Are kettlebells worth their weight in hype?
Studies offer solid proof they deliver as promised — but there’s a learning curve
In the past few years, kettlebells have become a gym favourite. Typically described as a cannonball with a handle, kettlebells have a long history in Europe but have only recently found their way into North American gyms.
Ask a trainer why they choose kettlebells over traditional weight training equipment and they’ll tell you that a kettlebell is uniquely suited for swinging exercises. Unlike dumbbells, its centre of mass extends beyond the hand, and unlike weighted bars, kettlebells can move through a variety of planes.
Many of the exercises performed with kettlebells are unique, which adds not just variety to a workout but the potential to achieve fitness benefits not possible when lifting other types of weight. But perhaps the biggest selling feature of kettlebells is their total body approach to exercise. Exercises like the kettlebell swing are touted as building not just muscle mass, but muscular and aerobic power as well, making the kettlebell one of the few pieces of equipment that trains both cardio and strength.
So while there’s no doubt that kettlebells are a versatile training tool, do they deserve all the attention they’ve been getting, or are they just the latest piece of fitness equipment to catch the eye of personal trainers and fitness instructors?
Several studies in the last few years have attempted to measure the training potential of kettlebells, pitting them not just against more traditional pieces of exercise equipment but also against claims that kettlebell workouts do everything from whittling away unwanted inches to creating a body fit enough to grace the cover of fitness magazines.
A study out of the Health & Exercise Sciences Department of Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, conducted a headto-head challenge between a kettlebell swing workout and a run on the treadmill. The research team assembled a small group of 13 subjects (11 male, three female), who performed two 10-minute workouts; one on a treadmill and one with a kettlebell.
The weighted workout consisted of doing as many swings — with either a 16kg (men) or 8-kg (women) kettlebell — as possible in 35 seconds followed by 25 seconds of rest while the treadmill workout consisted of a 10-minute run performed at the same perceived intensity as that maintained during the kettlebell workout.
When it came to comparing the number of calories burned per minute and the amount of oxygen needed to fuel the workouts, the treadmill won hands-down. But when it came to determining whether the kettlebell workout offered the aerobic system enough of a challenge to elicit benefits, the answer was a solid yes. With an intensity that exceeded 85 per cent of the subjects’ age-predicated maximum heart rate, the 10-minute kettlebell swing workout met the standards set out by the American College of Sports Medicine for an effective aerobic workout.
Similar results were found in several other studies as well, offering solid proof that kettlebell training has the potential to improve aerobic fitness.
As for muscular strength and power, kettlebells don’t disappoint there either. Several studies have demonstrated the potential for kettlebells to build explosive power and muscular strength, making it an effective workout for athletes looking to improve their athleticism and recreational fitness fanatics training to build muscle.
With the potential to deliver both cardiovascular and muscular fitness, it looks like kettlebells do, indeed, deliver as promised. That said, their potential can be realized only when used effectively. Like any other piece of fitness equipment, there’s a learning curve associated with a kettlebell workout.
Perfecting technique is crucial as kettlebell exercisers tend to choose a heavier weight than that used during a dumbbell workout. Yet when that heavy weight moves through space with pace and momentum, there’s even less room for technical error. Add speed and weight to an incorrect movement pattern and injury isn’t far behind.
Therefore in order to get the maximum benefit from kettlebells, you need a good instructor to teach you the dos and don’ts of kettlebell technique.
Once that’s mastered, there’s huge potential to improve fitness in ways you’ve never realized before. And since they’re affordable and portable, you can buy a pair of kettlebells for home and work on both your cardiovascular and muscular fitness when you can’t make it to the gym.
That said, kettlebells don’t do it all. If you’re training for a 5K fun run, the aerobic benefits gained from a kettlebell workout will leave you lacking, so remember that specific goals require specific training plans.
The same goes for anyone who wants to build significant strength or power. Kettlebells have limited potential to build the kind of muscle and explosiveness most power athletes need.
Yet for anyone who wants an all-around workout, kettlebells offer a good bang for your buck, which makes them worthy of the hype. As for whether they can help you grace the cover of a fitness magazine, that’s still debatable.