RKC News - July 2014

Sure, it's fun to push your limits. But often, ambition gets in the way. You are tempted to do more, believing that this will make you tougher, leaner, and more muscular. This increases the risk of injury. The quality of execution must be as close to 100% as possible. You should always try to perform each individual repetition (rep) more perfectly.

What if you set a goal outside of perfection: for example, to complete all rounds without a break? Everything with more weight, or 10 more reps.

You probably know the saying, "I've never seen anyone drop the kettlebell during training." I've experienced that, and do you know who it was? Me! Yes, I was the foolish one who forgot everything he usually preaches. I was training a program with my wife: 6 basic exercises, with one rep added to each basic exercise in every round. This goes up to 6 rounds and then back down to one rep per basic exercise. It's a great program, and there's always a little break between the rounds. My wife trained with a very light kettlebell and I with a 24 kg. She didn't need breaks, so I tried to do the same... then during the 10th round of snatches, it happened! My grip strength was no longer sufficient, and I watched in slow motion as the kettlebell "slipped" over each of my fingers and hung freely in the air. What did I do? I made the next mistake; I caught the kettlebell with both hands. I didn't think about it; it was just a reflex.

I didn't do what I clearly preach to my students. In my madness, I lost control. It was lucky that I didn't injure anyone at home and that the hardwood floor is still intact...

I'm glad that my wife's presence prevented me from downplaying the incident to myself.

Why did I come out with this article? So that you, as a reader, learn why hardstyle is so important and good, and so you see that it's beneficial to have someone training with you who clearly tells you when your form is no longer sufficient. An "Enter the Kettlebell" seminar is good and is like a driver's license. But no one is a good driver just because they have the "license." You need practice, a lot, a lot of practice. It's good to have a good trainer who knows what to pay attention to.

In a study by the American Council on Exercise in 2010, it was found that you can burn calories very efficiently with the kettlebell. Much more effectively than with regular jogging. The only thing that could keep up was the exertion of uphill cross-country skiing! It's nice that we can also use the kettlebell in summer, right?