

Sample swing and Turkish get up workout

The best workout you’ll find that uses these two exercises is Pavel’s Program Minimum from Enter the Kettlebell. If you don’t have the book yet, and you’re a beginning kettlebell trainee, I highly, highly recomend you pick up a copy.

(For a ‘sneak peek’ of the Program Minimum, check out this blog post from fellow RKC Adrienne Harvey: Variation on Program Minimum)

In short, the best kettlebell exercises for beginners are the Turkish get up and the swing. All other basic kettlebell exercises are built upon these two, so make sure you take your time to master and perfect them before moving on to more advanced drills; you’ll be glad you did.  Good luck and keep training hard -

Forest

P.S. Signed up for my weekly newsletter yet? You’ll get a free copy of my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training when you do … just drop your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page to sign up now!

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The Turkish getup, along with the kettlebell swing, forms the foundation of HardStyle kettlebell training. It is, however, a tricky exercise to master –

Here is a video (this is a clip from my premium kettlebell workouts mega-bundle package, by the way) that breaks the Turkish Get Up down into easier-to-digest steps – check it out:

Video Recap

1. Start the move lying on your side with the kettlebell at your shoulder. Pull the ‘bell into your frame, roll to your back, and punch the KB up towards the ceiling.

2. If you are on your right side, your right heel will be tucked up to your right glute. Your left leg will go out slightly at an angle along with your left arm.

3. Now, drive through the right heel and punch up towards the ceiling. Straighten out the bottom arm so you are supporting your weight with your bottom arm completely outstretched.

4. Drive the hips towards the ceiling, come up to a bridge position, and bring the foot through the hips. Shoot to get the knee that’s coming thru to land right by the hand that’s on the ground.

5. Come up to your lunge position and get set. Brace the abs, make sure the bicep is directly by the ear and the shoulder supporting weight of kettlebell is tight and stabilized. Stand up!

I hope this video helps you refine your technique in the tricky-to-master kettlebell Turkish Get Up exercise. Talk to you soon -

Forest

P.S. To learn more about the Kettlebell Basics Premium Workout Mega Bundle I mentioned earlier in the article, click here

P.P.S. If you’d like to get kettlebell training tips and tricks like this one delivered to your email inbox every week – AND get a free copy of my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training – please sign up for my email newsletter by dropping your name and best email into the box at the upper right hand corner of the page!

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