Kettlebell Question

[zekko]

There was a recent thread on the Mature Man forum that got me interested in the kettlebell. I had never even heard of it before, but it looks kind of fun. My question is this:

Does a kettlebell program take the place of weight lifting, or should it just be thrown into a rotation? I've rotated cardio with weight lifting for years.

 

[zekko]

Well, I don't really know that much about it since I just started looking into it. So I don't know if there's any advantage to kettlebells, they just look like fun to me. And anytime you can add fun to a workout, that can't be a bad thing. I wouldn't equate them with barbells and dumbells though, because the exercises are different.

I did read some kettlebell advocates say that they noticed an increase in "practical" strength after using them. I don't want to say that's true, but I could see that being possible because the exercises seem to incorporate a more full range of motion than dumbell/barbell exercises. A lot of the exercises use more of the whole body than free weights, so they seem to lend themselves well to a cardio program also.

On the flipside, there's probably a greater risk of injury. I'm a little concerned about my joints because of the swinging. If I was just concerned with getting massive, I would probably just stick to regular weights. But at my age, my goal is to maintain a level of tone and fitness, rather than increase in size.

 

[bukowski_merit]

Well, I don't really know that much about it since I just started looking into it. So I don't know if there's any advantage to kettlebells, they just look like fun to me. And anytime you can add fun to a workout, that can't be a bad thing. I wouldn't equate them with barbells and dumbells though, because the exercises are different.

They are certainly a fun alternative. Especially if you can get into the juggling aspect (although that is to only be done by those who have perfect form on the basic exercises). I don't know how much size you can get out of it - but almost all of the exercises mix core strengthening and cardio.

I did read some kettlebell advocates say that they noticed an increase in "practical" strength after using them. I don't want to say that's true, but I could see that being possible because the exercises seem to incorporate a more full range of motion than dumbell/barbell exercises. A lot of the exercises use more of the whole body than free weights, so they seem to lend themselves well to a cardio program also.

Yeah, the kettlebell (and body weight) advocates call it functional strength. It's also the reason that kettlebell is geared (and marketed) towards sports and combat athletes. I don't know of too many kettlebell exercises that don't target the core. They also improve balance and cardio (both also needed for sports/combat athletes).

On the flipside, there's probably a greater risk of injury. I'm a little concerned about my joints because of the swinging.

Yeah, this is a concern of mine also.

If I was just concerned with getting massive, I would probably just stick to regular weights. But at my age, my goal is to maintain a level of tone and fitness, rather than increase in size.

I also don't care about size. I'm also not a combat/sport athlete. I don't even care about body... I'd probably not even be working out if not for one thing.... it improves sex tremendously. When i stop working out for a bit - i begin to have problems with staying hard, which happens a lot of times because i run out of breath and lose focus.... So it's important to me to have decent cardio and increased testosterone (which comes from heavy lifting)...

So i mix them all.... I just do do do.... Don't question or plan... Not the best way to do anything... But - better than nadda.

 

[Hockey Playa]

AN ADD-ON TO THIS QUESTION: What can you supplement if your gym doesn't have a kettle bell. Will a dumbbell work for one-armed kettle bell presses...

 

[Cure]

AN ADD-ON TO THIS QUESTION: What can you supplement if your gym doesn't have a kettle bell. Will a dumbbell work for one-armed kettle bell presses...

nope, but I read on some cutting edge underground training forum that dumbbells work great for one-armed dumbbell presses...


Cure.

 

[Hockey Playa]

nope, but I read on some cutting edge underground training forum that dumbbells work great for one-armed dumbbell presses...


Cure.

haha maybe i should have rephrased. I mean will the motion and results be the same? And by one arm kettle bell presses, i mean the whole jerk off the floor and press, can you do that with a dumbbell, or does the positioning of the hands change it?

 

[CarlitosWay]

haha maybe i should have rephrased. I mean will the motion and results be the same? And by one arm kettle bell presses, i mean the whole jerk off the floor and press, can you do that with a dumbbell, or does the positioning of the hands change it?

Talking a bout about a one armed snatch?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adHf_KCQeu8&feature=related Dumbbells = superior. I would only use kettles bells if that's all I had on hand. Kettlebells are more suitable for conditioning stuff IMO. Yet I think for the most part overrated.

I love how you get those kettlebell only guys preaching to all the big guys how great and awesome they are when the big guys got huge off using barbells, dbs and machines. Kind of funny

 

[zekko]

Hmm. I think it makes sense that traditional weightlifting will probably isolate certain muscles more effectively than kettlebells. So in that sense I guess they would not completely replace regular weights, especially if you are looking to get massive. I still think they sound like fun and good exercise for overall general fitness, so I will probably use them as an alternative exercise.

 

[zekko]

Just to update this, I did my first kettlebell workout today. I have to say I liked the way it made me feel. Definiitely felt like I had worked my whole body out and burned some fat. Just as discissed. it had a definite cardio component to it while still pushing weight around, sort of like circuit training.

The only exercise I hated was the Turkish get ups, those killed me. Good exercise though, I'll probably get used to them. On the flip slide, I hate doing squats (with regular weights). The nice thing about a kettlebell workout is it utilizes the squat motion into several different exercises, but you are focusing on different things instead of your screaming quads.

 

[zekko]

Kettlebells are just another tool, not some magical revolutionary training method.

I don't think anyone has said anything about kettlebells being magical or revolutionary. You have to put in the work to get results, just like anything else.

Having said that, they are a little magical for me because they are a new discovery (for me). When you've been working out for nearly three decades, anything that can make things fresh and a change of pace is a very good thing.