I saw a compelling yet heartbreaking YouTube documentary the other night about the Iconic World’s Strongest Man, Bill Kazmaier.
When I was a kid , I watched “The Kaz” perform and win the WSM.
He was bigger - WAY bigger - than almost every competitor .
And much stronger than almost every competitor.
He was a legendary powerlifter too.
But, I was shocked at two things:
1- Kaz tore practically every major muscle in his body: Pec, triceps, hamstrings, delts…
2- At age in his seventies , earlier this year, he had a heart attack in the Philippines and his son had to start a GoFundMe account to cover Kaz’s medical expenses.
The first shocked me because he just kept going .
I don’t know what the long-term effects was physically for him in his 50s, 60s, and 70s, but I believe it was pretty substantial.
And the second saddened me because, well, I wouldn’t have guessed that a “Strength Celebrity” would need a GoFundMe account.
Look, I was never anywhere near as strong as Kaz was. Not even remotely close. (He was other-worldly .)
And I never had the damage that he had.
But I did get pretty injured training for strength sports - Olympic Weightlifting specifically. And those were brought about by injuries I sustained wrestling…
… Injuries that literally damaged my frame and changed the way my body worked.
And it was a GIANT time and energy drain trying to rehab those injuries - especially when the rehab didn’t work.
I had to make a choice training in 2010 when I injured my lower back - AGAIN - as a result of my training.
Do I continue chasing dreams of fame and probably endanger my future as a dad and rob my son of a “Fun Dad”...
Or do I quit the nonsense and get myself healthy again ?
I went with the latter.
I spent 18 months off the barbell and kettlebells doing nothing but recovery routines.
And when I returned to my kettlebell lifting?
I was more resilient in many ways than before I started.
And more toned.
And I felt better - had more stamina .
And so it can be for you too if you’re facing a comparable choice .
This is why I love kettlebell training vs. conventional training for those of us over 40.
If you have asymmetries and old injuries, the barbell and machine training will find them, and exacerbate them and cause more pain.
The kettlebell? Or a pair of kettlebells on the other hand?
They’re healing .
They “heal ” you and build you up (when programmed properly), while making you stronger and better conditioned in less time than traditional gym workouts.
And yeah, that might be hard to believe, so take a look at this YouTube comment I got recently:
From “relaxed glutes, tight hammies and sore back… chronically tight and painful abductors” to -
“My glutes are noticeably bigger and more activated , my hamstrings are more relaxed and I can stretch them without pain, abductors and lower back have eased up too.”
Plus -
“My upper body is also noticeably stronger and I’ve put on about 5lb”
And remember Jason from our last video about HardStyle v. Sport Style Snatches?
He racked up a pretty significant list of injuries training conventionally - CrossFit, Powerlifting, Bodybuilding, etc.
But in our email thread, when I asked him about his WTH Effects did he notice from using KBs?
His response was amazing .
I’ll throw some of it up here on the display for you:
“So in speaking about the WTH effect with King Sized Killer I was initially unsure of what a single bell routine was gonna do for me after having been practicing double kettlebell programs strictly for the past few years. Your programs earned my faith for sure, so I went with it for this Spring since I have to do it outside anyways only having a 7ft basement.
I started modestly with a 28k bell which was where I liked training with doubles. Within a couple weeks my confidence grew and I upped the bell size up to a 32k. I started to struggle as it really tired me going into that second phase, but you specifically stated after I had gone through phase 1
“ Don’t let the sets of 9 and 12 intimidate you. By the time you’ve
gone through Phase 1, these will be possible.”
(Check the rest of the email in the video)
So as you can see, the right kettlebell moves - the Clean + Press and the Snatch -
Can rehab you, improve your function, build a rock solid core, help you keep up with the bad guys, and keep up with your kids in their sports .
And they can do it without investing hours in the gym or injuring yourself in the process.
You’re not ever going to take the World’s Strongest Man event using them, but you can be the strongest man in your world .
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.