Kettlebells and Back Pain

Earlier this week I was just leaving the gym when a member approached me to ask about correct kettlebell technique. She herself had not used kettlebells before, but her brother had been using them under the instruction of a trainer from a well known commercial gym in London and was suffering from severe back pain folowing his sessions.
This is a major problem with uncertified trainers teaching kettlebells, and the reason why I advocate everyone who plans to use them in their fitness regime having at least one or two technique sessions with a qualified coach. It is very easy to master good form and thus avoid undue loading over the lumbar region IF you learn good technique from the outset. You are then on the right foot to really gain maximal benefit from this fantastic tool.

The main reasons people experience lower back discomfort from kettlebell training are as follows:

1) Failure to load the hips correctly by not pushing the hips back far enough. This results in rounding of the back and subsequent loss of what is known as 'neutral spine', the position in which the spine is 'safe'.

2) Missing the 'sweet spot'. The sweet spot is the space right between your knees, and is the place where the bell should swing between your legs on every rep. Oftentimes people swings the bell too low, causing the torso to be pulled forward and hence placing undue loading on the muscles of the lumbar region including erector spinae, multifidus and quadratus lumborum muscles. Training in front of a mirror is an excellent way of gaining visual feedback on this and ensuring the 'arc' of your swing hits the sweet spot every time. If you are losing balance on the downwards transition of the bell and being pulled forward, the likelihood is that you are missing this spot. Keeping your arms relaxed, ensure you keep your shoulders engaged into the sholder joint as disengaging of the arms often results in losing the arc and being pulled off balance.

3) Doing too much too soon. Kettlebell training is incredibly effective and places a large amount of load on the posterior chain of the body, namely the hamstrings, glutes and lower back musculature. While this is super effective in redressing the issues of sitting for long periods of time due to many of our daily desk jockey lifestyles, too much too soon can overload the muscles too much and result in straining. Do not go crazy in the beginning! In my beginner's kettlebell course we spend 10 weeks focusing solely on correct technique with plenty of rest between sets. Remember that whilst you may be swinging an 11kg bell, according to Newton's Law, force = mass x acceleration, which means that at the bottom of the swing your body has a LOT more than 11kg to deal with. Bear this in mind and go light until you're really established in correct technique.

Do not be afraid of loading your back muscles, they like every other part of your body must be overloaded if they are to develop and get stronger. However pain is not a good thing, and if you feel your muscles really starting to tighten up it is time to stop and come back another day.

In the past week I have filmed a beginner's kettlebell masterclass with fellow coach Stefano Chiriaco which will air on LA Muscle's fitness channel Sky 281, where, amongst teaching of many of the foundation exercises of kettlebell training, we address the issue of back pain and how to ensure you avoid it. Make sure you check it out if you are based in Europe!

Guildford Kettlebell Courses!

I am pleased to announce that the next 10 week kettlebell courses will start on Monday 24th August 2009 at 6.30pm (beginner's) and 7.30pm (advanced). Each course consists of a session a week for 10 weeks and is valued at £100/ person.

The Beginner's class is suitable for those who have never picked up a kettlebell before but are eager to find out what it's all about and why these are the most fun and effective way to get in great shape whether it be for aesthetics or sports prep.

The Advanced Course is suitable for all those with experience in kettlebell training who feel ready to start mastering the more advanced drills and take your fitness to a whole new level!



For more information or to secure your place please contact me at info@charlotteord.com

IKFF Kettlebell Certification Courses Levels 1 and 2

Over the past four days I have had the absolute pleasure of assisting the great Steve Cotter, at the IKFF Level 1 course at Crystal Palace, as well as taking part in the the Level 2 certification.

The IKFF is largely regarded as the leading provider of kettlebell certifications around the world, supported by the fact that many already established and talented kettlebell trainers travel from from abroad in order to gain the IKFF seal of approval.

The level 1 course focused primarily on the basic lifts of Girevik Sport, namely the swing, clean, press, push press, jerk, snatch and squat. For many of the participants, the course marked a first time encounter with kettlebell timed sets of up to 8 minutes, a pure test of both physical and mental endurance and outstanding conditioning protocol.

The functional movement dynamics (level 2) course participants were treated to two days of intense (understatement of the year : ), power-based bodyweight, plyometric and kettlebell drills, and an insight into Steve's personal contribution to strength and conditioning preperation. It was nothing short of inspirational to watch the incredible feats of strength and agility displayed by not only Steve but many of the course participants too, which supports my belief that we really do have a wealth of talent here in the UK fitness industry.

We were also honoured by the presence of Qigong Master Edward Coughlin, who travelled from the States to enable us to experience and realise the incredible regenerative properties of this ancient chinese art. If hard training is the Yin then the breathing & energy flow technique of Qigong is most definitely the Yang, with a combination of both ultimately resulting in a stronger, fitter and healthier whole. I will definitely be integrating the practice into my own and my clients' training routines from now on.

A very big thank you to Steve, Edward and our sensational London host, Jonathon Lewis for an enormously educational and enjoyable four days of training. I now look forward to assisting at the next European IKFF courses later in the year; for more details visit http://www.ikff.net

Give Yourself A Remote Chance With Remote Training!

It seems to me that, apart from lacking motivation to get going in the first place, one of the main reasons most people don't get the results they really want is because quite simply, they don't know what they're doing.

I train a number of individuals from all over the world on a remote basis, which means that I never actually get to coach them in person, but I DO write them a 16 week program that is designed specifically for them and their goals, and I DO support them with motivation, nutritional advice and ongoing guidance. The result? Lost inches, improved fitness, healthier eating habits and a renewed sense of achievement and ability.

You see the thing is, understanding training methods, and what is going to work for you, takes time. And as we all know, time is something that most of us don't have a lot of.

So, if you are determined to reach your goals, but don't feel in the position to invest in personal training, consider a course of remote training. It doesn't matter whether you want to train at home, in the gym, in a hotel room, outside,with kettlebells, bodyweight or bags of sugar, you CAN acheive your goals with the right programme and guidance.

At Charlotte Ord Personal Training, remote training is valued at $120 for a 16 week programme, which includes a completely individualised programme delivered in 4, 4 week stages, nutritional and lifestyle evaluation, and ongoing support throughout the duration of your programme.

For more information please contact Charlotte at info@charlotteord.com

Kettlebell ARE For Girls!

When I first start training a new female client, I often find that they stare at me blankly when I get out the kettlebells. Sure, they've heard that they're great for fat burning and building strength, but they're for boys, right?

WRONG!

The thing is, kettlebells, just like any other piece of resistance training equipment, can be adapted to produce the results required for a specific goal. I've used them over and over again to get women (and men) lean, strong, flexible, fit and feeling good. Cos that's what everyone wants, right? AND, it's often way more fun than dumbells and barbells.

Still think kettlebells are for boys?

Check out this video...

Kettlebell Descending Ladders

If you want a fast, intense workout that challenges both your cadiovascular system, strength and endurance then look no further than kettlebell descending ladders!

Starting with a weight that really challenges you (but with which you can still maintain good technique) perform 10 reps of, for example, the 2 hand swing, before moving on to a slightly lighter weight, perform 10 reps, and so on. I use 5 decending weights generally but you can add or reduce this number to suit depending on what weights you have available.

You can use ladder training with any of the kettlebell foundation ballistic moves including the 1 or 2 handed swing, cleans, snatches and jerks. If you are training one side of the body at a time, for example with the one arm clean, go down the ladder on one side and then go back to the beginning and repeat on the other side.

3-5 sets of ladders with a minute rest in between provides a pretty challenging workout for most, and takes no time at all. Just make sure you warm up and cool down properly before and after!

Check out this vid of one of my clients performing a descending ladder starting with a 20kg. If you're not wondering if the first bell is too heavy for you on the first reps, it probably isn't. Push yourself!

Can't be bothered to train today?

I trained really hard yesterday, had a great evening out with my buddies and have got lots of productive things done today, including another great training session.

This morning, however,it looked unlikely that i'd even make it to the gym, let alone knock out a good session. You see, I'm a firm beleiver in sticking to a well constructed programme, I mean, that way you can get a reallyclear idea of where you're going and exactly how you're gonna get there.

Trouble is, even i have days where I feel like rebelling and saying sod it to working out. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen, even to me! So today, rather than not go to the gym, I gathered all the bits of equipment that I love to use and just did what I felt like doing. It broke from the norm, and I actually worked really hard : )

I started off with a good joint mobility, dynamic warm up (watch the video below if you don't know what I mean)



then knocked out 4 rounds of the following with as little rest as possible:

Tabata rowing - 4 minutes of 20s maximum effort interspersed wtih 10s of active rest (really slow rowing)

Straight into 100 jump rope skips as fast as possible

Followed by 10 heavy kettlebell jerks on either side (I'm gearing up for my first kettlebell lifting competiton on the 18th July, so wanted to work on my technique)

So if you ever feel like you just don't want to train, rather than quitting, head to the gym, your backyard or wherever makes you feel good and just do your favourite thing. Once you get going, I promise you'll enjoy it, and let's face it, you never regret putting in a good session once it's finished, do you?!


For more ideas on fun, intense, freestyle type training that is guaranteed to keep you interested and in top shape, check out Intense Conditioning by my colleague and top expert Jon Le Tocq. It's like nothing else!


Char