Although the use of Dumb Bells is an effective way to condition your body and burn calories, in this particular post we’re talking Kettlebells.
Kettlebells are a Russian invention, which came about during the Crimean war to keep their troops healthy and fit in the trenches. The kettlebell came about when a handle was fabricated to a cannon ball, which was later used to perform many different explosive exercises to burn calories and condition the soldiers body and keep them operating at a high level of effectiveness.
History lesson over, let’s look at why we use kettlebells at Body Planners. We use kettlebells because of their brutal simplicity, effectiveness and the challenge they can inject into any workout.
Many kettlebell exercises such as the basic swing or the swing-clean are all dynamic, explosive movements which require good levels of aerobic fitness, physical strength, endurance and coordination to maintain a solid effective form. In each movement, kettlebells require a lot of muscle to move and manoeuvre which is often displayed in how high the heart rate can peak out. More muscle usage, more energy used, more calories burned, heart rate substantially higher. But kettlebells don’t stop being effective there, these can be swapped out for dumbbells in some instances, such as goblet squats, chest or shoulder pressing, various styles of row, you name it. With a bit of improvisation, the kettlebell can be a suitable and safe alternative. Even though the dynamics of the exercise are largely the same, like a squat is a squat, a press is a press and a row is a row the varying ways of how you hold the kettlebell can alter the movement slightly and make it more challenging. You’ll find the weight is often offset against your ‘normal’ position and your ‘normal’ centre of mass when using other things. Kettlebells are very cumbersome items, but don’t let that put you off.
It’s been known to do an entire BP45 session completely with kettlebells and let me say, the results shown in Polar Club were certainly backing up the level of challenge this presented to our attendees. Using just kettlebells and a simple timer, some individuals typically using 500kcals per session were using upwards of 30% extra. If you’re looking to burn more calories and more fat, develop more strength and endurance then give them a try.