The Truth About Rotational Kettlebell Exercises - (SAVE YOUR SPINE!)

Rotational Kettlebell Exercises have always been hairy issue and topic of debate. Are these exercises the holy grail and if so, are you missing out on something if choose to ignore them? Or is it the other way around? Is the best practice to stay away from kettlebell exercises, that ballistically and forcefully put your spine in a twist?

According to the world's most renowned spine biomechanics and expert on low back pain Dr. Stuart McGill from @backfitpro9992, it's crucial to avoid any rotational torque from happening when twisting the spine under load.

___ Time Stamp
00:00 Intro
01:04 Experts, Athletes & YouTubers
02:15 Planes Of Motion
03:24 SPP - "Poisonous" Exercises For Combat Athletes
04:40 Anything For The 'Gram
05:23 Rotational Torque
06:28 The 3 Questions
09:10 90 Days Of Kettlebells

___ Links

___ Music

___ Hashtags
#kettlebells
#kettlebellstarkstyle

[lebe-stark]

​Rotational Kettlebell Exercises have always been hairy issue and topic of debate. Are these exercises the holy grail and if so, are you missing out on something if choose to ignore them? Or is it the other way around? Is the best practice to stay away from kettlebell exercises, that ballistically and forcefully put your spine in a twist? - Gregory

[uncleorang]

Kats instructions are some of the very best on YouTube x

[jeffmartinez]

I am a beginner to KB, and my primary goal is to achieve better performance in golf. I want to avoid injury, so I am not willing to try rotational exercises. My intuition tells me that the benefits I will get from non-rotational KB exercises will be enough to reach my goal. And the normal golf practices will give me all the rotational reps I need. Thanks, Gregory!

[Bat_Dance]

I prefer clubs for my rotational work. It’s a great compliment to the heavier vertical work from kettlebells or bodyweight training.

[richardayala]

I do this with a mace, or weighted slub. I play golf so there is a lot of rotation involved.

[SimpleHumman]

what do you think about the Bulgarian bag?

[steelmacecontinuum]

Maces create best mechanics for rotation.

[lowflyingdonut]

Maybe the point of most rotational training wasn't to generate twisting force from the spine but to learn to hold the spine stable while generating rotation from the hips and legs. You also work you way up from really light weights (a few kg) and less rotation to to intermediate (still light, maybe 20kg) over the course of years not weeks. This is what clubs are made for. A lot of those kb rotational movements are variants of the core club movements. halos=casts, side swings=pendulums, side clean=circles, etc. it's all beyond my level - a beginner should probably stick mostly with kb core movements with the kb, and get into clubs to improve rotation - that's my current track. Adjustable clubs are great.

[shantanusapru]

6:55 - That's the point of training for GENERAL fitness; you never know WHEN you might need it/that kind of strength!
The genetic composition is such a cop out & non-argument! There is no single gene for such movement/strength issues; and one can NEVER even know about this...or their 'genetic potential'! And these experts you stated weren't born experts...
Most such exercises are not bad; in fact, they can be very beneficial, but they need to be taught well, and start light...

[steveboutcher]

Great video this one! I got into kettlebell training because kettlebells seemed to just work really well for my body. I'd injured myself earlier with barbells and using kettlebells just felt so good. I spent a few years getting to grips with the foundational movements. Then curiosity took hold and I started experimenting with rotational exercises. They were challenging, both in terms of technique, coordination and strength. I had loads of fun. Then I found the "tick-tock" rocket or "side-to-side" rocket exercise. It was a new, fun challenge. I'd always had a strong back. Deadlift was always my strongest movement. Anyway, after a few sessions of doing the side-to-side rocket, my lumbar side started to ache and feel sore. No big deal I thought... I was sure I had been using sound form as I am always obsessed with good technique. Anyway, a few days later, my back still sore, I attempted to pick up a 24kg bell, something I've done like, a million times before and... BANG! My lumbar spine just exploded! I passed out momentarily, then came the pain. OMG the pain! MRI scans revealed that the disc between my L3 and L4 had exploded. It was totally annihilated. I couldn't get out of bed at all for 4 days. I had to walk on crutches for 8 days. Was on heavy pain meds for 2 months. Couldn't work for 3 months and couldn't train for 4.5 months! One of the worst experiences of my life. I agree with you here Gregory... keep it simple. Rotational movements with weight are highly overrated in my opinion.

[THEANPHROPY]

Thank you for the upload Brother! Rotational exercises are quintessential due to the natural body movement of the human form from precivilisation to the current epoch. Humans run: swim; cycle, ski, snowboard, skateboard, walk, throw, stalk, all of these movement patterns require twists to a greater or lesser extent & there will always be core stability throughout the entirety of these movements. So everyone needs to programme twists alongside stability strength training into their weekly training regime!!!

Peace & Love!!!

[ejay]

You hit the mark on many points, but you’re off on some others. Since you’ve been posting a lot you must now take on some public scrutiny yourself.

Your 3rd point - lumbar needs to be understood as different completely from the T-spine…absolutely right. Good you point this out. The lumber is essentially a stabilizing part of the body. It’s very easy to see the anatomical logic of alternating stability-mobility zones. Start with the ankles (mobility), knees (stability), hips (mobility), lumbar (stability), T-spine/shoulders (mobility)….I confess not sure about neck, would seem mobility constructed as well.

That said, the transverse plane (what you’re calling “twisting”) is crucial to almost any sport (tennis, boxing, any throwing, anything ROTATIONAL), as well as moving things around in real life. It’s probably more common that you’re moving in the transverse plane than any other. (Like how often do we do thongs in a straight line sagittal direction? No much.)

So, the capacity to brace and support the lumbar (when you pick up, say, lumber) is a must for GPP.

On that premise, rotational stability training should not be identified exclusively with a specialty skill (like MMA or BJJ) but rather with stuff people do all the time.

What MacGill points out (and I suggest you read his book Back Mechanic, which is much more accessible to sports people, the one you’re reading, Back Disorders, is intended for other clinicians and is mostly focused on medical pathologies) made it very clear that the muscles ABOVE and BELOW the lumbar determine lower back durability. So, the entire core (obliques etc), and the glutes, have to be enervated to keep the lumber safe. If you learn to do this your lumbar will be OK.

You are off about genetic suitability. Aside from genetic disorders or else tissue damage, the standard anatomy is perfectly equipped to deal with twisting and rotational stress so long as the necessary support structures are there. Where people get into trouble is: these structures are WEAK in most people.

Consider typical golfers. They often do no other exercise but golf. Then they violently swing the club without any real glute or core training. What happens then is the most common training injury of all: bone and connective tissue provides the movement…tendinitis, ruptures, inflammation eventually follows.

This is exactly same principle with any lumbar challenging activity: squat, deadlift, overhead press, or such as the rainbow swing in a landmine.

So of course, if your core/glute system is is deactivated, those ballistic horizontal or twisting kettlebell movements will rip your lumbar to shreds. You can do the same damn thing by internally rotating your shoulders in a bench press or worst exercise ever: upright row.

The Vahva guy you showed doing those fast side swings is a movement master, he is best known for animal movements, thus he has great upper/lower body integration, and thus fine to do those movements.

The point is: you MUST train for safe loaded rotational movements to be fully mobile in life. The way to do is understand the relationship of the supporting muscles (and bones: hip position itself is critical) related to the lumbar spine.

The guy you need to either bring up on your channel or have a talk with is MARK WILDMAN. He understands this entire topic better than anyone popular on YouTube now, and can clear up any confusion, as I doubt anyone will bother to read this entire comment or else believe what I’m saying.

I run a gym and been training for 40 years. At 60 I am in good shape and no serious injuries. That’s my qualification to talk.

[paulshealthfitness]

as soon as i stopped following stuart mcgills advice my back got way better. twisting your spine starting with low / no weight is a way to repair your back and build resilience in the tissues

[marcuspoe]

poisonous or just the work we do outside the gym? i`v had back trouble 1 time at 64, i`m 70 and cut and split firewood, build custom waterfalls hunt. these thigs use rotation.

[tovameguira]

This video was really really interesting. I really loved that you included doctors and other professionals. I love the Turkish get up exercise. You are SO underrated. More people need to know this!!! 🙌🏽🙏🏼. I also like to stick to the basics. Functionality is #1💪🏽

[GOX]

Social media is almost solely responsible for the advent of “kettlebell flow, ”
or rotational kb exercises. I remember it spreading like a disease on the socials 5-6 years ago. I believe they’re completely unnecessary and dangerous considering there’s never any explanation of how light or heavy the bells are. A novice might go to the gym and pick up a highly inappropriate weight to “kettlebell flow, ” and without knowing the basics. Well informed kettlebell training provides plenty of healthy anti-rotational strength and stability for the spine. I wish this garbage would go away.

[robertelwilson]

I really hate videos like this. Create your own content the way you want, don’t just critique others.

[donalose]

Why do Americans say low back instead of lower back. Yet they say upper back. HMMMM?

[sgtcojonez]

Thank you. I started doing some kettlebell swings and I was worried about hitting my knees, but I never imagined that I should have taken my spine into consideration too.

[martyrivers]

Your body is made to move /movement without the proper knowledge is the only danger.