SAFETY WITH KETTLEBELLS, FOR YOU & YOUR STUDENTS

 

"The single greatest cause of improvement is remaining injury-free to train.” Olympic runner Jeff Galloway

 

Get a doctor’s approval for someone who has injuries or whenever you are in doubt.

 Always listen to your body and ask your students to do the same. Check for shoulder and knee problems. Use the mobility sequence to assess people.

As an instructor, you might have to come up with alternatives for students that might have specific conditions preventing them to do some movements.

·         If your student does not feel secure about doing an exercise, do not force him/ her! Find an alternative.

·         Instruction cannot cover all scenarios and there is no substitute for good judgment and common sense.

 

  • Always pay 100% attention to your surroundings and to the kettlebell you are exercising with.
  • Train on a flat surface, free of clutter, with enough free space around you.
  • Work within your limits, be it strength, heart rate or flexibility.
  • Follow the learning progressions, build the load slowly (be it reps or weight). Do not skip steps or rush to test your strength and skills.
  • Generate power through the hips, not the arms. Keep the arms loose in all ballistic drills. Arms are just guiding the trajectory of the bell.
  • Do not over-extend the wrist in lockouts! The handle should rest against the palm of the hand, wrist kept in a neutral alignment.
  • Do not round the back under a load. Keep your chest up. Look ahead. Weight on the heels, never on the toes.
  • Do not overly arch your back or neck in the lock out position. Use your eyes first to look at the kettlebell if you have to.
  • Keep the knees tracking in the same direction as the feet.
  • Make sure you can always drop the kettlebell or push it out of your way if things go wrong, and get out of the way quickly.
  • Do not over reach or try to recover an unbalanced rep, let the kettlebell drop.
  • Be aware that a kettlebell generates extra forces when free falling from an overhead swing. Be ready to shift your centre of gravity backwards and brace your core to compensate the effect of the forward pull.
  • Brace your core when lifting heavy or difficult lifts and use power breathing when necessary.
  • Keep moving in between sets, once the heart rate is high. It helps push the blood back to the heart without unnecessary stress.
  • Developing proper timing and technique to avoid bruising the forearms when doing cleans and snatches takes time. Wear wristbands. Use assistance from your other hand after you get comfortable with the 2 arm versions.

 

SIKKERHED 

·         Få et tjek og tilsagn hos lægen, hvis du har skader eller hvis du er i tvivl.

·         Lyt altid til kroppen.

·         Særlige omstændigheder kan betyde, at du skal undlade nogle kettlebell øvelser. Respektér det og find alternativer.

·         Hvis du ikke er sikker på en øvelse, så undlad den! Find et alternativ.

·         Læring fra videoer og artikler dækker ikke alle scenarier. Der er ingen erstatning for god dømmekraft og sund fornuft.

·         Følg progressionerne, opbyg belastningen gradvist, hvad enten det er repetitioner eller vægt. Spring ikke trin over og hast ikke – for at teste din styrke og færdighed.

  

·         Vær altid 100% opmærksom på dine omgivelser og de(n) kettlebell, du træner med.

·         Træn på en jævn overflade, fri for skidt og rod, og med rigelig plads omkring dig.

·         Træn helst med hårde flade skosåler eller bare tæer.

·         Træn indenfor dine grænser, hvad enten det er styrke, kondition eller smidighed.

·         Rund ikke ryggen under belastning. Hold brystet oppe. Kig frem. Vægten på hele foden.

·         Hold knæene i samme retning som fødderne.

·         Sørg for at du altid kan droppe kettlebell’en eller skubbe den væk fra dig, hvis noget går galt, så du skal have den hurtigt af vejen.

·         Overstræk dig ikke i forsøget på at redde et dårligt afbalanceret løft, lad kettlebell’en falde.

·         Hold dig i gang imellem sæt, når pulsen er høj, i stedet for at sidde ned. Det hjælper med at føre blodet tilbage til hjertet.