In this issue:
Video of the week: side & bent press tips
The side & bent presses are great old-school moves that will allow you to get more weight over your head than possible with a strict military press. They also illustrate one of the best aspects of kettlebell training: using all of your muscles in unison for true functional strength. Both presses are best done if you recruit your lat muscles. That concept is often new to people... this week, Greg Pappas, RKC, offers up a great tip to "feel" that proper loading of the lats.
Ask Dr. Ron: Will kettlebells destroy my shoulder?
Ronald J. Tyszkowski
DC Chiropractic Physician Clinical Staff
Women and Infants Hospital
There seems to be a lot of controversy and confusion concerning overhead kettlebell exercises. Some doctors and therapists think the kettlebell overhead press and the snatch should be avoided at all cost. Others, including me, feel that it can be essential for rehabbing many types of shoulder injuries. What is the truth? Let’s see.
The most important thing to remember about shoulder training is that the shoulder is both the most dynamic and most unstable joint in the body. It has a very large functional range of motion. But to accomplish this, it sacrifices a lot of stability. The only connection that your shoulder has to your skeleton is at the sterno-clavicluar joint, which in most people has a diameter of only a few centimeters. So what the heck are we doing performing snatches with a 24kg kettle bell?
Because of the unique features of the shoulder (dynamic and unstable), kettlebell training has the potential to be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you progress too quickly and with poor form, there is no doubt that you can cause yourself irreparable harm. That being said, proper kettlebell training can also properly position and strengthen your shoulder in ways that almost no other exercise can.
Internal and External Rotation of the Shoulder
Proper positioning of the shoulder at rest can be compromised by traditional weight training which focuses on isotonic exercises of the large muscles of the shoulder (pectoralis major and lattisimus dorsi) which can result in a static internal rotation of the shoulder due to muscle shortening and strength imbalance. This places the relatively small rotator cuff (an external rotator of the shoulder) into a stretch position. This can lead to rotator cuff tendonitis and possibly tearing. If an overhead or military press is attempted with the shoulder pre-positioned into internal rotation, the chance of injury is significantly increased because key shoulder stabilizers (which focus on external rotation) are unable to properly function.
Conversely, proper kettlebell training builds the stabilizers of the shoulder including the mid and lower trapezius and lattissimus dorsi (contracting in a isometric rather than isotonic manner). This pattern of muscle use emphasizes a static external rotation of the shoulder, thereby protecting the rotator cuff. Additionally, this results in a chest forward/shoulders back posture which promotes proper spinal alignment and improved respiratory capacity. When an overhead press or snatch is performed properly, the The proper end position requires external rotation of the shoulder. This places the shoulder in a position of “maximum stability” which significantly decreases the chance of injury.
In conclusion, please remember that “maximum stability” of the shoulder is still pretty unstable. It is imperative that you maintain proper form, use the appropriate weights and know your limitations. That being said, these exercises done correctly will improve the strength level and overall health of your shoulder like nothing else. Good Luck!!!
Please send any questions for Dr. Ron to mos@artofstrength.com... or better yet, post your questions for him in our online forum for all to benefit!
Mailbag motivation: Sir Iain the Strong
Dear Anthony,
Many thanks for the excellent AOS Providence DVD. A brilliant, challenging workout routine. I have trained with weights for about 25 years, and was quite big & strong, but not as CV fit as I would have liked. In just 3 months working out with the DVD & a16kg kettlebell, I have shed 8 pounds of fat & gained 4 pounds of muscle as determined by caliper measurements.
It was very demanding following the DVD to begin with, but your motivation and my own perseverance got me through it after a few tries. I have recently received the Newport DVD from London kettlebells and had a couple of goes with that, but it takes you to a new level of endurance & perseverance! I have also found that my elevated cholesterol levels and raised blood pressure have returned to well within the norm levels, and my resting pulse has dropped from 62 to 52, all of which my doc is very happy about!
Please feel free to post my e-mail in the next AOS newsletter. For the record, I will be 40 this July. I just got disillusioned with the whole traditional bodybuilding/weight training scene. Full of bloated steroid/synthol freaks who couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded, let alone do a set of squats into sumo deadlifts! I believe in the old boxing adage that form should follow function, with a fit, functional body capable of being strong whilst cv fit… not a bloated collection of body parts stuck together! The kettlebells are on the way to giving me the boxers type of physique that I've always been in pursuit of.
Thanks for your feedback & products. I hope that your young "gym rats" will feel inspired to keep pushing themselves through the workouts… not just for the physical aspect, but also the physiological aspect.
Regards,
Iain Lindsay
Essex, UK
*** Brits take note: the fastest and least expensive way for you to get your hands on our AOS DVD's is through London Kettlebells at www.londonkettlebells.com.
A message from Rod Strong:
The man behind the AOS music
What’s up everybody?!? I am Rod Strong, an Italian-American hip hop artist from the East Coast. Most of you probably recognize me from the Art of Strength DVD’s. My music keeps you fighting and moving through every AOS workout. I do these workouts myself and believe me… I know what you are going through!
We love to hear from AOS customers. I think you people might listen to my music more times in a week than any other fans!! We’ve been amazed to get emails and calls from AOS fans from Indiana to Italy to Iraq. A lot of you have been asking how to get more info on me, my albums, and upcoming events. Look below for more details on that.
First, I thought you’d like to hear how we got involved with AOS in the first place. Anthony DiLuglio was apparently on a serious search for the right music for his DVD’s. At a red light, he found himself behind my Rod Strong/High Horse Entertainment tour van. Anthony looked at the van and said, “Hmm, this might be just what I am looking for.” So he jotted down the phone number and gave our production company a call. I’d never heard of a kettlebell, but we were two hard-working, half-crazy guineas and found instant business success and not to mention a great friendship… It’s really been a great collaboration.
Owning and operating my own record label, High Horse Entertainment, gives me the opportunity to have complete creative control. But trust me... it’s a huge ladder to climb! Recording a song involves many hard working hours in the studio. Some songs take hours, some take days, and some take weeks. Some songs will involve only myself from the production to the lyrics to the recording while others may have featured singers, musicians, rappers or engineers. Every experience is different, which helps keep the music fresh and different all the time. It’s exhausting and strenuous but very rewarding when a song is complete. There’s nothing like sitting in the studio, banging the speakers, and listening to a final mix. The thrill is unexplainable, I’m just happy to be able to share my talents and music with the public. That’s the most rewarding part of it all… to stand for something!
I want to thank everybody who has purchased my current CD “The Album” through the Art of Strength. Anthony’s latest DVD “Fire Power” features some of the new beats off my upcoming album due to be released in mid 2007. You can listen to or download my new CD single “Bachelor Love” on http://myspace.com/rodstronghighhorseentertainment or my double CD “The Album” on http://www.rodstrongmusic.com
Don’t forget to click on “friend request” on myspace or sign up for my fan club at http://www.rodstrongmusic.com so I can update you with my newsletter on new music, the album release party, and upcoming tour dates.
Whether you visit my myspace page or website, let me know if you’ve heard of me through Art of Strength. Thanks again for all your support and enjoy your workouts!
-Rod Strong