I had an email exchange with someone recently who suggested that this thing I keep talking about seems to be an important part of the type of training we do. He suggested that I should probably explain why anyone should actually care about it. It was one of those moments where I thought, “Not only is he right, but it's kind of embarrassing that this is a topic I haven't addressed head-on yet.”
I’d like to correct that failing today.
Please let me introduce you to The Magic Cannonball. A tool some people know as a kettle-ball.
*visible squirming and discomfort*
*slides glasses up bridge of nose*
”Ackshually they’re called kettle-BELLS.”
Let me preface the rest of this piece by stating that I have many tools in my home gym. While none of them see quite as much use as my kettlebells do, I value them all on their merits. I’m never going to tell you that barbells, dumbbells, sandbags or resistance bands are “bad”. They are all tools, and there are pros and cons to each.
Instead I’m going to make the case that the humble kettlebell is the most misunderstood, underappreciated, underutilized tool in the fitness world. In fact, I believe it’s the single most versatile fitness tool that money can buy. A tool that can, and I would argue should, exist at the very center of most people’s fitness efforts.
What’s so damn great about them?
Well first, let’s frame the conversation around some tools you may already know. If you've ever walked into a big box gym, You've undoubtedly seen people working out with barbells and dumbbells, and for good reason. They are both very effective strength training tools, so we’ll use them as our reference points.
The Trusty Barbell
Barbells are the centerpiece of a innumerable strength programs. If your primary goal is to lift the heaviest weights possible and “bulk up”, they are arguably the best tool for the job. Compound Olympic barbell lifts are exceptionally effective at training explosive, ballistic strength across a few planes of movement as well.
The Ever-Present Dumbbell
Dumbbells can be found everywhere. Even the most ill-equipped hotel gym usually has a few floating around. They are very beginner friendly, can be moved around the body in ways that barbells cannot, and offer a lot of flexibility for light to moderate-weight resistance training. While they wouldn't be my first choice for ballistic strength training, dumbbell snatches and a few other exercises offer variety and options that the barbell does not.
Ok. Those things both sound great. So what exactly do I need kettlebells for?
That's a fair question.
The beauty of the kettlebell comes in its unique and unusual shape. Kettlebells offer similar benefits as dumbbells when it comes to positioning weight around the body in ways that barbells can’t. But since they are essentially cannonballs with handles on them, they can be maneuvered in ways that are awkward or impossible for even our venerable dumbbell.
Heavy double-kettlebell workouts can be the foundation of advanced strength training efforts as well. More on double KB training in a moment.
Have you ever tried to swing a 6 foot barbell between your legs?
PSA: Please don’t.
Even newcomers to the kettlebell will often recognize the kettlebell swing exercise. The swing is one of the most complete full body exercises you can do. It trains your posterior chain like nothing else. It has an excellent reputation for burning fat (especially when combined with high intensity interval training modalities), and is a foundation for many of the other exercises we do with a kettlebell. It's also an exercise that does a great job of illustrating some of the flexibility of this tool.
The swing is an exercise that's impossible to do with a barbell, and while a variant of it can be done with a dumbbell, it's a very clumsy and imperfect variant at best.
A perfectly odd tool for a perfectly odd world
The world is full of odd shapes that we have to lift, and throw, and move around in myriad ways.
Kettlebells allow you to train strength and stability across a wide variety of positions. Exercises like the Turkish Get-Up help you develop confidence under load in unusual positions, while training groups of muscles to work together across many different planes of movement. Get-Ups, KB Windmills and other functional fitness exercises can mimic many of the demands that are put on our bodies in the real world in ways that many other training tools aren’t great at.
The odd shape of this tool also allows the bell to rest in a "rack" position: a common posture for resting with the kettlebell during extended sets, or transitioning between postures during compound movements. In these ways, it's one of the very best tools for developing strength endurance.
The “What the Hell?” effect
Swing training and other KB exercises are often associated with the “What the hell?” effect. This phenomenon has frequently been observed in individuals who have stepped away from heavy weight training (barbell deadlifts are a common example) for an extended period of time while participating in KB training, only to come back to an old lifting routine to find that they’re setting new personal bests.
Take it with you
Loading one or two kettlebells into the car is an easy way to bring your home gym with you when traveling on the road. These tools take up a limited amount of space, and are ideal for road warriors trying to get a workout in while traveling. Kettlebell exercises translate exceptionally well to HIIT workouts like Tabatas and AMRAPs as well, making them an extremely time-efficient way to get in a great workout when you’re busy - either at home or on the road.
Accessible for beginners. Humbling for even the strongest of men and women.
The kettlebell is a tool that is very accessible to people who are just starting out, but one that offers nearly infinite options for growth and progression.
As your kettlebell lifting efforts evolve, a progression towards working with two kettlebells simultaneously is a natural one, and a step that will humble just about anyone. A 10 minute “long-cycle clean and jerk” set under a pair of heavy kettlebells can pack the emotional roller coaster of a marathon into less time than it takes most people to take a shower in the morning.
So what's the TL;DR here?
In short, I would argue that the kettlebell is the most complete and versatile training tool that money can buy. Strength, mobility, endurance, confidence under load across multiple planes of movement, time-efficient HIIT training and more. All wrapped up into a compact and convenient training tool that's perfectly suited for work at your local gym, at home, or on the road.
A magic cannonball indeed.