Why the Humble Kettlebell is My ‘Go To’ Piece of Gym Kit
For all-round fitness it would be hard to find anything better
A few years ago, I damaged the rotator cuff in my shoulder which meant that I was pretty much unable to do any of the standard weight training exercises I’d been doing in the gym.
I needed to find an alternative that wouldn’t put unnecessary stress on my shoulder.
I did a bit of digging and lo and behold, there it was. The kettlebell.
I had a look at what exercises to do and made my self a few programs. My shoulder was unimpeded and healed without any further issues but my love of kettlebell workouts was well and truly ignited.
Why?
As a piece of gym kit, it is pretty much unparalleled in terms of its’ flexibility and effectiveness and I’ve drawn up a list of the main benefits to be gained from using a kettlebell.
No Waiting Around
No more hanging around waiting for someone to finish on a piece of kit. You can easily do an entire workout using just one kettlebell. So, once you finish one exercise, you move straight onto the next, meaning no hanging around and your workout is finished in double quick time. And because you only need this piece of kit, you can easily do a workout at home.
Whole Body Workout
It exercises the whole body. Every movement you do with a kettlebell engages hundreds of muscles at once. No more isolating biceps or quads. And if more muscles are engaged then you’ll burn more calories, your metabolic rate increases resulting in increased fat loss and muscle toning.
Good for All Ages and Abilities
It’s an excellent exercise for all age groups and ability levels. Because lots of the exercises can be adapted easily, it can be used by beginners or older people without putting undue stress on body parts that are not used to exercise.
Cardio
It is a fantastic way of getting your cardio fix as well as weights at the same time. Try it if you don’t believe me. Get yourself a heavier kettlebell and do 40–50 swings and see if you’re not gasping for breath by the end of it.
Space saving
You don’t need much space. This is ideal for those of us who may be isolating in the current pandemic or short on time for trips to the gym. Maybe work has spilled into overtime, no problem, grab the trusty kettlebell and knock out a quick 20 minute workout in your living room.
Improves Posture and Core
It improves your posture and strengthens the core muscles. Swinging the kettlebell engages the core and works all those muscles that affect posture and think about it, when we spend so much of our time sitting or in front of computer screens, what better way to improve posture and build core strength than something as simple as this?
Versatile
There are literally dozens of exercises you can do with this one piece of kit. Just google ‘Kettlebell exercises’ and see how many appear. It is the easiest thing in the world to create your own workouts. Finding it easy? Get yourself a heavier kettlebell or buy another one. Many of the exercises can be done with 2 kettlebells which just adds to the challenge.
There are so many benefits to incorporating kettlebell workouts into your training regimen:
- Weight training
- Fitness
- Cardio
- Improves posture
- Improves muscle tone
- Improves balance
- Builds and strengthens core muscles
So, if you’re stuck in a rut at the gym and want to find something that will reignite your passion. Try adding a few kettlebell workouts to change things up.
What’s holding you back?
I guarantee you’ll feel and see the benefits before too long.
