We are willing to wager that the kettlebell is a popular choice because it looks cool.

This black cannonball has a cast iron handle and is unlike any other training tool.

The cool factor alone is enough to get started with kettlebell training, but there are other reasons that you should keep it going.

This guide will help you get started with kettlebells tomorrow.

History of Kettlebells
The humble beginnings of the kettlebell are part of its charm. The humble origins of kettlebells can be found in Russia’s 18th century. They were used to measure grains and other dry goods.

Soon, farmers began to challenge each other to lift the largest kettlebells. Eventually, circus strongmen were able to get their hands on the kettlebells.

After World War II the Soviet Red Army adopted kettlebells to train its soldiers. In the 1970s kettlebell lifting was officially recognized by the Soviet Union.

Although kettlebells were available in the United States in the 1940s, their popularity has increased since then. They are widely available in gyms as well as online and in retail stores.

Anatomy Of A Kettlebell
The kettlebell consists of a handle, a bell and “horns”. The bell is the bell’s round, cannonball-shaped weight. The handle connects with the kettlebell by sliding downward at each end. These are called the “horns”.

This is what makes kettlebells so unique. A dumbbell has a handle that connects two equally-weighted bells. It lies in the middle of them. But a kettlebell’s centre of gravity is offset from its handle. It rests several inches away.

You can grasp the kettlebell by its handle, horns or bell end. The handle of the kettlebell will serve as your mainstay. However, exercises such as the goblet-squat can be done more easily if the horns are grasped.

Benefits of Kettlebell Training

Better Form
The kettlebell is different from its dumbbell counterpart because of the load’s off-set nature. The kettlebell’s center gravity is six to eight inches from your grip, which makes it more difficult to control.

It will require more muscle activation and form than a dumbbell, so you can do almost any exercise with it.

Take an overhead press as an example. Shane Heins, director of fitness education at the Onnit Academy, says, “It’s hilarious how, with dumbbells and barbells, so many people are happy pressing to where their elbows bend 90 degrees.” “But, with the kettlebell everyone instinctively wants lockout because the off-set load acts like a counterweight pulling their shoulders back.

The kettlebell encourages you do the exercise correctly. If you are unable to do the exercise correctly, such as bending your back or twisting your neck to complete the lift, you’ll know right away. A skilled trainer, or a partner in training, will also be able to tell you.

Another example is squatting while holding the kettlebell in front of you. This forces you to sit back on the descent and improves the mechanics of your squat.

You can improve your form and perform more difficult (and perhaps more glamorous) exercises when you progress to them, such as the heavy barbell back squat or kettlebell flows.

The Core Strength
Pressing a kettlebell overhead can cause you to lean back or flare your ribs, so make sure to keep your core tight to stop this.

To prevent your lower back and spine from sagging at the bottom of a swing, brace your core. You can expect your core to work harder for safety and stability in any exercise.

Grip Strength
The handle of a kettlebell is thicker than a dumbbell’s, so your hands and fingers will have to work harder to grasp it. Your gripping muscles will be challenged by the dynamic kettlebell movements and the displaced load.

Athleticism
Many kettlebell exercises require you to move in multiple planes. You can link many of them together to create flows, such as a clean, squat, then rotational press. Moving your body and the load of a kettlebell in multiple directions mimics the actions of sports, so if you play anything–recreationally, or at a high level–kettlebell training can prepare you.

Cardiovascular Endurance
Many kettlebell exercises involve the whole body. Some, like the clean and push and snatch classics, require you to lift the weight from the ground to the ceiling. The heart is put under tremendous strain when you work muscles all over your body. You can burn lots of calories with kettlebell flows, and you can double your interval training.

Simple portability
Kettlebells, along with a suspension trainer and exercise bands, are the most portable training tool you can take. They don’t need to be rolled around in your car like dumbbells, and they won’t look out of place at the beach or in the park.

You only need one kettlebell, which is a big advantage over dumbbells.

John Wolf, Onnit’s former Chief Fitness Officer, says that there is a vast library of exercises you can do with just one weight. You need to have a lot of dumbbells in order to complete your workout. Two weight increments might be required to train your entire body with kettlebells. You might need two weight increments to work your entire body with kettlebells.

How to Choose a Kettlebell

Kettlebell designs vary. To protect floors from damage, some kettlebells are coated with rubber. Some are made for kettlebell lifting competitions, and they have a straight handle. They’re uniform in size, regardless of their weight.

A few kettlebell manufacturers offer concave faces to make them more accessible to beginners. Other kettlebells are similar to dumbbells, and can be loaded using plates. This allows for multiple weight changes.

Before you buy a kettlebell, make sure to do this test: Hold your hand up and touch your thumb with the tip of your pinkie.

The channel that it creates in your palm is where the kettlebell handle should be resting most of the day. It runs from the outside of your index finger diagonally down towards the opposite wrist. This will be your primary grip when lifting kettlebells. Grab the weight and place it in the middle of the handle. Heins says that the bell should be placed on your back when your wrist is straight.

Wolf adds that the kettlebell should not interfere with the boney profile on the wrist. You could get injured if you use a kettlebell to rub against the bone on your wrist’s lateral side.

Another safety tip is to not use a kettlebell that has a thick handle. Wolf says that Onnit’s handles measure just over an inch in size. This is large enough to strengthen your grip, but not too demanding to hold so it doesn’t cause fatigue. You may do hundreds of reps when you perform an exercise such as the swing. This is in contrast to doing four sets of eight or any other set-and-rep-scheme that you would use for conventional exercises. We don’t want your grip burning out. From a technical standpoint, I believe that this is counterproductive. You’ll notice a host of mechanical problems when someone’s grip becomes too tight.

Men can start by buying one or two 16-kilos bells (about 35 pounds) for their weight. Wolf claims that this will be a challenging exercise for a variety of exercises. A eight-kilo kettlebell [17.5 lbs] is a great choice for gals.

The Best Kettlebell Exercises for Beginners

You can do many of the same basic lifts as dumbbell or barbell training, but kettlebells add a new twist. For beginners, we recommend the Full-Body Kettlebell Workout.

Two More Ways to Use Kettlebells

1. Get to know them!

Kettlebells are a great tool for restoring healthy movement patterns if you’re an old meathead and have found that years of bodybuilding has caused muscle imbalances.

Heins suggests that you start your kettlebell training vancouver with work to improve mobility. This will help you get to the positions you need to safely lift your barbells. Heins says that this will allow you to maintain your technique even when you are under heavy loads.

Even though the kettlebell is lighter than you are used to, it provides enough feedback to challenge your brain and brighten up your nervous system. This makes your brain and body more in tune with what you ask it.

Goblet squats can be done before you do barbell back squats. Hold the bottom position for a while to open your hips. To warm your shoulders, you can do overhead light presses with one arm before doing military presses. A good idea is to use kettlebell halos. To prepare your hips for deadlifts with barbells, chest-loaded swings can be a great option. All of this can be seen in the full-body exercise we linked above.

2. Set Up a Circuit
While getups and swings can increase your heart rate as much as any cardio machine do, they also reinforce good mechanics. They’re also more challenging and fun.

You can build a circuit with them, or perform them in your free time between weight training sets.