Hi Tim / All

I was after some advice about how best to structure my training.

Over the past 6 months I have added a simple kettlebell routine to do after my Taiji practice (basic swings, cleans and snatches) with great results - except that I've noticed that my body has tightened up a bit.

I've recently stopped the kettlebells and started practising the 16 health exercises in Tims book which have helped me to lose some of the tension I have been holding and also improve my all round flexibility.

I'd like to return to the kettlebells soon and keep the 16 exercises but I am not sure how to structure my training to get the best results. Going on gut instict I was planning to do the health exercises as a warm up, followed by my taiji and on alternate days go through my kettlebell routine. Does this sound sensible?

Thanks in advance for any help / advice.

Cheers,
Andy

Not Tim, but if you do the KB first and then do your taiji, the taiji helps loosen up the tightness the KB might bring

Peter's suggestion is the way most strength coaches would do it- some kind of stretching or mobility work AFTER the strength work to reduce DOMS and reduced ROM.

I am curious... Is there a particular reason that you feel using a kettlebell has reduced your Range of Motion? The exercises that you described using don't sound to me like the kind of thing to tighten you up. Presumeably you learned those moves from the RKC books and DVDs? If so, why not try the Windmill, deep Swings, and maybe some RDLs to help stretch you out while you are lifting? I've found that generally speaking, RDLs, snatches and swings tend to grease up most of the guys that I teach them to. Especially snatches and shoulders. You can't really do a real snatch without having better than average shoulder flexibility. Why not try some overhead squats, going nice and deep. You'll feel better, and you'll be made out of something tougher when you are done.

Andrew,

Practicing the 16 Exercises as a warm up and alternating days with the KB sounds sensible.

Complex training or plyometrics with weights is excellent for development of myofibular muscle mass and endurance. There are two problems with it though one of which you have run into already. The reason you are getting tight is your basic body motion is a line. A line can only compress or stretch. You cannot do simultaneous compression and stretching with line motion. You can do it with wave motion. Here is a hint, grip with your toes and squeeze your legs as you left a kettleball the opposite when you go down with the ketteleball. Try this with a swing motion first then with cleans and last snatches. Also vary the weights, for myself I’ll start with a 16kg kettleball move up to a 24kg , and last but not lest a 32kg and back down to 16kg.

The other problem you have either discovered or deduced on your own is you can’t do horizontal, diagonal or circular motions to well with kettlebells. Use sand bags of various weights and size to do these motions. The 16 health exercises you can do before during and after your kettlebell training.

im sure theres something better to do then kettlebells.

Sure there is sandbags work just as well and there much cheaper.

Thanks for the responces guys

The wave motion is an interesting idea... something new to experiment with!

Cheers,
Andy

i like to stretch too.

theres nothing wrong with kettlebells. The tool itself is not going to make you less flexible, it's more how you use them. Try CRAC stretching with a partner!

Get a KB and do some overhead squats. Enjoy!