5 Reasons You Should Be Working Out With Kettlebells
Working out with kettlebells could hold the secret to some amazing health and fitness benefits. But you won’t know until you try it for yourself.
Kettlebell training builds balance, power, flexibility and muscle quickly and efficiently. And it works for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. A kettlebell is a cast-iron ball with a handle that comes in weight ranges of 5 to more than 200 pounds depending on the brand.
Kettlebells are different in many important ways from their weight-room counterparts, the dumbbells. Dumbbells are balanced. The weight on kettlebells is unbalanced, which is exactly the reason why kettlebells are so popular.
The design forces users to stabilize the imbalance, which creates more natural bodily movements and targets core areas during workouts. And building the body’s core – the trunk, the back and the abdominals – is often the most difficult and most neglected.
The Different Types of Kettlebells
Cast iron kettlebells are solid and come in different sizes for different weights. Cast kettlebells come in hundreds of different sizes, forms and weights. This type of kettlebell is easily recognized by its gray or black paint but can also include several coating choices such as rubber, urethane, vinyl and even neoprene.
Competition kettlebells are specifically designed to be the same size while color coded to identify each unique weight. Weight differences are produced by constructing the kettlebells with different degrees and quantities of steel. Weight variations are also created by the kettlebell’s density; light ones, for example, can be hollow.
Working Out With Kettlebells
- The Swing is where you hold the kettlebell with two hands in front of you, bend over slightly to lower the kettlebell to about knee height and swing it upward from between your legs. This is great for your legs and back.
- The Turkish Get-up involves holding the kettlebell with a straight arm pointing up in the air while lying on your back. The exercise involves keeping the arm straight up in the air while standing up. It’s great for balance and all-around strength building.
- The Goblet Squat involves holding the kettlebell right in front of your chest while standing up. Then simply do squats. This is a fantastic leg and core builder.
- The Deadlift is similar to the conventional barbell deadlift, except you’re lifting the kettlebell. Again, this gets the core, especially the back and the thighs.
- The Press is the same as the dumbbell military press. You’re standing up holding the kettlebell at shoulder level. Press it straight up over your head. This is unbeatable for strengthening your shoulders and triceps.
The Experts
Iron Company offers the best, the most affordable and the widest selection of kettlebells in the industry. You name it, Iron Company has it: cast-iron kettlebells, rubber kettlebells, urethane kettlebells, competition kettlebells and CrossFit kettlebells. Iron Company also offers its kettlebell sets in many different sizes, shapes and colors.
Kettlebell Swing Image Credit - Michael Krivka owner of CrossFit Koncepts in Gaithersburg, MD.
About the Author
Jayson Operio’s certifications include: NASM CPT - National Academy of Sports Medicine - Certified Personal Trainer, ACIM CPT - American College of Integrative Medicine - Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and PEX CPT - APEX Fitness Group - 24/5 Complete Personal Trainer. Jayson previously was a personal trainer with 24 Hour Fitness, guiding clients to achieve their fitness and sport performance goals. He has almost twenty years of combined fitness industry sales experience with previous companies Busy Body Home Fitness, Precor Home Fitness, Polar Electro, and currently IRON COMPANY. His passion for fitness was set as a foundation at an early age. With his father in the military, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and running a couple of miles were the norm. It was cross training for physical fitness. Fast forward, and now with over fifteen years in the fitness industry, he has gained experience and knowledge about various products and training techniques, and how they can be utilized to better one's fitness level and/or sport performance. His personal performance goals to run faster, jump higher, cycle longer, and press heavier have influenced his commitment to find fitness solutions. Knowing how the right equipment with proper technique can lead to results first hand, he’s here to share my knowledge with others to find the right products at a great price. Contact Jayson here.