A Beginners Guide To Kettlebells
- Author Ken Liu
We've written a small article about Kettlebell training and a brief FAQ on what to buy.
There has been a great deal written about kettlebell history so we won't go over it all again. What we'll do here is go over some of the benefits of kettlebell training cutting out the excessive and over the top claims that many websites espouse. (Continued below......)
(....Continued......)What a kettlebell can do for you
Kettlebell swings, cleans and snatches work the posterior chain hard and your abs won't be getting an easy ride either. This type of compound movement is great for athletics training, forcing the body to work as an integrated unit. The combination of strength and cardio will be a shock to the system as a ten minute workout with a kettlebell will get your cardiovascular system working overtime and a monstrous strength workout simultaneously. You will develop a steel grip as your hands gets fried from the effort of holding onto a heavy weight that is thrown about at high speeds.
Finally, if you think that core training comprises of rolling about on a swiss ball you're in for a rude shock as your abs, obliques and lower back get tortured from exercises like windmills and Turkish get ups. Go scare the mullets in the gym and impress the fitness bunnies.
What a kettlebell won't do for you
It won't replace barbells, bodyweight or a multitude of other forms of training. Don't get me wrong. We love kettlebells, after all, we love them enough to name our company after them! However, unless you're training solely for kettlebell sport, they should only be part of your training regime. If you want to improve sports performance with kettlebells they should be a supplementary exercise. Your sports training should come first. If you want to pull a bar bending deadlift, work on your powerlifts. You get the idea.
It won't turn you into a superhuman. I'm sorry but that just won't happen. Bullets won't bounce off you, faster than a speeding bullet? Unlikely. Flying? Not unless you check your kettlebells in as hand luggage. Allergies to glowing green rocks? Anything that glows green should be avoided by everybody, not just the last son of Krypton!
Should I get a plate loader or a fixed weight bell?
We'll try to give you impartial advice on what type of kettlebell to buy. Plate loaded kettlebells invariably feel different to a fixed weight one but this only affects those that are used to one or the other. If you're new to KB training it shouldn't make a difference.
The advantages of fixed weight kettlebells
Rugged. Its a basic principle in life that the less moving parts something has the lower the risk that it will go wrong. You can't get more sturdy than a solid lump of metal! With the kettlebell handle there are a fair number of parts that can get lost or if abused, can get broken.
Progressive overload through more challenging exercises. Most people complain that kettlebells weight jumps are difficult to manage. The answer to this is to train with more difficult exercises. The 16kg is getting too light for you whilst shoulder pressing? No problems, work on a slow press, 2 up 1 down press, the Sots Press...there are many ways of making exercises more challenging.
Better for training in a group environment. One of the times where it is better to have fixed weight bells is in a group training environment. No need to find plates and confgure bells. Just grab the bells and train.
Less time consuming. A set of bells is better for drop sets. No time is taken up dismantling your bell and changing the weight.
Its more of a challenge. The argument that some use for plate loaded bells is that it allows for incremental progression. That's true but then the other side of the argument is that fixed bells develop a certain degree of courage. It takes bottle to go from the 16kg to the 24kg and it takes a lot of guts to go from the 24kg to the 32kg.
The advantages of plate loaded kettlebells
Progressive training. You can make a kettlebell at the weight you require. This is the main appeal of a plate loaded kettlebell. With the right weight plates you can create a kettlebell of the weight to suit you.
Cheaper. A kettlebell handle is a fair bit cheaper than a kettlebell. However, you will need a stack of weight plates!
Less space consuming. The handle when stripped down weighs about a kilo. Easy to hide when the better half starts complaining!
Portable. Take it to the gym with you, take it travelling, these handles are a lot easier on the go compared with fixed weight kettlebells.
The argument here is settled by your personality type. If you're more comfortable with steady progression then the plate loaders are for you. If you like to live life on the edge, then fixed weight training is for you. No temptation to take it step by step for you!
London Kettlebells, the UK's leading kettlebell
authority, for the ultimate in fitness, strength
and conditioning training.
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