Kettle bells are killing my trapezius muscles! Any hints?

QueenBee2018

I have been doing Stronglifts for 6 months and love it, wanted to add in some kettle bells because it gets my heart rate up there. I have used the 30 lb and the 15 lb kettle bell--both caused horribly sore trap muscles for days--nothing else is sore. Any ideas on this--will it get better with repeated use? Any pointers on form? No desire to have bulky traps. They seem like a great exercise but I"m not sure its worth it unless the soreness decreases.

tinkerbellang83

Lighter kettlebells?

alyssa_rest

What exercises are you doing with it?

Kettlebell swings are great. Use your hips to propel the kettleball forward. Don't use your arms to pull up on it. It also wouldn't hurt to look up some videos on form. It should work your hamstrings, glutes, and core and less arms.

h1udd

be aware of your form .... I assume you were doing swings ??? .... your arms are attached to your traps in a roundabout way and swinging that bell out will pull hard on your scapular, so you need to make sure you keep you shoulders packed (sucked in to the sockets, down and back like you are deadlifting) and thrust from the hip.

My traps only get sore if I over do it and get start sloppy on form ... but it is kind of normal if you google it you will see loads of posts of people complaining about traps when begining swings

stanmann571

What program/cues are you using?

Assuming You're doing Swings. Make sure you're actually doing the swings correctly. If you are, going heavier might be better than going lighter.

If you're not following a particular plan, Strongly suggest you find one.

1. Swings are a hinge, not a squat, so practice ballistic DLs with a heavier weight(not so heavy as to compromise form). Hold at the top, and inventory your packed shoulders and on the way down be mindful of your hinge.
2. Spread your toes, drive your heels, and pack your shoulders. Practice this with the DL Hinge before going back to swings.

rybo

Are you doing American or Russian swings?
Russian would be greatly preferred. Keep your shoulders down, engage your lats, don't shrug. Hinge at the waist, don't squat.

QueenBee2018

Thanks for the feedback--I am doing swings but have not been packing my shoulders down, also suspect I am doing more of a squat than a hinge. Thanks for the feedback--I will rewatch the videos and give it another try.

stanmann571

QueenBee2018 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback--I am doing swings but have not been packing my shoulders down, also suspect I am doing more of a squat than a hinge. Thanks for the feedback--I will rewatch the videos and give it another try.

Check Sara Luries DVD on amazon... it's under $10 and any of Pavel's Kbell books... Simple and sinister is the most recent, but they're all good.

QueenBee2018

I have simple and sinister but will check the video. Thanks again. This is such a great community for support!

1houndgal

QueenBee2018 wrote: »

I have been doing Stronglifts for 6 months and love it, wanted to add in some kettle bells because it gets my heart rate up there. I have used the 30 lb and the 15 lb kettle bell--both caused horribly sore trap muscles for days--nothing else is sore. Any ideas on this--will it get better with repeated use? Any pointers on form? No desire to have bulky traps. They seem like a great exercise but I"m not sure its worth it unless the soreness decreases.

Listen to your body. If it hurts when you do it, stop doing it. Pain is your body telling yourself there is something wrong. If you don't want to stop doing it, consult a trainer and let him/her check your form for errors. Just remember there are plenty of other excercises out there that you can do, without risking an injury. Hope this helps.