Kettlebells are great, as long as you aren't using them like an idiot

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.

src

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.

src

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.

src

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}