Kettlebells are great for making your workout more challenging and creative. Kettlebells have a unique advantage over dumbbells because unbalanced weights constantly challenge your grip and stability. Plus, kettlebells keep you focused on functional movement and are a lot of fun to use. While many dumbbell and kettlebell movements look similar, kettlebell movements are slightly different because each exercise involves multiple muscle groups for correctness and stability. All kettlebell exercises make muscles strong but not bulky and increase heart rate to the same level as cardio.
Benefits of kettlebell workout
Improve core strength and stability
Kettlebells are great for core strength and stability for several reasons. First, many kettlebell workouts are a form of ballistic training. Ballistic training builds explosive power with maximum acceleration and minimum deceleration, these explosive movements that greatly stimulate the abdominal muscles. Due to the intense movement, practitioners need to tighten their core and coordinate their breathing, which can greatly improve core strength.
Second, the kettlebell movement is multi-planar, and the practitioner will work from all directions to the core, which is necessary for building comprehensive core strength. Again, some of the best kettlebell exercises are offset and unilateral because you're only using one kettlebell. When the kettlebell is moved on one side, it will greatly develop core strength and stability.
Efficient fat burning
Kettlebells are not only an efficient resistance training exercise, they can also achieve excellent fat-burning results. An ACE study showed that swinging a kettlebell burns as much as 20 calories per minute, and a 20-minute workout burns about 400 calories.
What's more, kettlebell training is usually high-intensity, so the practitioner has a strong afterburn effect (this is called EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), which means a long period of time after the training. Over time, you'll burn calories at a higher rate.
Improve body coordination
Classic kettlebell training is very dynamic, and you'll swing them around—over, on the side, between the legs, side to side—that requires you to be fully aware of your body. This focus and mind-muscle connection will develop and lead you to improve proprioception (coordination/sensation of movement of the body and its parts).
This is very different from traditional barbell or machine training, where the movement is linear and less dynamic. It is important to develop motor sense (proprioception or kinesthetic), an ability that will continue to improve our health and life, and help improve our performance in other sports.
Build muscle
Although kettlebell training does not build a lot of muscle like lifting barbells and dumbbells, it can also increase the muscle mass of the practitioner. Those who are serious about kettlebell training can usually do high-intensity workouts with great muscle. Most importantly, their muscular development is a more naturally coordinated and functional state.
In fact, in the strict sense of the fitness group, there are not many people who want to get bigger, but there are many people who want to be leaner and stronger in a healthy situation.
Kettlebell training builds dense muscle, which is achieved through higher repetitions and shorter but high-intensity workouts. This training method helps increase the practitioner's testosterone levels and is very beneficial for both athletic performance and everyday life.
4 best kettlebell workout
Kettlebell Swing
1.Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the kettlebell with your hands (palms facing you) and arms straight down.
2.Inhale and push your hips back and bend your knees slightly, placing the kettlebell between your legs. Be sure to keep your back straight and engage your core.
3.Exhale, contract your hips, push your hips forward, and lift your body to a standing position. Let your arms swing the kettlebell as far as possible. Shoulder height or parallel to the ground is your goal.
4.Inhale and lower the kettlebell between your legs by pushing your hips back and bending your knees slightly. This is 1 rep.
Do 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps.
The Goblet Squat
1.Stand up straight, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and hold the kettlebell in front of your chest with your hands.
2.Keeping your head up and locking your shoulders, lower your hips while pushing your knees out to align with your toes.
3.Squat down until your hips are below the plane of your knees.
4.Press firmly on your feet (especially your heels) to get back to the starting position.
Kettlebell Snatch
1.Hold the kettlebell between your legs in one hand and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
2.Push up through your hips and knees, and as the kettlebell rises to shoulder height, rotate your hands and push up until your arms are locked.
3.Squat down and return the weight to the starting position. Repeat with one arm, then switch sides.
Kettlebell Deadlift
Place a kettlebell on the front floor, knees slightly bent, feet slightly wider than shoulders apart.
Deep squat, back and abs contracted, lift the kettlebell, stand up straight and straighten your thighs, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.
Keep your back straight, chest up, and head up throughout the movement. Hold the kettlebell close to your legs as you move up and down, and use the strength of your hips and hamstrings to pull the kettlebell up.
Put the kettlebell back on the ground. This is a repetition.
