Hey all. Anyone have any experiences to share from using kettlebells as their primary conditioning medium?
I broke my elbow recently doing dumb stuff on a skateboard. Out of playing sharp tennis for many months. I totally lost my cardio endurance and the snap in my movement.
About 4 weeks ago I started a 2x/week kettlebell swing regimen to try and regain my fitness. Really basic: 10 sets of 10 swings coupled with 3 sets of some light overhead pressing.
I've been thoroughly impressed. I don't want to rant and rave too much and make this seem like a sales pitch, but dang. I'll just say I wasn't expecting the on-court results. Noticeable improvements in endurance and quickness after only 4 weeks. I plan to continue this indefinitely. Will report back.
Anyone else with kettlebell stories?
On this note, the parameters outlined in the book I'm working from describe a work:rest cycle that is almost identical to tennis play. Added to that you get the increased resistance from the bell and the whole-body-tension skill required to execute the techniques properly. Those two in combination produce an adaptive response that I think far exceeds the demands of our sport.
I think the Kettlebell workouts seem to be very congruent with the type of fitness we like to aspire to for tennis training. I have one older male student who swears by Kettlebells and I hope to hear more feedback from our Community.