My Thoughts On The ACE Kettlebell Study
As an certified Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) instructor I was certainly glad to see another positive mention of kettlebells in the media. Especially when you consider that folks like Jillian Michaels, Ryan Shanahan and the good folks at Kettlenetics seem to get more than there fair share of media mention in regard to kettlebell training. I will go on to say that what those folks do can hardly be called kettlebell training. At best, it is completely watered down and at worst it is unsafe. But I digress.
The ACE kettlebell study is pretty much spot on but I do have a few thoughts I’d care to share. First, this study isn’t based on any new protocols. In fact, it is the exact same work that Kenneth Jay, Master RKC did in the Viking Warrior Conditioning book. I feel strongly that credit should have been given where it was so clearly due. Appalling lack of credit in my opinion. They even go so far as to call it an “exclusive” work.
The second point that ACE raises that is erroneous is that the MVO2 kettlebell workout is not a “Typical kettlebell routine.” Snatches by their very nature aren’t anything but advanced kettlebell work and you need to be in tip top form to even consider the MVO2 protocol. This isn’t for a beginner or even intermediate kettlebell practitioner in my opinion.
Finally, there are any number of blogs that have taken this horse and ridden it even farther down the path of the absurd. Bloggers have written that you can burn upwards of 1000 calories in a kettlebell workout and maybe you can. But most of them are extrapolating that from this study. Kinda like if you say Usain Bolt can run 40 second 400 meters. Assuming you could maintain MVO2 for an hour maybe you’d burn that many. If you can snatch for an hour an maintain the snatch per 15 second pace you need a bigger bell. The MV02 component of the Viking Warrior Conditioning program is the base protocol. Once you get to 40 minutes of snatching on pace you move up. To something more advanced. It’s fun!
Train with purpose,
Sandy Sommer RKC
12 Responses to “My Thoughts On The ACE Kettlebell Study”
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Amen!
I agree on every count, and have disliked bursting the bubble of “1000+ calories an hour” thoughts mistakenly running through the heads of the average kettlebell user. I must have seen the ACE article posted on a couple dozen FB’ers sites at least, without clarification on the necessary skill, strength and stamina to pull that off. To the “average Joe”, who wouldn’t be excited to think they could get that kind of a workout/ calorie burn with this great NEW (insert tongue in cheek here) tool called the Kettlebell?
As always, Thanks Sandy!
Petra
Thanks for clearing the record Sandy. Good points. It’s “Usain” Bolt right? Not Usama?
I corrected that name error Yusuf. Thanks:)
Dear Petra,
I just wanted to focus on the good, the bad and the ugly. Kettlebells are a great tool but I felt that folks were using the research to exaggerate some things.
Train with purpose,
Sandy Sommer RKC
While I love the fact that they came out with this study, I wish they’d done it using swings instead of snatches. I don’t want to get into the whole MVO2 thing with snatches vs. swings, but most people aren’t going to be doing VWC. They’ll do swings. And if they do swings correctly and keep doing them, they’ll lose an impressive amount of weight and get in great shape too. More realistic for the majority of the population. ACE???
Great post, Sandy.
Jim Lane
Novato, CA
Jim,
Great comment. The ACE study certainly helps give us more traction but swings would have been a much better movement to use for their work, as you point out. Their numbers are consistent with what I’ve found for myself using a heart rate monitor. I think I’ll strap up with a swing workout and see what happens:)
Best, Sandy Sommer RKC
Of course, if people do swings using the instruction and photos in the ACE study, they’ll be doing them incorrectly.
Not only is the picture of the swing awful, but the reference to which muscles are used omits the use of the hamstrings.
They also supplement the standard advice on the starting size kettlebell with their own advice to “go light,” including a suggestion that women start with an 8lb kettlebell.
I think it’s a real shame that they put out an article that’s so positive on kettlebells, and then followed it up with improper instruction on how to use them.
Nice points Liz. I had sent out the study to a few folks and purposely left out the pages with the pictures. If I recall correctly, everything I saw looked wrong:(
Train with purpose,
Sandy Sommer RKC
Good critique, Sandy. I just read the article after receiving Pavel’s e-newsletter.
Thank you for reading Lee! How is the great state of Maine?
Sandy Sommer
Sandy, like you I think the study is good however not many people are going to snatch for an hour and my students can’t.
I do tell people about the study and point out that their workouts are NOT this intense and revert back to the title of burn twice the calories in half the time which I think is a good point. In other words, 30 min of kettlebell training is much more effective then a 60 min spinning class:)
Yes you are spot on Dale. I didn’t workout the other day that involved approximately 10 minutes of work in 1/2 hour. Heart rate monitor said I burned 350 calories.
Train with purpose,
Sandy Sommer RKC