Off Ice Hockey Training With The Kettlebell: Good or Gimmick
I guess when you see a piece of exercise equipment make it into the ‘fitness’ section of the grocery store, it can officially be labeled a ‘trend’. But as we learned from velour leisure suits, not all trends are good.
So let’s dive in and see if the kettlebell is has a place in your off ice hockey training or if it is merely another fitness gimmick.
The kettlebell is nothing new, so if someone tells you they have this ‘new’ way to train, you have my permission to spank them – hard. Kettlebells originated in Russia and have been around since oh, about the 1700’s – that is a while.
Don’t quote me on this, but I think Pavel Tsastouline was the guy who did the most to popularize them in this part of the world over the last decade or so.
At first glance kettlebells look like just a different shaped dumbbell, so the question is, “why don’t I just use a dumbbell?” That is a good question and the truth is, in some cases you could. But the shape of the kettlebell does give it a different balance, a different bulk and a variety of grips. These all lend themselves nicely to different exercises.
Kettlebell training is also a little bit like yoga in the way that there are certain movements that need to be executed in perfect form. Doing an exercise like the Turkish Get Up with terrible form is very easy – doing it well is very challenging.
So here is the first warning about kettlebell training – it is very easy to do some of the basic exercises with terrible form, using fairly heavy weight, so if you are not seeking out qualified instruction to learn proper form, you are setting yourself up for an injury…and you will probably blame it on the kettlebell.
I do use them with the skaters and the goalies I train, I think it is a good tool, but I start with the basics and build from there.
I show you three exercises that make a good addition to your off ice hockey training in the video below. Check out…
- Kettlebell Deadlift
- Kettlebell Waiter’s Carry
- Kettlebell Squat and Press
Kettlebell Exercises for Off Ice Hockey Training
So is the kettlebell good or a gimmick? Without hesitation, I give this one my stamp of approval, just make sure you give it the respect it deserves. You know what happens when you disrespect a Russian right? Okay, well neither do I , but have a feeling it is not good J
Happy training!
M