TA says women should not do kettlebells.

[boukilisa]

I just can't with this woman. Some VFers I respect a lot like her workouts and feel they get good results. That's why I find myself looking at TA clips and threads more than I should (or will after this).

But any time I'm even tempted to try a workout of hers I get tripped up by some of the stuff she says. How can I trust someone who is so wrong about so much to deliver not just effective but safe workouts?

With so much bad information and unscientific marketing jargon masquerading as fitness science out there, it's hard enough to educate yourself on how to get fit without people like TA and her friend Gwenyth Paltrow saying stuff like "Your workout can make you fat" or "You can design 'feminine' muscles any way you want." Despite all the scientific literature saying you can't target "problem areas" she says you can with a whole lot of twaddle about genetics and "accessory muscles" (like the human body is a Rodeo Drive boutique or something).

The kettlebell thing just takes it over the edge for me. I just can't understand why somebody who claims to be an expert would say something that is so obviously not evidence-based:

I am NOT a fan of kettle bells. Without a truly keen mind/body connection and ability to control swinging weights, you can easily injure yourself: The way that the momentum forces the muscles is a very difficult process to master. And overuse, which comes from constantly swinging in the same rotation, can lead to lasting damage. Kettle balls are also unnecessary, since you can easily get the benefits of incorporating weight and motion in a way that doesn’t add bulk or put your body at risk of injury.

I have occasionally designed programs for men that incorporate kettle bells, but I would never recommend them to women, even for women who are fans of bulkier muscle lines. While bulkier muscle looks OK on women in their 20s and 30s, it doesn’t age well. The sooner you build a long, lean, and feminine arm, the more sustainable the results will be—and with no sacrifice in strength. - Tracey Anderson

Even if I could disregard how judgmental she sounds about the aesthetics of "bulkier muscle lines" (I can't) or her insistence that "feminine muscle" (whatever that is) should be long, lean and small I am irritated at the suggestion that kettlebells will automatically make any women big and bulky. Some of the smallest, sleekest, softest looking (and stronger) women I know do kettlebells. Besides that some women will never be small or lean because simple genetics say they can't.

Maybe there's something I don't understand about TA and what she claims. But, I'm sticking with kettlebells.

[alisoncooks]

This has been discussed in another thread here recently...

I agree that kettlebells require attention to form, etc. (but so do most forms of exercise, even TA movements. Ask the many ladies here who've injured themselves from Meta or Mat.)

But for me, all I can say is that she lost any sort of authority on the subject when she called them kettle balls, LOL. (Yes, I have the mind of a 13 year old.)

[Lucky Star]

I'm ready...

[raeven]

Oh my...here we go again....

[boukilisa]

Originally Posted by alisoncooks

This has been discussed in another thread here recently...

I agree that kettlebells require attention to form, etc. (but so do most forms of exercise, even TA movements. Ask the many ladies here who've injured themselves from Meta or Mat.)

But for me, all I can say is that she lost any sort of authority on the subject when she called them kettle balls, LOL. (Yes, I have the mind of a 13 year old.)

Sorry I missed that thread. I could have kept my rant to myself. I saw the "kettleballs" line. That was the one thing I liked about what she said.

[Stephanie_B]

Meh. I love Tracy and I love kettlebells. Her opinion is just that and like other things YMMV. I would prefer people stay away from bells though than take instruction from some more popular instructors who teach horrific form.

[Sue B]

And a lot of kettlebell instructors say women should not do TA, so, tit for tat.

[boukilisa]

I'm not attacking anybody's decision to use TA. I use trainers other people don't like or can't click with. It's all good. But if Tracey Long, Jessica Smith or Angie Miller start saying that women should avoid some forms of exercise because they give aesthetically unpleasing results or caused bulk, I'd ditch them too.

[Helen S]

Originally Posted by alisoncooks

This has been discussed in another thread here recently...

I agree that kettlebells require attention to form, etc. (but so do most forms of exercise, even TA movements. Ask the many ladies here who've injured themselves from Meta or Mat.)

But for me, all I can say is that she lost any sort of authority on the subject when she called them kettle balls, LOL. (Yes, I have the mind of a 13 year old.)

LOL Alison!! I didn't even notice. In this case, I do think it was a typo since she called them kettlebells elsewhere.

I'm a total TA Rebel. When I started Meta, I was already doing 200 kb swings a day for about a year because it was one of the VF challenges mentioned here. So everytime, I do Meta or Continuity, I do kb swings during the workout. I do a set before floor abs, one side of floorwork, the other side, and then at the end of the workout. It's easier for me to do that then to do 200 kb swings at once. I do agree with her about learning proper kb form.

I also run too. And I prefer traditional running programs to the treadmill dancing that TA recommends. So yes, I do TA but like other workouts that she doesn't recommend like kbs and lifting heavier weights. That's the idea behind the TA Rebel check-in.

[spotted zebra]

Originally Posted by alisoncooks

But for me, all I can say is that she lost any sort of authority on the subject when she called them kettle balls, LOL. (Yes, I have the mind of a 13 year old.)

Is it worth making a big deal out of a typo? At least I'm assuming that's just what was written and not what she actually said. Correct me if I'm wrong.