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Kettlebell How much of mobility is good enough?

Ege

Level 6 Valued Member
Hi;

I have mobility limitations with my hips, hamstrings, thoracic extension as well as over head shoulder mobility.

Can anyone point me to source or benchmark on mobility requirements to do a relatively injury risk free KB press, TGU, and Swings?

Bakcground:
I don’t have access to barbell. KB swing is my desired move to strengthen postural chain but I keep on delaying starting S&S to improve stability and mobility first.

Well last night, after mid night I was called to help a friend with wheelchair.

I had to help to move a wheelchair in which a young and not small male sits. In the most possible bad position for me to make a lift. Fully flexed back in an ugly way, holding from the front of the wheel chair going up backwards,

You can’t say “no I won’t help cause my back might hurt”, past midnight but you can not say I will help tomorrow afternoon when my body is at its prime, you can’t stop lifting because SF stop signs kicked in after halfway through the stairs.

If I was doing swings, my postural chain would have been more “ready” …. Life does not wait for you to improve your mobility…

How can I decide when it is time to start making a exercise despite of not ideal mobility?

If strength is a skill, why don’t just jump in to water and start slowly? If I was going to learn to play guitar I would not start with finger endurance training.

How do we decide a good enough form is good enough? Other than posting videos and getting feedback?

Best
 
IMO...

KB press, if you can lock out the kettlebell overhead, and doing so does not cause any shoulder issues once or with volume over time, then your mobility is good enough to do it. Doing it with intention and focus may help your mobility as you go. Doing some additional mobility exercises such as arm bar and other t-spine mobility before pressing sessions will likely help greatly.

TGU, if you can do it with a shoe balanced on your hand and locked out elbow, you have adequate mobility.

Swings, what could possibly be lacking there in mobility? Maybe if you can't hinge down to reach the kettlebell on the ground without your back rounding...?

As for friend in wheelchair, I can relate, I was recently called to help a friend similarly. It was a heavy, awkward lift and I ended up straining a hip muscle which took a couple of weeks to fully recover. Nonetheless I do think lifting skills of bracing and leverage helped me be safer than I would have been without these skills. And without the strength I have, I would have been unable to help at all.
 
@Ege
I would recommend an FMS screen and a session or two with a StrongFirst Certified Instructor (ideally the same person for both).

Set a baseline and get some coaching on technique and any needed mobility work—this will save you weeks of trying to figure it out on your own IMO.
 
@Ege
I would recommend an FMS screen and a session or two with a StrongFirst Certified Instructor (ideally the same person for both).

Set a baseline and get some coaching on technique and any needed mobility work—this will save you weeks of trying to figure it out on your own IMO.
Thanks. I have done an initial session but did not follow up honestly. Thanks a very good advice.
 
IMO...

KB press, if you can lock out the kettlebell overhead, and doing so does not cause any shoulder issues once or with volume over time, then your mobility is good enough to do it. Doing it with intention and focus may help your mobility as you go. Doing some additional mobility exercises such as arm bar and other t-spine mobility before pressing sessions will likely help greatly.

TGU, if you can do it with a shoe balanced on your hand and locked out elbow, you have adequate mobility.

Swings, what could possibly be lacking there in mobility? Maybe if you can't hinge down to reach the kettlebell on the ground without your back rounding...?

As for friend in wheelchair, I can relate, I was recently called to help a friend similarly. It was a heavy, awkward lift and I ended up straining a hip muscle which took a couple of weeks to fully recover. Nonetheless I do think lifting skills of bracing and leverage helped me be safer than I would have been without these skills. And without the strength I have, I would have been unable to help at all.
Hi Anna;

I really appreciate the answer, I think there is a balance in between being a chicken versus doing crazy stuff, I might have been walking in the land of chickening out for a longer time than ideal.

Thanks!
 
@Ege - can film you doing a kettlebell deadlift and post here? I am far less experienced than the two excellent coaches who posted above, but when I see someone who has the mobility to do a kettlebell deadlift from the floor in "good form," they have the mobility to do a swing.
 
I think you can start doing swings even if you don't have the perfect hip mobility. The way I worked around it is to deadlift (with imperfect form) the kettlebell first and start swinging from there (I actually saw a video of SF instructor doing this). It was not ideal, but it allowed me to train and I reckon it would take me far longer to improve my mobility without it.
 
I think you can start doing swings even if you don't have the perfect hip mobility. The way I worked around it is to deadlift (with imperfect form) the kettlebell first and start swinging from there (I actually saw a video of SF instructor doing this). It was not ideal, but it allowed me to train and I reckon it would take me far longer to improve my mobility without it.
So Swing naturally helped with your Swing mobility right? I mean that is so natural for any exercise indeed.
 
Yes, I became stronger in the range of motion I had initially, which transferred to a larger range of motion and so on. I've of course used specific mobility training later on (Relax into Stretch and Steve Freides ROM progression method), but it certainly worked better than it would without the swings.
 
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It's all relative to goals and lifestyle.

The mobility that @Anna C and I have to have for our sport isn't strictly necessary for general health and wellness.

Similarly, while I wish I could do a full pancake, my inability to do so doesn't impact my life.
 
@Ege - can film you doing a kettlebell deadlift and post here? I am far less experienced than the two excellent coaches who posted above, but when I see someone who has the mobility to do a kettlebell deadlift from the floor in "good form," they have the mobility to do a swing.
I will film my self soon.. thanks a lot.
 
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