One of the most frequently asked questions about kettlebell training is how to avoid wrist pain. If you’re having trouble with the kettlebell slamming into your forearm when you clean, snatch, or do any other transition into the rack position, you’re not alone! Bruising up the forearm is common, and asking how to prevent doing so is a great question. Keep reading for 3 simple tips to avoid wrist pain with kettlebells, and a bonus video reviewing each tip in depth!

1. Use correct arm and leg action.

If the sequencing of your arm and leg action is off, your lift will not be timed properly and the result will be the kettlebell slamming into your wrist. Remember that on movements such as the clean and snatch, the legs should push first, and the arm moves second, as a response to the legs. The leg action is quick, and the arm action is almost entirely passive. The legs give the kettlebell momentum, and the arm simply guides the kettlebell into place, either into the rack or overhead position. On a well-timed repetition, the arm should meet the kettlebell in rack or overhead just as the kettlebell is getting there, that way the kettlebell glides into place and does not slam the forearm. The best way to tell if this is an issue for you is to take a side view video and watch it in slow motion, and the solution is practice… lots of it!

2. Time your hand insertion properly.

A common error is to death grip the kettlebell handle, which causes the kettlebell to rotate all the way around the hand and slam onto the wrist. In order to get the kettlebell to land on the forearm at just the right time, so there is no slamming, you need to properly time the hand insertion through the kettlebell handle. In rack or overhead position, your hand should be fully inserted through the kettlebell handle so that the handle is diagonal across your palm, and the kettlebell would stay hooked in place even if you opened your fingers. To get to that position, the hand has to open and drive through the kettlebell handle at the right time, which is just after the legs have finished pushing. Once the legs push, the arm passively bends to move into position, and the hand opens and inserts fully through the kettlebell handle. If you time hand insertion correctly, it stops the kettlebell from a hard landing.

3. Keep the arc small.

When you’re first starting to lift kettlebells, it’s a natural response to keep the kettlebell farther away from your body — it’s a heavy metal cannonball flying around, and your brain doesn’t want that thing anywhere near you! As you get more skilled, however, keeping the kettlebell closer to the body gives you better control. A wider arc means the back and shoulder have to work more, and the timing of your movement will be off, often leading to a bump on the wrist. Instead, try to keep the arc the kettlebell makes around your body as small as possible, that way your legs and hips do most of the work and you can more easily manipulate the bell’s momentum to land how and when you want.

Watch the video below for an in depth explanation of the 3 tips with visual demonstrations.

Another note on wrist pain…

One other reason why you could be experiencing wrist pain is the size of the kettlebell you are using. Light weight cast iron bells (in the range of 4-10kg) are often very small, which causes the bell to sit directly on your wrist and compress all the stuff it should not be compressing. If your hand is inserted properly through the kettlebell handle, the bell should sit just off to the side of the forearm (not directly on top of the wrist or forearm). That being said, light weight cast iron kettlebells are often poorly made, and I suggest using competition kettlebells for bells in the range of 4-10kg.

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