You’ve probably seen trainers and fitness enthusiasts using kettlebells but what exactly are their specific purposes?
In this episode, NASM Master Instructors Wendy Batts and Ken Miller give you all the kettlebell basics, including their origin and why they’ve become so popular in workouts.
Plus, the way these weighted bells can maximize power production and help you achieve your short and long-term gym goals!
TRANSCRIPT:
Wendy Batts:
Hello, everyone, welcome to another episode of random fit. My name is Wendy Batts. And I'm here with my friend, colleague and co host, Mr. Ken Miller. How are you doing today, Ken?
Hello, everyone, welcome to another episode of random fit. My name is Wendy Batts. And I'm here with my friend, colleague and co host, Mr. Ken Miller. How are you doing today, Ken?
Ken Miller:
Well, Wendy, how are you? Good to see you as well. I know that I see you every week. But it seems like a long time until we do these.
Wendy Batts:
No, you know, I know. I love these love this hour for sure. But well, today I'm excited. We're talking about a fun topic of kettlebells. And I know a lot of people use them in the gym. But we were going to go over the history and little bit of background about them and how you can implement them into your workout if you're not already doing so. And the purpose of doing it and the different ways you can do it. And so, yeah, so I'm excited about today. It'll be fun. Yeah, I mean, I am very not I mean, I've seen Kelly, I have friends that kettlebell workers, you know, if they do a workout with kettlebells, it's all they're doing. Right? And so, but I'm not there. I mean, it's one of those, it's there, I'll use it for more static stuff, you know, just more like a modified dumbbell. But we're gonna get into a little bit more of the, I guess, the, how it originated and how it's come over to the US. And as far as how it's become more of a worldwide tool, and and I'll, we'll get into all that stuff. But I'm actually interested to see where this conversation goes, just because I know how I use it, which is kind of on a very novice level, not like some associates that we have that actually compete in the thing, right? I've tried to pick up what they actually swing or lift and curl. And I was like, how do you do that? You know, but it's all about technique, right?
Ken Miller:
Well, it is about technique. And I will say when I take my first kettlebell class, I was very, I just felt so out of my element. I mean, I use them and I like to use them and I implement them. And I do certain things with the kettlebell because they're comfortable. However, when I actually took the class and saw all the different components of it, and you know, when you're thinking about it, there's 25, different grips, if not more that you can do depending on the type of exercise and the way that you're doing it. And then learning all about like, to me, this was fascinating, because I had to do a lot of research because I was not well versed in and kettlebells I wasn't I mean, I know about them again, but just actually deep digging deep I was I actually really enjoyed finding out the information that we're going to share with you. So hopefully you do too. And I guess, like most things, when when we did the research, actually, you did your research, and I and I read up on it, as well as the origin of it all, but you know, what it reminded me and I'll let you get into how it's come about. But I think one of the things that was interesting to me as far as, you know, necessity being the mother of invention, with with Calico or it had a totally different purpose versus, you know, versus what it's known for today, with exercise kind of, like, you know, it reminded me of the original, the origination of the TR x strap, right? So if you understand where that came about, you know, you have these special forces Navy SEALs out there that wanted to stay in shape, and what do they have available to them while they have these parachute straps, and someplace to hang it from and that's where they got their conditioning, right push ups, rose, you know, and all the various sections they were able to do in the field to stay in shape. Well, when we talked about the kettlebells and what was really interesting was how it was used and then it kind of migrated to more of a entertainment and exercise purpose and then into what it is today. So that was one of the things that I saw in its you know, in its history as far as where it came from, and how it evolved in its use in purpose just like you know what we see today with fitness anywhere in the TR x strap and how it evolved from parachute straps and just the neatest eight shape you know when your appointment and you're out in the field. So that was one of those my epiphany when it came to Oh, you know, when it comes to exercise? You never know.
Wendy Batts:
Yes, and so you know, so when you're thinking about what Ken's talking about, you know, we're looking at, you know kettlebells and for those of you guys I know most of you guys know what a kettlebell is but we're talking about basically, it looks like a cannon ball with a handle and you know, in this made of steel or cast iron, and back in the day, and we're talking as early as the 1800s. And farmers were actually using, you know, these kettlebells, if you will as counterweights when they were weighing out their dry goods, such as grain, and then they were using that, for measurement purposes. And then as farmers and people were trying to, you know, continue to work in the fields, they were starting to use them as actual weights. And, you know, that's how it kind of actually originated and got brought in. And so can if you want to kind of bring us into the founder, kind of the father of weightlifting, training, you know, when we're talking about this back into the 1800s, you know, a gorgeous course the man that was born in Russia, so do you want to tell us about about? Yeah, so apologies to our Eastern Bloc friends, when I pronounce his name, Vladislav krajewski, is the name that that that comes up as far as being the person that actually popularized kettlebell use back in the 1800s. So as I read it, you know, he's, he was a Russian physician, and consider the founding father of Olympic weight training. So he goes way back in more than just kettlebell work. And, and as we look at competition these days, especially with the Olympics coming up, with Olympic lifting, so here we are, we have, as you mentioned, when you have a weight that was used to measure grain, and, you know, eventually as it's the anatomy of the kettlebell, you know, you have the handle and you have the, you know, however heavy the kettlebell was now that became a matter of, of competition of how to lift Well, how much you could lift, and with Lada Vladislav krajewski here's a person now that started to use it as far as, as as using it as a tool for exercise and challenge.
Wendy Batts:
Yes, and so you know, so when you're thinking about what Ken's talking about, you know, we're looking at, you know kettlebells and for those of you guys I know most of you guys know what a kettlebell is but we're talking about basically, it looks like a cannon ball with a handle and you know, in this made of steel or cast iron, and back in the day, and we're talking as early as the 1800s. And farmers were actually using, you know, these kettlebells, if you will as counterweights when they were weighing out their dry goods, such as grain, and then they were using that, for measurement purposes. And then as farmers and people were trying to, you know, continue to work in the fields, they were starting to use them as actual weights. And, you know, that's how it kind of actually originated and got brought in. And so can if you want to kind of bring us into the founder, kind of the father of weightlifting, training, you know, when we're talking about this back into the 1800s, you know, a gorgeous course the man that was born in Russia, so do you want to tell us about about? Yeah, so apologies to our Eastern Bloc friends, when I pronounce his name, Vladislav krajewski, is the name that that that comes up as far as being the person that actually popularized kettlebell use back in the 1800s. So as I read it, you know, he's, he was a Russian physician, and consider the founding father of Olympic weight training. So he goes way back in more than just kettlebell work. And, and as we look at competition these days, especially with the Olympics coming up, with Olympic lifting, so here we are, we have, as you mentioned, when you have a weight that was used to measure grain, and, you know, eventually as it's the anatomy of the kettlebell, you know, you have the handle and you have the, you know, however heavy the kettlebell was now that became a matter of, of competition of how to lift Well, how much you could lift, and with Lada Vladislav krajewski here's a person now that started to use it as far as, as as using it as a tool for exercise and challenge.
Ken Miller:
So for those of you just joining us here on the Random Fit Show, here we are, both Wendy Batts and I talking about kettlebells. So here, you know, we're talking about the history of kettlebells. And, and where it's come from. So that was one of the things that, you know, comes about with with the kettlebells coming back from the 1800s. And there's been some, you know, in doing the research, looking online, different stories, different backgrounds that come up, as far as you know, where it came from, whether it was Eastern Bloc, country, Russia, China, things like that, but that's where most of the arrows pointed was towards Vladislav krajewski. Yeah, and I know there are people that are trying to say, No, no, it's actually, you know, I read, I said, read about Greece, people were like, No, no, it started in Greece, and then it was China. And then it was Germany. And it's, you know, the old, the old timey Scotland. So when you look at different research, it's really hard to say, however, they are basically saying, you know, this came out of Russia, we're just gonna go with that. But I do know, and we are going to say this. And because it's recorded, it could have come from anywhere. And plus, if me think about this, I mean, it's been used so much, especially like I said, in the farming communities, and then it was the farmers that were doing quote, quote, or folk exercises. And and so I think the the Russian farming communities were kind of tagged with that. So that's kind of where we're, when we're talking about this, why we are pretty much sticking with Russia. But you know, there's so many people that were using different weighted items, and it's basically what did you have available, that's what you were going to use. And I just thought it was interesting that that's kind of where the kettlebell swings came. And that's also came from, where they talk about kettlebell juggling, which we'll go into detail about here. And the in a little bit later on in the in the show. And so, I mean, you know, it's also interesting that, you know, this happened in the 1800s. But we're talking about with the farming communities, and then, you know, you've got, you know, the use of it, that was more of the circus, strong men, because people were like, how much like you said, How much can you lift, and then it became very competitive. And so because you're thinking about it being used more for appreciation and competition and strength in athletics, then in Russia and Europe in the late 19th centuries, they were trying to do more of a competitive, you know, kettlebell weightlifting. And and, you know, you're thinking and people have heard about the different types of sports, it's dated back to 1885. And that's when you started hearing about the circle of amateur athletics. And so I find all of this so fascinating, because I truly didn't know and so hope, hopefully, people were like, wow, that really is cool, too. Because I was like, all right, the more you read about it, but then, you know, you also think, you know, there's there's all these spoofs out there with these strong men in the circus, and they usually have a huge kettlebell. And you know, whether it's truly weighted to that or not, I don't know. But, but it makes sense. Now it Oh, it's coming together. Now, have you ever heard the phrase farm strong? Or country? Strong? No country strong? Yes. Country strong. Yeah. So I've heard about the country strongest way I'll hear it most. So, again, as we were reading about this, it's it kind of makes sense, right? I mean, you have this way that is unevenly loaded, because well, compared to a dumbbell, where you have a bar with, you know, evenly weighted on both sides of that bar, and here you have a handle with the weight on one side, well, if you're swinging this thing, you know, if now, it's not just used as a counterweight, now you have to swing this thing to get your exercise using momentum, you know, accelerating, decelerating, you know, momentum going one way or the other. I just think about, you know, with, you know, with our friend, you know, Derek price and and Michelle, one of the things that they talk about is, you know, just how do we get country strong. And what that means to me again, translating what the kettlebell can offer, which really motivated me to now pick up because I have kettlebells in my facility, and do I pick them up? Yeah, I pick them up, but I use them for a set, you know, maybe waiter walks, things we'll talk about later on. But now we're talking you know, if your country strong your you can pick up anything from anywhere and move it any other place, right, if you have to pick up a bale of hay that might be down, right, and you might have to stack it up on the bed on the truck bed. But now as the stack is higher now that direction and how high you have to lift how far you have to throw it is changing. That's what you know, I'm looking at country strong beings, like you have this diversified library of movements, and capabilities that you're able to do. Now that you have different weights of kettlebells, let's say However, it's formatted on your farm, right, you might have a 10 kilo or 20 kilos, however, bigger, you know, bag of grain you have to weigh. But now you have, you know, if you're using it for entertainment purposes, now you're or for exercise, now you have different weights, you know, being slung in different directions with one hand with two hands. So again, that just gives you a capacity for work in being able to move different directions, different speeds, different loads. And that's one of the things that I really appreciate about the caliburn with what we found, especially how it's migrated from the practical use on the farm to now like you said, entertainment and then competition.
Wendy Batts:
Yeah, well, that brings us you know, to thinking about this, too, when you're talking about competition, it was 1948 that the you know, basically that the kettlebells became more of a sport. And so when you're thinking about that, of course, we have to talk about who actually brought it over to the Western world. And so, you know, there we have puzzle, and hopefully I don't screw this one up, but just Dessaline, right? That's not saline, that saline, saline. You can tell them, so not Russian, country apart Greek. So yeah, we're going to go with that. And so, you know, when you're thinking about him to you know, he is the one that, you know, is credited with popular or making kettlebells popular, and, you know, coming, you know, from the Soviet, you know, special, especially the Soviet Union working with special forces, and then migrating this stuff over a, you know, to us, I think it's, it's fascinating to see that, you know, when he brought it over to the United States, it was developed more for kettlebell lifting. I mean, it truly was all about being competitive in sports. And so, you know, that's when you think about the CrossFit Games, and you start thinking about, you know, the difference, sports, and then even the competitive lifting that you're seeing now in your gyms, and it's not just males, it's males, it's females, my little guy, we have kettlebells that, you know, in my gym at home, and, you know, he loves lifting the kettlebells because he thinks he's a strong man. And so, you know, I think it's very cute. Because, you know, kettlebells truly are different. And that's one thing, and I know, we're going to get into this and can, I don't mean to kind of take over here, but when you're thinking about, you know, kettlebells they are different than dumbbells. And people are like, oh, they're just another way that you can use it's just, you know, instead of it being you know, you know, one pound or whatever you're, you know, now talking about, you know, everything is, is in kilograms. And so it's not that it's just you know, you think about a dumbbell, you've got the, the center you when you pick up a dumbbell, it's equal sides on each side, and you're just picking up the bar in the middle and you're holding it so it's basically even weight. But you know, when you're thinking about a kettlebell, it truly does have a different center of mass. And so if you're picking it up with your hand and you know, you can do single arm stuff you can do two hands on on the, you know, utilizing the kettlebell depends on what you're doing and the exercise you're trying to achieve. But there are so many benefits of using kettlebells. To because it's not just about how much can you lift, it's not about just getting stronger, you're really building explosive or explosive power, strength, cardiovascular, you know, like you're getting cardiovascular gains, because there's so many different variations to it. And I like to me, I love that because I was like, You know what, I've never really used it as a cardio thing. But now after doing all the research, I think I'm going to start implementing, improving it over time, but because like I said, I'm like, that is fantastic stuff I haven't been doing at home, but you know what, I'm going to be at a whole new person, by the end of this, by the end of this month, I'm going to try it out.
Ken Miller:
I may blow out my back, because I do some stupid, yeah, you know, that, that really, you know, makes me think about you know, this is, you know, as it is, if you know, and I got on social media looked on YouTube, and I was watching these these competitions in play. And these guys are no joke, I mean, just for one that the amount of weight that they're lifting, but then to do it, and like you're saying, from a conditioning standpoint, these guys are just machines. So when I, you know, when I'm watching, I'm like, man, I like what you're saying, it's like, I just don't want to hurt my back doing these things. And, you know, what it really brought to mind, you know, is as much as you and I are involved with exercise in our history with exercise, this is a I mean, this is a very much technique oriented activity, if you're using it, you know, from more of a swing and momentum generating standpoint. So, here we are talking about kettlebells here on random fit show, don't ring them, just swing them with me, Ken Miller and Wendy bats and, and with with all that, I just think, you know, who do I know, that can sit down actually come to my facility and train me on how to use kettlebells properly. So for those of you guys that are listening, and you know me, and you're actually in the Bay Area, reach out, you know, I would love to, to get more, you know, guide because, you know, there's nothing beats a second set of eyes watching you do, you know, you and I, we work with people, and we watch other people do it. But getting this instruction before, you know, getting into understanding, I mean, just with the kettlebell swing, there are different ways just to swing the kettlebell because you're gonna get, you're gonna elicit different responses. As far as you know, you're doing more of a squat or a hip hinge variation of a kettlebell swing, right, there's different emphasis. And plus, if your shoulders aren't in the right place, if you don't have the right posture, you're going to lose, you know, a lot of the, a lot of the benefit towards, you know, learning stability during, during these different, different different movement patterns. So, now, if you're gonna translate that into a, a kettlebell clean or a kettlebell snatch, you know, that kettlebell being a little bit too far can make the difference whether or not you actually complete the movement, but more importantly, can make a difference of whether or not you're doing it safe. Right? Whether it's for your back or your shoulder. So, again, as as I watch, you know, I really, it really became more aware of how ignorant I am, as far as I mean, just physically ignorant is the way I like to say is, you know, because, you know, you there's no conscious and unconscious incompetence, you don't know how bad you are. And then and then you have conscious incompetence that now you now you know, how bad you are, right? So when I'm when I'm thinking about doing these things, you know, trying to branch out and kind of extend myself beyond how I already use kettlebells. Now to get into the more of the swing vantage point, you know, to admit my, my blind spot when it comes to my training, you know, one of the things I don't do is I, I do, you know, some just general you know, beginner novice level kilo kettlebell swing instruction, but that's about it to get into the competition in the heavier ballistics side of things. That's where I know I need a little bit of help. And, and I share this because for those of you now, you know, now motivated to learn about kettlebells and how to use it, get some instruction, just like we say with exercise and in getting yourself in better shape, because there is such, there are nuances when it comes to performing the kettlebell swings or kettlebell technique, various kettlebell techniques, you know, get some instruction to have somebody watch whose hand somebody who's skilled certified and experienced in that to guide you through because as I as I was reading through this, it was just a matter of, oh my gosh, there's a lot to this that, you know, and me being how old I am. I don't want to get hurt. I can't afford it.
Ken Miller:
I may blow out my back, because I do some stupid, yeah, you know, that, that really, you know, makes me think about you know, this is, you know, as it is, if you know, and I got on social media looked on YouTube, and I was watching these these competitions in play. And these guys are no joke, I mean, just for one that the amount of weight that they're lifting, but then to do it, and like you're saying, from a conditioning standpoint, these guys are just machines. So when I, you know, when I'm watching, I'm like, man, I like what you're saying, it's like, I just don't want to hurt my back doing these things. And, you know, what it really brought to mind, you know, is as much as you and I are involved with exercise in our history with exercise, this is a I mean, this is a very much technique oriented activity, if you're using it, you know, from more of a swing and momentum generating standpoint. So, here we are talking about kettlebells here on random fit show, don't ring them, just swing them with me, Ken Miller and Wendy bats and, and with with all that, I just think, you know, who do I know, that can sit down actually come to my facility and train me on how to use kettlebells properly. So for those of you guys that are listening, and you know me, and you're actually in the Bay Area, reach out, you know, I would love to, to get more, you know, guide because, you know, there's nothing beats a second set of eyes watching you do, you know, you and I, we work with people, and we watch other people do it. But getting this instruction before, you know, getting into understanding, I mean, just with the kettlebell swing, there are different ways just to swing the kettlebell because you're gonna get, you're gonna elicit different responses. As far as you know, you're doing more of a squat or a hip hinge variation of a kettlebell swing, right, there's different emphasis. And plus, if your shoulders aren't in the right place, if you don't have the right posture, you're going to lose, you know, a lot of the, a lot of the benefit towards, you know, learning stability during, during these different, different different movement patterns. So, now, if you're gonna translate that into a, a kettlebell clean or a kettlebell snatch, you know, that kettlebell being a little bit too far can make the difference whether or not you actually complete the movement, but more importantly, can make a difference of whether or not you're doing it safe. Right? Whether it's for your back or your shoulder. So, again, as as I watch, you know, I really, it really became more aware of how ignorant I am, as far as I mean, just physically ignorant is the way I like to say is, you know, because, you know, you there's no conscious and unconscious incompetence, you don't know how bad you are. And then and then you have conscious incompetence that now you now you know, how bad you are, right? So when I'm when I'm thinking about doing these things, you know, trying to branch out and kind of extend myself beyond how I already use kettlebells. Now to get into the more of the swing vantage point, you know, to admit my, my blind spot when it comes to my training, you know, one of the things I don't do is I, I do, you know, some just general you know, beginner novice level kilo kettlebell swing instruction, but that's about it to get into the competition in the heavier ballistics side of things. That's where I know I need a little bit of help. And, and I share this because for those of you now, you know, now motivated to learn about kettlebells and how to use it, get some instruction, just like we say with exercise and in getting yourself in better shape, because there is such, there are nuances when it comes to performing the kettlebell swings or kettlebell technique, various kettlebell techniques, you know, get some instruction to have somebody watch whose hand somebody who's skilled certified and experienced in that to guide you through because as I as I was reading through this, it was just a matter of, oh my gosh, there's a lot to this that, you know, and me being how old I am. I don't want to get hurt. I can't afford it.
Wendy Batts:
Yeah, well, you know, and just for an example, and this is I think kind of where you're going with that is if you're thinking about doing a kettlebell swing, which is what we're talking about, which is basically where you're taking about the kettlebell, you're holding on to the top of the handle, and you, you go into like a kind of a squat position, the kettlebell goes in between your legs, and then you bring it up with your arm straight. You know, when you're thinking about that, sometimes people associate that to be really focusing a lot on the legs. And it shouldn't be, because what you're really looking to do is you're doing power production, and that should really be utilizing the glutes, and the hips. And so the kettlebell positioning can really, really make a difference and can blow out your back if you're not careful. So for example, your hand should be right up against your inner thigh. And so when you're going through, if your hands are like lower more towards your knee, then it will put more stress on your lower back and cause you to get into more of spinal flexion, which is not as ideal. Now, again, if we start talking about the lifting styles, there's five contemporary lifting styles that we're actually going to discuss. And that is going to be where some variations come from, because it depends on are you doing this for strength, power, endurance, and proper alignment and form? Or are you doing it for a sport, because it will truly make a difference. Because when we're talking about what I mean by that, let's say for example, with number one is something that they call a hardstyle. And this is something that you're going to see more in powerlifting. And what I found very interesting, is it came about because of the military, and it's the very snappy movements. So it's like the, you know, like in cheerleaders, they're like gay, and their hands go up, and they snap it, and they hold it, you know. And so you know, those really hard jerky movements where it's, you know, you're trying to hit a certain place, that is hard. And so that is something to that, when you're thinking about it, it has nothing to do with relaxation, it has nothing to do with really tension, it's more of just getting it up in its power, and you stop. That's one way of doing it. However, when you're getting into what they've in can, I'm sorry to steal this right now. But you've got your, your voice sports, that's more of your fluid moments or emotions. And so that is an actual sport. And so for example, you've got to be able to do like a clean and you know, clean and jerk or certain type of movement for 10 minutes, 10 minutes. And so they don't care about anything other than Can you do that for 10 minutes. And as soon as you stop, you fail your attempt. And so that's one thing that you want to think about that fluid motion. And so when you're learning that, which is a sports totally different, then they will teach you how to go into certain rotations, how to go into different movement patterns. And for the sake of doing that completion of 10 minutes has nothing to do with anything other than utilizing the path of least resistance in order to execute that for that duration of time. And so for me, as a trainer, watching some of that and seeing the flexion, the rotation, I'm like, Oh my goodness, this is for sport. Same thing with powerlifting. We don't necessarily agree with it. But when they come into the gym, or they're working with me, it's my job then to really focus on correctives. And and going against that.
Ken Miller:
Right. So yeah, there's a lot of cross. And this is where we can start to look at, I mean, I'll let you continue on with those different styles. But when we look at, you know, especially our form and strategy, and getting somebody in better shape and condition, you know, once we understand, you know what the technique is, and this is where, you know, I worked with Olympic lifters, not in teaching the Olympic lifts. But sometimes there's some deficits when it comes to range of motion stability to perform certain lifts. So you know, that if you have to do a power clean, you know, you need a certain amount of ankle, ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion little some core stability. And the same thing here with, with what you're talking about, you know, using kettlebells as a, you know, if we're looking at it as a sport, then we have to make sure that you have the requisite, you know, range of motion, flexibility, stability, strength to perform those exercises properly. So again, you mentioned again, staying away from, you know, the the possibility of injury, the best you can, you know, those hands being a little bit away and performing the swing, we have to make sure one do you have hip control, you have hip stability, every hip range of motion to perform those those movements properly, especially now if we're looking at how you're going to use the kettlebell in those different ways that you mentioned.
Wendy Batts:
So those of you guys that are just joining us, I'm here with Ken Miller. I'm Wendy Batts, and we're talking about kettlebells. Don't just remember you need to swing. And so we're literally talking about the different lifting styles and so so far I've covered obviously the hard style and then the gear avoid sports, which is more of the fluid or the more based on strength endurance, because of the time. And again, that's more of a specific sport. But then you also have to look at the the CrossFit kettlebell. And when you're talking about that, that's really implementing more of the the cross, you know, fit style of training, and basically, you know, their curricula, their studies. And so there are gonna be some significant significant modifications. But then some of those swings, for example, doing an American swing versus a conventional swing or, you know, placing, you know, the kettlebell down in between snatches, that's totally different than what we were talking about with different sports. And so, you know, that is another lifting style, if you will. And so depending on, you know, what way you want to train, you really want to think about the style of lifting. So that would be the third one, the fourth one, and I don't know, Ken, if you've seen any videos, but he showed some amazing military videos, of kettlebell juggling. And God, if you have never seen it, it is. I mean, it's like watching Cirque with kettlebells. I mean, it is amazing. Because you can do is what I'm talking about is kettlebell juggling, and you take a kettlebell and you're flipping around, and you're flinging at different, you know, different places, and you're catching it going into different, you know, presses and different swings, it's fascinating to watch. And you have to be in an exceptional shape in order to catch the kettlebell the correct way. And then to make sure that you are dialed in on every every position that you're trying to hit. So therefore, you're reducing chances of injury. But I saw it done in a competition with military guys. And I think there was, I think, five or six of them, and they were tossing kettlebells, back and forth to each other in different positioning walking around. I mean, it was fascinating. And I was just an all because of the athleticism that you would need in order to do that. And that brings us back into the history that we talked about, because they were doing that on the farm, throwing it back and forth to each other and lifting. So when we're talking about lifting and juggling that was brought into the 1800s. But now they're bringing it into more of a sport fashion. You know, when they're flipping things around, you're usually gonna see more in the sagittal plane, so front and back. But when they started doing more frontal and rotational stuff I might do that's just No, yeah, I'm going to lose a foot. If I tried anything like I would, I would lose my there's no way if I've got a huge kettlebell coming towards my face. And it's moving around that I'm going to successfully catch that I can barely catch a medicine ball. That's when I get tired away. So yeah, you professionals only. Yeah.
Ken Miller:
There needs to be the building label. I think I think yeah, I think watch. Yeah, exactly. Do not attempt this at home. But I think that's what kind of scared me. I mean, you when you look at all the possibility, I mean, like you mentioned, you know, giveaway, CrossFit killed in the juggling. I think juggling was the one that's like, I think I took more personal, like, if I tried that, I would lose a limb or someone we would be maimed in some way, shape or form. Because I mean, and that, again, just, again, I like to think about, okay, for somebody to get at that level. Where do you start? Right? You know, are you starting like, okay, hey, just stand a foot in front of me. And let's go ahead and toss it like, like an egg toss, you know, you like, toss it to you, you toss it to me, and then we step take one step farther back. And then we keep going until we're like, you know, 20 yards apart, right? But I can't imagine like, where do you start with this thing? Like, okay, here, let's, let's start off with a two kilo. Let's start off with a four kilo. Alright, you know, he did well, with that, let's go six kilos, and let's go 10 kilos. And I like it, let's, let's spend a couple more times in that. But I look at it, like think about soccer players, you know how, like, when they get bored, they start kicking the ball and doing all these fancy tricks with themselves. Like maybe that's just it, these people are so dialed in kettlebells are like, I got to do something to spice it up. But you know, how they can bounce it on their club forever? And then hit it? I mean, maybe that's they sat in there at home and decided like, I want to know if I could do that. Or do you start with like the foam like foaming ones just so you know, you don't break your you know, your forearm when it hits you in the back? Or? I mean, I don't I don't know. So, you know, but the fifth one, just to just to kind of like close this part of it out is the typical kettlebell training that we would normally see in the gym. And it's really kind of a different types of combination of all but we're really focusing more on your mobility and your flexibility and your cardiovascular endurance, of course, your strength and your power. And so, you know, and it's, it's very, you're doing it more for repetitions, you're doing it more based on form, and you're there's a specific outcome that's not necessarily timing, you know, time generated or, you know, can you hit a certain, you know, a certain route press, you know, like in a set in a snappy way or, you know.
Wendy Batts:
Again, you're not doing CrossFit. So I think that's the one that we see most of the time. And, and like I said, you have to have very, very good core strength, you have to be able to, you know, make sure that you've got, you know, hollow abs, or you can dry and you've got really good glute activation, especially when you're doing things overhead, because that is really what's going to make you successful. And there was a study that I saw an article that was, you know, involved Stuart McGill, and he's a huge researcher, you know, in the differences between drawing in and hollowing and, you know, basically low back safety. And he always said that there's no significant gain, obviously, if you've got lumbar flexion, when you're doing kettlebell work. And so that's why I said, It's different when you're thinking about sport relation. And we know, not just, you know, McGill, but any research, you're always going to want to protect your spine and making sure that your, you know, your core is dialed in, and those little muscles, that protective spine, they really need to be in a good position before you start doing some of these heavy swings, you know, and that's why, as you mentioned, hiring someone to show you how to do a proper swing, I probably, you know, the hinges are huge, if you can't do a good hip hinge, then you know, it doesn't matter if you're using a barbell, if you're using a kettlebell or something, you are going to have issues with your lower back. And so just making sure that you're very dialed and comfortable before you put a kettlebell in your hand and start swinging it, you know, at a faster pace is going to be extremely, extremely important. Yeah, and, you know, 100%, on all of that, especially, yeah.
Ken Miller:
You're right on, every once in a while, more often than you think, Wendy, so when it when it does come to that, you know, in an instant when we go, I mean, he's got more than a few books out there, but, you know, the, the idea of making sure that, you know, you're able to control, especially with the hip hinge, and that's where all of us, you know, kettlebells now within within my training sessions, kind of more like maybe a, that hip hinge pattern or teaching fundamental movements, like say, a, a beginner position for a deadlift, right, or there's even, you know, this the straight leg deadlift, so just teaching those positions using a lighter kettlebell, of course, but then that, you know, because the, the, the way they have the handles are fashioned, I like using the kettlebell actually for those type of motions. Because now if I can teach you to keep your shoulders in a good what they call pack position, holding the kettlebells and then hinges from that position or even from a deadlift position, I'll use the kettlebells quite a bit from that vantage point but also Turkish get ups you know, I'll use a kettlebell from that vantage point, just because I love to get it because it has so many very variations in body position and with holding that arm and you should do a podcast on them Turkish get ups, but from that position, you there's a lot of dynamic stability that's required and for you to talk about, you know, having good core awareness, there's definitely recruitment of the hips especially when you get into that bridge position and then transition from you know, your forearm up to that kneeling position and then from the kneeling into the stand using a kettlebell with that offset weight that we talked about just based on how it's built out. You know, there's a lot that the kettlebell you know, on top of conditioning, the strength and the power that you mentioned, that it offers from a stable loop stabilization and body awareness template just because of the offsetting weight. So that's where you know, that's where I'm comfortable you especially with compound movement, like a turf to get up but all for the purpose of teaching somebody Okay, here's how we can move our hips here's how we should move our hips when it comes to you know, you know the hip pinching and then from ground to stand which we you know, we both know that's where you know we're teaching total body movement patterns from from that vantage point and and the kettlebell is a great modality. You kid somebody about their body and how how they can maneuver around to stand in the back to the ground again.
Wendy Batts:
Well and I mean there's a lot of positive you know information out there to talking about you know, as you get a stronger grip, the benefits that you can have overall like throughout your core and throughout your body and so I think you know, having the different positions it with the grip itself and you know, the the standard hold is basically where you have you know, have it in the palm of your hand and the actual kettlebell is basically resting up against reform, that's the standard way but like you said, doing bottom ups, which means you know, you're holding it and the kettlebells upside down. Um, you know, I do that a lot. I do. You know, like you said, it's easier to do carries and there's so many different exercises and everything but, you know, when you're thinking about grips.
Ken Miller:
I mean, if you guys ever watched, you know, American Ninja Warrior, I mean, you know, they're like, look at their grips, and you know how strong their fingers and stuff are. I mean, maybe they just do kettlebell workouts you just never know. But, but it's important, you know, not just talking about lower back. But you also want to think about the positioning of how to hold the kettlebell. Because if you don't hold it correctly, and you have too much in the palm of your hand, if you're not careful, you'll get a lot of blisters. And then you end up with some significant issues there, which will put you out of working out just in general, and so your hands heal. So just making sure that you feel comfortable with how hard do you hold it? How heavy is it more in your fingertips? Is it more resting in your hand? And, you know, is it moving too much, I think all of that just on the safety standpoint, you know, just have a good basis support, play around with it, hire a trainer, to show you how to do it correctly, if you don't know, but have fun with them, bring them into your workout, enjoy it. I mean, that's, that's it, those are my key takeaways. And just realize that, you know, you can now go out in the world and tell everyone about the history of kettlebells because you heard you know, I'll just kind of right on that Kotel. It's just get so much. I mean, it's, you know, it's just like anything, there's technique to it, I mean, and it can be used, you know, just like Olympic lifting can be used as a modality and it can be a sport so just like any sport, you need a good coach. Right. And from a safety standpoint, and from an efficiency standpoint, get some instruction and you know, don't come to me for kettlebell work. I mean, I'll use it what how I use it carries bottoms up, you know, goblet squats, things like that. But, you know, if you want to get to a higher level, don't come to me.
Wendy Batts:
Alright, so this was this was great. This was fun.
Wendy Batts:
So those of you guys that are just joining us, I'm here with Ken Miller. I'm Wendy Batts, and we're talking about kettlebells. Don't just remember you need to swing. And so we're literally talking about the different lifting styles and so so far I've covered obviously the hard style and then the gear avoid sports, which is more of the fluid or the more based on strength endurance, because of the time. And again, that's more of a specific sport. But then you also have to look at the the CrossFit kettlebell. And when you're talking about that, that's really implementing more of the the cross, you know, fit style of training, and basically, you know, their curricula, their studies. And so there are gonna be some significant significant modifications. But then some of those swings, for example, doing an American swing versus a conventional swing or, you know, placing, you know, the kettlebell down in between snatches, that's totally different than what we were talking about with different sports. And so, you know, that is another lifting style, if you will. And so depending on, you know, what way you want to train, you really want to think about the style of lifting. So that would be the third one, the fourth one, and I don't know, Ken, if you've seen any videos, but he showed some amazing military videos, of kettlebell juggling. And God, if you have never seen it, it is. I mean, it's like watching Cirque with kettlebells. I mean, it is amazing. Because you can do is what I'm talking about is kettlebell juggling, and you take a kettlebell and you're flipping around, and you're flinging at different, you know, different places, and you're catching it going into different, you know, presses and different swings, it's fascinating to watch. And you have to be in an exceptional shape in order to catch the kettlebell the correct way. And then to make sure that you are dialed in on every every position that you're trying to hit. So therefore, you're reducing chances of injury. But I saw it done in a competition with military guys. And I think there was, I think, five or six of them, and they were tossing kettlebells, back and forth to each other in different positioning walking around. I mean, it was fascinating. And I was just an all because of the athleticism that you would need in order to do that. And that brings us back into the history that we talked about, because they were doing that on the farm, throwing it back and forth to each other and lifting. So when we're talking about lifting and juggling that was brought into the 1800s. But now they're bringing it into more of a sport fashion. You know, when they're flipping things around, you're usually gonna see more in the sagittal plane, so front and back. But when they started doing more frontal and rotational stuff I might do that's just No, yeah, I'm going to lose a foot. If I tried anything like I would, I would lose my there's no way if I've got a huge kettlebell coming towards my face. And it's moving around that I'm going to successfully catch that I can barely catch a medicine ball. That's when I get tired away. So yeah, you professionals only. Yeah.
Ken Miller:
There needs to be the building label. I think I think yeah, I think watch. Yeah, exactly. Do not attempt this at home. But I think that's what kind of scared me. I mean, you when you look at all the possibility, I mean, like you mentioned, you know, giveaway, CrossFit killed in the juggling. I think juggling was the one that's like, I think I took more personal, like, if I tried that, I would lose a limb or someone we would be maimed in some way, shape or form. Because I mean, and that, again, just, again, I like to think about, okay, for somebody to get at that level. Where do you start? Right? You know, are you starting like, okay, hey, just stand a foot in front of me. And let's go ahead and toss it like, like an egg toss, you know, you like, toss it to you, you toss it to me, and then we step take one step farther back. And then we keep going until we're like, you know, 20 yards apart, right? But I can't imagine like, where do you start with this thing? Like, okay, here, let's, let's start off with a two kilo. Let's start off with a four kilo. Alright, you know, he did well, with that, let's go six kilos, and let's go 10 kilos. And I like it, let's, let's spend a couple more times in that. But I look at it, like think about soccer players, you know how, like, when they get bored, they start kicking the ball and doing all these fancy tricks with themselves. Like maybe that's just it, these people are so dialed in kettlebells are like, I got to do something to spice it up. But you know, how they can bounce it on their club forever? And then hit it? I mean, maybe that's they sat in there at home and decided like, I want to know if I could do that. Or do you start with like the foam like foaming ones just so you know, you don't break your you know, your forearm when it hits you in the back? Or? I mean, I don't I don't know. So, you know, but the fifth one, just to just to kind of like close this part of it out is the typical kettlebell training that we would normally see in the gym. And it's really kind of a different types of combination of all but we're really focusing more on your mobility and your flexibility and your cardiovascular endurance, of course, your strength and your power. And so, you know, and it's, it's very, you're doing it more for repetitions, you're doing it more based on form, and you're there's a specific outcome that's not necessarily timing, you know, time generated or, you know, can you hit a certain, you know, a certain route press, you know, like in a set in a snappy way or, you know.
Wendy Batts:
Again, you're not doing CrossFit. So I think that's the one that we see most of the time. And, and like I said, you have to have very, very good core strength, you have to be able to, you know, make sure that you've got, you know, hollow abs, or you can dry and you've got really good glute activation, especially when you're doing things overhead, because that is really what's going to make you successful. And there was a study that I saw an article that was, you know, involved Stuart McGill, and he's a huge researcher, you know, in the differences between drawing in and hollowing and, you know, basically low back safety. And he always said that there's no significant gain, obviously, if you've got lumbar flexion, when you're doing kettlebell work. And so that's why I said, It's different when you're thinking about sport relation. And we know, not just, you know, McGill, but any research, you're always going to want to protect your spine and making sure that your, you know, your core is dialed in, and those little muscles, that protective spine, they really need to be in a good position before you start doing some of these heavy swings, you know, and that's why, as you mentioned, hiring someone to show you how to do a proper swing, I probably, you know, the hinges are huge, if you can't do a good hip hinge, then you know, it doesn't matter if you're using a barbell, if you're using a kettlebell or something, you are going to have issues with your lower back. And so just making sure that you're very dialed and comfortable before you put a kettlebell in your hand and start swinging it, you know, at a faster pace is going to be extremely, extremely important. Yeah, and, you know, 100%, on all of that, especially, yeah.
Ken Miller:
You're right on, every once in a while, more often than you think, Wendy, so when it when it does come to that, you know, in an instant when we go, I mean, he's got more than a few books out there, but, you know, the, the idea of making sure that, you know, you're able to control, especially with the hip hinge, and that's where all of us, you know, kettlebells now within within my training sessions, kind of more like maybe a, that hip hinge pattern or teaching fundamental movements, like say, a, a beginner position for a deadlift, right, or there's even, you know, this the straight leg deadlift, so just teaching those positions using a lighter kettlebell, of course, but then that, you know, because the, the, the way they have the handles are fashioned, I like using the kettlebell actually for those type of motions. Because now if I can teach you to keep your shoulders in a good what they call pack position, holding the kettlebells and then hinges from that position or even from a deadlift position, I'll use the kettlebells quite a bit from that vantage point but also Turkish get ups you know, I'll use a kettlebell from that vantage point, just because I love to get it because it has so many very variations in body position and with holding that arm and you should do a podcast on them Turkish get ups, but from that position, you there's a lot of dynamic stability that's required and for you to talk about, you know, having good core awareness, there's definitely recruitment of the hips especially when you get into that bridge position and then transition from you know, your forearm up to that kneeling position and then from the kneeling into the stand using a kettlebell with that offset weight that we talked about just based on how it's built out. You know, there's a lot that the kettlebell you know, on top of conditioning, the strength and the power that you mentioned, that it offers from a stable loop stabilization and body awareness template just because of the offsetting weight. So that's where you know, that's where I'm comfortable you especially with compound movement, like a turf to get up but all for the purpose of teaching somebody Okay, here's how we can move our hips here's how we should move our hips when it comes to you know, you know the hip pinching and then from ground to stand which we you know, we both know that's where you know we're teaching total body movement patterns from from that vantage point and and the kettlebell is a great modality. You kid somebody about their body and how how they can maneuver around to stand in the back to the ground again.
Wendy Batts:
Well and I mean there's a lot of positive you know information out there to talking about you know, as you get a stronger grip, the benefits that you can have overall like throughout your core and throughout your body and so I think you know, having the different positions it with the grip itself and you know, the the standard hold is basically where you have you know, have it in the palm of your hand and the actual kettlebell is basically resting up against reform, that's the standard way but like you said, doing bottom ups, which means you know, you're holding it and the kettlebells upside down. Um, you know, I do that a lot. I do. You know, like you said, it's easier to do carries and there's so many different exercises and everything but, you know, when you're thinking about grips.
Ken Miller:
I mean, if you guys ever watched, you know, American Ninja Warrior, I mean, you know, they're like, look at their grips, and you know how strong their fingers and stuff are. I mean, maybe they just do kettlebell workouts you just never know. But, but it's important, you know, not just talking about lower back. But you also want to think about the positioning of how to hold the kettlebell. Because if you don't hold it correctly, and you have too much in the palm of your hand, if you're not careful, you'll get a lot of blisters. And then you end up with some significant issues there, which will put you out of working out just in general, and so your hands heal. So just making sure that you feel comfortable with how hard do you hold it? How heavy is it more in your fingertips? Is it more resting in your hand? And, you know, is it moving too much, I think all of that just on the safety standpoint, you know, just have a good basis support, play around with it, hire a trainer, to show you how to do it correctly, if you don't know, but have fun with them, bring them into your workout, enjoy it. I mean, that's, that's it, those are my key takeaways. And just realize that, you know, you can now go out in the world and tell everyone about the history of kettlebells because you heard you know, I'll just kind of right on that Kotel. It's just get so much. I mean, it's, you know, it's just like anything, there's technique to it, I mean, and it can be used, you know, just like Olympic lifting can be used as a modality and it can be a sport so just like any sport, you need a good coach. Right. And from a safety standpoint, and from an efficiency standpoint, get some instruction and you know, don't come to me for kettlebell work. I mean, I'll use it what how I use it carries bottoms up, you know, goblet squats, things like that. But, you know, if you want to get to a higher level, don't come to me.
Wendy Batts:
Alright, so this was this was great. This was fun.
Ken Miller:
I yeah, I mean, research and talking to you, of course. But for those of you listening to us here on Random Fit, thank you for listening to us on this episode regarding the kettlebells. Which was really fun to figure out where it actually came from. But anyway, thank you.
Wendy Batts:
So I might have to do some more research on it.
Wendy Batts:
So I might have to do some more research on it.
Ken Miller:
Like, follow subscribe, download, comment. Let us know if there's anything else that we can give to you information wise on random fit. So thank you again. Until next time, take care and be well.
