Why Kettlebells?
A lot of people have asked me, “what is the difference between Russian Kettlebells and dumbbells?” The question is natural since kettlebells and dumbbells are used to exercise and both are held in one hand. In my opinion, the similarity pretty much ends there.
Dumbbells are wonderful for traditional weight training. You try to move the weight in a linear fashion and you apply force in one direction pretty much. All things considered, the dumbbell feels and acts stable. In addition, you are usually targeting one muscle or area of your body. Isolation is the goal. As is building bigger muscles. For a lot of people these are good aspirations. For many others, they are looking for something a little different. And Russian Kettlebells are singular in their appeal.
Let’s be clear on something. Russian Kettlebells are not magic. They are a tool. Like most tools they are used for work. Hard work it this case. Are they worth it? As I said kettlebells aren’t magic. They aren’t even the “be all and end all” of workout implements. But Kettlebells will give you measureable results faster than anything I’ve used. And here’s why.
As soon as you pick up a Russian Kettlebell your body engages your balancer and stabilizer muscles. The kettlebell has an offset center of gravity that makes it design highly unstable and unbalanced. That’s why a kettlebell of equal weight to a dumbbell feels quite heavy.
Used correctly, you will get all four of the major body systems working in concert when you practice with kettlebells. Your heart rate rises to levels seen during wind sprints. (Cardiovascular) You’d better be present and paying attention since the kettlebell workout is multi-planar (nervous system). Also you work both ballistic movement (muscular) and deceleration (skeletal) into the equation when doing kettlebell swings, snatches and cleans.
Kettlebell training is poles apart from ordinary weight lifting. You toil in all three available planes of human movement. Each kettlebell exercise employs hundreds of muscles at once. If you look at most serious kettlebell lifters they have great physical strength without bulky size. They have the ability to contract muscle quickly and well. The muscle is dense and strong.
Kettlebell exercise is really a marriage between the kettlebell itself and specific movements designed to do with the kettlebell. I recommend the kettlebell for kettlebell movements. Just as I would recommend a tennis racquet for the tennis court and a golf club for the golf course. It only makes sense!
My name is Sandy Sommer and I love to help people achieve their fitness goals using Russian Kettlebells. I have using Russian Kettlebells in my training practice for almost 2 years now and have transformed myself and others. There is NO BETTER training implement and our sessions at Charm City Kettlebells are both fun and effective. If you are looking for results then please look no further. I work with former couch pototoes, stay at home moms, fitness geeks, athletes and anyone in between. My requirement is that you work to your capacity and have fun! There is no crying with kettlebells!
Awesome article Sandy! Now readers..now go get your kettlebells!
Angie Schumacher is a Certified Fitness Professional who trains clients in her home and is a Women's Boot Camp Instructor in Colorado. She is the author of The Fat Blasting Boot Camp Program and has offered a one stop website to help you with all of your health and fitness needs. Please visit www.BuildingABetterU.com to find exactly what you are looking for!
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Nice article Sandy!
I agree kb’s aren’t the end all, but for people with limited time for working out, I don’t think anything beats them.
One area I’m interested in that I haven’t seen discussed much, is how such swinging movements decompress the joints versus the compressive forces imposed by typical dumbell and barbell movements.
Keep up the good work!
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Great post, Sandy. I’ve noticed all of these things about kettlebell. The 35 lb kettlebell is definitely more challenging than the 35 lb dumbbell. They’re just different animals.
Also, I’ve noticed that when I increase kettlebell weight, it’s more of a challenge than the same increase for dumbbells. I think it’s because you have to recalibrate in more planes.
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I have a friend who’s had great success with kettlebells. She says it’s better than dumbbells. I say, to each his own
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