Stopping Kettlebell Training For Now

Today I did another Foundation session. It was the 2nd session in a row that my left shoulder felt like it was intermittently slipping out of place during my double kettlebell press sets. Pulling the shoulders back and down and engaging the rotators did not help as much as in the previous session. Yesterday I did 3 sets of KB arm bar with 30-second holds with the 12kg KB. As part of warmup this morning, I did a 40-second KB arm bar hold on each side with the 8kg KB. Thus the KB arm bar work did not prevent the left shoulder stability issue.

I tested my double KB press rep max before beginning the Foundation session. I did 7 reps safely. I could have attempted an 8th rep but did not feel my form was good enough anymore to do the movement safely.

Next week I will switch to overcoming isometric training under the 6x6 program with the IsoMax. This should give the joints a break and hopefully restore stability to them. In the past I have certainly experienced relief from joint pain after a 6x6 session.

Also, 6x6 gives me an alternative route to achieving a 10 rep max with double 16kg KBs. After increasing my force output via 6x6, the KBs should feel lighter, and therefore it should be easier for me to do more reps with them.

Another issue I've been dealing with is elbow tendonitis, in both elbows. My elbows have been feeling fine, except when I attempt do a bicep curl with supinated palms or attempt a dead hang from a pullup bar. They also flare up intermittently when I do motions that have the palms facing each other side to side, like when I wash my hands. The left elbow occasionally flares up when I play guitar as well when I get careless. I've gotten good at using my upper back muscles to provide finger pressure on the guitar fretboard, so most of the time I don't feel pain when I play guitar. It seems like my elbow problems started when I was doing goblet squats while holding a 24kg KB bottoms up, as part of Easy Muscle Schedule B. The KB's weight was challenging for my hands, and I occasionally let the KB tip over when my grip endurance ran out. I think the damage to my elbows accelerated when I started dead hanging from a pullup bar 5 days a week, 2 or more sets a day.