Kettlebells those evil shaped cannon balls attached to a handle have surely caught the fancy of most serious trainees around the world. The world is now using this superb piece of exercise equipment to get great results. However a lot of people have a misconception that Kettlebells or KB's as they are popularly called are a recently developed exercise equipment.
Actually kb's were developed by Russians in the 17th century. For centuries they used it to get wonderful results in developing strength, power, endurance. It is now in the last decade or so that the rest of the world has been exposed to this useful piece of equipment. The Russians infact have also developed a kettlebell sport called Girevoy Sport, which is now also becoming popular worldwide. In this article I will not discuss about Girevoy, but rather about the benefits of kb's to a regular trainee who wants to use kb's to help his physical development.
If you look at the design of a kettlebell you will notice that the weight of a kettlebell is off centre. Unlike a dumbbell a kb is not stable when you move it. This itself should convince you that training with kb's and dumbbells are not exactly the same as some might tell you. The major benefits of using a kettlebell are:
- It works your abs and core harder since the weight is off center
- They can offer a lot more results in less time. They work a lot more muscle groups with each exercise to reduce the need of isolation exercises which saves a lot of time
- They are a great alternative to boring cardio workouts. A high repetition kb swings workout will give a great cardiovascular workout without having to go through 45-60 minutes of a boring cycling aerobic workout
- They are also great for home gyms. Often space becomes a factor when using barbells at home. Kb's on the other hand will require little space to store or to move during an exercise. You can simply store them in a corner and use them when you need to
- They help develop the posterior muscles very well. Often muscles like the hamstrings, lower back ar ignored with conventional training and thus causes a muscle imbalance. This is greatly reduced with classic kb exercises like swings, snatches
- It can offer a fun recovery workout if the trainee is not in the mood for regular training. For eg some juggling, and hand to hand drills can be done with a kb to recover between regular workouts without burning out before the next intense session
The basic exercises that are done with a kettlebell include:
- Swings
- Cleans
- Overhead press/ jerks
- Snatch
- Rows
- Renegade rows
- Windmills
- Turkish get ups
Some people mistakenly believe that kettlebells are only good for power and endurance, but not ideal for hypertrophy (muscular growth).That is not true, there are many people around like Ken Blackburn, Steve Cotter who have impressive size and train with kettlebells. You see, to develop size you need to lift heavier bells and lower the bell slowly during the negative phase of an exercise and you will put your muscle under enough tension to produce growth. Of course having said that it must also be kept in mind that one cannot lower the bell slowly for the dynamic exercises like swings, and snatches. You can successfully use a slower negative phase in exercises like floor press, rows, overhead presses, squats, etc.
As mentioned earlier kettlebells are great for fat loss and conditioning. Thus those of you who are looking to slim down and improve their physical conditioning will do well to include kb,s in their program. This even includes athletes. Many athletes from different sports around the world are nowadays using kbs in their regimen to improve their conditioning.
Now if you are ready to try kettlebells, you may be wondering where do I start and and what exercise do I start with? If you are looking to add just one kb move to your current routine or if you are trying to lose fat and are short of time and can do only one move then try this workout that I learned from kettlebell guru Tom Furman. Do 1 minute of kettlebell swings followed by 1 minute rest. Repeat for a total of 10 rounds. Believe me it is a lot tougher than it sounds. If you are struggling then you can do 30 seconds of swings with 30 seconds of rest for 10 rounds also. Over a period of time your goal should be to do full 10 rounds without any breaks, thus your aim should be to try and cut down the rest time between sets gradually.
On the other hand if you want to try a kettlbell only program then this is an ideal workout if you have only one kettlebell at home:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
1 arm clean and press- 5 sets of 3 reps
1 arm bentover row- 2 sets of 6-8 reps
1 arm front squats- 2 sets of 8-10 reps
1 arm swings- 2 sets of 8-10 reps
Take one to two minute breaks in between each set. At this stage focusing on technique is more important than trying to get your best numbers.
Now if you are wondering what is the ideal weight that you should start with, then I will have to admit that it depends on your strength levels. Generally men will do well to start with a 12-16 kg bell and women will do well to start with an 8 kilo bell. Of course if you are very strong and have been training with barbells and dumbbells for a long time, then maybe you can start with a 24 kg bell also. Obviously it goes without saying that you should try lifting a kb at the shop before buying to gauge if it is ideal for you or not.
Now there is one thing that I must tell you that if you are a serious athlete and compete at very high levels then kettlebell only training might not be a good idea for you. To develop maximum strength and conditioning you must use kettlebells along with other tools like barbells, dumbbells, bodyweight, etc. However if you are not an athlete and want to develop some real functional strength and conditioning in a limited time, then kettlebell only training can benefit you to achieve your goals.
So I hope that through this article I have been able to inform you about how kettlebells can benefit you and why you should use them. My suggestion is to try it to believe it, and see for yourself how adding some kb training into your program benefits you.
