Kettlebell Kettlebell training for hard labour jobs

[Jamesjones]

Hi all

If kettlebell training is used by military and law enforcement to increase fitness and strength could the same not be done for hard manual jobs such as coal mining construction forestry type work. Has anyone ever implemented training for their employees?

 

[jozko]

I work on construction this summer, so I can share some experience. S&S is exactly the answer to your question.
However, I choose pushups, unilateral leg work and snatches. I do a lot of loaded carries through the day, that's why not swing + getup.
Other reason for unilateral leg work is that it can fix imbalances, and if you perform hard manual labor, you are prone to it.
I do snatches 1-2 times a week. I choose snatch because it gives you more with less weight than swing and I lift fairly heavy in contruction job.

Then there is entirely different chapter of restorative and mobility work. Add dead hangs/pullups, back bridges, single leg RDLs and kettlebell halos.

 

[watchnerd]

When I worked in logging, the job itself was so physically demanding the idea of doing additional training outside of work, for the purpose of getting fit for work, would have been laughed at.

There was no energy left -- just eat, drink, go to sleep, do it again the next day.

 

[psmith]

Hi all

If kettlebell training is used by military and law enforcement to increase fitness and strength

If

When I worked in logging, the job itself was so physically demanding the idea of doing additional training outside of work, for the purpose of getting fit for work, would have been laughed at.

There was no energy left -- just eat, drink, go to sleep, do it again the next day.

Yeah but when housing starts dip and you get laid off you can _really_ focus on your training.

 

[jayjo]

The kind of wear and tear your body goes through in a manual labor job vs. exercise is different because with exercise you can control the movement. I work in a warehouse and typically do manual labor once per week, lifting buckets of screws and wrapping pallets. I try to do 3 kettlebell workouts per week along with the day of labor. I used to work at a train yard driving Nissan's off railcars. The crew would do 10-pushups after parking each car.

 

[5x5]

When I worked in logging, the job itself was so physically demanding the idea of doing additional training outside of work, for the purpose of getting fit for work, would have been laughed at.

There was no energy left -- just eat, drink, go to sleep, do it again the next day.

I found the same thing. I used to log full time, mostly running a chainsaw. At the end of the day there wasn’t much energy left to do anything I didn’t actually have to do. After a day of killing trees, if you have energy left for “synthetic exercise “, as my father used to call it, means you didn’t work hard enough that day.
Now I just have a part time/occasional forestry business. Kettlebells make sense to stay in shape for it.

 

[Jamesjones]

I know in some of panels books he mentions collective farms using kettlebells to stay in shape for work is there anything I can read up on this in more detail as ever thank you for your responses

 

[Singlecoilquack]

To echo statements above, it depends on the job. Some are so constantly demanding you're probably better off using free time for recovery. The work is the training.

If the work is intermittently physical, such that detraining or lack of physical preparedness is a concern, then yes, training could be beneficial.

 

[silveraw]

You get used to it. I was doing 5/3/1 BBB back when I was in a warehouse 60 hours a week unloading pallets of paint by hand. I got good results. But it took a while to work up to it.
You also have the standard anecdotes. Arnold was doing masonry while bodybuilding, half the guys in Marty Gallagher's books were construction workers, etc. etc.

This thread makes me think of this recent Alan Thrall video on recovery and getting stronger.

 

[Denis L]

If you work a hard labour job use your training to balance the muscles you don’t work on your job so your body is balanced. That will prevent injuries. I’m a mason so i work my upper back, core and forearms a lot. I balance it with squats and presses

 

[ILweare]

If you’re moving all day in a physically demanding way and are too tired or don’t want to do swings or clean and press or something, I think doing overcoming isometrics as needed for your goals sprinkled throughout the week might work ok.

 

[Anna C]

You get used to it. I was doing 5/3/1 BBB back when I was in a warehouse 60 hours a week unloading pallets of paint by hand. I got good results. But it took a while to work up to it.
You also have the standard anecdotes. Arnold was doing masonry while bodybuilding, half the guys in Marty Gallagher's books were construction workers, etc. etc.

This thread makes me think of this recent Alan Thrall video on recovery and getting stronger.

It's easy to tell at a glance if Alan Thrall's videos are recent! (the hair and beard)

The sun exposure analogy is illustrative.

 

[Villix]

I found the same thing. I used to log full time, mostly running a chainsaw. At the end of the day there wasn’t much energy left to do anything I didn’t actually have to do. After a day of killing trees, if you have energy left for “synthetic exercise “, as my father used to call it, means you didn’t work hard enough that day.
Now I just have a part time/occasional forestry business. Kettlebells make sense to stay in shape for it.

HI. I'm interested in what do you do now with kettlebells to stay in shape for work or have you noticed some programming or moves that seem to work better for the work or worse?