I saw something pretty terrible a month ago or so. Someone was doing kettlebell exercises with sweaty hands and the thing flew away from him and smashed one of those gigantic mirrors that all gyms have all over the place.
Obviously this person didn't do this on purpose but it is on of several dangers that I think people need to be extra careful with when they are using these things. I don't know how heavy that thing was because I only heard the sound of the smashing, turned and saw the aftermath. Unlike the other people there I didn't snap photos because the person who was responsible was clearly already mortified that this had happened.
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If you are a gym guy like me, I want you to think back to a few years ago, maybe lets say like 5. It could be a bit more but this is right around the time that these things started to appear on the scene. Prior to that, they were not really a thing in gyms and to be honest with you, I don't think they really SHOULD be a thing in most of the gyms that they are in now. Why? Because of the highly increased chance of injury.
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Kettlebells, unlike traditional weights, are designed to be used in a swinging motion rather than a traditional push or pull motion and well, i think it is easy to see how something like this could go awry. There are actual kettlebell tossing competitions that mutant men are normally involved in but of course these are done under very controlled circumstances.
When I see people using kettlebells in the gym in a swing motion I feel as though they are extremely inconsiderate people. Even once Covid regulations were placed on my gym (which is why I stopped going to the gym at least for now) I would see people doing these wild swings with these things and this means that you have to really keep your distance from them or face the chance of getting rammed in the chest with a 10-15 lb piece of solid metal.
Kettlebell exercises require significantly more space to be done safely and also, a lot of people don't really look like they know WTF they are doing with them anyway. I will admit that I only know a few exercises with them that I can do properly.
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One of the worst things I see people doing with these kettlebells is that they end up whacking themselves in the shins or legs as they attempt to do "just one more rep" when they really should have stopped. Just like with any exercise, if done improperly you stand a fantastic chance of doing lasting damage to your lower back as well.
So what's the moral of the story here normie? What are you babbling on about?
I'm babbling on about the fact that just because something is in the gym doesn't mean you have to have a go at using it. If you don't know what you are doing with some piece of equipment and you just decide to "wing it" there is a good chance you are going to hurt yourself and it is better if you just leave it alone. I would be willing to bet that the guy who broke that mirror that day didn't know WTF he was doing and it just got away from his sweaty hands. I am sure that the mirror also cost him at least a couple of hundred dollars as well not to mention the fact that it scared the bejesus out of everyone that was in the joint at the time.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. Most of the time the staff at gyms will offer you advice for free rather than have you swinging heavy things around like a loon potentially injuring yourself and others around you.
I am not a personal trainer but I did go from being an elite athlete, then let myself go until i was nearly 250 lbs and then lost over 50lbs and am in some of the best shape of my life.... there is no reason why you can't do it as well
I've not used them, but they seem really popular. Swinging heavy objects around seems a risky activity.
BTW My chin-ups have progressed a little so I am doing 6 rather than 5 in a set and it feels more controlled.
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That's great news about the chinups! I'm stuck on 7... I can BS another 2 but those don't count!
I did 8 the other day! Just feeling a bit stronger now. Last night's workout was hacking overgrown ivy. Still got more of that to do. Meanwhile my son is happy he can go to the gym again. I don't bother with it.
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That's probably better than most CrossFit workouts anyway. Good job!
Years ago I lived in a house that had a bunch of that and we thought it looked lovely... but what a pain in the ass that stuff is to maintain. We eventually killed it and when we saw the damage it had done to the side of the house we decided to never have that stuff near any house of ours ever again.
This lot is just growing up a trellis, but the weight is in danger of pulling it over. We have some on the fence that definitely does damage. I ought to do a gardening post to show what I've been up to. I've done loads of trips to the dump to get rid of garden rubbish lately. There are pros and cons of having a big garden.
My parents always had a big garden and getting rid of the waste is tough. My father tried a variety of methods including mulching pits but eventually resulted to burning. He got in trouble for that but then discovered a loophole in the law where you are allowed to burn whatever you want if it is in a fireplace complete with chimney.... so he built a fireplace and chimney in the backyard. It was like a 1/15 model of an actual chimney but he complied with the law! He also wasn't an asshole so he made sure the wind was blowing away from the neighboring houses before he did this.
You should write an article about it. I'd read it.
We can get away with burning stuff if it's not bothering anyone. We have a little outdoor stove that we have used when sitting outside that has consumed some of the cuttings. I will still need a few dump runs even though we can put out a couple of bins of stuff for collection every fortnight. We have done a big trim this year, so it is more than usual.
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No kettlebells at the gym at work. So I’m safe.
My back is shot to pieces from a physical instructor picking a 12kg kettlebell to do 128 swings with. I avoid them for anything now.
128 swings? That does seem a bit excessive!
It was some horrible 16, 32, 64, 128 reps workout. There were push-ups, kettlebell swings and two other exercises that I can't remember. You were given the option of pairing any exercise to a rep number but as the kettlebells were meant to be between 6 and 8kg the swings were intended to be the highest rep exercise. Except there weren't enough to go around hence me visiting snap city. 🤦♂️
I think you work out significantly harder than I do... hehe