Colin Cooley, MS-Exercise Science, American Kettlebell Club Coach
Kettlebells provide a fantastic way to repair immobile joints & strengthen tendons to heal and prevent injuries to the body’s load bearing joints (ankles, knees, hips and shoulders).
The kettlebell swing stands as the root exercise for all kettlebell lifts. It is paramount that the swing be the cornerstone of your training. The Swing blurs the line of distinction between what is cardio and what is strength training.
Ankles
Ankles are often the most neglected area of the body. In truth they act as a “circuit breaker”, supporting 100% of the body’s load. With the Kettlebell, most exercises are done in a closed chain, or freestanding position. This causes the ankles to be challenged and for the feet to be fully planted and allowing for optimal balance. This is critical for strengthening ankles.
Knees
Working in a clinical setting I see many people of all ages with severe knee dysfunction. The Kettlebell swing allows me to work around knee trouble and is very adaptable: If you’ve have knee problems you quickly learn to load the hamstrings properly and use the lower back and gluteals into proper extension.
The Hips or Pelvis
I find that the hip extension, a.k.a. hip snap is incredible for realigning the pelvis. With weak, misaligned hips, the problem is often with “gluteal amnesia”: The muscles of the **** are turned off. Muscles control bones. If the muscles start “firing again”, the hips get back into alignment.
Shoulders
Modern times have forsaken our primordial Shoulders. Sitting for long periods at work in the car etc rounds our shoulders and weakens our upper back. Pain ensues. The kettlebell swing provides arm extension and can eliminate pain and repair structurally weak muscles and develop dense ligaments and tendons. If you have small children implementing brachiating activities into their daily routines is imperative to their neck, shoulder and upper core development and stability. Ask Colin and/or Dr. B about brachiating and their children!
Swings are based around momentum: Momentum give the arms the ability to seamlessly flex and extend, without pain all the while strengthening forearms, elbow or olecranon joint, shoulders and neck.
By: Colin Cooley, MS
About the Author:
I am Colin Cooley, owner of Cooley Fitness Concepts, LLC and operate out of a studio call Advanced Spine and Wellness Center in Rockville, MD.
In addition to being a trainer, I am a Chiropractic Assistant. At ASWC, we use the Kettlebell to correct common dysfunctions we see in our sedentary and pain ridden society. In addition, I am a conditioning coach with a company call Performance Lacrosse.
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