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Kettlebell Respond to Anti-Kettlebell Article

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@Geoff Chafe.
In theory, no exercise is "responsible" for any injuries, so in that respect you're 100% correct. In practice, in my personal observation, more experienced lifters are injured either acutely or chronically as a result of performing flat bench than any other exercise. Mostly a result of poor spotting or overreaching perhaps, but this has been my experience nonetheless, YMMV.

It is the champ for inducing pec hypertrophy. Nothing else really comes close except dips, but dips target the lower pec, not the upper where the extra development is better directed IMHO. There are good reasons for doing it and was one of my favorites in younger years.

In reality, its a relatively recent addition to the science of resistance training, and frankly, highly developed pecs are not necessary for most intense physical activity. You never see statues from antiquity showing men with heavily built chest, same for the old timey strong men or people who get strong doing hard labor.

But this is drifting way off topic.

I still believe he bashes KBs for the traffic or for some other reason I cannot comprehend. I am no fan of fitness machines, but you won't catch me bashing them on a public site. The 72' Dolphins went undefeated working out on vintage Nautilus after all. Many ways to get a solid workout and all are potentially effective.
 
I have skimmed this article before. This author is obviously a hack, and I have not read anything else of his, or given it a second thought until this post.

What is alarming is some may value his opinions. I was researching the get up, and this was one of the first results on Google which is concerning for a novice trying to educate themselves.
 
The kettlebells take up no space in my house. A barbell starts to take away living space, and its weight isn't healthy for the floors. I'm sure a guy deadlifting 300kg on his barbell is much stronger than I, but swinging my 40kg bell and doing the complicated getups seem to keep me pretty strong and fit. I notice in particular I get a lot of cardio-vascular exercise from the S&S workout. I walk faster, don't have aches and pains very often, seem to handle stress much better, and I certainly have a higher muscle to fat ratio than previously, and yes, I am in fact, I am pretty sure, much stronger than before. The kettlebells seem to develop wrist strength also in a special way more than barbells. Otherwise, isn't lifting even 24kg above your head IN ONE HAND a pretty big deal??? (Let alone 32 or 40 or 48!???)
 
Just out of interest sake, and yes we have ripped on.......I mean discussed this gentlemans blog before, but Check out his latest blog RDLFITNESS

Perhaps we weren't the only community to take notice....
 
His Facebook like page has 81 likes and his twitter feed has 61 followers and no photos of himself anywhere. This author in particular has a minuscule following but this author does have a mentality that is somewhat common and I have run into a lot in lifting groups.
 
Has someone trustworthy who has done both barbell and kettlebell training seriously compared them? It would seem that the application of force to the kettlebell movements would increase their "weight". The S&S book says that a 24kg kettlebell can generate 500lbs of pressure!!! Yikes! So, how much am I generating with my 40???
 
I wonder how much new traffic that website has received solely as a result of this thread.
 
Kozushi said:
Has someone trustworthy who has done both barbell and kettlebell training seriously compared them? It would seem that the application of force to the kettlebell movements would increase their "weight". The S&S book says that a 24kg kettlebell can generate 500lbs of pressure!!! Yikes! So, how much am I generating with my 40???
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Gotta be careful re those force generation numbers. At the top of a swing, the KB is exerting zero lbs of force, and at the bottom its only hitting peak values for an instant. Still, the average is far above the listed weight except when stopping at the top of a press etc.
 
I agree with everything said here.

I'm a cop who works 12 hr shifts and trains BJJ on my off days. I have a wife and child and not much time to hit the gym unless I skip BJJ (weights arent' that important by comparison). My 32kg Bell gives me the convenience that I need to maintain strength and sufficient mobility. I look forward to seeing how Kettlebells translate to Barbell training at the beginning of the year (I miss my 400 lb Deadlift...I want it back).
 
Matt M says it all in my book.....I dont care whether or not any self proclaimed expert agrees with my methods or not. The SF and dare I say RKC methods worked wonders for me. However I have respect enough for other training methods not to trash them. Don't care much for jogging but if someone likes it and does it on the regular then I say go for it!

I think we probably have beaten this to death today, lol
 
North Coast Miller said:
They changed my life, no bull. I'd given up on most heavy resistance training and my functionality was on a decline.
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That's pretty much my story too. Anyhow the statement "they changed my life" is just as true for me. Getting and staying in shape is a confusing mess of a study these days with all the competing nonsense out there. Frankly, martial arts training twice a week is not enough, and walking every day for over an hour isn't feasible; filling up my living room with a big barbell set and a bench is sadly also not feasible in my case. A few kettlebells stored away in the corner of the room and about 25 minutes a day of, I must say, quite INTERESTING exercise - that's not only feasible but FUN! And, EFFECTIVE!
 
I'll add onto this a little something. I told a powerlifting colleague at work yesterday that I'm into kettlebells and I do the TGU with a 40kg bell and I wondered how much he lifts (he is competitive and has won some powerlifting tournaments). He deadlifts and benchpresses both over 600lbs (I forget the exact numbers he metioned). He added that he can't do a TGU with a 40kg bell.

Evidently we're talking about different kinds of exercises. If he can't do a TGU with a 40kg bell then I figure the 40 or 48kg bell is plenty heavy enough!
 
I understand most of his points and see the argument he's making. Regardless, as long as he is reaching his goals and the goals of his clients, he's not wrong. If you want to go to Rome, all roads lead there. Here at SF we just have different goals and are taking the more beautiful scenic route to Rome. It's the person that has the same goals as SF and can't achieve them because of the article that sucks.
 
What bugs me about this guy is his lack of education. He has other posts where he recommends avoiding the TGU and avoiding anything that puts the bar overhead (so the Olympic lifts are out). Now, a person with a Type II or Type III acromion can be more susceptible to impingement in the shoulder. But there are ways to lift safely even for these folks. My guess is he may have suffered a shoulder impingement and reasoned "this exercise hurt me, therefore it will hurt everyone." My biggest peeve is people who think this way. He is a sample size of one, and he may have bad genetics that gave him a bad acromion.

Add to this the fact that we don't know if his form was correct on any of the lifts. For the longest time I would get an impingement in my left shoulder from doing barbell overhead squats - until I learned the proper way to pull my shoulders back. Once I learned proper technique, the problem was gone.
 
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