On Being Loose Under Tension
The enemy of strength, and endurance, is tension. When your body, and mind, are tense, the rest of your body stiffens, resists, and the risk of injury increases. The goal of a righteous Kettlebell routine is to be strong — and tense in all the right places — while also being loose in all the other right places. This is a tricksy dance between body and mind, because when there is tension, the natural response of the body is to resist that tension by creating more tension.
When you Press a Kettlebell, some trainers will tell you to grip the handle of the bell as hard as you can to engage your wrist, elbow, and shoulder in the move. I have found that if I try to death grip the Kettlebell handle, I risk creating too much tension in those particular body parts that then leads to cramping and overuse.
I much prefer to clench my non-Kettlebell hand in a one-bell Press, and use a firm, but relaxed, grip on the bell handle. Clenching the opposite fist sends an involuntary, but safely autonomous, signal to the rest of my body to find the correct tension to help the Kettlebell-tense part of my body to lift the iron into place. It’s an amazing Feat of Strength that belies the notion that opposites do not attract — opposites actually help each other find an equilibrium.
I am reminded of an acting technique I used to teach my university theatre students. The test was to create 100% visible tension in your body while sitting in a chair, and then calmly speaking your lines without any anger, additional volume, or tension, in your voice. That conflict between the posed body, and the expressed voice, led to many interesting acting choices in a scene. Being loose under tension can have many performance benefits beyond the stage!
Of course, the old Martial Arts technique of “breathing behind the shield” is the epitome of being loose under tension. You tense your torso in order to absorb a kick, or a strike, while still being able to diaphragmatically breathe behind that muscular abdominal wall you created. It’s a wonderful physiological technique to practice, and master, because you quickly learn how the mind, and body, can hold two opposite intentions at the same time, and still find value in expressing both.
This is the idea of a Passionate Mind and an Intellectual Heart all over again, in a new context!
Opposites attract — and then explode!
