Please enjoy Emily Fiedel’s article on the 5 most common mistakes made with Kettlebell Training. Emily is one of the country’s leading Kettlebell trainers and works with a number of clients through her role with Australian Kettlebells. She is fresh from presenting on Kettlebell training at the Filex Fitness convention and along with Chris Muling will be presenting at the next Career Fitness members event on Saturday 26^th June.

Kettlebell training can be one of the most effective ways of increasing one or more facets of fitness, including strength, power, power endurance, strength endurance, cardiovascular fitness, mobility and agility.  However, there are some common mistakes people make with their kettlebell training that can lead to sub-optimal training or even injury. Here are 5 of the most common mistakes people make with their kettlebell training:

1. NOT SEEKING EXPERT ADVICE.

This is a fatal mistake.  People think they’ve been weight training for a while, or that they’re a qualified personal trainer, therefore will automatically be able to know how to lift a kettlebell. The kettlebell is very different from barbells and dumbbells.  The body of the kettlebell sits away from its handle, giving the kettlebell a displaced centre of mass.  This displaced centre of mass means the kettlebell behaves very differently to dumbbells and barbells, which have the weight evenly dispersed on either side of the handle. For example, having the kettlebell handle sit across your hand in the same position a dumbbell handle sites is not only uncomfortable due to the displaced centre of mass, but is also dangerous as it puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the wrist. There is heaps of information on YouTube about kettlebell lifting but you need to be really careful, most of it is rubbish. So, seeking expert advice will get you off to the right start, or help you resolve any problems you’re having with your kettlebell training.

How do you know someone is an expert?  Well here are some questions you should put to them to see if they really do know their stuff:

a. Who have they trained under?

If there aren’t some genuine Eastern Europeans in this list, beware.  Experts such as Valery Fedorenko, Vasily Ginko, Pavel Tsatsouline and Steve Cotter all run courses that are reasonably accessible in the West, so if a trainer hasn’t trained under at least one of these, they haven’t gone far enough to get their knowledge.  Phil Kourbatski is a trainer in Australia, who has a background as a trainer in the Russian military, so is another name you should look out for.

b. How many years experience have they had with kettlebells?

The bells haven’t been here in Australia that long, but you’d want someone who has at the very least around 2 year’s intensive training experience with kettlebells.  This in and of itself is not usually enough, though; you need to be sure they’ve also sourced good information.

c. Correct hand position?

This is a dead giveaway, if a trainer doesn’t know the correct hand position, they have no clue.  The correct hand position involves having the handle diagonally across the palm of your hand, with all the pressure on the heel of your palm. This enables you to have a neutral wrist.  No other hand position is acceptable or safe with kettlebell training.

d. Different styles of kettlebell lifting?

A good kettlebell trainer will have a good understanding of the different styles of kettlbell lifting (e.g. the sport or “soft” style and hard style) and their applications, irrespective of the type of training you actually want to do.  If they’ve never heard of Girevoy sport, or don’t know how to apply its techniques, then you need to keep looking.

2. NOT SPENDING THE TIME TO GET TECHNIQUE CORRECT

It seems so simple and obvious, but this ties in with mistake number 1.  People often don’t seek out expert advice and they are so keen to get big numbers or lift ultra heavy that they rush into things and don’t take the time to get their technique spot on. Good technique is vital, because it allows you to train safely.  Injuries are an athlete’s worst enemy, and can be a massive set back.  A torn rotator cuff or disc bulge could negate months of training. Good technique will also allow you to get those big numbers or lift really heavy, shoddy technique will only limit you.

3. NOT REVIEWING TECHNIQUE REGULARLY

It is easy to pick up bad habits, particularly if you’re training alone most of the time.  Worse, you often don’t realise what mistakes you are making - what you think you’re doing and what you’re actually doing can be quite different. Particularly with the more technical lifts such as the Snatch and Turkish get-up, you should get your technique reviewed regularly to ensure no bad habits have crept in. Reviewing your technique may also help you break through plateaus in your training. Checking in with an expert every now and again is the best way to know you’re on the right track, there’s nothing quite as effective as having someone look at your technique in person. Videoing yourself regularly is also really helpful.  You can often pick up on areas where you can improve once you can objectively review your own technique.

4. GUYS - OVERESTIMATING THEIR STRENGTH

Because the kettlebell is so different to conventional weight training tools, you will usually need to start with a weight that is lighter than you’re used to using.  Most guys will need to start with a 12kg or 16kg kettlebell to get their technique correct. The displaced centre of mass means the kettlebell is harder to control and stabilise than a dumbbell.  Also, kettlebell lifting requires good thoracic spine mobility and shoulder flexibility, and most guys, particularly those who have done a lot of weight training, are tight in these areas. So, put the ego aside and instead of making a bee-line for the 24kg or 32kg, drop the weight back and get your technique spot on first.  In the long run, it will enable you to lift heavier if that’s your goal.

5. WOMEN - THINKING THEY’LL GET BULKY SO NOT INCREASING THE WEIGHT

A lot of women think that lifting weights is going to turn them into great big muscly meat axes, so they start with a 6kg or 8kg kettlebell and they stick with it, refusing to lift any heavier. The beauty of kettlebells is that they won’t make you bulky.  In fact, the best female kettlebell lifters in the world are usually between 60-65kg and they usually work with a 20kg or 24kg kettlebell. Progressively increasing the weight you’re lifting is the only way to continue to get training effects from your workouts.  Your body will get used to the weight you start with reasonably quickly, and then it will stop adapting.  So if you want to continue to progress and reach your goals (whether they be goals for improved posture, weight loss, improved strength or improved cardiovascular fitness) you need to continue to challenge your body by lifting heavier weights.

So…

Training smart means getting good advice, striving to be a technically excellent lifter and progressing your training appropriately. If you can avoid the common mistakes above, you will be sure to get the most out of your kettlebell training and you will reach your goals much faster.

Career Fitness is partnering with Australian Kettlebells to run the Kettlebell Basics workshop on Saturday 26^th June at the Iron Edge Studio in Richmond. This event is free for Career Fitness Members. If you are not a member yet and would like to attend please click here.

This edited article from Mike Mahler gives an excellent description of some of the most common mistakes people make in relation to weight training.

Mistake #1: Not Keeping A Training Journal

Imagine running a business without keeping any records. You just keep working and hope that you are making more than you are spending. You have no way of knowing for sure if you are even making a profit and no way of knowing for sure if you are improving each month. Without proper accounting, a business is doomed. Training is no different. When you keep a training journal you keep yourself accountable. You learn what works and what does not work. You learn how lack of sleep affects training and how stress in your life affects training. An honest training journal allows you to avoid having the illusion that you are making progress when you not making any progress at all. Do not just write down what you did at each workout.

Write down other things that are going on in your life. If you had a great workout think about what happened to result in a great workout that day.

Did you sleep well the night before? What did you eat before the session?

Were you in a good mood that day? Did you take a new pre-workout supplement? The more you know, the more you are likely to repeat the same feeling at another workout. On the other hand, if you had a terrible workout, think about the factors that may have contributed to that and see if you can avoid them in the future.

Another reason to keep a training journal is that there is a natural human drive to want to improve. If you know what the number is, you will want to beat it at the next workout. If you have no idea what you are doing at each workout, how will you know if you are moving forward or not.

Mistake #2: Training For The Stimulus Rather For Results

Go to any gym and you will see trainees that have been doing the same workout for many years. They are doing the same exercises; same weights;same workout order, and enjoy the same lack of results. As the saying goes expecting different results from the same actions is a form of insanity. Many trainees become process oriented in which they just go through the motions at each workout. Now, do not get me wrong, going through the motions is better than not doing anything at all. Moreover, training for the stimulus is not necessarily a negative thing. If the stimulus of training makes you feel better then your time is not wasted completely at the workout. However, if you want to make progress, you have to be results oriented rather than process oriented or attached to the stimulus. Your discipline will be rewarded with progress in training rather than stagnation in training.

Getting more reps in a workout, using more weight, getting more done in less time, are all forms of progress measurement. In addition to being focused on the results, you want to be focused on the most efficient path to the result. If you can achieve a goal in three weeks with three workouts per week rather than six, why do six? Why do more, if you are not going to get improved results? Sure, the extra work is worth applying for an improved outcome, but not for the same outcome or worse yet an inferior outcome. Focus on achieving results and measuring your work and you will have no doubt that you are moving forward.

Mistake #3: Lack Of Focus

Ever get excited about one thing, and then two minutes later, forget about it and get excited about something else? Sure, all of us probably have at somepoint. Regardless, to get good at something you have to put in some time. People that get bored easily are most likely people that fail often. Staying on course takes focus and discipline and the ability to manage boredom. I think that failing at everything is more boring than getting good at a few things. Now when it comes to training programs, there are a lot of options and it can be difficult to pick one. Regardless, it is critical that you do exactly that and stick with one program for at least three weeks. Just make sure that you have a clear idea of what the program that you pick entails. If you are going to start a high volume-training regimen, make sure that you do it at a time in your life in which you are sleeping well, have time to eat well, and have time to train consistently. If you have a lot of stress in your life and an erratic schedule, pick a program that is more appropriate for that situation. Once you get started, stick with the program for a while. Pick one goal, accomplish it and then move on. You should know exactly what you are going to do at 90% of your workouts and what the end result is. Going to a job and punching in hours might work for nine to fivers, but will not work for training. Do not start a workout without knowing what you are trying to accomplish. Do not start a set, without knowing how many reps you are going for. Just remember that lack of focus and lack of discipline will equal lack of results. Imagine opening a bike shop and then closing it the next day and deciding to sell lampshades instead. Then a week later, you decide that you want to be a personal trainer. Chances are high that you will fail at everything that you try, as you do not have the focus and discipline to finish what you start. If you change your mind every two minutes in business, you inevitably go under. It will not be a question of if, but a question of when.

Training is not any different. Know the target and go after it until it is achieved. Then switch gears. Remember that it is easy to start a project and much harder to finish what you start.

Mistake #4: Assuming Training Has To Be Complicated To Be Effective

Strength training is not rocket science. Your program does not have to involve what is the equivalent of a calculus equation to be effective. In fact, the more complicated a program is, the more likely it is to fail.

Develop a strong foundation in the basics and focus on exercises that will give you the most bang for your buck. Forget about tons of exercises for your arms when you can only bench press 185 and squat 155. Forget about bicep specialization programs when you cannot even do a pull-up. I often get emails from trainees that are beginners that train six days per week in which they designate a day for each body part. Such programs may be fine for experienced trainees that have a solid foundation. However, for beginners it is far from the best path to take. Full body workouts with a focus on compound exercises such as the: Deadlift, Barbell Squat, Bench Press, Military Press, Bent-over Row, and Pull-up is a great place to start.

Get your bench press up to 300lbs, Military Press up to 200lbs and Deadlift up to 400lbs before you think about complicated routines.

Mistake #5: Training With Maximum Intensity Too Often

No doubt that productive weight training takes lots of hard work. Regardless with the exception of money and sex, too much of anything is not always the most productive path to take. Training with maximum intensity too frequently will fry your central nervous system. Once that happens you will become sluggish mentally and your body will follow accordingly. In other words, everything will feel heavy in the gym and you will feel out of sync. The harder you train the less frequently you can train. However, training infrequently is not ideal either. Training is a skill and like playing the piano or learning a new language, it is something that has to be practiced often.

The more you do something without burning out the better you will get and the more efficient you will become. If you are on a program in which you do the Military Press once every two weeks and are not doing any exercises that are similar to the Military press in between each session, each time you execute the Military Press it will feel like you are doing it for the first time.

Take some advice from top strength coach Pavel Tsatsouline and treat the majority of your workouts as practices. Every once in a while do a maximum effort such as every 10-14 days to see how you are progressing and to keep you excited about training.

Mistake #6: Not Having A Life Outside Of Training

 Real strength goes far beyond what you can do physically. If someone can bench press 500lbs but is weak mentally and morally, then that person does not have complete strength. One of the greatest benefits of physical training is the confidence and strength you build in that arena can be carried over to other areas of your life. The confidence that you build with productive strength training should be carried over to other areas of your life. If the gym is the only place in which you feel comfortable and confident, then you have missed out on the major benefits of training.

The following article from one of my favorite authors in Alwyn Cosgrove is a very thought provoking one on the merits of doing a lot of isolation exercise for hypertrophy goals. Just about every young man and woman who want to increase their muscle mass think it is a crime not to do bicep curls and direct triceps work. However as anyone who has ever done a Certificate III or IV in Fitness course with me would know, is that when a person does compound exercises like Chin Ups and Bench Presses to muscular failure the weakest link in the chain is always either Biceps or Triceps. What does this mean - you do not need to go anywhere near isolated arm exercises until you have gotten very strong on the compound exercises first. I will let Alwyn take up the story …

“All the talk about body part training versus full body routines, isolation exercise versus compound exercise etc is based upon a fundamentally flawed concept - that hypertrophy is somehow completely regionally specific.

Here’s a study that examines this in a bit more detail:

Rogers et al
The Effect of Supplemental Isolated Weight-Training Exercises on Upper-Arm Size and Upper-Body Strength
Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
NSCA Conference Abstract (2000)

The researchers compared the effects of a weight training program on 5RM strength and arm circumference and divided the subjects into two groups.

Group One performed four compound upper body exercises

Group Two used the same program but included bicep curls and triceps extension

The results showed that both groups significantly increased strength and arm size

However - the addition of direct arm training to group two produced no additional effect on strength or arm circumference after 10 weeks of training. The additional localised training did not result in anything that the bigger compound exercises didn’t provide.

Let me present a hypothetical example:

Twin brothers eating the same diet, working at the same job. Three times a week for the next 52 weeks - both brothers undertake a progressive resistance training program - each adding weight, sets or reps in a logical manner over the whole year.

One difference the first brother does deadlifts only. The second brother does arm curls only.

After a year - who do you think will be bigger overall? Including bigger arms? Obviously it will be the first brother - who put more overall stress and load through his system. Even though he didn’t bend his elbow at all.

Charles Poliquin is fond of quoting that - in order to gain an inch on your arm - you’d have to gain 10lbs of muscle mass. If that’s true - it will happen a lot sooner with an exercise like the deadlift than it will with the dumbbell curl.

Bottom line is that muscle growth is a systemic issue - not a localized one. If I put a stress on the forearm only — it would grow of course — but there would be a limit to that as the systemic load is small. But if you did deadlifts - the systemic load would be so big - everything would grow.

And when we think about anabolics or anything that can enhance muscle growth - they are injected or consumed into the system. You don’t inject steroids in equal amounts into every muscle group. You don’t rub Surge or another post workout recovery drink on your arms - increased protein synthesis is a systemic phenomenon.

Therefore why not develop training strategies that target the entire system at once if hypertrophy is what we want?”

Visual Coaching Pro Software Version 1.0.2.0

Tips

Starting with the dumbbells in the shoulder carry position, step sideways off the box then press the hands towards the feet. Push firmly back to the start position & repeat the movements to both sides.

A medicine ball or weights plate may be used as an alternative form of resistance.

Either maintain neutral curves in the spine or allow the spine to flex slightly. If a slight amount of spinal flexion is adopted, it should be prescribed & supervised by an exercise professional.

Cautions

Ensure that the box is stable.

If you have a history of spinal injury or other spinal pathologies, seek professional advice prior to commencing this exercise.

Visual Coaching Pro Software Version 1.0.2.0

Tips

Laterally flex the torso & press the dumbbell straight up. Repeat the movements to both sides in an alternating fashion.

The amount of lateral flexion may vary depending on the requirements of the exercise.

Cautions

Ensure that the arms are vertical at the completion of the press & do not extend the spine.

The reality is that every Resistance Training method will work at least short term, however for most of the people a full body routine will be more effective that a split routine. Exceptions to this rule may be an ADVANCED Bodybuilder or a client on a rehabilitation program where there are major muscle imbalances that require a large amount of volume done several days per week.

In terms of selection or choice of exercises the body can only perform 7 movement patterns which are:

1. Squat
2. Bend
3. Lunge
4. Push (Vertical &/or Horizontal)
5. Pull (Vertical &/or Horizontal)
6. Twist
7. Gait (Walk/Run)

Therefore, a great starting point for most programs would be to have a gait warm up followed by an exercise for each of the other 6 movement patterns. You would place these exercises in order from the most compound and complex movements followed by isolated and simpler movements. The number of repetitions done in each set for a beginner is 10-15 regardless of their goal as any overload will result in improvements in all functional capacities. As the client gains some experience and becomes classified as either an intermediate or advanced trainer they can branch into the following repetition ranges for the specific goals they have, i.e. Strength/ Power 1-6, Hypertrophy 6-20, and Muscular Endurance 15-30.

The number of sets completed for each exercise would be dependent on their time availability, training goals and ability level. For most people 2-3 sets of each exercise would be performed most of the time. The rest interval between each set would be 30-60 seconds for most clients, however if you have a Strength or Power goal then rest periods of up to 3 minutes would be more appropriate. The Tempo or Speed of movement most of the time will be slow and controlled, although if dealing with someone with a Power development goals you would need them to lift the weights explosively.

Important Points with Resistance Training

• Focus on Compound exercises most of the time
• Ensure muscle balance is adhered to e.g. 3 sets of 10 movements PUSHING horizontally needs to be balanced with 3 sets of 10 of PULLING horizontally).

A sample Resistance Training Program that takes everything we have discussed into account would be:

Visual Coaching Pro Software Version 1.0.2.0

Tips

A general guideline in relation to the height of the stability ball is that the hips should be positioned in line with or slightly higher than the knees.

Secure the band or tubing under the stability ball & start with the arms close together with the elbows above the head.

The position of the arms may vary depending on the flexibility of the shoulders & the thoracic spine.

Keep the upper arms stationary & extend & flex the elbows. Continue to look forward & maintain an erect posture.

Cautions

Ensure that the bands or tubing are secure under the ball & strong enough to cope with the tension that is developed during this exercise.

Keep the upper arms stationary & do not flex the head forward.

If you have a history of shoulder injury or other shoulder pathologies, seek professional advice prior to commencing.

Visual Coaching Pro Software Version 1.0.2.0

Tips

Start with the forearm flat on the ground & the elbow under the shoulder.

The hips & shoulders should face forward with the neck in line with the spine.

Keeping the feet together, lift the hips up & down with small & quick movements.

Cautions

Do not round the spine or allow the shoulder blade to wing or lift off the ribs.

Visual Coaching Pro Software Version 1.0.2.0

Tips

Laterally flex the torso & raise the dumbbells over the head in an alternating fashion.

Allow the arms to flex at the top of the movement, keeping the shoulders facing forward.

Cautions

Control all phases of the exercise & do not raise the dumbbells too far over the head.