Kettle Bell

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Simon, Feb 26, 2017.

  1. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    I did a search and surprisingly we don't have a lot of information on kettle bells.

    I'm going to make a start and need a basic workout and turn to you lot for some guidance.
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2017
  2. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    lots of stuff you can do. i bought a 16kg bell a couple years ago and i use it quite frequently. it's great for functional training. one of my favorite workouts is: 10 swings, 10 pushups. i usually just rep out 10 of those to warm up. instead of 10 and 10, you can start 10 swings, 10 pushups, 9 swings, 9 pushups, 8 etc. etc. will get you going.

    turkish get-ups are great. russian twists too. the last 4-5 months i've been doing single leg deadlifts, great for your legs, as are goblet squats.

    as always, watch your form.
     
  3. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Thank you.
     
  4. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    I like them a lot. I have a standard routine of swings, goblet squats, overhead press (where I lift from the floor each time), bent over rows, and some lunges. 6 reps each side with a 20kg bell. It's quick, fun, and you're always in motion. Needs almost no space and needs only 1 bell.

    Turkish Get Ups are my next addition, but I'll need to re arrange the room for that.

    Pat Flynn on Facebook is good on kettlebells and has some nice workout suggestions.

    Remember that there are two distinct styles; hard style is what we normally see on MAP. I did a session with a guy who is on the GB kettlebell sport team, and the movements he uses are more complex but more efficient, to allow for the length of time they work for.

    Invest a lot of time in getting your swing right, it'll pay dividends later and help your back.

    Have fun :)
     
  5. hewho

    hewho Valued Member

    Buy a variety of weights, and start with something lighter. One guy I was training who was very physically strong struggled so much I bought him a 4kg one. As said above, make sure you get your basic swing right, maybe invest in having a session with a certified instructor to get it down. I like a mixture of 2 handed swings with heavy bells, high pulls and single hand swings with lighter weights. Anything you can do with a Dumbell, you can do with a Kettlebell. If I get the weather, I'll get a short KB workout filmed and post it :) if you youtube FitnessBlender they have some excellent KB workouts (I have no affiliation to them)
     
  6. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Oh, and I seem to get hideous DOMS the 2 or 3 days after my first session. Even If I've been working with them for months, if I miss a week or two, bam! Hello DOMS and not walking well for a while. :D

    Mitch
     
  7. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Look forward to it :)
     
  8. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    I like to

    - throw it in the air,
    - switch side,
    - catch it, and
    - repeat.

    [​IMG]
     
  9. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

  10. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    Just buy an adjustable, dumbbell its cheaper, easier to change weights, and look up the old york dumbbell courses on line, they are free. Acutally anyone looking to get fit and active could do allot worse than simply doing the old York courses

    KBs are over priced and over hyped, and as for them being functional, dont get me started on that :D:hat:

    Here ones free of charge because im nice:hat:

     
  11. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    Really i find this hard to believe, 4kg??, my girlfriend brought a 16kg one she found at a car boot sale, the guy said watch it its heavy ill carry it for you, she said its ok put her other bags in her left hand farmers walked it to the car and one armed lifted it into her boot lol.
     
  12. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    I'm mostly with Icefield here. It's a weight, and all weights work the same way, they weigh down whatever is keeping them off the ground, resisting upward motion (all weight training is simply a subset of resistance training, that is, moving against resistance to build muscle and/or strength, be it bodyweight or externally weighted). Kettlebells just happen to have a handle and be good for swinging movements, so they look exotic and mysterious and people eat up all the hype. That said, although dumbbells are a lot more cost-efficient and you can make DIY plate-loaded doodads for stuff like swings and such, kettlebells are really fun to use once you get the hang of them, and I have always liked them more than dumbbells for overhead pressing, for ergonomic reasons (the swinging motion of the kettlebell clean makes it significantly easier to get heavy bells up from the floor, you can actually rack them at the shoulders, and press them from said rack across a long range of motion not unlike the path of an Arnold press).

    Resources-wise, Pat Flynn, Steve Cotter, Pavel Tsatsouline, and Dan John are the peeps to watch. The hardstyle vs Girevoy Sport issue is thus: sport kettlebell lifting is an extreme endurance sport done for reps in a fixed time, so Girevoy technique (girya is Russian for kettlebell, girevik is someone who lifts them) is based on minimal muscular effort (it's creepy sometimes :p) to maximize the amount of repetitions performed, whereas hardstyle is any technique variation that does not intentionally seek maximum relaxation, so as to increase the muscular demands of the exercise (which for resistance training is something of a necessity :p).
     
  13. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

  14. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    My kettlebell workout is
    2 handed swing
    1 handed swing
    snatch
    clean and press
    military press
    windmill
     
  15. hewho

    hewho Valued Member

    Yeah, it wasn't as though he couldn't pick up the 9 or 12, he's capable of carrying heavier weights than most people I know. But his workout wasn't dead lifting it, and within the confines of the workout, he needed a lighter weight for the high rep sets of swings.

    Here is the video I promised :)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op84PWcpC6k&feature=youtu.be
     
  16. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Thank you.

    Will watch when I get home.
     
  17. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    I really cant see any benefit to doing high rep work with that light a weight, but each to their own i suppose

    I suppose it comes down to designing your workout and tools to fit your goals but I have a hard time imagining anyone getting any sort of workout from using a weight that light

    I think for building strength there are much better tools than kettlebells, and likewise for both aerobic and anaerobic training there are better methods for most people to use which are much cheaper

    I remember someone says kettlebells are the most expensive door stops there are, and every time I walk into a gym and see one being used for that purpose I have to smile
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2017
  18. hewho

    hewho Valued Member


    It helped him learn the movement, and build up strength. I like to throw them into sessions as they keep things varied, people have fun, and that means better client retention for me :)

    Yeah, for building strength I'm a big fan of barbells, although they take up more space. Kettlebells certainly have their place though, I've found they increase my power for movements involving hip thrusting, like bridging and bumping. For clients I've found it's a big movement they have to put a lot of work into, good for active rests, being strong in a variety of positions, and body control.
     
  19. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    i would agree with many of the points. as a kettle bell user, i think it's better to go with the classic 16kg weight, if you're going to do it. just get used to the weight and i think it will pay dividends long-term.

    and there are better ways for building strength than a kettle bell, but what i like about them is the functional aspect. swings, turkish getups are massively useful for bjj. the technical standup for bjj is in a turkish getup. i also really like the russian twist for overall core strength. another exercise i really like is to have two kb, perform a pushup on top of them, then do a row at the top. the gains add up massively from that.

    one thing i forgot to mention is the grip strength improvements since using the bells. again, like you mention, there are other ways to build grip strength, but it's a nice added dividend.

    oh look, here's giovanni's kb thread from 2014. lol

    http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122334
     
  20. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    Functional core strength (god i dislike that phrase) is the ability to stabilize the core whilst you move, squats,deadlifts, farmers walks , front squats all allow for heavier loading whilst stabilizing and thus are probably more functional

    i'd also argue deadlifts, farmers walk are also better for grip strength in that the loading can be heavier and this the effect greater.

    not sure how swings are functional for BJJ as ive never had to swing a 16kg person at arms length during training, nor hold someone or something above my head as i do a stand up from guard :Angel:
     

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