Body Asymmetry and Efficiency

We are all given a body to use it as we please. Very few of them are perfect in terms of function and health, both from inherited sources and things we do to it. If you look at me, at first glance I seem normal or average. As I get more into kettlebell lifting I notice just how different the two halves of my body are.:

I broke my left collarbone when I was about 12. If you look closely, it is a slightly different shape and size than my right. It makes my left shoulder a little farther from my midline and makes that trap muscle appear a little bigger. My overhead flexibility is a little more limited than my right. I drove a truck with a hydraulic clutch for 5 years, so my left calf is more cut around the bottom of it, making it appear shorter than my right. The horizontal lines in my abdominals are staggered, not straight across. My chiropractor says my spine is a big S-curve (If that's true, it is slight and recent). I am a bass (upright and guitar) player by former profession. Each forearm and hand muscle group is trained to function a different way. The strap hanging the guitar on my left shoulder for thousands of gigs may have further "asymmetrized" my upper body. I strap a 2-pound pistol on my right hip all the time, and a full gunbelt every day at work. I also wear body armor, so my hip and trunk mobility is decreased and I naturally find ways to compensate. I have crashed on my left knee twice, so it will probably never feel the same as my right.

I can deadlift, squat, and press all I want, and I feel great doing it. But as a lifelong strength and conditioning routine, The asymmetries in my body lead me to focusing on ballistic work, kettlebell lifting is way more forgiving to my two unequal halves.

Whether I do single-kettlebell work, or doubles, there are asymmetries. Over the months, I have learned that what is the best for one side may not be for the other.

From the ground up:

On swing sets, I follow all the rules: grip position rounding the inside corner of the bell, the thumb lock, head following the bell, anatomical breathing, etc. But when I switch, it just feels different. My right hand has more strength when the handle is positioned lower on my grip. My left is better off contacting my index-thumb circle and laying across farther down the fingers.

On the rack. Again, I follow all the rules: leverage the weight by leaning back and rounding the upper back to let the elbows contact the hips, relaxed wrist position, filling the bell handle by choking up to the corner, with it sitting diagonally against the "hip" of the hand, the ball distributing evenly on hand, arms/shoulders, and chest. But my torso is minutely asymmetrical all over the place. It is most relaxing and efficient if my right hand rotates inward, and my left slightly outward. The handle sits on a slightly different place on the "hip" of each hand. We're talking millimeters difference here. The result is my right forearm is at a different angle and closer to my midline and my left is rotated slightly more outward. I do not interlace fingers in the rack, but the handles overlap so I could if I want.

The lockout: My right shoulder feels flexible and relaxed because I can easily lock out with the bell more internally rotated. My left takes a little more tension to hold a stable lockout. And I cannot rotate it as much. I think It has to do with my collarbone, or possibly my spine.

All my kettlebell movements themselves have slight differences (I follow all the rules still) from side to side. I have worked hard to make them equal, trying what feels the best for each side on the other. I have come to the conclusion that since my strength and endurance on both halves from top to bottom is about equal, it is ok to work with what is best for each. Until I notice a difference in performance or health, I will continue to embrace that different quirks can be addressed and as long as I am following the basic rules of safety, efficiency, and use proper mechanics, I can do it my way. Since almost no one is perfectly symmetrical, find what works for you for each body part and listen to how it feels. pay attention to how it performs and you can maximize your kettlebell lifting.

Novice vs. Expert

In any art form, sport, or discipline, even the unschooled can easily pick out an experienced practitioner that truly knows his craft. It is also relatively easy to recognize a novice: a young pup new to the discipline. How is this differentiation so easy to spot? Simply put, the expert makes it look easy. The novice routinely displays his power for all to see.

Everyone goes through a novice stage when he or she is new to something. Eventually, what will determine how fast one will attain mastery is how one practices. The one who patiently and steadily focuses on the basics becomes refined and efficient through practice after practice of the fundamentals. Think about John Coltrane and Jazz music. Even as he invented a sub-genre of jazz and spawned a whole generation of saxophonist-disciples, there are many first-hand accounts of his many practice sessions: He played scales. Over and over. He played standard jazz tunes. In all keys and at all speeds. In performance, he could smoke and exhaust anyone. all because he had such a deep mastery of his instrument and the basics. How do average, untrained know he is a master? He made it look ( and sound) easy.

As this relates to kettlebell lifting: a lifter working towards expert status seeks deeper mastery of the basics and practices them day in and day out. The perpetual novice displays his "power" for all to see. The novice gets bored with the basics and spends his time on the latest circus tricks and "variations."

It is interesting to note that the masters can do all the "circus tricks" and odd feats of strength, but not because they practice them. It is about doing fewer things better, working towards perfection. Along the way, there will be some unexpected gains, but with a solid foundation. More installments on this topic to come...

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Advertisement-a parody:

Come learn to use "basketball" to get lean and in-shape. You will learn the fundamentals of this great sport. The fat will melt off you, the muscle will come in and you will be like Mike (Jordan).

All you will need is a ball, and we will start with the core drills, such as two-handed dribbling and sprinting down the court. Also, a steady diet of three-point jump shots and slam dunks are in order. Don't worry too much about making a basket, as long as it hits the backboard. We even do drills where you hold the ball a certain way and lay down on the floor and get up.

Once you learn these basics, we will work out a routine of the above using the fantastic game "HORSE." You know, the game where you take turns shooting and the most baskets the fastest wins? If you get really good, we'll work on half-court shots, spinning dunks, and one-handed dribbling through the legs.

Would this be ludicrous or what? Would you learn basketball from a teacher who leaves out the philosophy of the game? Sure, doing select drills using a fitness tool can help you lose weight and get stronger. But it would be cheating the student not to teach the rules and strategies of the game of basketball. To get the most benefit, one would want to learn the rules: scoring points, fouls, times, shots. Every basketball player regardless of position must be able to shoot (from all distances), pass, block, steal, dribble, and tip. You'd watch videos of the best players and learn what they do. You'd work up to playing a game while following the rules to get the most benefit. You would do specific drills to strengthen your weak links AS THEY FIT INTO THE ACTUAL GAME OF BASKETBALL.

With a thorough understanding of the game, right down to the nuances of mental strategies employed by the best players, anyone would ultimately achieve even more "fitness" and physical gains. Learning an incomplete and sometimes incorrect set of drills using an existing sports tool can improve your physique, but a serious student would explore the game and learn the rules, then imitate the masters that have gone before them.

When searching for a kettlebell coach, I urge you to assess whether you will learn some fitness drills using a fitness tool, or will you get quality instruction from someone who has learned the rules of the sport that for decades has been refined by expert scientists and amazing athletes. Will your coach have been practicing the game and refining the basics? Has you coach learned from Michael Jordan, or Jamal from the street cour, that everyone says is good?

Basketballically speaking, others may want to spend all their time working on half-court shots, spinning dunks, and full-court sprints. That is fine. I will work on my free throws, blocks, passes, and lay-ups, and I will play as many games as I can.

First post

I have always been interested in strength and how the beautiful human body moves and functions. My background in sports and fitness is not much until my adult life. I went to the gym in college and ran and did PT and played racquetball, and it all worked for me at the time, except for those nasty shin splints. After that was cosmetic, bodybuilding type workouts.

In 2002 a friend introduced me to Pavel's "Power to the People" which changed my thinking and direction. Through further exploration, I got a DragonDoor kettlebell in 2004 with an "RKC" book.

Life has been busy since then. With a career change and a growing family, It has been necessary to stay strong, clear-minded, conditioned, and flexible, and with very unpredictable and limited time to train. I need something that will take care of everything, take little time, and have speedy recovery. Obviously, the Russian Kettlebell, properly lifted, gets #1 on my list for all of the above.

In 2007 I had the honor to train at the American Kettlebell Club coach certification with world champion Valery Fedorenko. His experience and philosophy has been proven time and again that classical kettlebell lifting with a solid training program is the best "minimalist" fitness routine. It is about perfection through reps, making every rep a purposeful, effecient movement. The classical sport of kettleebll lifting done by the masters is hypnotic, a beautiful display of the ultimate strength-endurance sport.

I invite you to cut through the fat of other programs and explore this minimalist philosophy. Doing fewer things better may be just what you need.