I had been thinking of writing a piece about kettlebell exercises and running for a few weeks. Seeing this Runner’s World article today finally got me to do it.

I’ve never been much of a gym rat. Spending a lot of time moving from machine to machine, or lifting various free weights just has never been my thing. Honestly, I don’t even like running on a treadmill. However, when a buddy suggested I give kettlebells a try and sent me a link to the book “Simple and Sinister,” I became intrigued.

I liked that I could knock out a circuit of kettlebell exercises before heading off for a run, and it seemed to be a pretty good warm up. However, I have discovered something that’s caused me to change up my routine a bit.

At some point, I noticed that my breathing pattern while running had changed. I initially chalked it up to pushing the pace too hard or the weather (hot, humid, lots of pollen, etc.). Then, after taking time off from my kettlebell exercise routine, I noticed my breathing was back to normal. Instead of having the occasional shallow breath followed by a deep gulp of air, everything was smooth again.

My first thought was that the time off from running and kettlebell swings had allowed me to recuperate a bit. That in turn had helped me with my form and breathing pattern. Then, I read a different Runner’s World article about doing strength training before cardio workouts and vice versa. That got me thinking about my kettlebell warm-up routine.

After reading that, I think maybe the kettlebell exercises, specifically swings, could have been tightening my core to the point that it was screwing up my breathing pattern. Obviously I haven’t tested this, but it really felt like my diaphragm was constricted at times and I couldn’t breathe from my belly at all. I ended up taking shallow chest breaths, and then gulping for air.

Now, I’ve switched to using the kettlebell exercises as a way to cool down (which I used to neglect), and for staying loose and building strength on “rest” days. It’s nice because I can easily adjust my intensity by exercise and /or weight.

I definitely think most runners would benefit from trying out a few kettlebell exercises, but any that do should be mindful of how they may be affecting their running performance and adjust accordingly.