Top Q@A with Ash Kettlebells

Ash Ash Hello Ashley, My name is Brendon Hartt and I am a South African living in Edinburgh, Scotland. I am a self employed Personal Trainer and I have recently completed a Kettlebell instructors qualification

Hello Ashley,
My name is Brendon Hartt and I am a South African living in Edinburgh, Scotland. I am a self employed Personal Trainer and I have recently completed a Kettlebell instructors qualification. I am really keen to exploit kettlebells in Edinburgh as they are still quite unknown and I would appreciate your point of view regarding the following questions.

1. What are your general thoughts on kettlebells?

2. Do you use kettlebells with your players and are there noticeable benefits in their strength and conditioning compared to traditional barbell and dumbbell work?

3. Do you think that the double/single kettlebell snatch is a better exercise than the barbell snatch due to better range of movement, more stabilizers coming in to play? 

4. What are the main exercises you use and how do you integrate them into your programs.

6. Do your players do heavy bell work 32kg -40kg?

I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for your time.

Regards

Brendon
www.xplosivefitness.co.uk

Hi there Brendon thanks for your interesting question I will do my best to answer  your specific questions:
 

1. What are your general thoughts on kettlebells? I believe they are useful tool to the arsenal of the s & c coach, they provide variety in programming, they are useful in unilateral training, they challenge the stabilisers, and they are very useful in warm up activities.

2. Do you use kettlebells with your players and are there noticeable benefits in their strength and conditioning compared to traditional barbell and dumbbell work? We integrate the use of KB's into our program with all other both traditional and non traditional tools for the development of power and strength. A regular use of KB's is in warm up when the players will super set skipping and KB swings for 3 sets of 30 - 45 seconds of each, also they are used as a KB complex in warm up, and as an option in the general strength program, we have also had great results from suspending them on bands when squatting.

3. Do you think that the double/single kettlebell snatch is a better exercise than the barbell snatch due to better range of movement, more stabilizers coming in to play?  I do not think it is a better exercise but I like it as an option, possibly when a player has a damaged shouder, also I use it in a rotational fashion as well, the snatch produces the highest power output of any weight training exercise, so it is an essential in any s & c program.

 4. What are the main exercises you use and how do you integrate them into your programs.? Single leg pistol squats holding a KB, KB's attached to squat bar by bands, Turkish Get Up, KB Swings, See Saw Row, Press, Upright Row, Prone Alternate One Arm Row, Snatch, Clean, they are used as options in the strength program also often used in a circuit style or as a change of pace workout.

6. Do your players do heavy bell work 32kg -40kg? Yes we do, 40kg is our heaviest KB and 8kg is our lightest.

 Hope that is of some assistance to you, cheers, ash

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