Golfers like Tiger Woods are revered for their tremendous skill and ability in the game of golf. Golf is a very physical game. Your body has to be conditioned to have a long and injury-free race. Through years of training, the use of bodyweight exercises, medicine balls, stability balls, dumbbells, and many other tools have stood the test of time in preparing golfers to compete at the highest levels. Recently there has been a resurgence of old school strength training tools. Kettlebells have been around for hundreds of years and are quickly becoming the strength tool of choice for many athletes.
What is a kettlebell?
A ‘kettlebell’ or girya (Russian) is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle. Kettlebells are not a new gimmick or fad, in fact they have been around for hundreds of years as a strength tool. Kettlebells were used by many of the legendary strongmen of yore such as Arthur Saxon, Eugene Sandow and Sig Klein.
Why are kettlebells so effective?
Kettlebell ballistic exercises such as the swing, snatch, and clean and jerk develop tremendous explosiveness as well as strength endurance. Kettlebells teach people how to use their body as a unit. This is an extremely important asset for golfers, who must use their entire body to swing. For a golfer, the benefits of practicing kettlebells are numerous. Despite the various cardiovascular benefits, gains in functional strength and overall coordination will increase power without increasing weight. It will melt the fat. This full-body strength is critical if you want real-world strength that carries over from your training to your athletic activities.
Who uses kettlebells? Athletes like Tiger Woods, members of the San Francisco 49ners
UFC champions BJ Penn, Frank Shamrock, celebrities like Katie Heigl, Maria Bello, Bruce Buffer, Sly Stallone, Chris Gartin and model Paige Adams-Geller are taking advantage of kettlebell training. Experiment with the following exercises, these exercises can be done 3 times a week. 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions, with 1 minute rest between sets.
Kettlebell swing stance should be shoulder width apart, reach down and grab the handle with both hands as you lean down, remember to rotate your hips keeping your shins relatively vertical, you should feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings, swing the kettlebell between the legs. With force, as if you were going to walk a soccer ball, explosively push your hips forward by straightening your legs.
Kettlebell Clean, Clean is sometimes used as a strength or endurance exercise: however, it is more often used as a safe means of bringing the KB(s) to your shoulder(s) for other exercises. This is a basic and traditional exercise that every kettlebell lifter should master.
Technique: All points that apply to SWING apply to CLEAN, minus the straight arm requirement. The kettlebell, elbow, and torso should all become “one” at the top of the clean. The shoulder should be pressed down. Keep your wrists straight; without bending! The arms should remain loose and the hips should do all the work. The kettlebell should travel the shortest distance possible, following a vertical rather than an arched path. The KB should be rolled up and over the forearm on both the negative and positive sides. Don’t let the KB rise up and “bump” into your forearm. At the moment of impact, tense your abs and let out a little air (similar to a boxer exhaling with every punch).
Tips: Master cleaning in reverse: put the KB in the “rack” position, then lower it to the bottom position before attempting the proper cleaning.
Even with perfect technique, it builds up the volume very gradually; Give your elbows and forearms time to adjust. Receive the KB; don’t let it hit your forearms. Ladies must not allow their arms or the KB to hit their breasts.
Contracting your glutes and abs forcefully will generate the power needed to project the KB.
Variations: Clean with a KB. Clean with two KB simultaneously. Clears two KB alternating like a “Seesaw”.
The kettlebell military press is an excellent exercise for strengthening both the deep rotator cuff and the larger shoulder muscles. If you’ve done dumbbell overhead presses, you’ll better appreciate the kettlebell overhead press. Like all kettlebell exercises, the overhead press doesn’t just engage the arm, it requires a coordinated effort from the entire body.
Military Press Instructions: Place the kettlebell in the rack position. Take a deep breath, hold it, squeeze your armpit, and then bring the kettlebell to your side keeping your forearm vertical.
Once your armpit is tight, press the kettlebell overhead into the lockout position. Focus on keeping your armpit tight and your shoulder down as you press. Project your hips under your arm as you press.
In the top position, the kettlebell should be behind your head.
When you lower the kettlebell down, actively pull the kettlebell toward your body. Squeeze your armpit and reproject your hip under your arm. The glutes and abs should also remain tight as the kettlebell is returned to the support position.
Get together and hit him again.
Snatch: Everyone needs to master the all-important snatch. Heavy or high rep snatch lifting will build your core and grip strength as well as your functional strength. The snatch has been described as an “overhead charge”, so if you can swing and clean, you’re good to go.
To start, hold the kettlebell in one hand. Assume a shoulder-width stance, keeping your knees slightly bent. Move the KB back between your legs; sit “back” instead of “bottom”. Explosively move your hips to full extension; letting the KB project upwards. Simultaneously, lock your arm and quickly lower yourself slightly, as if going under the KB. Slam your arm up into the air, closing the distance between the KB and your forearm.
Lock your knees, hips, and elbows. After mastering the technique and timing of this exercise, the KB will not hit or jerk your arm or shoulder. The KB should land softly and feel nearly weightless at the top.
In the final position: the working arm and legs are straight and locked, the feet and body are immobile, the arm should be at the level of the head or slightly behind the head. You hold this position for at least one second. Lower the KB in one smooth, uninterrupted motion. Don’t let the KB touch your chest or shoulder. Be sure to keep your core tight so the momentum of the KB doesn’t knock you out of position, jar your wrist joint, or stress your back.
Tips for rapture. Warm up with one arm swing and clean.
Look straight ahead at all times. Master timing and landing the KB in the top position before embarking on high-rep routines. It can rest in the top lock position. Don’t negative curl the KB on the way down; keep your arm loose. Gradually increase the number of repetitions to allow your palms to harden. Variations include Dumbbell Snatch: Perform the snatch in exactly the same way as described above. Due to the width of the dumbbell, be sure to rotate your hand, pointing your thumb back, BEFORE swinging it between your legs. At the top (final position above the head), turn the wrist so that the palm faces the head.