Many people prone to shoulder pain don’t experience any problems when they use the kettlebell in its usual way.
I am here in Denver. I ran into my close neighbor in Toronto, Chris Lopez. We have kept in touch via email or phone for the last 2 to 3 years.
It is exciting to run into Chris because he specializes in kettlebells.
Something that I found that benefits from utilizing the kettlebells on our shoulders. So I wanted Chris to talk about the shoulder and kettlebells.
Take it away, Chris.
Chris Lopez: One of the baseless assumptions I find is that people get scared training with kettlebells initially because of shoulder issues or maybe because of low back pains.
The Shoulder and The Use of a Kettlebell
We are going to talk about the shoulder and the use of a kettlebell. We also discuss the greatness of the kettlebell as a tool or equipment to use for exercises, particularly if you’ve got bad shoulders or may want to get stronger shoulders.
If you look at the way the kettlebell is shaped and how it fits in your arm when you are holding it, especially if you are holding it up high. Unlike a traditional dumbbell, it is not straight up and bound. The bell’s weight is not pushing straight down vertically on your arm. The weight is behind the bar and not right on the top. Your shoulders are pulled into alignment as a result of the way you develop.
By doing that, what it does is it automatically gives you that stretching on the rib cage, a little bit of stretching in your lat, and then you find it all automatically pushing you into alignment. This angle of your body drives your shoulder into its sock.
It is the same as where you can see your ears and shoulders placed. You find people pressing them and doing everything overhead. They tend to shorten their shoulders up. If you shorten your shoulders, you pull it out of the center.
So by using the kettlebell, focusing on packing your shoulder, and using that alignment with the kettlebell. Lifting it over your head naturally pulls you into alignment, centers your shoulder, and gets you to focus on keeping your shoulder locked in its socket.
Rick Kaselj: Awesome. Thank you very much, Chris. Where can people get more information on you?
Chris Lopez: It’s www.kettlebellworkouts.com; you can find me with lots of great information there.
The Kettlebell
A kettlebell is an excellent tool for you to use for strength training workouts, but it can also help you with other forms of exercise. There are a lot of fitness enthusiasts who have a lot of interest in kettlebell training but don’t know how to use them properly or don’t know how to use them. They think that the kettlebell is just some variety of weight you can lift a certain amount of times, yet it is a heavy barbell that is not necessary to know how to use.
Take care and bye-bye
Rick Kaselj, MS
