Kettlebells are becoming more and more popular which is great. They’ve been around for a long time, but have really had their resurgence in the west in the last decade.
Kettlebells are a fantastic tool. In fact I think they should have their place right alongside Barbells and Dumbbells in the world of fitness and strength. If you want to increase maximal strength and power – use a barbell, if you want to train for symmetry and unilateral balance- use dumbbells, but for strength endurance, power endurance and metabolic conditioning- Kettlebells are a great tool you should consider!
The thing that sets a Kettlebell apart from other implements is that the handle is outside of the mass of the bell. This does three things:
1. It creates a longer lever (when it is swinging)
2. It creates an axis where the hand meets the bell
3. It allows the hand to move through the bell in positions like the rack and the overhead lockout.
Because of the unique qualities of Kettlebells they tend to get unique results. There’s a lot of marketing out there that talks about how you can burn more calories swinging a Kettlebell than doing virtually anything else. A couple of years ago our UK partners from Optimal Life Fitness went up to York St John University and conducted some preliminary tests to fins out just how hard swinging bells made you work.
The results were pretty interesting. Performing a 5minute Swing Test, heart rates went up above 90% of maximum after the first minute and it maintained this up until the end of the 5minute test. This provides us with an insight as to how and why performing traditional Kettlebell exercises such as Swings and Snatches can use more energy therefore getting us fitter and helping us to burn fat faster.
Timed sets are a popular way to apply Kettlebells to training and conditioning situations. Kettlebell Expert BJ Rule often uses a version of EDT (escalating density training) to improve his client’s results. EDT is essentially getting more work done in the same amount of time. Recently one of BJ’s clients had a goal of completing 100 Jerks (28kg Kettlebells) in 10 minutes, this is an overview of the approach he took to achieve this goal. This method is essentially aimed to increase work capacity (the amount of work you can complete in a set period of time). If you are experienced with the use of Kettlebells give it a go!
Session 1
Set 1
5mins 50reps rest 2mins
Set 2 – 2mins 20reps rest 1min
Set 3 – 1min 10reps rest 1min
Set 4 – 1min 10reps rest 1min
Set 5 -1min 10 reps
Total time= 15minutes Work time= 10minutes Total reps= 100
Session 2
Set 1 – 6mins 60reps rest 2mins
Set 2 – 2mins 20reps rest 1min
Set 3 – 1min 10reps rest 1min
Set 4 – 1min 10reps
Total time= 13minutes Work time= 10minutes Total reps= 100
Session 3
Set 1 – 7mins 70reps rest 2mins
Set 2 – 1mins 10reps rest 1min
Set 3 – 1min 10reps rest 1min
Set 4 1min 10reps
Total time= 13minutes Work time= 10minutes Total reps= 100
