If you’re over the age of 21 there’s a high chance you are like me, and finding that your body just isn’t has robust as it used to be. It’s harder to get warmed up, it’s tougher to train to a full range of motion and those little aches and pains seem to be creeping up quickly. 21 is on the young side for a reduction in tissue function but depending on your athletic career it’s common to start feeling the ill effects of all those hard sporting years by the age of 21 if you’ve not looked after your body.
When referring to tissue, it’s really the fascia that we’re focussing on. This is the intertwined connective tissue which runs throughout our muscles and around our joints. The matrix of fascia holds everything together and connects all things. It’s role in movement is becoming more understood thanks to the work of Thomas Myers and it is now accepted as playing a key role in movement dysfunction.
So why should the kettlebell be so good at improving fascia health? What’s the magic behind that iron ball? Throughout my 20’s I trained with kettlebells multiple times per week and always wondered why I could step up to bar and deadlift 200kg without training for it, or go out and run a sub 40 minute 10k without running for a year. Before I knew much about fascia I didn’t really have an answer, but after seeing how fascia plays such an important role in function it is clear to me that the kettlebell played a huge part in these non-specific results.
Improve connective tissue health with kettlebell training
Here’s 5 reasons why the kettlebell can help improve tissue health and keep you moving for many years to come.
ECCENTRIC MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT.
Whether it’s the principle of load to unload or tapping into elastic potential, the eccentric portion of muscular contraction needs to be trained. For increased stability and injury reduction the ability for our muscles to eccentrically load effectively is important. The kettlebells design means that the load is further away from our body, or the axis. This creates a longer leaver on the lowering phase of the swing or snatch meaning greater load and force pulling us in that direction. The shape and handle also means there is no change of the vectoral line of force. The bell is essentially one with our hand.
INTEGRATION OF TISSUES ACROSS MYOFASCIAL TRAINS.
When you move across multiple joints with no fixed external axis the integration of the muscular chains is always going to be greater than fixed resistance. However, the tool used can also increase the amount of loading through the myofascial system. The nature of the movement and forces on the body during the loading phases of the dynamic kettlebell exercises really taps into the concept of movement not muscles. There is much greater stress placed on the fascia and connective tissue during these loading phases. Although these tissues take longer to adapt than muscular tissue. They still adapt to positive stress and become more able to deal with anything that is thrown at the body.
DYNAMIC MOVEMENT AND SPEED PROFILE MORE SIMILAR TO OTHER ACTIVITIES.
Ever seen a big muscle guy who’s spent years on isolated movements pick up a kettlebell and try to swing with fluidity and speed? It normally looks more like a front raise! However, watch a well trained kettlebell user move and you’ll see how the speed of movement and coordination between joints is much more similar to that of everyday movement and sport. This dynamic speed of movement prepares out fascia and connective tissue for the forces placed on in everyday activity and sport.
LOW WEIGHT = LESS STRESS ON TISSUE.
The kettlebell is a very low weight compared to the loads used in compound strength training of similar movement pattern. Those used to swinging with a 24kg generally wouldn’t think twice at deadlifting 150. The concentric forces placed on the connective tissues are a lot less and because they start with a loading phase every time, the tissues build up elastic energy first and become stronger in the following concentric phase.
ALLOWS FOR GREATER RANGE OF MOTION.
There are no limitations in range or movement with the kettlebell. The body is the only limiting factor. Therefore, we can train to a full range of motion, taking our joints to their optimal range. This helps to develop tensile strength in the connective tissue and fascia as it is really at the end range when they must work hard.
So, if you’re considering why kettlebells? That’s hopefully given you some real reasons to use them for training. Become more robust, less injury prone and stay strong for many years to come.
If you’re interested in learning more about the kettlebell, we offer a 2 hour online workshop which helps you learn how to perform the swing and if you after some in-depth knowledge we provide a 2 day kettlebell certification, which really digs deep into the techniques and purpose.
This image demonstrates how the connective tissue surrounds the muscular fibres.
References>
Anatomy Trains, 2nd Edition. Thomas W. Myers. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2009.