Kettlebell Training Q & A
January 15, 2009 by admin
I receive so many great kettlebell training questions via email that I know other kettlebell athletes would benefit from greatly, so I decided to start a “Kettlebell Training Q & A” As the questions come in I’ll post them here.
Thanks to everyone for writing in, I appreciate it!
Derrick wrote in:
Thanks for all of the great info. You give very clear explanations for all of your techniques.
I am brand new to kettlebells. I have spent many hours online reviewing youtube videos and various kettlebell websites. I have learned a lot.
However, one thing that I have had trouble finding is sample workouts for those new to kettlebells.
One thing I was unclear on is, should a person new to kb’s use them like traditional weight training? i.e. several sets of a fixed number of reps with rest in between. Or should they be used in a circuit where the goal is to keep the heart rate elevated throughout the workout.
I imagine they can be used both ways. However, as a newbie, it would be nice to have a resource where I can read about sample begginer workouts, what my goals should be as a begginer, etc
Answer:
Hey Derrick,
Great question and thanks for writing in, I appreciate it.
Both methods will work. I personally made great progress with fixed set and rep schemes, as have my clients. This helps build a solid fitness base and allows you to refine your movements before moving onto more advanced protocols.
One way to alter the fixed set and rep scheme is to train for time, for example, 3 sets of 1 minute as opposed to 3 sets of 12 reps. You would simply increase the intensity be increasing the rep per minute count. This is actually my preferred way to train currently and is the easiest way to coach in large groups.
Circuits work well also but you need to have a larger skill set to rotate through. As a beginner I would focus on 2-3 core kettlebell lifts, swings, snatches and Jerks and would work those drills for time.
As you build your kettlebell skill set you can start to develop more advanced kettlebell circuits, complexes etc…
Great idea you guys. Q&A on kettlebell training is just what everyone needs to learn more about training with kettlebells. For the you tube videos, I would suggest to stick with the videos of RKC certified instructors. There are some videos out there that are by people untrained with kettlebells and trying some crazy stuff with bad form. I love the idea of doing time over reps schemes. I have just started doing that with clients the past 4 weeks and it seems to get them doing good reps instead of pushing to hard for a number or stopping even when they can do more. Love the blog and website, will have to try and come visit sometime.