Kettlebell & lower back pain

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myblueridgelife
myblueridgelife Posts: 1 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm 43 & recently started exercising with kettlebells. I have 8 lb. & 10 lb. KBs, but a trainer told me I wouldn't see a difference & was wasting my time until I at least used a 8kg KB. I followed that advice & bloody hell, I'm in PAIN. My lower back is freaking killing me. Any KB fans out there with sane advice? Will I still get results with the lighter KBs?

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  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited January 2019
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    You can get some results but a KB Swing is a very underrated exercise in terms of form. The form on a KB swing is similar to a deadlift in that you have to absolutely protect the back. Until you get the form down, you should use lighter KBs. Once you get the form down, you should be fine using a 8kg one.

    I'm 54 and use a 52 lb one all the time and my lower back isn't great but I've built it up.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMQHAmCXJAI
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    edited January 2019
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    Kettlebell swings with poor form can cause lower back pain. It's important that you hinge at the hips and don't round your back. Take the time to dial in your form before upping the weight. KBs are great tools, but when used with poor form they can do more harm than good.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
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    If you have tweaked something in your back, you probably need to give it some time to heal before pushing it further. I did the same thong to my back because I was thinking about a death in the family and not thinking about proper form, and I had to take a month off deadlifts till my back felt solid enough to lift again.

    As mentioned above, form is crucial--did the trainer demonstrate correct form before pushing you to use a heavier weight? The lighter weights will help you develop a base for your core strength, but you don't want to stay with the light weights for too long. You will also want to do a variety of other core exercises to build up a stronger foundation--planks, etc. were helpful for me.

  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
    edited January 2019
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    Out of personal experience...your trainer is an idiot. You can do all sorts of things with lighter kettlebells as a beginner. There is no point in starting with heavier weights, unless you have practised proper form. Some exercises will be easier with heavy kettlebells, but some will simply break your back, when you don't have any idea on how to tighten your core and breath properly through the swings.
    If you want to get some use out of the small kettlebells you have, I can recommend the video by Jillian Michales 'Shred it with Weights'. (You might be able to find them free on youtube!) Some might argue that her form isn't good, but I find the video great for starters. It will kick your behind just good enough to develop a taste for the big kettlebells.
    Train safely!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    Your form is off
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
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    Proper form is everything. Hips, glutes and thighs are what you should be using.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    The appropriate size of kB is relative to each persons ability. You cannot say it has to be x lbs to get any result. 8kg is probably too heavy to you and you’re compensating with poor form which is hurting your back. Stop! There are lots of other exercises.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
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    What kind of assessment did this trainer do to determine what weight is correct for you? There’s no universal cutoff line for what weight produces results and what doesn’t. There is an appropriate weight for you-which is based on your current strength, skills and what exercise you’re doing-but that might be 1 (or even 0) pounds or 100 or more. The correct weight is the one where you are getting the proper stimulus during the exercise.

    I’m guessing if you’ve upped the weight and now have pain, the new weight is a little too heavy and/or your form is a little off (or as mentioned above-a combo).
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
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    Get your form buttoned down. There’s a hip hinge movement to it when done correctly. Get some coaching.

    KB swing work will give you an amazingly-strong back and help you take your cardiovascular conditioning to the next level.

    I’m a 63 year old and Sunday, using a 24kg kettlebell, I completed 500 swings in 29:23. My back muscles felt worked but strong after that workout.

    Good luck and be safe.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
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    h7463 wrote: »
    To the friendly MFP member who thought my previous post deserved a 'woo'..not that I really care...look at my profile pic, because that's how I got into kettlebells, and that's what I got out of my training...

    Sorry, I was a Woo. I'll admit it. I liked what you started out with. I know there's a ton of die hard Jillian Michaels fans out there too, but her and Bob Harper both have downright dangerous videos out there for Kettlebells. Bob Harper has a 75 minute KB tape out. NO ONE should do 70 minutes of KB work. Jillian was universally criticized for her poor form and lack of basic understanding about KB work on that same tape you recommended.

    http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/11/health/la-he-fitness-jillian-michaels-20101011
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
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    MikePfirrman wrote: »
    h7463 wrote: »
    To the friendly MFP member who thought my previous post deserved a 'woo'..not that I really care...look at my profile pic, because that's how I got into kettlebells, and that's what I got out of my training...

    Sorry, I was a Woo. I'll admit it. I liked what you started out with. I know there's a ton of die hard Jillian Michaels fans out there too, but her and Bob Harper both have downright dangerous videos out there for Kettlebells. Bob Harper has a 75 minute KB tape out. NO ONE should do 70 minutes of KB work. Jillian was universally criticized for her poor form and lack of basic understanding about KB work on that same tape you recommended.

    http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/11/health/la-he-fitness-jillian-michaels-20101011

    Hahaha! No problem! You gotta get into the video to understand. I like her videos for the exercise lineups. They are not my bibles. Nobody is forcing me to finish the workouts in the same pace or time along with the pros. Sometimes, I modify exercises to work around soreness or injuries. Gotta use common sense on that.
    You have to look at the videos as guidelines, and then have fun with it.

    The one I'm talking about, isn't a 'kettlebell workout' in a classic sense, it is a cardio-with-weights approach. So you would want to start out light to get some endurance, anyway.
    Nobody ever has all body parts in an equally well conditioned state, and I started with water bottles, then different weights. I did whatever I felt would challenge me most, and barely allow me to survive 30 min. :D
    After several years, I still use the workouts to prep for more advanced lifting programs. On a good day, it's the 15 lbs kettlebell throughout. In the meantime, I aquired a little army of kettlebells. My 'gym budget' goes into my own equipment now.

    BUT, and this is the thing that I always have with trainers (as mentioned above), who dismiss light kettlebells/weights (as if they didn't have to check their ego at the door):
    IMO, it doesn't matter which weights you start with, as long as you show up for your workout! In a perfect world, that trainer would have grabbed the 8lbs kettlebell, and worked the potential client through the paces, to find out what they are made of.
    Personally, I love heavy lifts, but I can destroy you just as well with a little dumbbell.
    I don't train anybody else, but upon her request, I had a 240lbs girl workout along with me. I taught her the moves of said video one at a time during our warmups before lifting, and after a few weeks, she killed the entire program! So proud of her!
    I can tell from experience, with a sensible approach, you can get someone hooked for a lot of workouts to come! And then, let the kettlebells get heavy!

    Happy lifting!
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    Poor form and/or too much weight too soon. Do what is appropriate for your body and your conditioning... and do it well/properly.
  • Dansfightforlife
    Dansfightforlife Posts: 111 Member
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    I have heard that kettlebell swings can put a lot of stress/pressure/whathaveyou on the lumbar spine. I wish I had better information about this but I don't. My general rule of thumb is "If it hurts, don't do it". By that I mean if there is any joint pain or any abnormal discomfort which is not normally associated with exercise don't do the exercise. There is no single exercise that everyone needs to be doing, so just do what you can do and still be pain free.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    YOur form would have been the problem. There is also a tonne of other stuff you can do that is not kettlebell swinging that has less chance of you *kitten* your back up.

    My physio said that the majority of gym injuries he gets at this practice is from people swinging kettlebells.

    I never do them, I don't see the need when I can do other stuff that will still strengthen my back, work my glutes, core and legs (eg snatch grip deadlifts). Some exercises are just waiting for you to lose form for 1 second to completely *kitten* you up.

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