Kettle Bell workouts. good or bad?

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  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    Too high risk vs. reward for me. They aren't dangerous if you learn to use them right (this is true for most all exercises) but I don't see them offering me anything dumbbells and barbells won't give me so it's not worth my time to perfect the form.

    They are much easier to use for compound movements than dumbbells and offer a slightly different feel than the barbell.

    More of a preference. If you like them play around, if you don't it's not going to be the end of your fitness goals.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    It's just another tool that can be used well or badly.

    You can certainly use them in the context of a well designed programme to achieve certain goals. Define those goals and then use the tool in the right way.

    And no, they are not just for cardio.

    And I'll have someone do swings on a 2 pood kettlebell (72 lbs) and tell me if they think that's cardio if they disagree.
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member

    also kettles dont provide any more of a cardio workout than dumbbells or barbells

    I beg to differ. I can't imagine ever getting my heart rate up as high as it does during kettlebells as it does with dumbbells. If you do a kettlebell workout well, you absolutely are getting a cardio workout. Would I sub it for a run? It's not a substitute for running or other forms of pure cardio, but it's not the same as weight training.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member

    also kettles dont provide any more of a cardio workout than dumbbells or barbells

    I beg to differ. I can't imagine ever getting my heart rate up as high as it does during kettlebells as it does with dumbbells. If you do a kettlebell workout well, you absolutely are getting a cardio workout. Would I sub it for a run? It's not a substitute for running or other forms of pure cardio, but it's not the same as weight training.

    Well, kb as you describe them would be metabolic conditioning. However, you can do met-con with dumbbell circuits or barbell complexes. Or bodyweight matrixes. Or sandbag clean and press ladders. Or whatever.

    They're just tools.

    And you can use kb's for hypertrophy rather than cardio using staley's EDT scheme.

    And you can use kb's for strength too. Heavy doubles, triples and singles. Check out:

    http://www.strongfirst.com/training-the-one-half-bodyweight-kettlebell-press/

    for a loading scheme to bring up your 1RM single press.

    So no, it's not just cardio. It's a tool. You can use it different ways.

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