Bristol Kettlebell club member profile – John Evans

I started Kettlebell training on feb 20th so have been doing it for 9 weeks now.

What attracted you to kettlebell training? 

I had heard that the results are quite dramatic and that it is one of the most effective forms of exercise. I liked that it was a class and not at a gym and that it was varied so I wouldn’t get bored.

Yes. I think it is as tough as you want it to be. There is a technical element to all the moves so you need to learn that, but I found it quite quick to pick it up and then it’s up to you as to how honest and tough on yourself you want to be. You can move through the weights quickly and push yourself in each session. I certainly feel that it has been a tough workout at the end of each class.

What other types of fitness have/do you enjoy?

I never really went to the gym much and didn’t like all the posers in there when I did go. That said when I did go it was mainly cardio and i used to like using the cross trainer. I have recently started running as well as doing the kettle bell classes and whilst I wouldn’t say I enjoy going running as such, I think it is good to have the mix of cardio training and the kettle bell.

In the 9 weeks since I started I have lost 10lb, almost 4 inches from my waist and also toned up on my chest, shoulders and arms particularly. I am just looking forward to seeing how much of a difference it will make when I have been doing it for 6 months. I am really happy with the results so far and want to see how far I can push myself.

When I started I was working with 12kg kettlebells to learn the techniques for the different exercises. I now use a 20kg Kettlebell for most of them, 24kg for two handed swing and squats, 14 kg for snatch and windmills as I have only recently learned them and am still concentrating on technique.

I want to move up the weights with the snatch and windmill as well as continue pushing myself in the classes. As well as using the kettle bells we also do body weight exercises and I want to see a continued improvement in this. I want to continue to lose weight and tone up and I know that I can get the results I want in the kettle bell classes.

Word from Pete - John has good natural strength and has progressed up to heavier kettlebells quite quickly, this is fine because his technique is good.  Using heavier bells means that he is burning way more calories and so with a couple of simple dietary tweaks that I suggested he has seen some excellent body composition changes.  Its very early days for John with only 2 months or so of training under his belt. He has yet to experience the benefits of snatching and windmills. When he gets good at these two exercises his results are going to go skyward’s!! I am looking forward to coaching John further in these lifts, I think he has great potential in the upcoming fitness tests and strongman contest when it rolls around in September. Well done John!

If you would like to get involved with the club click here and get signed up to the next intro class.

Don’t get fixated on what the scale says when attempting to shift some body fat. Body composition changes cannot be detected by a scale on a day-to-day basis. Fat loss can be detected on a weekly basis, however, so if you can have enough discipline to only hop on once a week, then you have my permission to keep your scale.

This is very tough however- so if you start to notice yourself weighing yourself more often, then hide it.

Did You Know that Your scale weight can fluctuate up to 5 pounds in one day!

This is due to:

• Weight of food & beverages
• Water loss from exercise
• Water gain from menstrual cycles
• Water retention from high sodium intake
• Weight of non-voided bowel contentsThe scale is NOT the real barometer of progress.

  You may believe that “the scale does not lie,” and that the number is objective. However, you can get more objective, more in-depth feedback from other measuring tools.

  Here’s an easy way to do it at home: Be mindful of how your clothes are fitting. After all, it is pretty common for the scale “not to budge” for a person who finds she can suddenly fit with ease into a pair of formerly tight jeans.

  • Other effective measuring tools can be:
  • How you feel after rushing up a flight of stairs
  • Not tiring out as quickly when you play with your children
  • Your new found ability to change the water cooler bottle at work without any effort!
  • Diminished cravings for sugarThe scale can’t record these milestones. When you read the number on the scale, you will automatically associate that number with food. Yes, that’s right. If you don’t like the number, what thought pops into your mind? It almost always relates to food.

    The scale is a harbinger of food obsession, which includes counting every calorie, and carb and fat gram. Before you know it, you’ll be carrying a calorie counter with you everywhere you go.

    Focus on how you feel, milestones in your daily activities, improved muscle tone, better eating habits, and how your clothes fit, rather than an ambiguous number on a gadget.

    For help in escaping the scale’s stranglehold and learning how to make REALLY changes in your body, give us a call today so we can help you with one of our customized programs!
    Pete

Kettlebell training is rough on the hands, the repeated motion of the handle rotating in the palm will form callouses which eventually may tear and could stop you from training as frequently as you want to.  However there are things you can do to avoid this situation, improve technique, protect and repair.

First we will start with protection methods

The Sock sleeve method

The sock sleeve can be made easily and fits right over the area of the palm that is affected. This idea was invented by Tracy Reifkind husband of Master RKC Mark Reifkind. Having tried this method I can attest to how really good this works! This is the method that I encourage my class members and clients to use.  Phil Scarito has put together a video to explain more.

Hand care using the sock

Tape

The taping method is popular at the RKC events, although it is not allowed for the 100 rep snatch test, it is another great way to cover the affected area with minimal material allowing you to still “feel” the bell in your hand.  I have yet to try this method so can only go on what others have to say. Master RKC Mark Riefkind has put together a very useful blog post with pictures and instructions. If you try this please leave a comment and let me know how it went.

How to tape your hands

Technique improvements

The exercise that causes the most problems to hands is the kettlebell snatch, snatches burn more than 20 calories per minute, they are a fantastic conditioner, build strengh endurance and vastly improve work capacity. In a nutshell you need to be doing lots of snatches, whatever your goal! Steve Cotter is a well acomplished kettlebell lifter and competes in Girevoy sport (GS) where an athlete will snatch for as many times as possible in ten minutes with only one hand switch. Due to these condtions the GS style of snatching differs somewhat from the hardstyle method and is kinder to the hands. In the video link below Steve Cotter explains more.

How to avoid tearing hands in KB snatch

Repair

If the above methods don’t work for you then you may want to consider keeping your hands in good condtion with a moisturiser. The most popular choice is corn huskers lotion, I haven’t been able to find this in the UK so unless you have relatives that can buy and post it over for you I don’t know how you would get hold of some. I’m sure there are other good moisturisers out there, one that I came across is kettle balm. This product has been specifically made to repair calloussed and torn hands due to kb training. I use this balm and can tell you that it works surprisingly well, you can see a noticeable difference in the appearance and feel of your hands the very next day.

Kettle balm

Some purist kettlebell lifters will frown upon the above methods and call you a girlie man for using them, that is fine and to each his own, if Master RKC Mark Reifkind suggests tape is ok then that’s good enough for me.

I hope these have helped you out and you are able to continue training hard.

Until next time comrades, train safe!

Pete

One of the concerns for women when they first try kettlebell training is that they think that because it is a weight they will build muscle. Mike Mahler has a great saying for this “Worrying about building muscle is like worrying about making to much money”, it just doesn’t happen by accident, it takes months of hard work and an excess of calories daily.

Here are the two main reason’s why women don’t build muscle using kettlebells

1. Not enough of the muscle building hormone testosterone

Women are estrogen dominant and produce hardly any testosterone, this hormone plays a huge role in muscle building so trying to “get big” without it would be like trying to swim the channel with your arms tied together.

2. Not enough calories eaten to fuel muscle growth

To build new muscle you have to eat more calories than your body needs, its these extra calories that are the building blocks of new muscle tissue, if you keep your calories at maintenance or below it is impossible to build muscle.

Other reason’s such as training splits, frequency and repetitions performed are also valid and go towards building the lean “toned” physique that is desired.  Studies have shown how resistance based exercise will burn more fat than cardio due to the metabolism boosting effect known as “afterburn” this means that you will continue to burn calories up to 48 hours after the workout is over, compared to around 3 hours from running on the treadmill for 60 minutes. Since kettlebells provide cardio and “toning”, strength and flexibility all in one workout, it really is beyond me why anyone would ever use a treadmill and cross trainer again!

Lifting heavy (for you), combined with eating a natural clean diet is all that you need, everything else will fall into place as a side effect.

Pete