What Makes Kettlebells so Beneficial?
I began using kettlebells almost ten years ago when I started training in my home. I needed something that I could easily transport but didn’t take up the same space of several dumbbells. I spent about a year studying kettlebells and the experts in the field before I bought my first. I have read many western articles calling kettlebells the new fad or the next “thing” in fitness. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Kettlebells have been utilized in Russia for well over 300 years.
“The first mention of a kettlebell was in 1704 in a Russian dictionary…Kettlebells gained recognition as a superb weight loss tool when they were featured in the (Russian) fitness magazine, ‘Hercules’ in 1913.” (1) The 1986 Soviet Weightlifting Yearkbook said, “It’s hard to find a sport with deeper roots than the Girevoy (kettlebell) sport.” (2) The first official kettlebell competition took place in Russia in 1948. As with most training philosophies, the west has taken some time to catch on to what Eastern Europe has been doing for years.
Russian athletes and military personnel – especially the Spetznaz – trained with kettlebells. They did so because they realized that a simple implement could help improve their joint stability, flexibility, strength and power as well as their cardio respiratory conditioning. The Russian military had no time for injuries, especially since soldiers were often stationed in extremely remote locations. They needed something portable and effective to train with that could help decrease their chance for injury.
Holding the kettlebell handle moves the center of gravity up to a foot away from the wrist and shoulder. This places an increased demand on stabilizing and synergistic (helping) muscle groups. The increase in joint stabilization strength means stronger joints. Because the kettlebell can relatively easily swing between and around the legs, it can also help with ankle, knee, hip and low back stability as well. I can personally attest to this claim. After a motorcycle accident left me with a torn ACL, I performed a good deal of kettlebell swings, cleans and snatches in my training regimen. Now many people are often surprised that I still have a torn ACL. The ballistic loading or “shock” of a kettlebell appears to also be very beneficial to joints. In their book, Super Training Siff and Verkoshansky pointed out that, “Joints subjected to heavy impact are relatively free of osteoarthritis in old age and and those subjected to much lower loading experience a greater incidence of osteoarthritis and cartilage fibrillation.” (3). Because kettlebells can move around the body easier than a dumbbell and especially a barbell, they can be used to improve flexibility as well.
Swings are some of the most common and basic kettlebell movements. Swings can be performed to help improve leg and hip strength and power. A slight shift in knee position can also help improve hamstring and low back flexibility a great deal. Different types of deadlifts can be performed using kettlebells set behind the feet requiring more hamstring, hip and low back flexibility. Presses that can move through a greater range of motion than a dumbbell or barbell can aide in shoulder flexibility. Usually the first mention of kettlebells usually elicits the picture of a snatch or clean and jerk, which are the foundational exercises for building power. Kettlebells are nearly synonymous with strength and power.
Any person who questions how a 35lb kettlebell is going to help their strength and power should strap that much weight to their back then squat and jump as high as they can. In order to increase power a person needs to move weight very quickly. Most research shows that weight between 40%-60% of a 1 repetition maximum is ideal for developing power. Remember, it’s not the weight; it’s how fast it is moved. The most common weight lifting exercises to improve power are the Olympic lifts; snatch and clean and jerk. Barbell Olympic lifts are great; I do them and enjoy them. But we are in a biomechanical disadvantageous position when starting the Olympic lifts with a bar. This is why the weight is lifted slowly until the bar passes the knee caps. Kettlebells don’t cause this limitation. A person can initiate the jump portion of the Olympic lifts with the kettlebell resting on the floor because the weight is between the legs. This can help to improve leg, hip, and low back power greater than a bar because of the increased range of motion. Many sports require a powerful movement from standing still or in a 3 or 4 point stance. This movement is more closely mimicked in a kettlebell clean or snatch. Power is a key component to strength and strength is a component to power (albeit not as important).
As a person who competed in power lifting for over 10 years, I developed a good deal of strength in my legs and upper body. When I started training at home I had a stability ball and some dumbbells. When I bought my first kettlebell, I bought a single 16k (35lb) bell. Anything 35lbs is incredibly light for me. I was however, able to maintain and even build my upper and lower body strength using a little creativity. After some time I bought a second 16k and then two 24k kettlebells. It was about a year before I bought a power rack, bar and weights. In that time, I managed to maintain my squat and bench press strength using 16k and 24k kettlebells. Maintaining a 600lb squat and 500lb bench with relatively light kettlebells might seem somewhat outlandish – granted I lost some strength due to the time off from moving a bar around but what was lost was quickly recovered. Because of the structure of the bell along with some creative exercising, a person can improve their strength quite easily. All too often people believe if they lift heavy and slow they will get stronger. This isn’t always the key, especially for athletes. Power (force x velocity) is the key to strength and athletic performance. Kettlebells can also be a great tool for developing proper technique for the Olympic lifts as well.
When teaching the O-lifts, I usually find that people have some difficulty guiding the weight, especially in the snatch. In the snatch, the bar moves in a vertical path then almost a backward question mark when it moves over the head, which requires a wrist snap or turn over. Utilizing the kettlebells snatch can teach people how to guide the weight and turn the wrist over the catch the bar in the proper positions. Kettlebell cleans don’t require as much shoulder flexibility as barbell cleans (which is great for someone like me). This can help with catching the weight from a clean movement and taking some pressure off the wrists. A person can also perform a kettlebell front squat easier than with a bar due to the position of the kettlebell. The kettlebell front squat might actually require more effort. Because kettlebell Olympic lifts can start from the floor there is a greater amount of time spent working. Kettlebells also allow the lifter to maintain proper body alignment throughout the entire range of motion, which equates to the ability to perform a higher number of repetitions than with a barbell. This causes an increased metabolic demand, which equates to fat loss and muscle gain.
Len Schwartz, M.D., inventor of the panaerobic heavy hands exercise system researched the combination of weighted exercises and walking or various other forms of movement. He reported “spectacular fat loss” from this type of exercise (2). Research published through the NSCA recently reported the benefits of combining aerobic exercise with weight training movements. Training high repetition full body movements like the swing, clean and snatch with kettlebells along with an active rest like a light jog or modified walk can have dramatic effects on heart rate, body fat loss and muscle tone. This can all be done without ever stepping on a piece of aerobic equipment, which is incredibly boring and counterproductive in my opinion. One of the better examples of how challenging a seemingly simple kettlebell exercise is was when I was training some teenage hockey players.
These hockey players were relatively experienced training with weights although their experience with the Olympic lifts was lacking. They were however in good physical condition. I showed them what appeared to be a simple exercise; the Turkish get up. I demonstrated the exercise with a 12k (26lbs.) kettlebell. After my demonstration, they had difficulty performing a set of five to each side. The Turkish get up requires a great deal of shoulder stability, core stability and strength and leg strength as well as endurance. The Turkish get up is not a terribly fast movement; it is time consuming an very challenging though.
Hence the motto one should use when describing kettlebells and the exercises associated with them: A single implement that can help increase joint stability, flexibility, strength, power and cardio respiratory conditioning.
Casey
1. Bromley, Mike (2009) www.kettlebellworkout.org
2. Tsatsouline, Pavel. (2001) The Russian Kettlebell Challenge
3. Siff, Mel & Verkoshansky, Y.V. (1999) Super Training
