4 Tips to Save Your Hands During Kettlebell Training

It is almost amusing for me to look back at my training regimen for the level one RKC certification.  Not only was I performing with less than optimal technique with some of the movement’s causing me to work more; I ended up ripping my hands during my snatch test training which forced me to take a few days off from my scheduled training, putting my snatch test success in jeopardy.

Well I am a little bit older (unfortunately) and have more experience (that’s good) so I will share my four tips to help you not rip your hands so you can keep kettlebell lifting day in and day out.

Don’t Overdo the Chalk

I’m going to throw a few of my gym goers under the bus.  Maybe they have watched LeBron James play too much but sometimes the gym looks like it had gotten a foot of snow in the last hour.  Too much chalk dries out the hands and causes more friction between the kettlebell and the palm.   Only use chalk for the exercises that warrant it.  Ten reps of swings or even long cycle will probably not need chalk at all.  Long snatch sets will most likely require some but only use as much chalk as needed, and usually it’s not much.

Do Some Grooming

Doing some high rep kettlebell work will require some extra hand maintenance on occasion.  You actually want to keep the palm calluses from becoming too tough and raised or else they are great candidate for being ejected during your training.

After a warm shower shave them down and then file with a pumice stone or get the special filing tool like I have.

I occasionally used a tip from Master RKC, Brett Jones, who touts using cornhuskers lotion to “toughen and condition the skin.” I bought both my filing tool and corn huskers lotion at my local Rite Aid.

When All Else Fails; Use Protection

So what happens if your hands start getting raw while training and you can’t afford to take multiple days off of training from tearing your hands.

In an article by Master RKC, Mark Reifkind, he explains how his wife Tracy cut the necks of some athletic socks (2-3 inches) and placed them around the base of the fingers to protect the hands and calluses.

I actually had to use them used them on the last day of the level one RKC weekend (not during the snatch test) and I found that a cut thin sock worked well.

If you take care of your hands you should not need to use the sock sleeve, but just in case, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Focus on the Small Technical Details

There is never an excuse to tweak and refine your technique.  Two tips that I picked up from John Wild Buckley of the Orange Kettlebell Club saved my hands during long kettlebell sets.  First of all you want to grab the kettlebell and have the handle in the fingers above the base of the fingers, this will minimize pinching of the calluses during the swings and other movements.

Another tip during the long cycle and snatches is to learn to cast the kettlebell forward during the appropriate moment of the backswing, approximately when the kettlebell is parallel to the ground.  This casting motion moves the handle from the palm to the fingers bypassing the base of the fingers where the calluses are.  This takes a lot of practice and refinement and it’s suggested to start with a light kettlebell and progress appropriately.  The video below describes these two tips in detail:

 

 

There you have four tips to help save your hands and keep you off the sidelines so you can keep training.

Tags: health

Let’s Go Clubbin’

After all the great mobility movements we learned from Jason Dolby of the Orange Kettlebell Club it was time to further expand our training knowledge and loosen up our shoulders before the kettlebell training .

In this second installment I will go over some of the very basic Indian Club drills Jason Dolby taught us during these two days.

According to Jason “Indian clubs are great for healthy shoulder mobilization before and after training.”  Indian Club movements provide many benefits before and after your kettlebell sessions including:

• Gain new range of motion in the frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes.
• The dynamic traction created by the moving clubs will help create freedom in stubborn connective tissue.
• Help prevent shoulder issues such as: sprains, strains, dislocations, separations, bursitis, arthritis, impingements, and instability.
• Help increase circulation.
• The Indian Clubs will help assist in bettering your postural alignment and structural integrity through mobility of the numerous joints in the upper body and spine.
• Preventative modality; the use the clubs regularly could potentially save medical and physical therapy bills down the line.

Below are many of the Indian club exercises we performed before during the workshop. I have a video below demonstrating the movements.  Jason constantly emphasized two important concepts while performing the movements:

• Let gravity move the clubs through the range of motion, no excessive force
• Let the breath fall with the clubs

It is important to note that I am not and expert at these movements; I have only been practicing a few weeks.  I am working to become better each time I do them; therefore my technique might be off at times.  Some of the movement names might be different because I had a tough time writing and swinging the clubs at the same time.

Again please excuse my ignorance and let’s begin; Indian Clubs:

Folding Arc

Falling Arc (Frontal Plane)

Falling Arc (Sagittal Plane)

Chest Openers

Rotating Guard

Spinning Blade

Comb Overs

Tags: indian clubs, Mobility

Full Body Mobility Series

Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a mobility, Indian clubs and GS kettlebell workshop at Juno Fitness Oakland California put on by all three members of the Orange Kettlebell Club John Wild Buckley, Jason Dolby and Nazo.   These three travel to the far corners of the earth to learn from the greatest teachers and coaches and share their knowledge and experience with other during these workshops.

In this first installment I will go over some of the mobility drills Jason Dolby taught us during these two days.

Mobility drills are great to perform daily for several reasons:

• They get the joints, muscles and nerves primed for the upcoming training sessions, which reduces potential injuries
• Diminish joint and muscles stiffness from the previous training session
• Balance the body between sides, we often have one side that is more mobile and flexible than the other
• Postural re-alignment through balance of opposing muscle groups.  Hyper-mobile/flexible areas are usually opposed by Hypo-mobile/flexible opposing muscle groups.  For example when you sit at a computer all day the muscles in the front of your body (ex. Pectorals) get short causing the muscles of the back of the body (rhomboids) to be over stretched.   Over time this leads to all types of postural problems and gives that hunch-back appearance.

Like with any form of human movement it is important to adhere to a few guidelines in order to perform the drills in a productive manner.  These main principles are.

• Good Posture, Always.  Jason kept telling us to imagine a chain pulling the top of our head upward when we were doing these drills.
• Start from the feet and work towards the head.
• Motion should be fluid; start with and small range of motion and do not force it, it will increase over time.
• Learn to breathe with the moments.  Breathing lowers tension and allows for more fluidity.
• In terms of sets and reps low volume/high frequency might be the way to go.  Do each movement daily for 1 set of 6-10 reps.  I tend to focus on my weaker areas more than the mobile ones.

Below are many of the mobility exercises we performed before we trained during the workshop. I have a video below demonstrating the movements.  It is important to note that I am not an expert at these movements yet and I am working to become better each time I do them; therefore my technique might be off at times.  Also I do not know the technical names for the movements so I apologize for that.

So if we are all past my ignorance and low-level skill set then without further adieu; Mobility Drills:

Feet:

Staggered- Stance Single Foot Roll

Wide Stance Double Foot Roll

Foot FistàDorsi-FlexàFlattenàDown

Flat footàDorsi-FlexàFoot FistàDown

Ankle Figure 8’s (Horizontal Movement)

Pelvis:

Pelvic Tilt – Forward/Back

Pelvic Tilt – Side/Side

Pelvis Figure 8’s (Horizontal Movement)

Hour Glass (Two Directions)

Thoracic Spine:

Chest CavesàShoulder Retraction

Cervical Spine:

Clean Rotation

Lateral Tilt

Protraction/Retraction (“Chicken Head”)

Head Figure 8’s (Try both Horizontal and Vertical Directions)

Tags: joint mobility