Did you know that the development of kettlebells can be traced back to Russian farmers in the
1700s?
It was an instrument originally used to weigh crops.
But the farmers noticed that they became stronger through the use of these instruments, and
used them to show off their strength at festivals.
Later, the kettlebell was used as a training tool for the Soviet army.
Hi viewers and welcome back to bestie!
Barbells and dumbbells have long been the staple of an effective training program.
But, in recent years, Kettlebell has taken a foothold as a must-do in your training programs.
In fact, A kettlebell workout delivers more fat burning and body toning benefits in just
20 minutes as compared to 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes of traditional weight
training.
But a kettlebell’s health benefits don’t stop there.
It has a wide range of health benefits and in today’s video, we will tell you what
they are.
From increasing flexibility, strengthening joints, decreasing body fat, increasing grip
strength to decreasing lower back pain and more, watch till the end to learn about all
of them.
It is Convenient And Cheap: You can get started on kettlebell routines without buying a lot
of equipment or spending a lot of money.
Sure, it looks cool to have a neat row of fancy, top quality kettlebells of every imaginable
size in your home gym, but you really don't need that.
Start out with just a couple, a light and a medium one.
One for small muscles like the arm and one for large movements like kettlebell swings.
You can find kettlebells in almost any sports supply store, and even some department stores,
or of course there are plenty online.
As your workouts get more complex, and your strength develops, you can easily, and affordably,
add more kettlebells to your collection.
Kettlebell workouts also don’t need a lot of space.
You can do most movements in as little as a six-foot square space, meaning if your home
gym is your bedroom or a corner of your living room, kettlebells make a perfect workout.
Where do you prefer working out, in the gym or in the convenience of your home?
Tell us quickly down below in the comments section.
Decreases Body Fat: A common fitness goal for everyone is losing body fat and inches
around the waist, thighs and arms.
Kettlebell training offers you the ability to burn fat with high-intensity workouts.
Any weight loss program can be difficult to accomplish, but using kettlebells provides
a fun and exciting alternative to "normal" workouts that help to keep you motivated.
By consistently working out with kettlebells, your metabolism will increase which will result
in a decrease of body fat percentage.
Design your workout programs for high repetition compound movement exercises, such as the kettlebell
swing, reverse lunge or shoulder press, in a circuit with little to no rest between sets.
Great Source Of Cardio: If you love high intensity interval training or HIIT and all the advantages
that come with it, kettlebell training is definitely for you.
Similar to HIIT, kettlebell training consists of short, intensive bursts of energy followed
by quick rest periods.
This allows your heart rate to elevate as fast and high as it would from jump training,
and for your oxygen intake to increase.
A study found that eight weeks of kettlebell training two times a week improved aerobic
capacity by almost 14 percent.
Builds Muscle: As well as being an effective source of cardio, kettlebell training will
also provide you with a whole body strength and conditioning workout.
Unlike traditional weights training which isolates particular muscles, kettlebell training
targets multiple major muscle groups at once.
Through the actions of lifting and controlling the kettlebell your whole body – especially
the core – is forced to contract as a group, allowing you to build both strength and stability.
The result of this is that your whole body will become leaner, more toned and functionally
stronger – making day-to-day tasks much easier.
Time Saving: Most of us have busy schedules juggling family, work and recreation.
All these activities can block the motivation for a workout because of a lack of time.
Kettlebells, however, are a great time saver when workouts need to be quick and intense
by combining cardio and strength.
Even the busiest of you can take 15 minutes every day for a workout.
A great time-saving workout is 200 kettlebell swings for time.
Perform 200 repetitions of kettlebell swings as quickly as possible.
This workout might not sound like much, but it will take you between five to 10 minutes
to complete, will increase your heart rate and will work nearly every muscle in your
body.
Improves Posture: In an age where the majority of our time is spent either hunched at a desk
or in front of a computer, it’s difficult to maintain or even have good posture.
As a result of this, the two most important muscles in your posterior chain, AKA your
glutes and lats, go unused.
Luckily, kettlebell training can change this.
Kettlebell training activates these dormant muscles – which must be stabilised to ensure
correct form – and strengthens them.
This is achieved by using your glutes to forcefully lock out the hips, and by completing movements
that have your body upright and extended, with your chest open.
Trust us, you’ll be standing taller in no time.
Increases Grip Strength: Grip strength is an underappreciated aspect of strength training.
A weak grip can be a limiting factor in a number of exercises; particularly the deadlift.
A stronger grip means heavier lifts, but also means larger and stronger forearms.
The handle of the kettlebell is larger than the typical barbell or dumbbell, so any exercise
you perform with it is going to stress your grip more.
Another aspect is the nature of kettlebell exercises – the swing in particular – puts
unnatural stress on your hands and forearms.
Swings require you to hold the kettlebell for an extended period of time, as well as
having to combat a moving and every changing center of gravity.
Helps In Active Recovery: If you are a serious weightlifter, with a rigorous target training
program, you should still have a couple days each week for active recovery.
Active recovery is where you take a rest day, but you don't just sit around.
You facilitate your recovery by doing a different, gentler type of workout to keep your circulation
and your metabolism going.
Many weightlifters and strength training enthusiasts dread active recovery, because it usually
means some time of steady state cardio.
Well, kettlebells may be just what you need.
An active workout with light kettlebells is a great choice for active recovery.
The trick is to keep the kettlebells light, and use the force of kettlebell swings, lifts,
and rotations, rather than just pump iron with a heavy kettlebell.A dynamic routine
with low weight, high rep movements will improve your recovery by focusing on flexibility,
coordination, and of course, just enough cardio to get your heart working.
Strengthens Your Joints: Kettlebell workouts are ideal if you want to improve or maintain
joint health.
Adding kettlebell movements into your regular workout program adds a lot of benefits for
your joints, and doesn’t involve impact exercises that can cause damage.
Kettlebell movements require a lot of control if they are done correctly; this also builds
stability and strength in the muscles that support your joints, especially the knees,
elbows, and shoulders.
The dynamic movements of kettlebell routines also improve joint flexibility.
Working with light to medium weight kettlebells can do a lot to improve the elasticity of
the tendons and ligaments of your joints.
And the movements work to reduce inflammation and swelling.
Even ‘big’ kettlebell movements, like kettlebell swings, improve the flexibility
and stability of the pelvic and hip joints.
Decreases Lower Back Pain: One of the biggest causes of low back pain is weak glute muscles.
The glutes are a rather large muscle in your body responsible for almost all movement.
When the glutes are weak and don’t fire correctly, a lot of the work they should be
doing is taken over by your lower back muscles, which are not designed to do as much work
as the glutes.
Kettlebell training pushes you to extend and fire through your hips, thus strengthening
your glutes, and taking the stress off your lower back.
A recent study performed investigated the effects of using kettlebells to improve musculoskeletal
and cardiovascular health.
The study found that kettlebell training reduces pain in the neck, shoulders, and lower back.
The study also showed that kettlebell training improves strength of the lower back among
adults with a high prevalence of reported lower back pain.
Do you face lower back pain problems?
If so, check out this video titled “8 Safe and Effective Exercises for Lower Back Pain”
for some amazing exercises to help you combat lower back pain.
Now back to kettlebell benefits.
Increases Flexibility: Kettlebell training is not dissimilar to a lot of plyometric exercises.
That means you do a lot of controlled but powerful, almost explosive movements.
Unlike plyometrics though, kettlebell training doesn’t involve a lot of impact from jumping
or sprinting, so it is a lot less likely to lead to injuries.
So where does all that power go when you train with kettlebells?
Well, some of it builds muscular strength, and we know kettlebells are good for building
muscle and power.
The rest of it is a controlled force, where your muscles work to control the movement,
the torque, and the range.
That means that during a kettlebell movement, you are also experiencing a controlled stretch,
as well as pushing the limits of your range of motion.
All of this equals one thing - improved flexibility.
You might not think you are doing stretches while you swing or lift your kettlebell, but
you are.
Over time, you will notice significant improvements in your overall flexibility, and see how the
strength and stability of your joints improve while your range of motion increases.
Are kettlebells a part of your regular workout routine?
If so, have you found them to be effective?
Let us know in the comments section below!