FAQ
Q1: Does kettlebell lifting burn fat?
Yes, when used corrctly the kettlebell is an extremely effective tool for burning fat. There are a number of fast moving, full-body drills that are simple technically, but have an incredibly high metabolic cost. Your metabolism is forced to speed up, and this is the main hurdle in accomplishingfat loss. Plus, muscle burns fat. So, as you increase muscle, your fat will decrease.
Q2: Won’t lifting heavy weight make me “muscle bound” and less flexible?
No. Only incorrect training can make you less mobile. Well -designed kettlebell training will increase your flexibility. Kettlebells are not heavy compared to typical barbells and dumbbells. Kettlebells achieve dramatic training effects by moving fast, changing direction quickly, challenging the body with off-center balance, and improving body mechanics.
Q3: Anyone who generally knows what they are doing in the gym can train safely and effectively with kettlebells, true?
False. the problem is that most people, trainers included, do not train safely or effectively with regular gym equipment. Factor in the off-center balance of kettelbells and the fast, dynamic movements involved, and they become more dangerous to the uninformed than more conventional exercise tools.
Q4: Kettlebells look dangerous, can you hurt your back?
If you use your kettlebells correctly there is very little chance of injury to the lower back. In fact, there is typically a therapeutic or injury-proofing effect. Kettlebells are beginning to be “prescribed” by chiropractors for relief from chronic and occasional lower back pain. -By “correctly”, we mean: as taught by an instructor certified by either our teacher, Pavel Tsatsouline Chief RKC, or by Coach Valery Federenko of AKC.
Q5: Can I do kettlebells with my bad knees and injured shoulder?
Yes, kettelbell training can be scaled and adapted to the athlete’s injury status. We see many people experiencing relief from pain and regaining functional range of motion in their knees, as well as to damaged or weak shoulders.
Q6: I’m interested in trying kettlebells, but what will I do for cardio?
This question is often asked by new students during their first kettlebell training session. The instructor will invariably say something like, “do twenty swings right now and then ask me that question.” By the end of that very short exertion, the student is breathing so hard he or she can not speak. Certain kettlebell drills put a very high demand on the heart and lungs.
Q7: Can’t you do any kettlebell exercise just as well with a dumbbell?
Ufortunately, no. because of the difference in shape and balance of the two implements, certain key drills in kettlebell training can not be done with a dumbbell. Drills that look somewhat similar have very different training effects. (Read More...) athletes in the countries of the former Soviet Union use their dumbbells and barbells very differently and much more effectively than we typically do in the West. So an American athlete could actually make huge gains merely by studying the way the Soviets use those more familiar tools. We at Form is Function can teach you how to correctly and effectively use your barbells and dumbells. Certainly there is no advantage to using a kettelbell in the same uninformed and inefficent way most people use dumbbells in the United States.
Q8: How do women use kettlebells?
There is no difference in adaptive response to exercise between the genders. There is, however, often a difference in training goals for non-athletes: Men usually want to get bigger and stronger, women usually want to get thinner. Women who are not involved in athletic activities typically start an exercise program with only weight loss in mind. At Form is Function, our female students often discover a strong athletic inner spirit when exposed to effective training. As they see possibilities opening up before them, our women tend to set progressively more ambitious and adventurous goals for themselves.
Q9: Aren’t exercise machines safer than free-weights, especially for beginners?
No. actually machines are more dangerous than free-weights. Machines force your body into unnatural movement tracks that put harmful stress on your joints. By holding your body stable, machines prevent the synchronous firing of stabilizer muscles, especially those at the inner core, and thereby leave those muscles dormant and untrained. This detrimental effect is noticed when someone who trains mostly on machines attempts to express strength in the real world; the stabilizers do not fire, the damaged joints are stressed in an unaccustomed way, and the person cannot produce force and often ends up injured. Kettelbells and other freeweights promote movement that is natural and inherently correct, resulting in a strengthening of ALL muscles, including the small stabilizers, and of the joints.
Q10: So kettlebells are the best thingfor everybody no matter what?
No, kettlebell training is not for everyone. Some people are especially lazy and do not want to work at all for their goals. They are looking for an easy fix for their problems or shortcomings. Others for some reason can not or will not follow instructions. Kettlebells can be very dangerous in the hands of such people. Those two types of persons will mosy likely not enjoy training with kettlebells.