Kettle Bells
At Pat’s Gym we use kettle bells for warm ups, workouts, and cool downs. They can be a great tool for flexibility, strength endurance, and mobility. It takes time to learn how to use them properly, but if you are persistent you will improve your conditioning and add challenging exercises.
One of the best ways we use kettle bells at the gym is by attaching bands and kettle bells to a bar for all types of pressing. By doing this it teaches you to press correctly by contracting all the pressing muscles such as the lats, deltoids, chest, and arms. To most effectively use kettle bells for bar pressing, double up a mini-band around the handle of each kettle bell and hang them from the bar. This can be very taxing and very precarious.
The beauty of kettle bells versus barbells is that you can create lighter weights and high reps for rehabbing the chest and shoulders, which will help injuries and injury prevention. You can also use heavy kettle bells for lower reps, which will build muscle mass and strength.
Another great exercise is the two-handed KB clean, which is a powerful move that builds strength in the hamstrings and lower back. You perform the clean by swinging both kettle bells between your legs while squeezing your glutes, flick your wrist as you stand up, and catch the kettle bells in the rack position, which is between your elbows and biceps. Unlike the barbell, you will not use as much brute strength because you do not dip underneath the kettle bells when you catch them. The momentum will bring them up, but you need to generate a lot of power from your hips.
Kettle bell training challenges your core and activates muscles you never knew you had. If you have a weakness or imbalance kettle bells with expose it. One of the best exercises to expose weakness is the Turkish get-up. It is one of the most humiliating exercises and looks way easier than it is. To do it, lie on your back while holding the kettle bell over your head with one arm. Keep your arm locked out and your eyes up while attempting to stand up. Then when you get to the top lie back down and start over again. Again it sounds easier than it is but there is not a muscle in your body that will not be activated in some way.
One of the easiest and most effective exercises is the kettle bell swing. It is a great posterior lift and when done correctly will leave your hamstrings extremely sore the next day. To do the exercise place the kettle bell between your feet, grab with both arms while keeping your back flat and head down. Swing the bell between your legs forcefully and quickly reverse the motion driving through with your hips and bringing the bell to waist level. Let gravity pull it back down between your legs catching it with your glutes, hamstrings, and core.
The bottom line is that kettle bells are great to incorporate into a traditional training program. They can provide a fun and useful way to recover on off days while keeping things interesting. I would never train exclusively with kettle bells but it is always nice to have another tool and skill to use. Kettle bells can definitely be used to help anyone reach a goal as long as they learn the proper form.
