The workouts with kettlebells involve a lot of movement, so your body is forced to do more solo effort to complete the exercise, which also gives you an excellent cardiovascular exercise. In any modern gym today, you can find a section full of kettlebells.
A kettlebell (also called a kettlebell) looks like a large cannonball with a handle. They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, and weights.
The weight of a kettlebell will often be heard on the implement, usually in kilograms, but it also usually comes in pounds. One kilogram equals 2.2 pounds. A 20 kg kettlebell, therefore, weighs 44 pounds.
People can also refer to the weight of a kettlebell in “poods,” which is an old Russian unit of measurement. In this case, 1 pood is just over 36 pounds.
Kettlebells have risen in popularity recently, but they have been around for a long time. It is unclear when they officially became a recognized tool for strength and conditioning, however their history is estimated to date back over 300 years.
Known as a “girya” in Russia, kettlebells were originally used to help balance scales while crops were weighed. The Russians soon found that a heavy thing with a handle was also quite good for exercising.
The man most notable for westernizing the kettlebell is Pavel Tsatsouline, president of Strong First Inc. and a former PT training instructor for Spetsnaz. Tsatsouline is the author of several books that describe simple but effective kettlebell training programs.
Why Are Kettlebells So Popular?
A kettlebell is very versatile. Its design allows it to be manipulated in multiple ways, allowing rocking, pressure, traction, transport, launch and stability exercises.
Complete workouts can be performed with nothing more than a kettlebell, whether the goal is strength, hypertrophy, power, or endurance.
A kettlebell is relatively small (although I dare not say it is “light” since it all depends on the weight you select) and relatively affordable compared to most other gym equipment.
Compared to training with machines or even with dumbbells, the kettlebell provides variability and compensates for the load so that no repetition is really the same as the previous one.
The exercises with kettlebells can sometimes be the best investment for your fitness, targeting numerous muscle groups and making you move through multiple planes of motion.
Thousands of exercises can be performed with a single kettlebell, and you can train for almost any fitness-related goal using kettlebells.
As Tsatsouline writes in her book Simple & Sinister, “the kettlebell is an ancient Russian weapon against weakness. “
Are Kettlebells Better Than Traditional Weights?
Each team brings something unique to our training, and each person is different, so it is silly to talk about clear differences.
As a general thing, dumbbells aren’t bad, they shouldn’t be banned, and kettlebells aren’t the only answer to training.
Some people believe that kettlebells are inherently safer than dumbbells, but one could easily get injured with a kettlebell if they are using improper technique. Although people tend to get injured doing body weight training all the time.
Many beginners become obsessed with powerlifting movements when they are just starting out in strength training, specifically the barbell squat, bench press, and deadlift.
I am an advocate for these movements. I program them for myself and I program them for many of the athletes I train. However, I don’t program them for those with a low level of movement proficiency.
If you need to know more about them visit:
- Squat: How to do it and most common mistakes
- Deadlift: How to do it and most common mistakes
- How to master the Bench Press: Exercise Information and Technique
Weights make it easier for a beginner to lift a heavier movement than he can handle in a fixed position.
A perfect example is that of a barbell bench press, where the hands are in a pronated position and the shoulders are inherently positioned in an internally rotated position.
If a rookie lifter doesn’t know how to properly bench (i.e., shoulders down and back, hips on the bench, feet on the ground, elbows in the correct position), this may be a recipe for injury.
Of course, good training helps guard against this. However, I think kettlebells are a bit more forgiving. Pressing with a kettlebell overhead is, in my opinion, safer than pushing a barbell overhead, because the kettlebell allows you to rotate your hands and take your shoulders out of internal rotation.
I also find that movements like the Kettlebell Deadlift and the Kettlebell Globet Squat are generally safer than their barbell counterparts.
Although there are some exercises that work better with weights than kettlebells, the reverse is also true.
The Kettlebell is a natural fit for movements like the Kettlebell Swing or the Turkish-Get Up, for example. These movements train essential qualities that may be more difficult for beginners to target with, for example, a barbell.
Most gyms will not have kettlebells that exceed 45 kgs. Many gyms will have kettlebells that max out at 20-30kg.
If you think you need a very heavy weight to get the adaptations you are looking for, then it will be easier to achieve that criterion with a barbell and plates than with kettlebells.
I think everyone should lift weights in some way. I also believe that one must build a proper foundation and learn to move properly before adding too much load.
Kettlebells are an excellent option for keeping an individual’s load low while increasing their movement competence.
What Are the Best Kettlebell Exercises?
There are too many good kettlebell exercises to explain. However, we will share two of the favorites. These exercises are unique to kettlebells and are the basis of the work of the aforementioned Tsatsouline.
Kettlebell Swing
This exercise can be used for both conditioning and strength work. It targets the posterior chain and teaches people how to articulate the hips correctly with some force.
This exercise involves holding the kettlebell with both hands (although there are single arm and double bell variations) and using your hip joint to forcefully push it in front of you.
Your exercise-activated muscles may eventually notice the typical burn if the set is long or if the weight is heavy enough, but your arms and shoulders should essentially not provide power to the movement.
Once the Kettlebell Swing is mastered, it is an excellent addition to any program or a convenient standalone option for a day of conditioning.
Turkish Get-Up
Another basic exercise with kettlebells is the Turkish Get-Up. Your goal is simple: standing from a supine position while keeping a weight on your head. However, that simple act requires a lot of technique, shoulder stability, core strength, hip mobility, and focus to be executed effectively.
There are other exercises that are difficult to replicate with implements other than kettlebells, such as the overhead kettlebell press.
There are also many scenarios where it may make sense to replace a classic barbell or dumbbell exercise with a kettlebell version.
Instead of doing barbell squats, you can do front squats with kettlebells, which reduce the load on your spine. Instead of pressing a pair of dumbbells, you can use kettlebells.
It may seem like an insignificant exchange, but kettlebells naturally lead to a better scapular position, making the movement more effective and reducing wear and tear on your body.
