Formosa Fitness

The following are two questions I got from a reader and I thought I'd share the answers here. These are fairly common queries so these answers may be useful in addressing concerns that friends and family may have about kettlebell training.

"First, is what makes kettlebells so special from lets say free weights and medicine balls? "

Kettlebells have many unique attributes. First is the unilateral training that we do. Most people don't load the body on one side for extended periods of time. Doing so means you have to stabilize the body more than in bilateral training (like barbells). Second, the shape of the kettlebell is forces the weight to be off center. The bell shape means you always have to be pulling against the kettlebell to keep your posture upright. This fires the core more than dumbbell training, for example. Third, kettlebell uses methods far beyond the sets/reps that most weight training uses. We use things like ladders, breathing ladders, tabata protocols, circuits, complexes, etc. to mix up the workout. It's a different way of training.

"Also Ive talked to fit expats who are 40 years and Ive heard them say kettlebells are great but its too dangerous to start to learn them when youre older coz you could hurt your back."

Not true. My oldest client is 66. Poor form hurts your back and that's why you need instruction. Properly done, there's nothing better for your back and the rest of your posterior chain than kettlebell training. The kettlebell training effect starts with the posterior chain then works the core and finally the extremities. It works from the back to the front and inside to out. The training effect rehabs people's backs because we all sit too much and the kettlebell is the perfect tool to undo that damage. That's why I imported them and I believe in using them so much.