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A new approach to kettlebell lifting dissecting the swing!

by Kenneth Jay Z-Health Master trainer

Author correspondence: NeuroSig aps Kenneth Jay phone: +45 6170 1009 email: email@kennethjay.dk www.kennethjay.dk

This free report made public April 2011 and the material presented herein merely reflects my own thoughts, questions and observations during several years spent trying to understand and elucidate obvious discrepancies in physical development. While the structure of this report resembles a scientific paper it should NOT be viewed as such. Video of the described styles of swinging a kettlebell can be found at http:// vimeo.com/22640813. Finally, the report is both conceptually and textually dense so I recommend reading it several times. Thank you!

A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

Introduction! Methods !
Test protocol! Materials! Maximal eccentric muscle strength! Statistical analysis!

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Results !
Subjective feel!

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Discussion!
Benets of the Experimental swing style! Adding more joints to the movement! Bone rhythm! Consequences of the PBS swing! Short-term consequences! Long-term consequences! Too much focus on strength! Limitations of the present experiment!

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Conclusions!
Closing comments!

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A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

Introduction
As a scientist I find myself constantly analyzing the results I am seeing in my own training and in the training of others. Not just if the goal of the training is accomplished but also how it is accomplished and what consequences it carries. This is what this article is about: The possible consequences of the foundation of the kettlebell ballistics in the most typically used approach. More specifically, a style of swinging a kettlebell that is based on the techniques of powerlifting. The following questions will be discussed: 1) Is that approach the most advantageous in relation to force production 2) force development 3) athletic movement and 4) health. The data presented in this article compares powerlifting-based style (PBS) of swinging a kettlebell to an experimental style (EXP).

Methods
Test protocol A test population of 30 men and women all with a minimum of 3 months of kettlebell experience were tested in maximal eccentric muscle strength of the Latissimus Dorsi m., the Gluteus Maximus m., the Gluteus Medius m. and the Biceps Femoris m. All test subjects were tested in the powerlifting-based style swing (PBS) bottom position and the bottom position for an experimental style (EXP) of swinging a kettlebell. Briefly, the PBS style of swinging a kettlebell involves the following: 1) Maintenance of the box-squat alignment, 2) zero elevation and protraction of the shoulders, 3) vertical, or as close to as possible, shins at the bottom of the swing, 4) kettlebell above knee level at the bottom of the swing, 5) no forward knee movement in the concentric phase, heels down and knees tracking the toes at all times, 6) hip external rotation less than 45 degrees, 7) full hip/knee/ elbow extension at the top of the swing and 8) the use of the biomechanical breathing match. The EXP style of swinging a kettlebell focuses on: 1) Stance width of 1 - 2 times shoulder width, 2) knees tracking inside of the medial side of the foot, 3) matching knee and hip flexion and thereby letting the knees go forward, 4) matching torso and shin angle at the bottom of the swing and 5) feet aligned straight or almost straight ahead.

A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

Materials A Lafayette Instruments manual muscle tester (model: 01163) was used to record peak Force/kgs and time/s to peak force. Testing procedure was standardized in accordance with guidelines of the Lafayette testing system. The testing device (strain gauge-based) and procedure has been validated as repeatable and reliable elsewhere in the literature.

Maximal eccentric muscle strength Each muscle test was performed in the position specific to the two swing styles and in accordance with the prime mover actions of the muscle in question. Three test attempts were conducted on each muscle and the highest score was recorded along with the time it took to develop it. If the third attempt showed more than a 5% increase compared to attempt one or two- additional attempts were performed until no increase (< 5%) could be detected. One minute of rest was given between attempts to recover.

Statistical analysis A post hoc paired 2-tailed t-test was conducted in Microsoft Excel for Mac 2008 for significance values (p=0.05). Results are reported as means.

Results
Subjective feel All subjects reported that the experimental style felt a lot more solid, natural and stable regardless of the individual results. Furthermore, several people reported that they would feel much more confident swinging a heavier kettlebell in the EXP style.

Table 1: Table 1 shows the results of the muscle testing of the Latissimus Dorsi (dominant side), Gluteus Maximus (dominant side), Gluteus Medius (dominant side) and Biceps Femoris (dominant side). ns = non-signicant.

A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

Discussion
The PBS style swing with limited ankle motion and knees tracking the feet (external hip rotation) could possibly create a shear force in the calcaneous joints as well as in the 4th and 5th metatarsal joints which could to trigger a gait reflex that inhibits extension on the contra-lateral side. The problem seems to be solvable by changing the direction of force application into the ground as well as aligning the body in a slightly more upright posture while allowing the knees to move forward (increased ankle dorsi flexion). This is could be obtained simply by applying force medially on the foot and having the knees track on the inside of the proximal/distal phalanx of the hallux.

Benets of the Experimental swing style 1) With a change in dynamic postural alignment to a slightly more upright torso (matching torso and shin angle) in the bottom position of the swing will change the trajectory of the kettlebell to a more vertical path as it is swung, cleaned or snatched overhead. This means that more force can be generated and steered into the ground as the horizontal displacement of the kettlebell is reduced. Furthermore, because of the angled knee position as the result of taking off the pressure of the 4th and 5th metatarsal joints the knees and thereby the force vectors are changed in favor of more force being applied directly into the ground instead of being displaced laterally. 2) The Mm. Quadriceps and Mm. Triceps Surae will be able to add to the force production during the swing as they will experience a greater stretch on the downswing. This will form more actin/myosin cross bridges within each muscle fiber and ultimately enable the muscle to contract with greater force without decreasing force production in the hip extensor muscles. 3) By changing the posture and allowing the knees to move forward and having the shin and torso angle match, the strength of the dynamic structural body position is increased, hence the ability to distribute, generate and direct force is improved as well. The argumentation is based on scientific principles of mathematics and geometry. Consider this example from an architectural viewpoint: Figure 1 and 2 (see below) represents two different geometrical structures. Figure 1 has three distinct angles and figure 2 has no angles. If we apply load straight down on each structure the displacement of force will be different and the structural capacity to support that load will also differ. As force is applied to structure 1 it is split up into two vectors: AB and AC. That means that once force has travelled through point A it no longer gets further distributed but is steered down a
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A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

straight line. Furthermore, if load (F) is applied slightly off the center (point A) of the structure there is nowhere for the force to go other that straight down. If the force is great enough it will go through the structure. Now, consider figure 2. If the same load (F) is applied at the top of this structure the force will be distributed an infinite number of times with the possibility of steering the force along the lines of the arch. This is possible because an arch is simply the manifestation of an infinite number of angels in sequence.

Viewing athletic movement from this perspective and replacing the word angle with the word joint it should become clear that the more joints you get involved in athletic movement the better you will be able to steer and displace force during movement. As force travels through a joint it has the potential to gain momentum and be amplified. If there are more joints involved in the movement there is a greater potential for the force to be amplified. This of course makes sense even without a background in biomechanics or kinesiology. The joint is moved by muscle contraction that is greater than the internal resistance otherwise no movement would occur.

Adding more joints to the movement In short, trying to add more joints to the movement will likely give you the ability to the following: 1) Direct/steer the force. Force generation is important but what does it matter if you cannot steer it to where you want it to go? Consider the fact that the greatest athletes in sports are rarely the ones who squat, bench and deadlift the highest numbers in the gym.
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A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

2) Force distribution. Force can be distributed throughout the body structure so no part of the body is loaded excessively. In the PBS swing the hips are dominating the action which means that overloading this structure can create movement restrictions in the hip and Sijoint. By changing the structure to the experimental style it will be able handle greater loads more safely and it will take a greater outside perturbation to compromise the structure. Geometry tells us that the stability of an arch is superior compared to an angular shape. In addition, using simple mathematics it can be shown that an arch will cover a greater area than any other structure (the arch that covers the greatest area will be a circle if viewed in 2D. In 3D it will be a sphere). This is directly related to stability of structure and pose an important aspect in contact activities and everyday life. 3) More force can potentially be generated faster. Not only is it safer you will also be more powerful. In short, the following benefits are revealed: 1) In order to form arches mobility is required, 2) when the body is a 3D arch the greatest stability is obtained and 3) the 3D curved dynamic structural alignment allows the display of greater force generation and steering- hence strength/power is increased.

Bone rhythm Bone rhythm is a concept that goes hand in hand with arches in movement and the validation is also to be found in basic geometry. As simple as the concept is, it is much overlooked and yet a fundamental part of efficient movement. Basically, bone rhythm refers to the skill of reaching end-position extension and flexion in muliti-joint movements at the same time. swing (www.baseballanalysts.com). The principle remains the Combining that with the arches
same when swinging a kettlebell. Figure 3: Summation of force illustration from a baseball bat

vs. angles principle you will find that the bone rhythm of movement happens much more fluently if the joints in question have similar distances to cover. If the angular distances are
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A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

the same (or close to) the joints can move at the same speed (or close to) in order to reach end-position at the same time. If this does not occur and one joint locks out before the other joint there is no summation of force but instead a decrease in net torque with the result of a decreased weight lifted and possible overload of individual body structures.

Summation of force is only optimized if: 1) joints are allowed to move and 2) the structure of the body is a 3D arch.

Being a performance coach and having a degree in exercise physiology from the University of Copenhagen Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences I have seen and analyzed the best athletes across sports. One thing that stands out whether looking at Michael Jordan, Sotomayor, Bruce Lee, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Manny Pacman Pacquaio, Michael Laudrup, Karelin or Ronaldo is that their structure when performing, is the embodiment of a three dimensional arch. The greatest athletes seem to be incorporating as many joints as possible in a rhythmic fashion whenever they move. It is also interesting to think about that these athletes are usually also the ones with the longest careers and the least amount of injuries. As the kettlebell, and the PBS approach to lifting it, has become increasingly popular in football (i.e. the NFL), fighting sports (i.e. the UFC) as well as other sports, the argument could be made that keeping the movement of the kettlebell ballistics true to powerlifting might be an acceptable approach from a pure strength perspective but from a movement perspective focusing on health (not interfering with primitive reflexes) and dynamic structural athleticism (actually practicing positions relevant to the way the body moves most efficient forward/lateral/vertical) proposes a nuanced, neurological and SAID-principle based alternative that might very well be worth practicing.

Consequences of the PBS swing Short-term consequences The restriction of ankle dorsi flexion can possibly lead to a loss of mobility and a subsequent arthrokinetic reflex (AR) response from the immobile joints. Given the amount of swing-based repetitions even in a single training session (several hundreds) with body
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A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

loading up to 6-8 times the kettlebell weight at relatively high speeds this loss of mobility and AR response can occur instantaneously.

Long-term consequences Potential long term ramifications of repeatedly executing PBS swing lifts and thereby triggering primitive gait reflexes without gait occurring could be considered quite severe. This is indicated by longitudinal unofficial observations of the impaired gait mechanics (more specifically the SI joint function) of people who have tens or even hundreds of thousands repetitions of PBS swing practice in their training history. The discrepancy between the triggered reflex and the actual action of the body for repeated repetitions under significant load and speed is of serious concern, as altering a primitive reflex will potentially interfere with the bodys neurological hardwiring. As the brain is anticipatory in nature, triggering of the aforementioned gait reflex will cause the ocular motor reflexes to anticipate locomotion. When locomotion does not occur but the brain thinks it does it will cause confusion in signal interpretation in Central Command. Central Command will in turn increase the sensitivity of central and peripheral protective mechanisms (Golgi tendon organs etc.) thereby limiting force production, force direction, ROM, flexibility etc. The obvious question then has to be asked: Could this be the reason why an increasing number of people as they gain experience and accumulate repetitions in a PBS setting also develop movement restrictions (decreased mobility) that ultimately causes pain and in some cases structural injury?

Too much focus on strength When single factoring out strength as the end all attribute to develop it has consequences for the all the other equally important attributes that contribute to increased performance. The late Dr. Mel C. Siff poses an interesting model in his classic book Supertraining where he outlines several other attributes to equally focus on. Attributes like speed and quickness, flexibility/mobility, individual style and endurance are all attributes that needs to be developed, practiced and integrated in order to maintain homeostasis and a balanced whole. The strength attribute is fine but with everything else if it is not balanced and integrated with other attributes it will dominate the athlete in such a way that every task/challenge is met by playing the strength card. This will in time create an imbalance in athletic homeostasis. Imbalances can often be masked in the beginning but as time progress it becomes increasingly difficult and movement restrictions, pain and injury becomes a reality. This is of course confusing because that same focus on strength for
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A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

most beginners often times actually decrease pain sensation and increases movement ability. There is a thing as having too little strength but there is also the issue of having too much strength without the ability to display it throughout the structure and it could appear that is what happens to dedicated PBS swing practitioners.

Limitations of the present experiment The experiment and the results reported in this article does NOT qualify as peer review level material. Plenty of factors can be pointed out as lacking in this experiment if going for scientific publication (eg. no control group, no EMG, no video analysis, no intervention period, not being randomized/blinded etc.) but that does not undermine the initial observed results of changing the stance in the kettlebell swing. Furthermore, it has to be recognized that almost all strength training technique and its instruction is purely based on experience of the instructor and has little or no scientific backing. Plenty examples of this are to be found on the internet and in books by self-proclaimed gurus. Hopefully, this will change so an independent knowledge-base can guide the instruction of strength and conditioning resulting in less pain, discomfort and injuries among the athletes. The present experiment was conducted merely to illustrate points made in regard to the problems observed with the traditional powerlifting-based swing style and its confounding factors. Nevertheless the results are interesting and are backed up by anecdotal observations made by other strength and conditioning professionals with a background in the PBS swing methodology.

Conclusions
In this limited and initial experiment on differences in force output by changing swing stances it was shown that for this test group the EXP style of the bottom position of the swing was noteworthy and in some cases significantly better compared to the PBS kettlebell swing position. The underlying mechanisms responsible for this are not clear, however the triggering of primitive gait reflexes may play a role and further research should investigate this.

Closing comments While this is only an experiment and not a sanctioned study the results and the extrapolations made in relation to discomfort, pain and possible injury are definitely plausible based on current neuroscience. A lot of traditional rehab with corrective drills
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A new approach to kettlebell lifting - dissecting the swing! by Kenneth Jay

designed for building strength in specific muscles and positions have failed miserably throughout the years and that is unlikely to change. The idea of just get stronger if there is something you cant do - something advocated by many strength coaches around the world - is an outdated ineffective approach to dealing with movement related discomfort, pain and injury. Being athletic is much more than being strong. Strength is one attribute that is important but it is a mistake to make it the single factor in athleticism. Many more attributes exist and should be equally acknowledged. What the strongest people do in a given setting is usually not the most athletic to anyone else not competing in events based on strength as the main necessary attribute. Well rounded athleticism and being able to move like an athlete is so much more that displaying strength. This article is for information purposes in an area that are dominated by a PBS methodology and is meant as new inspiration and will hopefully inspire more people to question what they are told in regards to lifting kettlebells. Further research can hopefully clarify these observations in more detail so scientifically peer-reviewed articles can be published and change the mindset of dedicated kettlebell athletes. As more research is coming out on kettlebells I hope we will see more questioning of the classic/traditional ways of lifting a kettlebell. If you would like more information on this or have any questions please do not hesitate to email me or stop by my website www.kennethjay.dk. Here you will find plenty more information as well as the most recent peer-reviewed scientific articles on kettlebell training as they are published. You can friend me on facebook at www.facebook.com/coachkennethjay or follow me on twitter @kenneth_jay. I am also available for workshops, lectures and seminars on everything from kettlebell training to neuroscience. learn more at www.kennethjay.dk.

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