How to Do Kettlebell Exercises Without Hurting Your Wrists

Forearm or wrist bruises are a common problem when you first start working out with kettlebells, but it doesn’t have to be. People who are able to do start after start without pauses are No just used to pain; they simply have learned how to do the move without hitting his wrist.

So let’s talk about how you can learn the same techniques that they are using.

Learn the correct hand position

First, let’s talk about the position the kettlebell is in when you’re keeping him still. (We’ll talk about getting him into position while he lifts in a minute.)

Your first instinct might be to grab the center of the handle, with the round part of the kettlebell pressing against the back of your forearm. But a more comfortable position is to hold it diagonally. The part of the hand where the palm meets the thumb should be at or near one corner of the kettlebell handle. If you think of the handle as a rectangular window, this curve should be in the top corner and your wrist or forearm in the opposite bottom corner.

Your wrist should be as straight as possible so that when you hold the bell above your head, your arm and wrist are a solid vertical support pillar that holds the weight of the kettlebell as it presses down on you from the handle.

Take a look at the two photos above. Both positions should be comfortable when you hold the bell stationary. It’s okay if they feel strange and different, because you’re trying something new, but you shouldn’t feel any pinching or pressure. Your fingers should be relaxed enough that you can straighten them without losing support from the bell.

Don’t flip the bell on your hand

So that’s the position. The rest is technique. How do you get the bell into that comfortable position without bumping your wrist in the way?

Here’s the big reveal: Whether you’re doing a snatch or a clean, the bell must not turn over by hand. Beginners often worry about how to make the bell land smoothly, when the real winning move is not letting it land on you.

Let’s start with kettlebell snatches, because they’re often the most perplexing, yet they show up quite often in beginner-level workouts. Whether you’re doing hardstyle, sport style, or whatever crossfitters do, the phases of a The kettlebell snatch goes something like this:

1. yourUse your hips and legs to make the bell swing up, like a swing.
2. When the bell is at chest height, shrug your shoulders back so the bell moves toward you. Her elbow bends slightly to allow for this. (It still has some upward momentum, so it’s moving toward you but also up.)
3. As the bell is floating in the air, put your hand under, introducing the hand in the position that we studied in the previous section. This will feel like punching upwards, and in the process the bell will come to a very gentle stop with the handle in your hand and the round part in contact with your forearm. Once again, most of the weight is in the handle, with the arm as a supporting pillar.

To master this, you can practice the first two steps in what is sometimes called the “high start jerk.” Cleaning works the same way, except for the second step. occurs around waist level, and the bell stops at shoulder level instead of over the head.

HHow do you get all of this to happen in a fraction of a second? Well, practice will help.. There are also a multitude of little technical tips that can help, like keeping the bell close to your body, but these are best explained in video format. Verify this tutorial by Brittany van Schravendijkeither this one (which includes tips for oddly shaped kettlebells) from Joe Daniels, both top level kettlebell athletes and trainers. I also love this tutorial from trainers Jason and Lauren Pakespecially for your side-by-side examples of good and bad technique.

The bottom line is that injured forearms are No It’s just part of kettlebell training, and with some practice and technique, they can ring the bell find its place smoothly, instead of hitting yourself in the wrist with every rep.