BENEFITS OF KETTLEBELL TRAINING
Written by Anmol Rai. 22th May 2020
Kettlebell is becoming more popular now days and have gained a lot of interest in the world of fitness. It has also become a portrayal of ‘Functional Training’, but what exactly about this cannonball with handle like object have gotten people’s head turning? I will drop some knowledge bombs in this blog as to why a lot of people have started implementing Kettlebell training in their workouts and why you should too!
But before that, let’s learn a little bit about its history…
History
Kettlebell also known as ‘Girya’ is believed to be originated from Russia in 17th century. Back then ‘Girya’’ was used as a weighing tool on huge scales for grains and meats. Over time the shape and sizes of Girya transformed and eventually in 19th century, it became a tool specifically manufactured for strength training also known as Kettlebell
Although Kettlebell is mainly known to be originated from Russia, many similar objects and training tools were found in other cultures and parts of world that pre-existed long before 17th century. From an object such as ‘Halteres’ used in Ancient Greek sports that tracks back to 500 BC, to another one called ‘Stone padlocks’ used by Chinese Shaolin Monks fifteen hundred years ago.
Now I am not saying kettlebell wasn’t originated in Russia, but the pre-existing objects such as Halteres and Chinese Stone Padlocks could have contributed as an influence on the modern Russian ‘Girya’ that eventually became a kettlebell.
One name: Pavel Tsatsouline. An incredible & influential Fitness Instructor to Former Soviet Union and a mean guy who popularised kettlebell training in the modern era in the west with his books and series of classic instructional videos.
Enough of the History, now let’s get on to the benefits of Kettlebell Training. Although there are lot of benefits of kettlebell training, here are the main six benefits I have chosen:
1. Combination of Strength and Cardio Training:
One of the advantages of kettlebell over dumbbell or barbell is implementation of ballistic training, which is great for both strength and cardiovascular training. (Ballistic Training is also known as power training which focuses on maximising the acceleration phase while minimise the deceleration phase). A great training system to implement to build great athleticism. If you’re an athlete, kettlebell should definitely be in your workout arsenal for this specific reason.
2. Core Strength and Stability:
Due to its irregular shape it can be a little difficult to handle kettlebell in comparison to your conventional training equipment like barbell and dumbbell. Kettlebell has an off-set centre of gravity, about 6 to 8 inches away from your grip on the handle when holding it. Therefore, it requires your core and overall stability to keep both, the kettlebell and body under control, especially during unilateral and offset movements. Additionally, working from different angles will help you develop an actual strong and stable core, not just for aesthetic flexing.
3. Multiplanar Movements:
Personally, I am huge on transverse (rotational) motion and Kettlebell is the perfect tool that has the versatility for this plane of motion. But don’t get me wrong, you can still use kettlebells for both frontal and sagittal movements such as squats, side lunges, shoulder press, etc. List of exercises are endless.
Kettlebell will allow you to build great functional strength that is transferrable to your everyday life, physical activities and sports while keeping your resilient to injuries. Having an all-round strength is the way to go forward if you ask me.
4. Hip Strength
Kettlebell swing is probably the first exercise that comes into people’s mind when they hear kettlebell. Along with kettlebell swing, there are many other hinge-based exercises that will help you develop a strong hip.
When Shakira sang ‘hips don’t lie’, believe me she meant it because one’s true strength and power comes from the hip. Having good hip strength ensures stability and helps prevent injuries, especially for athletes. Most athletic movements such as sprinting, jumping, turning and twisting requires a strong hip, so it’s important that we train the hinge pattern and strengthen the hip overall.
5. Tackle Weakness and Imbalances
Another great benefit of implementing kettlebell exercises is so you can work on any weak areas that you may not be aware of. Using kettlebell will be able to help you pinpoint your weaknesses in your movement and coordination. Once you are able to pinpoint these weaknesses, you can work on it with more ease and certainty.
Everyone has some sort of muscle imbalances but not many take actions to correct them. Overtime, accumulation of compensating with your form, using muscles that aren’t meant to be used and mixing force with momentum can lead to severe dysfunctions and potential injuries to the body.
There are lots of exercises you can perform to tackle these weaknesses and imbalances. For example, you may use a single kettlebell exercises to work on unilateral movements.
6. Portable and Versatility
You don’t need stacks of weight plates, barbell or dumbbells to get a good workout. If you’re looking for one home gym equipment to work on all strength, power, endurance and mobility/flexibility, Kettlebell is the one for you. Cost-friendly, portable and requires less space. I always recommend my clients to invest in a kettlebell if they can because you can just never go wrong with it!
Lastly, kettlebell = versatile. Not only is it fun to workout with, it’s also super effective (obviously depending on what your ultimate goal is) covering most of the fitness components. It also fits in well with different types of workouts, whether it be HIIT, Circuit training, mobility training, metabolic workouts, etc. The possibilities with kettlebell training are endless.
So, what to take from this blog? Well, if you want to take my advice, start implementing kettlebell training in your workouts if you currently don’t and invest in one if you can. You definitely won’t regret it. It may take some time to get used to it (as it does with anything) but once you get the hang of it, you will definitely see all sorts of results in different areas of your training.
Anmol Rai, Kinetic Steps
Personal Trainer & Online coach
Surrey, England, UK.
Phone: (+44) 7525293182
Email: [email protected]