Look, I tried to be nice.
This is getting ridiculous.
Jillian’s new video is a perfect example of what not to do.
In fact, I recommend everyone take a look at this, so that you don’t ever do it.
If I was trying to hurt someone with a kettlebell, I would make them do this:
In the first part of the video it’s clear that she’s been working on her form. It’s at least 30% better than it was before.
Jillian said that she was having some CrossFitters teach her how to use kettlebells. Looks like that didn’t work out.
Now, it’s not good enough that she should be making videos. In fact, if my swing form looked like hers, I’d make sure I only did it in a dark room with no one around.
But at the end of the video, at 2:15, she invents the “Reach Back Swing” – which is the dumbest thing I have ever seen in the history of the fitness industry.
In fact, if I was trying to hurt someone, that’s how I would do it:
= Back injury
I don’t even partially understand how she could think this is a good idea. I don’t know how anyone who has ever trained a client would think that this is smart.
It’s beyond thoughtless, and I believe that it’s this kind of complete and utter disregard for people’s safety, and complete lack of education on the trainers part, that gives the entire personal training industry a bad name.
Now before someone jumps in and says “Hey wait a minute, I do strongman and the way we lift atlas stones is round backed and…”
Look, I’m not an idiot, I know that a high level athlete *can* work up to lifting pretty heavy with a round back, if they are really smart about it, and their sport depends on them being able to do it.
But I don’t round back lift, and my clients don’t, and there is no reason EVER for a fat loss client to do explosive, loaded, round back lifting.
To recommend it on a beginner video is criminal, it’s negligent, and it shows an extremely low level of knowledge on Jillian’s part.
Look. I’m normally not this negative, but now Jillian has really, truly, pissed me off.
If you want to know how to learn how to lift kettlebells correctly, watch this video:
http://www.joshhilliscoachingclub.com/kettlebellswingv.html
If you want the advanced swing lesson, see this video:
https://joshhillis.com/articles/2010/02/the-advanced-kettlebell-swing.html
And you’ll notice in that second video – Keira clearly demonstrates what Jillian is doing is THE WRONG THING TO DO.
I knew when she said she “learned how to do them properly” she was talking out of her butt.
With the way how she does swings, it’s almost as if she literally meant it.
face palm with jaw drop!
Wow!
she says the right things ‘its not a squat, hinge at the hips’ but then she does squat swings….
Shock, horror, gasp!! Been there, bought the DVD (before my proper KB training with a RKC trainer), tried it once and even my own common-sense-before-instruction convinced me that this was a BIG no-no! It feels just awful, and I haven’t had the desire to touch that DVD again since. There are so many people who are jumping on the kettlebell bandwagon at the moment, and even though KB’s ARE fantastic things, people are hurting themselves and others with incredibly poor form. I see the same thing at the gym – I’m going to get smacked for staring one day, I’m tellin’ ya … 😀 If I had one buck for every time I saw people doing strange things with kettlebells, I’d be a millionaire before the year was out. It’s bad enough when people struggle on by themselves and then get it wrong, but when the TRAINER stands by and just chuckles while their client is yelping “Ouch, ouch!” because they’re doing it w-r-o-n-g, it makes me furious. Another prime example of how NOT to do swings can be found at Prevention’s site: http://www.prevention.com/health/news-voices/videos?videoID=a34665d15344b210VgnVCM10000030281eac____ They actually call them “Squats and Swings” and mumble something about how they’ve modified the swing so that it would be kind to the body (or something to that effect). The swing is a challenging move by all accounts, but it should never hurt! And if you’re going to use a 2 kg weight, you may as well forget about it. Just check out that video – don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to hook my 14 kg on my thumbs and then hoist it overhead! 🙂