No Time for the Gym? Use Kettlebells for a Full Body Workout

Made famous by power lifters in the former Soviet Union, kettlebells have come to be associated with hard core workouts But because they come in all weight ranges, chances are there is a kettlebell that would be a useful workout tool for you.

What Are Kettlebells?

A kettlebell is a cast-iron weight that resembles a cannonball with a hand grip. Sometimes known by the Russian term girya, kettlebells traditionally were cast in multiples of a weight unit known as a pood, equivalent to about 35 pounds or 16 kilos.

Kettlebells were developed by the Czarist army as a training tool in the 1700's. They were first used in international weight lifting competitions about 1940, and they have been a fixture of elite training gyms in the United States since the 1950's. Pavel Tsatsouline developed the first kettlebell training certification program in 2000.

How Do Kettlebells Differ from Dumbbells?

Exercisers grip kettlebells on their handles. Dumbbells are gripped on a slippery bar connecting the two "bells." The center of gravity of the kettlebell is always in the bell itself, so if it is dropped, it falls straight down, usually away from the body of the person using it in exercise. The center of gravity of the dumbbell is always on the hand, and if the dumbbell is not picked up properly, various muscles must compensate for the weight of the bell or it will fall, possibly back on the person using it.

Exercising with Kettlebells

The basic movements for kettlebells engage all the muscles of the body at the same time. Snatching a kettlebell from the bench, or swinging the kettlebell with one hand, or the clean and jerk (the clean consisting of removing the kettlebell off the floor to a position in front of the chest, and the jerk consisting of raising the kettlebell to a position over the head so that the arms are fully extended and stationary), all require action of multiple muscle groups. A workout with a kettlebell resembles real-world activities such as shoveling snow, or farm or garden work, and builds up lower back, legs, arms, and grip strength.

Burning Calories with Kettlebells

Kettlebell workouts are high-intensity exercise. Because of the different forces placed on different muscle groups, the body burns glucose both aerobically (with oxygen) and anaerobically (without oxygen) after just a minute or so into the routine. The aerobic component of a kettlebell workout encourages the burning of free fatty acids, reducing their concentration in the bloodstream. The muscles that have to exert the most effort to support the kettlebell burn glucose anaerobically, at a rate approximately 30 times greater than normal. This process produces the "burn" felt in some muscle groups during the workout, and it also primes muscles to soak up sugar from the bloodstream when the workout is over--a special benefit for diabetics.

Read More: One-Armed Kettlebell Swings For Rotational Core Stability

Are Kettlebells Safe for Me?

Not everyone should use kettlebells. If you have recent lower back problems, or if you have recently torn shoulder muscles or chronically stiff joints, kettlebells are not for you. It is also a good idea to spend some weeks or months strengthening core muscles before using kettlebells of 1 pood (35 pounds/16 kilos) or heavier.

How To Start Incorporating Kettlebells Into Your Workouts

Many busy people who don't have time to go to a gym stay fit by doing kettlebell workouts at home. But the key to success with kettlebells is incremental progression. Unless you happen already to be an elite athletes, don't try to emulate the pros all at once. And start with a light weight.

Easy Does It

Most women can start with a half-pood (17.6 pound/8 kilo) kettlebell, and most men can start with a full-pood (35.2 pound/16 kilo) kettlebell. Absolute beginners using dumbbells would probably start a lot lighter than that, maybe just 2 to 10 pounds (1 to 5 kilos), but using a kettlebell incorporates inertia that using a dumbbell does not. And because the center of gravity of the kettlebell extends beyond the body, it is possible to use kettlebells in ways that incorporate strength training, flexibility, and aerobics all in the same exercise.

Get Into the Swing of Kettlebells

It is a good idea to start with just one or two very basic kettlebell exercises. The beginner's favorite is the swing, in which the kettlebell is place between the legs and then swung up and forward and down and back.

Don't Lift with Your Back

When you are swinging a kettlebell, don't lift with your back. You don't want to stress any single muscle in your core. You want to strengthen them all equally. Keep your back straight when you lift the bell. If you can't do this, you need to start with a lighter bell and build up over a period of weeks. 

Developing Kettlebell Power

Once you are comfortable doing at least one exercise on a regular basis, then it's time to move on to others. There are literally hundreds of exercises you can learn from from a certified kettlebell training or by watching a DVD. Every workout can be different, and the feel can be more than a little like dancing.

Read More: Split Swings: Build Balanced Glutes and Hips With This Tweak of a Classic

Kettlebells For Getting Back into Shape After Injury

Exercise and rehabilitation professionals have used kettlebells in recovery programs even for injuries to the lower back and rotator cuff. These applications usually require the very lightest kettlebells made, weighing as little as 3 pounds (about 1.5 kilos). Even these tiny weights would not be used while an injury is still causing inflammation, swelling, and pain. After acute pain stops, the lightest kettlebells are used to promote muscle endurance, that is, many repetitions, small load. Exercise with fewer repetitions and heavier load rebuilds muscle after initial improvements.

Kettlebells belong in just about every exercise program. They are inexpensive. They don't take up a lot of space, and they are easy to store. And kettlebell routines build up aerobic capacity at the same time they increase muscle strength and flexibility, more than far more expensive exercise equipment.