So what exactly IS Hardstyle, anyway?

And why would I want to do it?  And more to the point, why would you?

First things first:  Hardstyle is a system of kettlebell training that is tension-based, distinguishing it from the more relaxed style known as girevoy sport.  RKCs and their students practice hardstyle; IKFF- and AKC-certified instructors and their students practice girevoy sport.  If you hang out on internet forums catering to kettlebell enthusiasts you'll sometimes encounter heated exchanges between practitioners of the two styles regarding which is the more authentically Russian.  This is not something most of us should be losing sleep over in my opinion.  Really, unless you're planning to write a historical novel about Catherine the Great and you want to put in a scene where she's swinging a kettlebell--please send me an advance copy if you are, by the way--I don't see that it matters much what Russian gireviks did way back when.  For most of us it's enough to know that both methods are safe and effective means of producing desirable physical adaptations.

But they don't produce exactly the same physical adaptations, and that's something to think about if you're new to kettlebells and wondering which style might be better for you.  Hardstyle, because it's tension-based, is fantastic for developing muscular strength as well as joint and spinal stability.  Girevoy sport, because it's more relaxed, lends itself to building endurance.  Which you choose should depend on what your physical needs and goals are.  

Since I am not naturally a strong person I initially gravitated toward Hardstyle because as a trainer I know that the things I suck at tend to be the ones that end up benefitting me most.   I have to give my body a reason to adapt by placing demands on it that I can't meet if I stay at my present level.

Also--and this is something I didn't fully appreciate until I'd been training with kettlebells for a while--Hardstyle's use of muscular tension to stabilize the joints beautifully complements my ballet training.  If you dance, or if you danced as a kid, you know exactly what I mean by the use of tension to stabilize.  Quite simply, if you're relaxed in the legs and glutes you'll never be able to rise up on point or hold any kind of a balance.  You have to push down through the floor with your feet, lock your knees and contract your leg and butt muscles for all they're worth, or you'll wobble around like a baby deer.  The Hardstyle swing involves exactly the same pushing down, locking out, and contracting, so it's awesome for ballet dancers. 

Now, you may not be a ballet dancer, but perhaps you've got hypermobile joints.  It's a common problem and it can be a serious one.   A joint that's fully extended and locked is stable and strong, but one that's hyperextended is at risk.   I myself have hypermobile shoulders, elbows and wrists, but I've been able to improve the situation by doing Turkish get-ups.

Of course it's at least as likely that you lack mobility, especially in the hips.  Anyone who spends a lot of time sitting is prone to tightness in the hip flexors--the quads, illiopsoas, adductors and so forth.     This leads inexorably to back problems, because if the hips won't move, well, something has to give and it's likely to be your spinal erectors.  This is not an issue for me personally but I see it in plenty of my personal training clients, and I've been able to help them improve their hip function by means of goblet squats as well as swings.  The goblet squats restore mobility while the swings re-activate the glutes, which tend to be weak in people who've got tight hips. 

So, anyway, that's why I do kettlebells and why I gravitated toward Hardstyle.   It has nothing to do with being a macho-man badass, although I admit I find it fun and empowering to fling around heavy chunks of iron :)   If you're a female you might enjoy getting in touch with that side of yourself as well, just because. 

And if you're a guy, consider taking a ballet class.  As Jean-Claude Van Damme once said, "If you can survive a ballet workout you can survive anything."  (Feel free to tuck some vodka and pickle juice in your dance bag if it'll help you feel better about the whole thing:))