Russian Kettlebell Challenge^TM

When an inexperienced 98lb. weakling steps under a heavy barbell with no coaching, he probably risks injury more than an experienced powerlifter. Then again, as we continue to prove in the skydiving community, it’s the guys with the most jumps that seem to die for some very stupid reasons that are usually the result of being so familiar with a skill set that they go into automatic pilot mode and forget to set their automatic reserve release (ARR) device, lose situational awareness, and impact the earth at a high rate of speed. While a little graphic, this goes to show that no matter how good you are you must always pay attention to everything around you to prevent accidents. It is well known in the fitness community that no matter how experienced you are you are still prone to accidents. In fact, many times the more experienced lifters are worse because so many feel a sense of invincibility and bite off more than they can chew. It is interesting that in some circles the point of many conversations is one’s injuries.

Coaches and trainers are just as susceptible. It is easy and commonplace to be distracted by teaching or events surrounding the training. If you are distracted in the middle of a demonstration or are simply complacent, it is common for injury to occur. Therefore, no matter what level of training or experience, everyone is quite susceptible to injury for the same reasons

There are many techniques you can use to mitigate the risks. One of my favorites is the use of a Mantra. A mantra will basically establish a mental checklist in your head and help to synchronize mind and body. In teaching high altitude parachuting I tell my students to actually say these words as the do them. For example, every time I jump from a perfectly good airplane, I religiously check my equipment by saying and checking: helmet, goggles, gloves, altimeter, parachute, equipment, and oxygen. By the same token, every time I do a kettlebell windmill, I always follow a mental checklist: area clear, snatch overhead, shift feet, look at the bell, inhale and pressurize, rear leg straight, hip cocked back, descend under control, pause, return, lock out. Sounds like a lot, but it isn’t, and I have never lost my balance under a KB of any size. My body appreciates this!

Safety under the load can be a daunting thing. First of all, when something goes wrong it tends to initiate a fear based response. This never works out for the lifter! There you are, with a KB positioned right above your head, and despite your efforts, it has decided it is going to go its own way, which just happens to be a direction your shoulder – or any other joint for that matter – was never designed to go. Things aren’t looking good for you! Do you fight to regain control because it’s the manly fear based thing to do, or do you wuss out and drop the darn thing? I’ll give you a hint, if you try to be manly about it, your HMO will love you and you can forget anything physical for at least six months. The smart girevik evades the KB and lives to lift another set!

This is your first lesson in basic KB safety: do not contest for dominance or space with a KB! You will lose every time! Before and during a lift, understand the path of the KB and its route of travel, and if something goes wrong, don’t be there. For example, in the windmill, the KB might get away from you and pull your arm back behind you. So you know that backing up places you and the KB in the same space and we already said that was less than beneficial for your health. So instead, let go and move forward at a high rate of speed to avoid the KB and allow it to harmlessly hit the ground. By following the simple common sense cardinal rule – never contest for or space with a kettlebell – you should never have to face an orthopedic surgeon, bright lights and cold steel.

The fitness and athletic world is full of folks with all sorts of backgrounds. This has some inherent pitfalls as well. One must remember that KB lifting is quite different than many other forms of exercise. Regardless of the level of the client or athlete, it is essential in the beginning to start slow and basic and progress the same way as the average Joe. Also be aware that many athletes and gym rats think that just because they are very strong or talented that they can simply throw a KB around. This is quite dangerous for them and you must not allow them to do so. If they simply will not listen, it is a good idea to simply refuse to train them. This is for their safety and your liability insurance!

There are many people today who are sick and on a variety of medications. There are also many who have existing medical, orthopedic, and musculo-skeletal conditions. As a professional you must know your limits. You may be a great coach, but you probably know nothing about the inner workings of the heart or the effects of the drug Vasopressin or Amnioterone. If a client tells you that they have a torn ACL, what does that mean and how does it affect the way you train this client? If you refuse to acknowledge your limits and press on blindly, it is quite possible that you will do harm to this client. Therefore, it may be a very good idea to turn this person away. If not, the very least you must do is contact that person’s doctor or specialist and work together for the betterment of the client. It would be a good idea to establish a working relationship with specialists in your area. The worst that will happen is you will learn more about the human body. One vital step you can take for very little money is to get certified in CPR and as a First Responder. This will boost your knowledge and ability to respond to an accident in training.

Form and posture are essential items to be aware of. At the RKC you are taught the importance of squeezing the glutes. But do you remember why? Recall that this tension locks the pelvis in place. Loose or weak glutes is a major cause of low back disorders and during exercise it can become a safety issue. Consider what happens as the glutes loosen. The pelvis shifts posteriorly. This causes weight and balance shifts, often causing the lifter to put weight on his/her toes. At this point, during many KB lifts, the situation is critical enough to immediately abort the set. Proper form and technique are essential to maintaining a safe exercise condition. To take this one step further, repetitions should always be performed properly. If one were to practice with poor form, that poor form quickly becomes a neural default that takes 10 times longer to unravel than to simply train right the first time. This extends to all aspects in the lift. Remember that intra-abdominal pressure combined with gluteal tension protects the spine. Also remember that excessive wrist extension will stretch the tendons and ligaments as well as the joint tissues and cause injury. This is one reason why we teach you to always keep the wrists straight.

No one ever outranks safety. Anyone involved or around the training can and should act if an unsafe condition occurs. Vigilance is essential on the part of the trainer. If a client is in the middle of a set, it is your responsibility to halt the set and address the issue.

The US Air Force aviation community has developed a number of rules, concepts, and doctrines surrounding safety in training. Two terms that are particularly useful to us here are: KNOCK IT OFF and TERMINATE. Knock it off is said over the intercom and the radio when a training iteration becomes unsafe and a crewmember steps in to correct it. Let’s say that an MH-53 Helicopter is performing an approach into a very small landing zone and the pilot is having trouble holding the helicopter steady to the point that the Flight Engineer feels they may crash. He immediately says, “Knock it off, knock it off, knock it off, climb out, climb out, clear up right, go around!” This alerts everyone that someone has detected an unsafe condition; it is time to stop, get to a safe area, talk about it, rest the drill, and do it again.

Terminate is a term used when too many things are going wrong for any reason(s). Let’s say the pilot keeps messing up the approaches and the FE nearly kills a Pararescueman on the hoist because he didn’t call for the aircraft to “stop forward” while hoisting him into the aircraft, which would have dragged him through the trees. Then it is not uncommon for someone like the tail gunner to say, “Terminate, Terminate!” This means stop or finish this now, to hell with being “tactical”, lets get safe, go home, and debrief. There is no shame in this. Sometimes enough is enough. Military research has shown that the majority of accidents occur when pilots and operators fail to see the little issues piling up and refuse to slow down and stop. They simply keep going until something bad makes them stop. The same is true in exercise. Yet another reason not to train to failure.

We could never cover every single thing that could go wrong; you will have to rely on your imagination and good judgment. But to get you started, here are some basic guidelines to follow to mitigate the risks of exercise:

1. Consult a sports doctor when taking on a new student, dealing with injuries, or whenever you are in doubt.
2. Train where there are no concerns for property damage or injury to anyone, including yourself. A KB will surely destroy a hardwood floor and you wouldn’t train on a slippery slope, next to a sharp rock, or with a comrade in the line of fire of your swings… would you? The answer is no.
3. Practice all safety measures at all times. Remember the elite skydivers and rock climbers; complacency will hurt you sooner than later. This rule applies to all kettlebells, even the lightest, to develop a habit. Because “practice makes permanent” and “under stress we revert to training.”
4. Never contest for space with a KB! You will lose. Evade it and don’t be where it wants to go. Guide a falling KB if necessary but never fight it.
5. Don’t try to recover a questionable rep! When in doubt, drop the KB! This goes back to contesting for space and trying to win. In both cases you will lose. “Quick feet are happy feet” is a part of the same rule. If you drop a KB on your foot, you have failed to properly evade and you have contested for space. Naturally, you will be able to tell your friends what it feels like to lose that contest as they sign your cast.
6. Don’t shift your weight to your toes when your torso is folded forward.
7. Protect your spine with a ‘virtual belt’ of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and gluteal tension.
8. Always be aware of the changing joint center of gravity of [you + KB]. This awareness will tell you when you need to abort a lift when your balance is altered beyond recovery. Better yet, this awareness will enable you to anticipate a loss of control and deal with the problem before it developed. Think like a boxer who has been around.
9. Rest the handle of the KB on the heel of your palm and never hyperextend your wrist.
10. Absorb KB impact as you would absorb a punch: brace and roll with it, let some air get knocked out of you.
11. Catch the KB softly on your forearm in cleans and snatches; proper timing and not pulling too high are the keys.
12. Work within your current flexibility limits.
13. Maintain total body tension without weak links on all ‘grind’ lifts. Exercise ‘relaxed tension’ in quick lifts. Remember that the weak points in your structure are the joints. They must all be shored up and secured to accept the load safely.
14. Keep your arms loose in all dynamic drills. The arms are simply guiding the weight, not muscling it into position.
15. Build up the training load gradually using common sense and listen to your body. Instruction cannot cover all contingencies and there is no substitute for good judgment.

Power and health to you, RKCs!