Kettle Bell workouts. good or bad?

Ratrap
Ratrap Posts: 153
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a growing interest in these. But I don't know if they are worth doing or not?

Replies

  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
    Personally I don't use them, I think they have their place, holding the door open on a hot day for instance.

    Rigger
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I have a growing interest in these. But I don't know if they are worth doing or not?

    Any exercise you enjoy do is a good thing. Kettlebells take some time to learn. Proper form is really important in preventing injury. Good overall body exercises.

    There are kettlebell groups here in MFP: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/search?utf8=✓&phrase=kettlebell&order=1&include_mature=false
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 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.
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    LOVE kettlebells. The other posters are right, you have to pay attention to form. But I taught myself by reading blogs and books and watching videos from kettlebell instructors. If you are curious I would recommend Iron Core Kettlebell by Sarah Lurie, (DVD with instructional and workouts), Enter the Kettlebell by Pavel Tsatsouline, or The Swing by Tracy Reifkind. Start with a lighter weight until you get your form down, and then go for it! I have noticed a huge difference in my strength and cardio fitness since I started using kettlebells last year.
  • SammieJustMe
    SammieJustMe Posts: 23
    I use them all the time. I love them!

    The best part is that you can train almost your whole body with them.
  • blukitten
    blukitten Posts: 922 Member
    LOVE kettlebells and yes agree with other posters- you have to learn good form. But overall a great total body workout if you do it right!

    I learned from a certified RKB trainer,, so I didnt do it on my own until I got the form down-- but bought my own set and they are a good - quick workout that burns alot of calories in a short amount of time
  • BlondeButtercup127
    BlondeButtercup127 Posts: 750 Member
    LOVE kettlebells and yes agree with other posters- you have to learn good form. But overall a great total body workout if you do it right!

    This!
  • superman_149
    superman_149 Posts: 52
    Get the form down before anything. I would suggest hiring a trainer for an hour to teach/watch you to make sure you're not going to hurt yourself.

    On the upside they're measured in Pood's... soo they've got that going for them.
  • blueyed1dr
    blueyed1dr Posts: 3 Member
    Kettlebells are good! They work multiple muscle groups at once.
    I would recommend looking up Fitness Blender on Youtube. They have tons of kettlebell workout videos for all levels.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pDMOIlPLFE
  • Ratrap
    Ratrap Posts: 153
    Ok, maybe ill give them a try, I really enjoy lifting weights so I'm not sure I would want to do KB in place of weights though
  • Ratrap
    Ratrap Posts: 153
    Kettlebells are good! They work multiple muscle groups at once.
    I would recommend looking up Fitness Blender on Youtube. They have tons of kettlebell workout videos for all levels.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pDMOIlPLFE


    I love Fitness Blender. I use some of their other videos
  • DWBalboa
    DWBalboa Posts: 37,259 Member
    KB’s are great; I use them all the time. To me they are no more or less dangerous than free weights or even cable systems if you don’t know what you’re doing. There is an abundance of information out there just google it. Just remember as with anything new, start out slow and with a light weight to get the correct forms.
    If you belong to a gym get a certified trainer to show you how to use them.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    First question, always: What are your goals?

    In general (and I DO mean "general"), kettlebells are better for overall conditioning than pure strength training. That's not in any way a negative comment on KBs.

    For many people, overall conditioning is a more important goal than pure strength training, or they want to do a variety of activities.

    Like any other workout tool, you have to use them for the right job.
  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
    I love kettlebells- they are brilliant for getting a cardio workout with a bit of strength training thrown in . They are particularly good for strengthening core. They don't replace heavy weight lifting though. My teacher competes in Kettlebell competitions (Girevoy sport ) and she does barbells in addition to kettlebells.
  • skaboom163
    skaboom163 Posts: 93 Member
    I personally think any strength training is good. I prefer squats/ presses with a barbell instead of kettlebells but done the correct way, I hear they are good for all over toning. I find kettlebells are good if you can't make it to the gym. I have one that I keep in the living room and bust out a few squats when a commercial comes on.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i prefer kettlebells for swings, turkish get ups and farmer's walks. in fact i think they are pretty crucial for swings... for all other strength training i prefer barbells, dumbbells or weight plates.

    my main concern with purchasing them to use for my main exercise is space because i'd always need to keep 2-3 different size ranges since the weight i'd need for the swing is more than likely always going to be higher than what i can do with the turkish get up

    also kettles dont provide any more of a cardio workout than dumbbells or barbells
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I don't know, I've never done anything with a dumbbell or barbell that was anything like kettlebell swings, for a cardio effect. (Including BodyPump.)

    I love kettlebells. Great info and free workouts at livefitrevolution.org. You have to register but it's worth the minute. She is RKC certified and has been doing that site for a long time.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    I love kettlebells but I only do a few exercises with them. They're a great way to work your whole body and get cardio in at the same time.
  • SoManyCookies
    SoManyCookies Posts: 31 Member
    My boyfriend is an ex-powerlifter and SWEARS by kettlebell training. From what I understand, proper form is KEY. The workouts are super efficient, as most work more than one muscle group at a time. He's training me a little this weekend and I'm super excited about it! :)
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 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.
  • 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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