Kettlebell – A Multiverse Exercise Equipment

• Kettlebell swings are a high intensity, low impact exercise that helps improve your cardiovascular endurance, strength, and explosive power.
• Over the past decade, kettlebell swings have grown in popularity as a quick full-body workout. Nowadays, they’re popular in workout programs such as CrossFit and in athletic training programs. Because they’re convenient and relatively simple to use, they’re also commonly included in high intensity exercise plans for the average person.
• One of the biggest reasons kettlebells are so effective is because of their structure, often feeling heavier than a traditional dumbbell due to their center of gravity. This is why kettlebell are effective in improving strength and balance.
• Power endurance involves moves that are performed quickly such as the snatch and the clean and jerk. These exercises force you to perform moves quickly and activate muscular contractions rapidly, giving you more power and a bigger calorie burn.

Why Kettlebell over Dumbbell?

• Core Involvement – when we lift a kettlebell over dumbbell, Core comes in function throughout the exercise but in case of Dumbbell, only a particular muscle or group of muscles works.
• Shoulder Stability – When we grip a Kettlebell, muscles around the shoulder joint i.e. Rotator Cuffs muscles comes in action to stable the joint which helps in improving shoulder stability.
• Burn More Calories – Kettlebell involves full body functioning during a workout which helps in burning mores calories over dumbbell workout.
• Improves Neurological Functioning – Kettlebell improves overall stability of the body. In case of fight or flight situation, your body works with greater balance which helps in avoiding joint injuries.

Benefits of Kettlebell

• Improve Cardiovascular Endurance –  Kettlebell swings involve your whole body, which requires your heart to beat faster to pump blood throughout your body which helps in improving cardiovascular endurance.
• Stronger posterior chain – Unlike many exercises that focus on the front of your body, kettlebell swings target your upper and lower back, glutes, and hamstrings, known collectively as the posterior chain.
• Greater explosiveness and power.– Kettlebell swings require high force development and activation of muscles of the posterior chain, which can improve your overall fitness, performance, and power.
• Full-body workout– Kettlebell swings use your upper body, core, and lower body for an excellent full-body workout.
• Powerful calorie burn– Kettlebell Workouts are high intensity and can burn a lot of calories in a short time. And you may burn more calories after the workout due to post-exercise oxygen consumption, which is a temporary increase in metabolism to support recovery.
• Low impact exercise– Kettlebells keep your feet planted on the ground, which reduces force and pressure on your knees. For some people, this may be a better option for getting the heart pumping than higher impact exercises such as jump training.
•  STRONGER GRIP AND MORE POWERFUL FOREARMS– Due to the thicker handle (thicker than a dumbbell or barbell), a kettlebell improves grip strength. By maneuvering a kettlebell, its center of gravity moves with your grip and give you more dynamic muscle contractions.

• DON’T REQUIRE A LARGE TRAINING SPACE– Because you can do so much with a few kettlebells, you eliminate the need to train at a big facility regularly. More and more home gyms and smaller training spaces keep appearing, making kettlebells ideal equipment for storing and saving space.

How to do a proper Kettlebell swing?

To get the most out of your workout and reduce your risk of injury, it’s important to learn how to perform kettlebell swing with right posture. Here’s how to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart while holding a kettlebell with both hands (palms facing toward you) and arms straight down.
• Inhale and push your hips back (hinge your hips) and slightly bend your knees to bring the kettlebell between your legs. Be sure to keep your back straight and engage your core.
• Exhale, contract your glutes, and push your hips forward to lift your body into a standing position. Allow your arms slightly bended to swing the kettlebell as far as it will naturally go. Shoulder height or parallel to the ground is your goal, although you do not want to use arm strength to raise the kettlebell. It may take a few swings to find your rhythm and maximize the lift.
• Inhale and lower the kettlebell between your legs by pushing your hips back and slightly bending your knees.

It’s important to focus on proper posture throughout this movement to prevent lower back injury. Most of the force should come from your legs and glutes not your shoulders and arms.

Focusing on the hip-hinge movement during the lowering phase will allow you to safely build power and momentum.

Best Kettlebell Exercises to Include in Your Workout

Kettlebell exercises often involve several muscle groups at once, making them a highly effective way to give your arms, legs, and abs a great workout in a short amount of time. They can improve both your strength and your cardiovascular fitness.

Using lighter kettlebells allows you to focus on learning the proper form and technique for the different exercises. You can always increase the weight once you’re comfortable with the correct form for each exercise.

1. Deadlifts – Beginners can perform Deadlifts with Kettlebells to learn the right posture of the exercise. The following steps can perform to do this exercise with kettlebells are :
   • Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
   • Place a kettlebell just outside each foot on the floor.
   • Engage your core and draw your shoulders down as you squeeze shoulder blades together.
   • Push hips back(Hip Hinge) and bend knees to reach kettlebell handles.
   • Firmly grip kettlebells, keeping arms and back straight and feet flat on floor.
   • Slowly lift chest and press hips forward until you’re standing up straight.
   • Pause and inhale before lowering your body.

2. Kettlebell Goblet Squat – Squats are an excellent lower-body exercise that works many different muscles. Using a kettlebell adds more effort to the squat.

Stand with feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed outward slightly.

Hold a kettlebell with both hands around the sides of the handle, not from the top of the handle, and keep it close to your chest.

Slowly bend both knees so that thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Keep elbows forward and back straight.

Using your leg muscles, with your upper body still, back to your starting position. Your feet should remain firmly on the floor.

3. Kettlebell Lunge – Like traditional lunges, kettlebell lunges target the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. It’s an effective balance exercise, too. You can hold a kettlebell in both hands to increase the difficulty level.

Stand with feet together.

Hold kettlebell by the handle in your right hand, arm by your side.

Keep shoulders back and chest upright.

Slowly step forward with left leg, bending knee while keeping right foot in place.

Pause for a few seconds, then push down through your forward leg to move your body upward to standing.

After you finish your reps on one leg, switch sides so that the kettlebell is in your left hand and your right leg steps forward.

4. Russian Twist – If you don’t have a kettlebell, the Russian twist can also be done with a weighted medicine ball or barbell plate. When using a kettlebell, be sure to keep a firm grip so that you don’t drop it on your lap.

Sit with your legs bent, feet flat on the floor.

Holding the kettlebell handle with both hands, lean back so that your torso is at about a 45-degree angle to the floor.

With heels a few inches above the floor, rotate your torso from right to left, swinging the kettlebell slightly across your body.

Rotate from side to side 6 to 8 times.

When you’ve completed your repetitions, return to your starting position..

Risk of using Kettlebell

Kettlebell training can add a lot to your workout, but it also comes with some injury risks.

• Forearm. If the kettlebell swings while you’re moving, the weight can hit your forearm. You might end up with a bruise or a more serious injury.
• Wrist. If you hold the kettlebell handle incorrectly, you can strain the tendons in your wrist and hand.
• Lower back. The motions involved in some kettlebell exercises, like the swing, can increase your risk of lower back injury. The risk is higher if you have an existing lower back condition, or if you have trouble keeping your spine in a neutral position during the exercise.

How to avoid Risk of using Kettlebell

• Strong Wrist Grip
• Shoulder Joint Stability
• Joint Mobility
• Improve balance of body with dumbbell then Switch to Kettlebell