Kettlebell Training is much more than meets the (untrained) eye.
For the unfamiliar, even the simplest kettlebell exercises look like some sort of secretive, Super-Ninja exercise technique. Swinging an iron ball around for a workout – in any manner – is pretty cool.
When I first began working with kettlebells a few years ago, I thought the clean and the snatch were designed to toughen my forearms to compliment my martial arts training! Nothing could be further from the truth, but I was easily led astray.
After all, in a country where everyone is blind, the one-eyed man is king. As related to kettlebell training, this means that since the general public is largely “blind” when it comes to kettlebell training, folks are easily led to believe whatever they are told by would-be instructors.
Basics, basics, basics…
The best instructors and athletes focus on the basics. For kettlebells, that means the 2-arm swing,the Turkish Getup, the military press and the snatch. There are many other great kettlebell exercises, but as Pavel Tsatsouline has said, they are all just “bells and whistles.”
Double-kettlebell exercises are nice, but a quality instructor should be able to build strength, endurance and explosive power with just one kettlebell.
This, of course, pre-supposes that the instructor has his or herself mastered the basics and can challenge themself and his or her students with these basics.
In the beginning, I was intrigued by many of the fancier kettlebell exercises such as the double-snatch, the two-hands anyhow, and of course many of the super-cool kettlebell juggling moves as demonstrated by Jeff Martone in his H2H DVDs.
But, when I went through Martone’s CrossFit Kettlebell Instructor course it was notably absent of any of those more advanced moves. Several hours were devoted to improving the swing alone, and instructor candidates were drilled and drilled on proper technique in the Turkish Getup, the clean, the press and the snatch.
In the final test, basics were drilled for 45 minutes straight. In my group nearly 25% of the candidates failed on the first attempt.
Even though I had done thousands upon thousands of swings prior to the cert, afterwards I’d felt like I’d only scratched the surface, and in the months since the course, I have done more swings than any other exercise, and still learn from it on each rep. Furthermore, I still get a smoking workout from it every time.
As a further example, I once completed a 5,000-rep/5-week snatch challenge. I averaged 200 snatches per day (with a 16kg, 24kg or 32kg), five days per week and still felt as if my technique was getting better with each rep, but I still have a long way to go before I have any bragging rights in the kettlebell world.
The instructor should be physically competent.
Paper certifications are not the only proof of skill. The instructor should be a master (and permanent student of) the basic kettlebell exercises. To find out, ask the instructor to perform some basic movements, or ask to observe the instructor’s workout, or at least watch those he or she has taught. Ask if the instructor posts their training logs online on one of the many kettlebell websites, such as Kettlebell Inc. or Dragondoor.
A competent male instructor should be able to snatch a 24kg (53lb) kettlebell for at least 100 reps without setting the kettlebell down, and should be able to strict military press a kettlebell nearest to 1/3 their bodyweight for five continuous reps with zero hip drive to assist in fully locking out the kettlebell.
A competent female instructor should be able to snatch a 12kg (26lb) kettlebell for at least 100 reps without setting the kettlebell down if she weighs up to 125lbs, and a 16kg (35lb) kettlebell if she weighs more than 125lbs.
There are other standard guidelines, and any instructor should immediately be able to tell you what their Secret Service Snatch Test number is (max snatch reps in 10 minutes), unless they have firm justification for why they haven’t tested it.
100 continuous snatches with 53lbs will not happen unless the person has drilled the basics; strict presses with a heavy kettlebell only happen with practice, not just strength.
Are you being corrected? Are you sore or experiencing injuries?
A quality instructor should be giving constant feedback about form, making corrections, and demonstrating, as needed.
If you are having nagging, recurrent injuries or constant excessive soreness, chances are your instructor isn’t paying attention, or maybe doesn’t even know why they are occurring.
If you have questions, and the instructor isn’t able to give you satifactory answers, or give technical advice if you are having an issue, then you have an issue with him and her.
With kettlebell exercise, injury will result from improper guidance. It is not a question of if the injury will occur, but when and how serious will it be.
Are you getting stronger? How are you measuring it?
Numbers don’t lie with regards to strength gains. Are you able to do more swings or snatches in a given time? Press a heavier kettlebell? Are your deadlifts getting heavier? Can you do more pull-ups, or pull-ups with more resistance?
With proper kettlebell training, strength gains will accompany fat loss and gains in cardiovascular efficiency.
Any idiot trainer can make you tired or come up with a tough workout: Not any trainer can make you strong.
