Kettlebell other stuff : i.e. rotator cuffs, abs, mobility, flexibility

[BillSteamshovel]

When I browse other exercise forums I see that people do separate sessions for things like shoulder stability (ie broomstick over and back), core strength (planks & leg raises & other stuff) and overall mobility & flexibility.

I get the impression that lots of kettlebell folk don't do any specific exercises for rotator cuffs and abs because the various kettlebell exercises are adequate for this ie orbits and haloes for shoulders and anything that holds a kettlebell above my head will help with both abs and shoulders ie presses TGUs overhead carries sots press.

Is that impression correct ? Does anyone do "extras" for areas where our kettlebell routines might only have limited benefit ? ie broomstick or rubber band over and back, planks, leg raises, crawling, banded sidewalking & side leg raises for adductors are all things I have seen recommended as being of benefit in preventing underdevelopment in essential muscle groups that are not targeted by Program XYZ with non-kettlebell equipment.

Off to do some forum searching to see if I have missed anything.

EDIT : Found this lot, Flexibility Guide from kbnj.com might be of use to other novices - looks like there are mobility and flexibility "extras"

 

[offwidth]

When I browse other exercise forums I see that people do separate sessions for things like shoulder stability (ie broomstick over and back), core strength (planks & leg raises & other stuff) and overall mobility & flexibility.

I get the impression that lots of kettlebell folk don't do any specific exercises for rotator cuffs and abs because the various kettlebell exercises are adequate for this ie orbits and haloes for shoulders and anything that holds a kettlebell above my head will help with both abs and shoulders ie presses TGUs overhead carries sots press.

Is that impression correct ? Does anyone do "extras" for areas where our kettlebell routines might only have limited benefit ? ie broomstick or rubber band over and back, planks, leg raises, crawling, banded sidewalking & side leg raises for adductors are all things I have seen recommended as being of benefit in preventing underdevelopment in essential muscle groups that are not targeted by Program XYZ with non-kettlebell equipment.

Off to do some forum searching to see if I have missed anything.

EDIT : Found this lot, Flexibility Guide from kbnj.com might be of use to other novices - looks like there are mobility and flexibility "extras"

I think that what you will find here is the somewhat standard ‘it depends’ answer.
Some peoples physiology may require extra mobility work (sometimes as injury rehab or prevention). Some folks may require (or think they require in some cases) stronger ‘abs’ for a variety of reasons.
As an example… for me TGU’s are a great abs/core modality, but they don’t give me that extra i require in climbing so I do some dedicated work in that area several times per week.

 

[Steve W.]

I do a lot of supplementary work like this. I think it's important to work on (developing, maintaining and/or recovering) movement variety and movement freedom.

This encompasses more targeted mobility or flexibility training as well as more playful movement variety such as Original Strength, and it encompasses things that specifically support your main training drills by helping you do them better, and more generalized movement tune-ups and play. What exactly that looks like is going to be highly individual and it takes a lot of experimentation to develop a personal toolbox.

As you experiment with different things, you'll probably discover go-to favorites that you enjoy doing and that help you feel good, but always keep trying new things. The idea isn't to follow a routine (although you will have mainstays that you do consistently), but to do things outside your routines, and that complement/supplement your routines.

As I've gotten older (now 56) I feel like my movement "vocabulary" has shrunk over time. To maintain movement freedom (a term I like better than "mobility" or "flexibility"), I have to make time to explore movement variety. It's easy to get locked into certain patterns through a combination of training and a lack of non-exercise play (even playing basketball regularly, there are patterns I naturally fall into that are hard to deviate from).

For most of my life, I had very good movement freedom (mobility/flexibility, whatever you want to call it) -- until I didn't anymore. It sneaks up on you over time. You might feel you don't really need this kind of work into your thirties or forties, but then one day wonder, "What happened?" As Ernest Hemingway once wrote in a different context, it happens "Two ways. Gradually and then suddenly."

I actually started doing a lot of Scott Sonnon's mobility stuff (anyone remember Zdorovye?) many years ago, but didn't do it consistently because I didn't think I "needed" it. I didn't -- at the time. But looking back, I DID need to be doing it then, so I could still move that way NOW.

Just like the need for this kind of work can sneak up on you, the benefits can too. You might start doing things and not feel like it's doing anything for you, but the benefits sneak up on you with regular and consistent engagement (and finding things that just "work" for your needs).

 

[BJJ Shawn]

I probably should try to do it more, but I just practice murder yoga. BJJ is the art of folding clothes while someone is still wearing them, so you get quite a bit of forced mobility work, lol.