Double Kettlebell Exercises — How to Avoid Common Mistakes
There’s a lot going on there, right? And, as you might believe, a lot can go awry before you’ve hit enough reps to have the basic steps memorized and ingrained in your muscle memory.
Once you’re solid on the basics, the specific problems that hold most people back become more predictable. Here are the three most common mistakes I see that keep trainees from being able to progress from light Turkish get-ups to heavy ones.
Mistake 1 Failing To Grip The Kettlebell Properly
Unlike a dumbbell or barbell, the kettlebell is meant to be “over-gripped,” or pulled into what feels like slight wrist flexion. This is necessary because of the offset center of mass of the kettlebell. It “hangs” below your wrist and on the back of your forearm, meaning it’s trying to pull your wrist into hyperextension, which increases the likelihood of injury and loss of balance. Over-gripping brings the center of mass closer to the bones of your arm and makes for a stronger, safer position.
Simply think about making a fist as if you were going to punch a heavy bag. Or, if you like, do 10 push-ups on your fists. You’ll find the perfect position soon enough.
Mistake 2 Bending Your Elbow
Apart from a hyperextended wrist, this is the most common mistake I see on the get-up. And it’s potentially the most harmful one.
Once you allow your elbow to bend even a little bit, you’re holding the kettlebell with your musculature alone rather than taking advantage of your body’s support structure. During a properly performed get-up, the weight is always well-supported by passive structures, i.e., your bones. This is why you’re able to pause and take a breath in each of the positions: You’re moving from one strong position to another.
When you bend your elbow, you destabilize the shoulder, increasing the chance of injury. Not only that, you become overly-reliant on your triceps. When your triceps fatigue — which can and does happen without warning — you might drop the bell and most likely get hurt in the process, particularly if you try to “save” the lift. If you find yourself in this position, don’t try to save it. Just get out of the way and let the weight fall.
True story: While training a group of Marines, an instructor kept telling a number of them to lock their elbows. One failed to heed her advice. The Marine’s triceps gave out, and the kettlebell fell on his face, breaking his jaw and knocking out a large number of his lower teeth. After he did his burpees for punishment, he was allowed to go see the medic.
So what’s the fix? Well, it depends on whether your problem is technique or mechanics. To be blunt, it depends on whether you’re lazy or just really tight.
Take advantage of your body’s support structure. Keep your elbow straight.
So what’s the fix? Well, it depends on whether your problem is technique or mechanics. To be blunt, it depends on whether you’re lazy or just really tight.
Technique
If you can straighten your elbow but are just too lazy to do so, focus on pushing your fist up to the sky while simultaneously pulling your shoulder into its socket. Sometimes, achieving this is as simple as just gripping the kettlebell harder. The tighter you grip the kettlebell, the more you’ll cause your other muscles to work, through the process of muscular irradiation. Your arm will automatically straighten out, and all the joints involved in the movement will get more stable.
Mechanics
If you’re not being lazy, there’s a good chance the problem could be functional, i.e., tight biceps from doing too many curls. If this is the case, stretch your biceps between sets and only practice the stages of the get-up where you can keep your elbow straight. If that means only rolling up to the elbow or hand, so be it. Partial get-ups are great movements in and of themselves.
Mistake 3 Letting Your Shoulders Go Soft
Soft shoulders are passively shrugged shoulders, where the head of the humerus isn’t “packed” and centered in the shoulder socket. Get that humerus deep in the socket, and it will give you control of movement and protection of the shoulder joint and muscles. You need to maintain this sensation throughout the entire lift.
A little-known fact is that your shoulders are connected to your hips — each shoulder to the opposite hip — through a series of fascial slings. If you shrug one or both shoulders, the loss of tension causes you to tighten up your hips. This inhibits your ability to activate your abs when you roll up, and decreases your ability to stand up powerfully in the lunge. Combined, these lapses put undue stress on vulnerable places like knees and the lumbar spine.
How do you fix your shrugging shoulders? Use what’s known as the “anti-shrug.” Instead of elevating your shoulders, think about pulling your shoulder blades into your back pockets. This engages your lats, which creates a “shelf” capable of supporting the kettlebell overhead and your weight on the floor.
If the anti-shrug doesn’t help, then you’ll have to address your tight muscles, specifically the ones that surround your shoulder girdle: your pecs, lats, triceps, and biceps.
Small Details, Big Difference
These three areas — the grip, elbow, and shoulder — may seem like minor players in a whole-body movement like a Turkish get-up, but I can tell you firsthand from teaching would-be kettlebell instructors over the last 8-plus years that these details make a profound difference, particularly once you’ve got a 53-pound kettlebell over your face. Small decisions and small joints can make the difference between feeling like a strongman’s apprentice and having your jaw wired back together. Choose the right path and earn your stripes the old-fashioned way!
