what do people think of kettlebells?

[luke1882]

i was just wondering what are other peoples views on using kettlebells/kettlebell workouts/circuits etc?

i was talking to the owner of my gym the other day and he said that they are good but what a kettlebell can do so can a dumbbell..

thats fair enough but you haven't got the movement fluintness of what a kettlebell would bring..

any other thoughts?

something to chat about on a thursday!

[supmuhhumbruh]

i was just wondering what are other peoples views on using kettlebells/kettlebell workouts/circuits etc?

i was talking to the owner of my gym the other day and he said that they are good but what a kettlebell can do so can a dumbbell..

thats fair enough but you haven't got the movement fluintness of what a kettlebell would bring..

any other thoughts?

something to chat about on a thursday!

Kettlebells are the best piece of equipment I have ever used, and your manager couldn't be more wrong about substituting dumbells for kettlebells, but that's another topic on it's own that I won't get into right now. Since I started training with kettlebells, that's pretty much all I do now, and I am stronger, leaner, and more athletic than ever before. I got my cert about 7 months ago and I have been a personal trainer for over two years and since I started incorporating kettlebells into my clients routines their results have been incredible and have come so much quicker. I can't recommend kettlebell training enough. Please visit my website at http://www.ablebodiedkettlebells.com for free tutorials and workouts, and I hope your gym owner changes his mind and invests in some kettlebells, it would be a very wise decision!

[Dire.Straits.]

The Russians use kettlebells widely in a lot of their programs, be it olympic athletes, high school phys ed, or even the military.
They have a lot to say on this, so your best bet of finding out more is searching for some books or internet material on their training regimes.

[bigtallox]

any other thoughts?

They're another tool, and like all other tools they have a place but can also be used incorrectly. For me most of my training focuses around barbells, but then again I'm a powerlifter.

[Wildtim]

They are an Iron ball with a handle, not the holy grail or the magic pumpkin. They work as well as you know how to use them, same as every other tool in the gym.

[GFWoodchuck]

The one gym I used to go to had the kettles. I picked one up and said never mind, I'll use a dumbell. I suppose they're fine, but they are so big for their weight making them needlessly bulky and unwieldy.

Just my 2 cents I suppose.

[vicjg]

They have their place. We used them for shoulder presses, swing throughs, incline presses, upright rows and kb cleans. They don't replace the DB or BB, but they are another tool to use to get stronger.

[TheNung]

Pavel Tsatsouline.

[ironwill2008]

They have their place, like any other gym equipment. You won't usually see bodybuilders using kettlebells; there are many other, better-suited tools for bodybuilding.

[CookAndrewB]

They are an Iron ball with a handle, not the holy grail or the magic pumpkin. They work as well as you know how to use them, same as every other tool in the gym.

I think that is supposed to be "Great Pumpkin" assuming you are referencing Charlie Brown. Man, all the great workout advice you give and I have to neg you for an incorrect pop culture reference? The world is so fickle.

They're another tool, and like all other tools they have a place but can also be used incorrectly. For me most of my training focuses around barbells, but then again I'm a powerlifter.

This. And screw you, Ox for making this like the third or fourth post I've agreed with without exception.

They have their place. We used them for shoulder presses, swing throughs, incline presses, upright rows and kb cleans. They don't replace the DB or BB, but they are another tool to use to get stronger.

VIC! OMG

Please tell me you are back.

[Wildtim]

wrong pop culture reference:

[genlad]

I love them. I've never had the confidence to go to the gym and lift dumbells.

i was just wondering what are other peoples views on using kettlebells/kettlebell workouts/circuits etc?

i was talking to the owner of my gym the other day and he said that they are good but what a kettlebell can do so can a dumbbell..

thats fair enough but you haven't got the movement fluintness of what a kettlebell would bring..

any other thoughts?

something to chat about on a thursday!

[jgreystoke]

The same as I thought about them three years ago when luke first posted this question, lol.

They are great in the same way that fixed dumbbells are great.

They have more awkward for some movements, and more likely to injure your wrists if you are not careful.

The reason they are so popular with the Russian military is they never wear out, the recruits can't break them, and they are too awkward to steal. They are probably still using ones from before the October Revolution of 1917. And they are a great way of putting a squad through a lot of snatches, cleans, presses, goblet squats in a hurry. Great for conditioning.

They are inferior to cheap spinlock dumbbells because unless you get an awkward loadable kettlebell handle(usually vastly overpriced, I made one myself with a ring and a tractor tow hitch for cheap), you can't load them probressively. Unless you can afford dozens of them from say 4 to 60 kilos, in which case they would be comparable to dumbbells.

I'd prefer to spend the money on a set of Olympic bumpers, and have a ton of change to buy other stuff like stubby thick bars, safety squat bar, etc.

Usually overpriced and over hyped.