I got the following email from a follower and posted this with his permission.
Hi Taco,
I just sent you an e-mail in reply to yours, but since I am at my computer I have a very important question; it is regarding the weights to be used for men and women in Kettlebell Training.
Let me tell you that one of the main commandments in my Gym is “Do no harm to anybody” .In other words, I like to play safe.
So normally, I recommend 8 Kg for women and 12 Kg for men and I don’t scold any man who opts to take an 8 Kg !!! I am very big on technique and nobody has been injured in my Gym.
However, it seems that big tough guys and experts like yourself tend to go for much higher weights. So my question is this; Am I wrong in what I do or do you approve of my method? (Please bear in mind that most of the people in my Gym are elderly and with no training background and I myself am 72 years old).
I want to hear your opinion as I consider you to be the most knowledgeable person in the world of Kettlebell Training ( that is why I invited you to come and teach us in Italy in the first place !!! ).
Ranil
Hi Ranil,
I completely agree with your statement of DO NO HARM TO ANYBODY.
Our slogan is FORM AND TECHNIQUE FIRST, WEIGHT AND REPS SECOND. In other words, going heavier doesn’t mean you get injured. Doing stupid things, not following progression, not leaving your ego at the door, and not focusing on form and technique, are what get people injured. Also, what’s a stupid thing to do for one may not be for another as they may be at a completely different level of abilities, and the body is capable of amazing things.
The flaws in your statement are that every person has different abilities, every person progresses (or always should), and ballistic exercises need weight behind them or they are going to hurt you, in other words, if you are letting women perform ballistic exercises like the clean, swing, or snatch with a weight that is too light then you are putting them more at risk. And last but not least, correct programming comes into play, 100 reps of a weight in the upper range of of someones 1 rep max is no good, a light weight would be, but low volume of heavy weights is good.
There are people out there who look down at lighter weights and everything has to be heavy and anything light is no good. They don’t understand mobility work or the progression that people need to go through.
If your goal is only flexibility, cardio, and endurance, great, stick with the light weights and stay away from ballistic exercises, but STRENGTH is one of the most important aspects for all of us, especially as we get older.
So, you ask me if I think you are wrong in your thinking. If you don’t want to create strength, then no, if you do want to create strength, then yes. For me, mobility, strength, power, endurance, cardio, and mental toughness are all important.
As for age, it doesn’t play a role, only proper progression does. Strength becomes even more important as we get older.
So, it doesn’t matter who comes to your gym as a beginner, if it’s a 16-year-old, a 40-year-old, or a 72-year-old, you start light, and progress with strength over time. We don’t get weak because we get old, we get weak because we don’t strength train properly (neglect).
