Kettlebells before Barbells

I don't dress as well as Mr. Peanut but you might label
me a gym snob.

If you can't do an exercise well, don't do it. Call me a gym snob for this philosophy if you must but

I'm a big believer in improving whatever exercise pattern you are training. Teach the body how to move and magical things will happen. Strength is a skill and trust me, the better you feel, the easier things get. Now it's easy to get caught up in trying to do the popular exercises using a barbell but I believe the best way to do this is by putting your ego aside and using kettlebells first. 

 Notice the back and hip position in
the Goblet Squat. The anterior load
makes the position easier for the body
than with a back squat due to the
posterior load, which requires
more mobility in the back and
shoulders.

First things first, the barbell is an excellent tool and I’m not saying it’s not. But I believe one has to familiarize the body in how to move before using a barbell. This is where the kettlebell excels because it does an excellent job teaching the body. The kettlebell has a low skill level entry with a low risk/high return on your training investment while poor barbell technique requires a higher skill level entry with a higher risk on the return. For instance, if you can’t Goblet Squat without anything hurting, why are you trying to back squat? If there's discomfort in a 1 arm Overhead Press, why are you Military Pressing? And if you aren't keeping tension, well, then you are in trouble! 

The kettlebell can teach your body how to take basic things and apply them to more complex one’s. Take the time to learn these basic kettlebell exercises:

• 1 Arm KB Rack (Tall and Half-Kneeling and Standing)
• 1 Arm Front Squat
• 1 Arm Deadlift
• 1 Leg Deadlift
• 1 Arm Overhead Press

After you've mastered your deadlifts, it's time to add swings to the mix. Why? Because the swing has the power to open doors to other exercises. More importantly, it's a ballistic exercise that requires the body to be explosive, making it unlike the above exercises.

The "A-HA" moment!

Kettlebells have a greater purpose than
being used a free-weight! 

These are awesomely powerful exercises and great at teaching the body it’s strengths and weaknesses. If there is a weakness, they can also help to improve the weakness. More importantly, you will have many "A-HA" moments. The obvious commonality of these exercises is that they are all one-sided. Why is that important? It allows your body to learn how to work both the right and left sides independent of one another. Before complicating an exercise with moving an external load, your body has to learn not to be a little tea pot and tip over or compensate.

Now watch as your skills sharpen and improve leading to greater strength!

Sometimes saying you like to do barbell exercises isn't a good enough reason to do them, especially if it's at the expense of how your body responds. Select exercises you can learn from and receive a higher return on your investment when you train. Best of luck in your training!