Russian Kettlebell Training For Women
By Andrea Du Cane, Senior RKC

Russian kettlebells are great! You’re a guy and you “get it.” Maybe you’re in the military, or are into Martial Arts, Powerlifting, or some other extreme fitness or hardcore training. Or you’re an FRWTL-gal and have been having trouble interesting your female friends and clientele. Maybe you have a wife or girlfriend, who despite all your pushing and prodding just isn’t interested in “your thing.” Or being a newly certified RKC you want to add to your core clientele. How do you attract women to the RKC program? And then, how do you address their goals and physical and philosophical differences, while achieving the results and goals they want and need? Well, I’m here to help.

Before I begin I would like to add a disclaimer. The women I am referring to in this article are NOT the FRWTL and RKC certified women. The FRWTL women are tough, strong of mind and body. (I want to add that so I won’t offend any of my tough sisters!) I am referring to the women who have not yet become “enlightened”; the ones you will see at your local Curves gym and Lifetime Fitness. She may be your girlfriend, wife, sister, mother, neighbor, co-worker or friend. Your goal is to attract the average women, gym-bunny or couch potato and turn her into a Tough-Love- Femme-Fatale. What I have outlined below should give you some tools you’ll need to do just that.

Getting women interested
First attracting the interest and attention of women is going to take a different approach than you first might think.

If you think you’ll impress them with snatching and pressing the 40kg, well let’s say you’ll get a reaction, just not what you might expect. Your average gal is actually thinking either “that’s too hard or scary” or “that’s not for me” or “I don’t want to get big muscles.” And that’s if you’re lucky and she didn’t turn and run in the opposite direction. If they didn’t run, have a copy of the FRWTL book handy and show them the pictures of D.C. Maxwell and me; that should alleviate any fears or misconceptions.

Women also will not respond in the way you expect with regard to military attitudes and jargon. Most women just aren’t into that mentality. That doesn’t mean they don’t like a hard workout, they just like you to smile when you ask them to do 30 more swings. Many women especially those coming from an aerobics, yoga or dance background, like a softer, supportive approach. They also tend to be social and like to talk about what they are feeling and experiencing during the class or lesson.

Men may scoff at the pastel-colored “Barbie dumbbells” you see at some gyms. However, like a bee to a flower, women are attracted to bright and cheerful objects. The bells will appear less intimidating. So paint your kettlebells. RKC Anthony Diluglio painted his kettlebells when he realized the women at his gym were avoiding the “ominous looking torture devices.” Once painted, he couldn’t keep the women away from them.

Target marketing IS important
You will need to market your classes or private training in a way that will easily get their attention. I have successfully used these two phrases to get my female clients excited about kettlebells: “YOGA WITH WEIGHTS” and “ADVANCED PILATES.” (Whatever your private thoughts about either yoga or Pilates may be, it is a hook that works.) Many women have tried either or both yoga and Pilates. By referring kettlebells to either of them you are automatically drawing them in and getting their interest.

Getting more specific with regards to marketing the exercise program, the biggest seller is: “IT BURNS FAT!”

The average woman above all is interested in weight management. Next, they want overall fitness, which includes muscle-toning and cardiovascular health. Lastly, they are looking for all that in the shortest amount of time in the “gym.”

Just to give you a few more ideas:

• “ A GYM IN YOUR HAND”
  
• “ All-IN-ONE FITNESS PROGRAM”
  
• “ TOTAL BODY WORKOUT”
  

Form versus function
Women tend to have a different fitness background and attitude than men. Often they have had some amount of dance, yoga, and aerobics. Generally they are faster at learning complex and subtle patterns of movement (Martial Artists also fall into this category, whether male or female).

Women tend to have very good coordination with small motor skills and technique driven exercises. They are not necessarily interested in “how much weight,” “how many reps” or “how fast can I do something.” They will tend to be more interested in “ how can I do the lift or drill exercise better,” “how pure is my form.” In other words, they like the poetry-in-motion feeling. And, of course, they want to know it will give them the results they are looking for.

Let’s look at some of the physical differences; some of it is obvious and some is not. First, women have less overall muscle than men. They have more flexibility, especially in the hips, legs and shoulders. That is why an average women will have better form in the Good Mornings, Windmills, and Overhead Squats right from the start. These exercises will come faster and easier for women than perhaps for a man.

Women also tend to have a greater relative lower-body strength than upper body. This means they will tend to have an easier time with lower body exercises and can use heavier weights than for the upper body. Modified Pistols are a good example; women have an easier time with Box-Pistols than many of the men in my experience.

Here is an example with this reverse strength ratio. I was teaching a class and had to switch weights with a 30-year-old male, who had been using his 20kg for upper body, with a 55-year-old female, who had been using an 8kg. They switched weights for the one-legged deadlifts. Yet, she could barely do one set of Military Presses with the 8kg. With this tendency for great differences in strength, it is very helpful when training women to have a number of different size KBs around just for that reason. I recommend 8kg, 12kg and 16kg.

A less obvious but important training tip is to remember that women tend to have looser and more flexible joints. This is a result of the different hormones, which I’ll address later. This can be both a good and a bad thing. Having more flexible joints allows them to get down into deeper positions, but there is also a greater risk of injury. Watch for hyper mobile elbows and knees, and weak wrists. Keep a careful eye out for proper technique and clean grooves. If they tend toward hyperextending their elbows teach them to hold back, to go to STRAIGHT-arm and not beyond that point.

The major difference This brings me to the not often mentioned hormonal differences and how that can affect a women’s training.

First, as you all know, women have much less testosterone than men. You can honestly tell the women you train that they will NOT end up looking like Mike Mahler; no matter how hard they try. As I said earlier, have her take a look at the FRWTL book or video for a more realistic role model. D.C. and I are living examples of what women can achieve with the FRWTL program.

Hormones have monthly effects, as well. This is a very individual thing, many women have little or no monthly symptoms, and others notice big changes. Keep in mind that their strength, energy and stamina may be lower. Also, they may complain of lower back pain. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish whether the pain is hormonal or training related. They should listen to their own body and not push it if it doesn’t feel right.

Kettlebells and pregnancy
If you are training someone who is pregnant or recently given birth, they MUST check with their doctor first, they need to be “cleared” before you should work with them. I am not an M.D., but here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Their hormones will have further loosened their joints.
2. The joints will become weaker and more prone to injury, so best to avoid exercises that can put undo stress on the joints. For example, Windmills can be replaced with Overhead Squats or the Side Press. Another option is to go down to a lower weight for most of the overhead drills.
3. Pregnant women tend to overheat easily. Overheating should be avoided. Lower the intensity of the cardio drills.
4. Avoid Power Breathing or any high pressurization techniques. This means you will have to avoid the exercises that specifically require them. Front Squat is a good example. Have them do Dragon Walks or lower the weight so pressurization isn’t necessary.

Is it safe to do Kettlebells during pregnancy? A lot will depend on the woman and her initial fitness level. As long as she has her doctor’s permission, listens to her body’s signals, lowers the intensity and weight when necessary, kettlebells can be a healthy addition to pregnancy.

Kettlebells and menopause
Menopause (which usually happens between the ages of 45 and 50) is another time of incredible change and challenge for many women. I believe Kettlebell training is the secret to a smooth and healthy transition. There are many different symptoms and effects, and each woman will experience something completely different. I will address a few of them here.

It is a good idea to have them checked out by a doctor to make sure they are in overall, good health. A few common symptoms are:

• Loss of energy and endurance.
  
• Sudden loss of strength.
  
• Unexplained weight gain, especially around the waist.
  
• Depression

You may think this is no concern of yours, but if you are training someone it IS your responsibility to know what’s going on with their bodies, because it will affect their training. I have heard from many women going through menopause, about their feelings of frustration, failure and depression. It appears all their hard work has disappeared. The worst thing they can do is quit. Adjustments need to be made in their training, perhaps increasing or decreasing weight or intensity. Again the most important thing they can do is listening to their bodies and not giving up. The most important thing you can do as their instructor is be supportive and make changes where necessary.

Don’t make this mistake
You may already know much of what was in this article; hopefully you learned some new and useful tools. If you’re thinking, why spend the time and energy trying to attract women clients; you’d rather work with athletes or servicemen? Well, I’ll tell you why: Women make up a huge portion of the fitness market. Tapping into that will result in a successful kettlebell training business for you!