Statia
Level 2 Valued Member
I've been swinging for quite a few weeks now. I'm 39, 6" tall and 71kg in weight.
I started with a 12kg as I was generally unfit and quickly moved onto the 16kg. I tried too quickly to move onto 10x 1h swings with the 16kg and ended up pulling a muscle in my lower back near the end of my swinging set (ego, impatience, etc). It's not that unusual to pull muscles in my lower back as I am quite "lanky" and they seem to be a point of weakness for my build. Since pulling the muscle, I have gone to 2h swings exclusively with the 16 as I find I can do these ok and it doesn't seem to affect my back muscle healing whilst maintaining my training regimen. I have stopped doing get-ups for now (which I dislike as I love doing them).
What I am finding though is that I feel that the form of my swing is inconsistent at times and I can't find my groove. I have since read this message by Steve which states:
"a lighter weight can allow poor form whereas the right weight will enforce good form. When I hear of someone getting injured at the end of session with a light weight, this is one of the thoughts that come to mind. It's easier to know when you're cooked with a moderately heavy weight than it is with a light one, which is why I counsel dialing back the reps, dialing back the sets, and using a proper weight."
So would it be a good idea for me to get a 24kg bell and start swinging with it, 2h, low reps, low sets, and use the 16kg exclusively for get-up's when my back is fully healed? When I am up to 100 swings with the 24, then look to move onto incorporating 1h swings slowly.
Also, will continuing to swing 2h whilst my back heals do more harm than good?
As a footnote, I'm really loving kettlebells. Training with my new heart monitor to get my HR down between sets leaves me feeling great after doing my swings. I leave the house with my head in the air, shoulders back, feeling great
I started with a 12kg as I was generally unfit and quickly moved onto the 16kg. I tried too quickly to move onto 10x 1h swings with the 16kg and ended up pulling a muscle in my lower back near the end of my swinging set (ego, impatience, etc). It's not that unusual to pull muscles in my lower back as I am quite "lanky" and they seem to be a point of weakness for my build. Since pulling the muscle, I have gone to 2h swings exclusively with the 16 as I find I can do these ok and it doesn't seem to affect my back muscle healing whilst maintaining my training regimen. I have stopped doing get-ups for now (which I dislike as I love doing them).
What I am finding though is that I feel that the form of my swing is inconsistent at times and I can't find my groove. I have since read this message by Steve which states:
"a lighter weight can allow poor form whereas the right weight will enforce good form. When I hear of someone getting injured at the end of session with a light weight, this is one of the thoughts that come to mind. It's easier to know when you're cooked with a moderately heavy weight than it is with a light one, which is why I counsel dialing back the reps, dialing back the sets, and using a proper weight."
So would it be a good idea for me to get a 24kg bell and start swinging with it, 2h, low reps, low sets, and use the 16kg exclusively for get-up's when my back is fully healed? When I am up to 100 swings with the 24, then look to move onto incorporating 1h swings slowly.
Also, will continuing to swing 2h whilst my back heals do more harm than good?
As a footnote, I'm really loving kettlebells. Training with my new heart monitor to get my HR down between sets leaves me feeling great after doing my swings. I leave the house with my head in the air, shoulders back, feeling great