Kettlebell workouts are amazing because they burn a lot of calories, work out the entire body, and work on the most important parts that enable you to live a long, fit and happy life – such as your hips, back, and core. However, as good as it is, there are some cautions to consider. In the following situations, it’s best to avoid a kettlebell workout.
You Cannot Do a Plank
If you cannot hold a plank for any length of time, you are not strong enough at your core to do kettlebell workouts without injury. That’s okay, though – it doesn’t mean you will never do it; it just means you need to work on your core first.
You Have Serious Shoulder Problems
If you have shoulder issues already and you do one of the moves wrong, you could end up with a very nasty injury. You can avoid this by not doing any of the overhead exercises that require using your shoulders.
You Have Bad Back Issues
If you have bad back issues, it will be hard for you to do the moves unless you learn how to do them perfectly. And even then, it might hurt too much to do. Plus, if you do have bad back issues, especially your lower back, you’ll want to avoid moves like figure eights and windmills which move your spin from the important neutral posture to twists that can cause injury.
You Want Giant Muscles
Kettlebells do not build giant “bodybuilding” competitive muscles. They build amazing muscle tone over the entire body but don’t bulk you up. This is one reason women love working out with the kettlebell.
You Have Bad Wrists
Since the way you hold the kettlebell is with the handle, it can cause a lot of wrist extension. These can cause pain and make your wrists feel weak when you are ready for exercises that need pushing from your wrists.
You Don’t Have Good Balance
Some people who suffer from undiagnosed (or diagnosed) vertigo may have issues with the kettlebell as they may hit themselves with it when they get aggressive with the moves, especially during cardio workouts.
You Don’t Want to Burn Calories Fast
Kettlebell workouts can burn 1200 calories in an hour, which is one reason people love it so much. But if you are already super-thin and don’t need to do that, you may not find a good use for your kettlebell workouts. Having said that, you can do them slowly instead of fast too.
For most people, using the kettlebell in workouts is going to be a game changer. But if you are one of the few who have any of the issues mentioned above, you may want to find an alternative. However, for some of the ideas you can modify the exercise to make it safer or less stressful on the part of the body you are concerned about.
