Few fitness products receive the sort of all-out marketing blitz enjoyed by the once-humble kettlebell. Everywhere you turn, you’re bombarded with claims about the fitness and strength benefits of these simple devices. Most of the claims almost seem too good to be true.
Here is a sample of the sorts of things marketers are saying about kettlebells. All these quotes come from the first page of Google results for a search on the keyword “kettlebell”:
- Develop extreme all-around fitness; no tool does it better
- The centuries-old favorite of martial artists, ancient strongmen, and the military elite
- Kettlebells improve your 40-yard dash
- This super-simple “handheld gym” guarantees faster fat loss, rapid muscle gain, higher performance and dramatic power—in just minutes a day!
- Kettlebells also teach the user how to use momentum in ways that mimic real life situations that cannot be duplicated by machines, barbells, or dumbbells
- The single best conditioning tool for killer sports like kickboxing, wrestling, and football
Hype about kettlebells rings out loud and clear. But if loud-mouthed marketing claims are true, why don’t professional athletes use them? Did NFL players, Olympic track-and-field competitors, pro bodybuilders, Olympic weightlifters, soldiers, professional boxers, and other top athletes spend their early years learning how to manipulate a kettlebell? The answer is no.
The origin of kettlebells
Scottish athletes threw trading weights in competition long before anyone coined the term 'kettlebell'.
During and after the Roman Empire, Europeans used heavy stones with handles as standard weights in trade and commerce. In Scotland there is a centuries-old tradition of using these weights for throwing and carrying competitions. These were the first kettlebells, though the name didn’t exist yet.
In the 19th century, strongmen developed true kettlebells: hollow iron spheres with rounded handles. Lead shot loaded into the spheres changed the weight of the device.
These early prototypes were used for strength challenges, not training. It takes skill to lift thick-handled, awkwardly-shaped implements, and strongmen practiced until they could out-perform even the largest and strongest of their audience members.
At the time, kettlebell lifting was nothing more than a gimmick – like lifting thick-handled dumbbells or anvils. Strongmen didn’t make their livings by relying on being the strongest men around. This wasn’t something they could control. Instead, they slanted the competitions in their favor. These strongmen earned their keep by outperforming all comers in skill-based competitions that only they practiced for. Kettlebells – with their thick, grip-challenging handles and their peculiar, off-center balance point – were perfect for strongman challenges.
Kettlebells versus Dumbbells
The advantages of dumbbells – especially adjustable dumbbells – are overwhelming. You might as well fill a milk-jug with concrete and use it for strength training.
| Kettlebell |
Dumbbell |
| Fixed weight; Expensive adjustable kettlebells are awkward, ungainly, and cause pinches and bruises | Easily and quickly adjustable |
| Thick handle causes blisters | Normal handle designed ergonomically |
| The off-center balance point strains the wrist during presses and “pushing” movements | Wrist naturally assumes ergonomically-proper orientation, no matter the exercise |
| Grip strength the limiting factor in “pulling” movements; no way around this drawback | Grip strength is rarely an issue. If necessary, it can either be addressed through training, or overcome with various time-tested techniques |
| Kettlebell training is synonymous with skill training. Often, strength gains come from neural adaptation and skill acquisition, not hypertrophy | Dumbbells are a fitness and strength training tool, not an end in and of themselves. They deliver results immediately, regardless of the level of neural adaptation and skill |
| Repetitive-stress injuries are common and practically inevitable with the massively-hyped but impractical kettlebell movements | Repetitive stress injuries are rare and avoidable |
| Expensive and overpriced | Priced almost as a commodity; plus, the plates are fungible |
| Handles are cast iron instead of forged steel | Forged handles are thinner and ergonomically designed |
| Limited number of movements, some highly contrived and impractical | Dumbbells are suited for many time-tested movements and exercises used by successful athletes |
| Cast iron handles must be painted | Forged handles and knurled grips go a long way towards preventing blisters |
What is kettlebell training?
Take a moment to think about the expression “kettlebell training”. Doesn’t it seem a bit weird to you? After all, you never hear the term “dumbbell training” or “barbell training”. Instead, athletes and sports coaches talk about “weight training”, “resistance training”, or “strength training”.
Kettlebells look like tea kettles.
The fact is: kettlebell training means just what it says: training you to use a kettlebell.
Kettlebells require skill. And when you get good at them, you’re good at using a kettlebell. Big deal. That, and a dollar, will buy you a cup of coffee. Of course, the sorts of people who use kettlebells probably pay a lot more than a dollar for a cup of coffee. But I digress.
Are there any side-benefits to this sort of workout? Yes; you get a full-body strength and conditioning workout. But you’ll get the same results faster, cheaper, and safer by using a dumbbell.
Kettlebell lifts are worse than useless
Four main “moves” make up the majority of kettlebell training:
- Kettlebell swings
- Kettlebell cleans
- Kettlebell jerks
- Kettlebell snatches
While these movements are beneficial, they are not unique to kettlebell training. It’s perfectly acceptable to do them with dumbbells.
Adjustable kettlebell? That's one way to make one!
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Swings are simply better with a dumbbell, there is no real debate.
- Marketing hypesters claim that swings are a “centuries-old secret” training technique used by the kettlebell-toting warriors of yore. But this is a lie. In fact, swings are an assistance exercise that has been used by Olympic-style lifters ever since weight lifting became a standardized sport. However, these professional athletes don’t waste time with kettlebells — instead, they use dumbbells or T-bar handles and swing for time.
- Swings – a warm-up and conditioning exercise – are best performed for time. You can adjust the weight of your dumbbell to vary the intensity until you can work out for a given period of time. Unless you spend hundreds of dollars on different kettlebells, yours is bound to be either too heavy or too light. You can’t use it as a neutral tool; you have to adapt your workout to the constraints of the implement.
- Among kettlebell zealots, there is just too much emphasis on swings as a conditioning movement. While it’s a good move for warm-up before a squat session, it is a terrible choice for cardio or full-body conditioning. Ballistic stretching of the shoulders, elbows and wrist joints is unnecessary and dangerous. Tendons and ligaments are not built for this sort of abuse. Plus, the lower back is not designed to handle high-rep repetitive stress. Athletes like pro boxers, whose sports involve a lot of lower-back repetitive stress, are very careful to avoid low-back overuse. Kettlebell zealots laugh in the face of this very real danger. They overuse kettlebell swings out of ignorance.
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The clean and press is a fantastic power movement. Athletes and wannabes alike benefit from this movement. However, the kettlebell clean and press is virtually useless when compared to the dumbbell equivalent.
- It stresses the wrist by bending the hand backwards until the kettlebell flops over and whacks you in the back of the wrist. The only way to avoid this is to torque the kettlebell during the ascent, which stresses the elbow. No matter how you do it, it traumatizes the parts of your arm and wrist that you should be protecting if you want to ensure longevity in your workout programs.
- The awkward shape makes it impossible to perform heavy, low-rep cleans without spending weeks learning to adapt the move to the implement. The kettlebell training takes precedence, rather than the strength training.
- You’ll never move as much weight with a kettlebell as you will with a dumbbell. More weight equals more strength, and more strength equals more size and power.
- Lack of adjustability means you can’t design a sensible weight progression into your program.
Form should follow function. Kettlebells' minimalist design is visually pleasing.
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Jerks were developed for one reason: to allow you to put up the maximum amount of weight possible. Doing them with a kettlebell for reps is like putting the cart before the horse; it makes no sense. The mindless kettlebell zealots who do this don’t seem to question why they are performing this move, they just do it. You might as well practice tying your shoes for reps; it makes just as much sense.
- Watch people performing kettlebell jerks on YouTube. Every one of them is performing a push-press, not a true jerk. Calling it a “jerk” just lends an air of legitimacy to the movement.
- Snatches, again, were invented so you can get as much weight as possible overhead in one clean, fluid motion. Performing them for reps is silly. It’s the weight that matters in a snatch, not the number of reps. If you want to snatch, use an adjustable dumbbell and keep the reps constant from workout to workout; base your progression on weight lifted, not reps.
Kettlebell competition: the good, the bad, and the ugly
If kettlebell competition is your thing, great! Competition of any stripe is healthy, productive, and inspirational. But don’t make exaggerated claims about kettlebell competition just to justify the use of a second-rate piece of equipment.
Full circle: kettlebell athletes make up new exercises to challenge themselves.
Kettlebells are part of a larger marketing plan. The kettlebell industry does more than just sell you a lump of cast iron. It sells you instruction, competition, and rankings (kettlebell black-belt, anyone?). It’s a sub-culture in search of a purpose.
Kettlebell subculture reminds me of martial-arts subculture during the 80s. Back then, martial arts schools promised everything: fitness, flexibility, strength, and self-defense. But they delivered half-baked, physiologically-unsound training methodologies that risked injury without actually teaching anyone to fight very well. Instead of training like pro fighters (boxers, Olympic wrestlers, kick boxers, et al), martial artists substituted hype for results. Rather than test themselves in open competition, they designed tournaments that rewarded conformity to the system.
Kettlebell marketers are taking a page out of the martial arts instructors’ playbook, and enthusiasts are falling prey to the same sort of hype. All the promises in the list of marketing points at the beginning of this article are bogus. By the time kettlebell zealots realize this, they are already ensconced in the cult of kettlebell. The ones that don’t quit justify their continued participation by taking part in competitions that test hard-earned skill with a kettlebell. Outlandish promises are soon forgotten. The kettlebells become an end in and of themselves, rather than a way forward.
Anything a kettlebell can do, an adjustable dumbbell can do better
Don’t fall prey to the kettlebell marketing hype. Adjustable dumbbells will serve your needs without locking you into a bizarre and counter-productive exercise methodology.
Unless you’ve been brainwashed by the cult of kettlebell, odds are you never wake up in the morning and, out of the blue, decide to see how many kettlebell snatches you can do in five minutes. The workout tool should not dictate your actions to you; instead, you should choose a tool that helps you reach your goals. Kettlebells don’t help you do anything but get better at manipulating a kettlebell.
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
This is excellent advice. Kettlebells are hyped by people trying to make a $$$. It is a shame to see so much focus placed on such a limited and limiting piece of workout equipment. Get a good set of weights and forget the kettlebells.
I used to be virtually in love with kettlebells, but after reading this, I see how wrong I was.
Thanks for this information.
–Steve
Hello:
It is clearly that the author of this post does not have any kind of experience training with kettlebells.
I started strength training in 1993 when I was 17 years old. After 13 years of training just with barbells and dumbbells I started to use kettlebells.
Results?
Before using KB I could do shoulder press with 2 dumbbells of 40 kg each. With one month of KB standing press I went up to 50 kg also with dumbbells and KB.
Before I could not do perfect squats lower than parallel, because I was inflexible. After KB swings , this was solved.
I do not want to say which are better, but barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells should be staples in any sound weight training program.
What are KB best at ?
Clean and jerk
KB are definetly better than dumbbells because you can “rack” a KB, while you can not rack a dumbbell. You need to rack (to keep it stable on your upper chest and shoulder)the weight to stabilize it at the top of the clean. If you can not rack the weight well, you can not do any jerk, because you would not be able to transfer the strength of your legs and hips in order to jerk the weight above your head.
Dumbbells are not really good for clen and jerk, but KB are.
Barbells are good, but unfortunately , most of the trainees can not perform a proper rack.
Snatch
Because the shape of the KB, you can stabilize it at the top of the drill. You can not stabilize a heavy dumbbell.
A heavy dumbbell 40 – 50 kg is huge and it may broke your knees when swinging it between legs, while the KB is much smaller for the same weight.
Swings
The hip thrust is the most powerfull move of the human body, used for running, jumping, throwing, punching, lifting. You can execute the swing properly just if you let the weight go back between your legs, in order to properly load your hamstrings.
Try to swing a 50 kg dumbbell and you will want badly a kettlebell.
The KB is better for Turkish Get Up, Shoulder press, Windmill, Bent press, Weighted Pistol squats – all major drills.
Dumbbells are better for bench press, curls , extension.
Beside kettlebells cost the same as dumbbells, or will cost the same in the near future. ( I live in China and I know the production prices and costs) .
Kb are much better than dumbbells for overall conditioning, when training stamina, muscle endurance, power endurance, balance , coordination.
Dumbbells may be better , just for bodybuilding.
When designing a strength and conditioning programs you should consider more things:
1. What are your goals ?
2. What physical qualities do you want to improve ?
3. How much time do you want to invest ?
Here are the best strength and conditioning drills in my oppinion:
1. Squat – barbell, KB pistol
2. Deadlift – barbell
3. Kettlebell snatch
4. Kettlebell clean & jerk
5. Pull ups
6. Dips
7. Kettlebell shoulder press
8. Kettlebell Turkish Get Up
9. Bench press – barbell, dumbbells
10. Bent over row – barbell, kettlebells, dumbbells
11. Gorilla crunch
12. Kettlebell windmill
13. Kettlebell swing
Conclusion:
Kettlebells are an excellent tool for overall conditioning.
With a KB you can train strength, power, stamina, cardiovascular endurance, muscle endurance, coordination, agility, precision, balance.
Kettlebells are best for home training providing “the best bang for your buck”.
Dumbbells and barbells are good also.
In the near future kettlebells will become a staple for any training center.
For more information read my kettlebell blog .
http://www.kettlebell102.blogspot.com
Read to achieve !
Alex
Clearly, this author was atttempting humor. I think. All I can say is wow.
If you read this you will find zero facts. It’s all opinion of one person and they are misinformed. This is what’s wrong with the fitness industry. Disregard this website as non-sense.
Robert: I’m surprised that you didn’t find at least one “fact” in the article. You would be more credible if you’d claimed there were “few” facts, “debatable” facts, “cherry-picked” facts, or “unimportant” facts; but “zero” facts? That’s a bizarre statement, even if it comes from an anonymous internet troll.
Perhaps you’re in denial (which is the first stage of kettlebell-withdrawl grief). Have no fear, acceptance will arrive eventually.
1. Swing a 106 pound dumbbell between your legs, especially one of those “easily manipulatged” adjustable ones. When you get back from having both of your knees replaced, call me.
2. If you get blisters during a kettlebell swing, you are an idiot. The swing, by nature, doesn’t rotate the bell in your hand.
3. A dumbbell is ergonomic? Come on. If a dumbbell we ergonomic, briecases, shopping bags, suitcases, and your purse would be build that way — with the wieght over the ends. The kettlebell more closely resembles things we carry in everyday life.
4. Adjustable dumbbells are more beneficial? The time I waste adjusting dumbbells can be better suited sitting at the coffee shop after my workout. I own dumbbells as well as kettlebells, and I would never touch the adjustable ones. It is not the adjustable dumbbells that are designed “Ergonomically.” It is the fixed weight ones.
5. Cost? Cost of kettlebells is comparable to dumbbells.
Don’t let the facts get in the way of your writing.
Dave:
* Heavy swings are better with a T-handle. It makes the weight easily adjustable. Why waste money on a 100-pound kettlebell when you can have an adjustable T-handle for a few dollars?
* Don’t idiots deserve a blister-free existence too? Have pity on those whom you feel are your intellectual inferiors.
* Yes, dumbbells are ergonomically-designed; this is in marked contrast to kettlebells, whose adherents take pride in the fact that bells are a less-than-ideal piece of workout equipment from a long-term usability standpoint.
* Whether you would “touch” an adjustable dumbbell is immaterial. Have you seen a modern adjustable dumbbell? You can change the weight in less than a second. Welcome to the 21st century!
* Cost of kettlebells may be “comparable” to dumbbells, but since they’re much less useful, it’s still a rip-off.
I agree here I’m 53 years old and have lifted, worked out w/ bodyweight and weights since being in the military soem 30 years ago, recently discovered kettlebells, they are very hard on the wrists and elbow joints no need to do high rep sets in swing or snatch. I have gone back to bodyweight pullups, handstand pushups , squats and lunges and some barbell clean & press.I have damage to my left hand and right wrist by going extreme with KB’s they are not good!
Well, the price of KB’s is coming down. I saw Jesupgym.com has DD clones for just $1.00/per pound. Even with shipping they’re cheap. Fitness Outlet here in Chicago has ‘em for $1.25/lb.
Regarding ‘better’… I like Dumbbell snatches better. I feel more of a full body effect. I also feel more forearm strength and growth with dumbbells…. kettlebells you can hook without using muscles much, but release a dumbbell for a second and you’ve got problems!
However, I do find kettlebells superior, to me, for swings and overhead presses. Regarding the latter, I find the dumbbells put too much tension into my trap/neck area, whereas the kettlebells don’t.
IF they were all at the same price (and you can find used dumbbells for 0.54cents/lb in Chicago) I’d got with the KB. But if people are still paying $2/lb plus shipping, I don’t see how that price is in any way warranted. Just my opinion.
All I can say is, Thank God someone has published this article.
It may protect many people from real injury.
I’ve researched this subject well over the past 8 months because I broke my left forearm in April while doing a set of kettlebell snatches. I now have a steel plate and 6 screws placed on my radius bone.
I have tried to post warnings on various kettlebell forums etc, only to meet with brainwashed individuals often hurling abuse at me, or simply calling me a liar!
They do not believe such an injury can happen unless someone is “an idiot” (the kettlebell fraternity love to call people idiots for some reason, especially if someone gets injured with a kettlebell…)
In my case I was fit and strong, 42, 210 pounds, I had been training with the 24kg bell for 9 months, very happily, I had believed all the books and DVDs…I was doing sets 6 cleans and preses…and sets of 8 snatches regularly and easily, for months…no bruises or pain to warn me my “form was bad”…but one mis-timed snatch in April and I was in hospital for 2 days and getting my first ever surgery.
This article above is the first I have seen published for many years, daring to criticise the kettlebell.
If you search online you find articles from 2002-2003, like Ray Brennan’s good one about “kettlebell hype”…but the kettlebell marketing machine must have hit overdrive around 2004 and I know how effective that gang can be at silencing dissenting voices…I posted the detail of my injury on the main US kettlebell forum…it had 5000 readers…until the forum bosses deleted the post.
No way do they want people to be warned they could break their arms while snatching.
That would hurt the wallet.
The only thing wrong with the article above is that it UNDERSTATES the risk when it says the kettlebell can bruise or pinch, as my case proves.
I had trained safely for 24 years, with weights, bodyweight etc, with no injuries, before that April incident.
John Logan
Hi John:
Sorry to hear of your troubles; I hope your injured arm heals up as good as new.
I suppose any exercise equipment can cause injuries, not just kettlebells. What I take issue with is the way kettlebell people claim near-magical qualities for what is a very basic piece of equipment. It is not a handheld gym, it is merely a weight.
Nobody starts using kettlebells because they want to see how many snatches they can do before fatigue sets in. They start becasue they believe some of the marketing hype that I show examples of in the 2nd paragraph.
Later, as the ridiculous hype is proved false, many drift away from kettlebells as the main focus of their workouts. But those that stick with it end up doing meaningless and ultimately harmful routines which build repetitive-stress injuries and other unwanted problems.
Since this site is a collection of my advice to skinny young kids who want to bulk up, I try to write articles that address that issue. When I began to get more and more questions from kids who were being seduced by the kettlebell hype, I wrote this article. Kettlebells are fine for some things — you might even find that I’ve mentioned them a time or two in some of my other articles — but they’re singularly inappropriate for the target audience of this website.
Everything in moderation!
Since getting involved with kettlebells about 8 months ago, I have really enjoyed working with them. I rapidly progressed from 16 -24 -32 kg bells and thought my form was pretty good.
Recently I started getting pain in my wrists and hand whilst doing overhead presses with the 32kg. The pain was getting so bad that I had to take a break and use dumbells instead for any overhead lifts.
I honestly believe that kettlebells do place unnecessary stress on the wrist and elbow when pressing higher weights overhead and not to mention the bisters on the hands with snatches and one hand swings.
I only use kettlebells for two handed swings now as a warm up excercise and have switched to dumbells for all overhead lifts and snatches. The dumbells are more comfortable and still provide a great workout. At least I can easily increase/decrease the weight and have no more pain in the wrist.
Kettlebells are great for rows but you can’t easily increase the weight.
Each to their own.
Hi ray:
As you probably know, some kettlebells have “deeper” handles than others. A deeper handle lets you get away with not bending your wrist as much as with earlier, less ergonomically-designed kettlebells. This is definitely the way to go.
When kettlebells were first being popularized less than a decade ago, they were cheaply made from cast iron. The manufacturing process necessitated thick, stubby handles that were anything but comfortable or ergonomically correct.
But in recent times, and in part due to experiences such as yours, some manufacturers are making k’bells with forged handles which are much better than the cast iron wrist-wreckers that they replace.
To anyone who is thinking of taking up kettlebell “training”: don’t skimp on price; make sure to get a deep-handled kettlebell.
Hey guys
I found this post because I was concerned about the risks of KB training. I’ve never done it, but I am looking for an efficient way to get a good workout that includes strength training and some endurance. I recently moved from FL to NY and started law school. While I have always been a member of a gym, I find that now I have little free time, am away from my place too much as it is (I have dogs), and can’t train outdoors in the winter. I can no longer afford the 2 hr workouts at the gym full of quality equipment. I have that pathetic feeling you get when you go from regular exercise to a fully sedentary lifestyle, and I need something (anything) to balance the stress of school with physical activity. The KB seemed to offer shortened workouts with a fair balance of strength and cardio that could be accomplished at home. Perfect. But without ever having tried it, it is still easy to see where they can be cruel to the wrists, elbows, shoulders, and back (I was always taught NOT to swing the weights). So my question is this: What is the best way to get a fairly short (30 min per day?), well balanced workout at home without buying a ton of equipment or machines that take will take up half of my little NY apartment? I have little extra cash, so whatever route I take here will be the one I’ll have to stick with for a while. The KB was particularly attractive because, though the weight is fixed, it seems one will at least get you started, and one KB with a starter video or book is still far cheaper than a pair of adjustable dumbells (which would mean a bench as well). Any suggestions would be a great help. In advance, Thank You.
My focus with this site is to give skinny kids the info they need to add muscle. Kettlebells don’t help them reach that goal.
But for your purposes, a typical kettlebell routine might be fine, especially if you mixed it up with some other workouts. I wouldn’t advise restricting yourself to kettlebells, or making them the sole focus of your exercise regimen, but as one part of a comprehensive fitness routine, they’re fine.
Having said that, there’s very little, if anything, that you can do with a kettlebell and not with a dumbbell. Kettlebell-style workouts are nothing new. They’re simply Olympic-lifting routines altered to fit around the constraints imposed by a kettlebell.
Whatever you do, make sure the workout is tailored around your ultimate goals. Too many kettlebell cultists end up modifying their initial goals to align with kettlebell culture rather than making the kettlebell work for them.
Maybe you’d enjoy the rosstraining.com forum; it’s full of people who don’t necessarily rely on a fully-equipped gym.
Good Luck.
I respect the author’s opinion, however if I may lend out a word of advice to anyone whom has harmed themselves using the kettlebell: Either research how to execute the exercise properly before attempting it, or have a trainer with you as you perform the techniques. Mastering the kettlebell is an art, unlike dumbells which in my opinion are not efficient tools for entire body workouts. I say this because dumbells get to a size where you can’t possible do the same exercises as the kettlebell. You can do any exercise with a 100 Ib kettlebell that you can do with a 100 Ib dumbell. You cannot do most of the kettlebell exercises with a 100Ib dumbell, as opposed to a 100 Ib kettlebell. This is the truth.
There is a right way and a wrong way to using the kettlebells just as there is a right way and a wrong way to using dumbells. Blisters in the hand, use gloves. Harming yourself through jerks and swings, stretch next time. As far as the whole disadvantage of adjusting the weight, my opinion: Next time think before you purchase the kettlebell. Assess the fact that it is a fixed weight. When you purchase it, master that weight before you complain about not being able to adjust it. The kettlebell is not built for JUST strength conditioning such as the dumbell. The kettlebell is built for all types of exercise.
As far as the question asked: “Did NFL players, Olympic track-and-field competitors, pro bodybuilders, Olympic weightlifters, soldiers, professional boxers, and other top athletes spend their early years learning how to manipulate a kettlebell?” The answer is…they did. They do. And they always will. Ever hear of the Spetsnaz…Russian Special Forces? Did you know that Russian soldiers were issued a standard 53 Ib kettlebell? NFL? Maybe they do although, personally, I don’t consider NFL players as the epitome of human peak fitness. Why don’t they advertise it? Their bodies are not accustomed to the kettlebells. They would hurt themselves before moving up to the same weight they use with regular dumbells. Olympic track and field? Depending on the sport, they do. You’re not going to be lifting a lot of weights if you do distance and even then, not heavy ones. As far as shot putters, I am one currently and I use it all the time. And though I cannot speak for the other shot putters, I can tell you now that the kettlebell was no stranger to them. Olympic weight lifters? First off, the Kettlebell is not a straight bar with two ends with a bunch of weights on them. Go on Youtube and look up Kettlebell competitions. They do have international kettlebell lifting competetions and I assure you, comrade, these are not just bulky hulks of clumsy muscle trotting about. Some of those kettlebells are close to or are around 200 Ibs. Professional Boxers use the kettlebell all the time. Expose yourself to their training regiments before making such an assumption that they don’t.
What it really comes down to is preference. Some people don’t like using the kettlebell for whatever reason just as others, such as myself, aren’t crazy about using dumbells. Some people prefer using their own body weight or using resistance bands. It, in the end, comes down to preference. I will always choose the kettlebell as my personal tool of conditioning. I respectfully implore that you research the tool more, take a few classes (yes they do have classes on how to manipulate the kettlebell) and try it a little more often for yourself. You may find yourself actually liking it.
Good Luck, comrade.
Kettlebell Power to You
Sev
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfuJyB0XB9Q
Sev,
before I “harmed myself using a kettlebell” as you put it, I did thoroughly research how to do the snatch exercise (the one that broke my arm so badly it had to be reconstructed with 6 screws and a steel plate). I used several books and dvds, “comrade”, the same ones you will have seen. Using them, I was able to snatch happily and safely with no warnings of bad form such as pain or bruising, for 6 months of weekly snatching sessions.
Who would not think at that point the exercise was “mastered”?
But still, one day I went to do a set and the bell broke my arm…at speed I lost control of it for a fraction of a second.
With a kettlebell that is all it takes.
No amount of research or moderation can protect you from that increased risk level.
As for proper instruction, the above link is to a display of kettlebell juggling, demonstrated by an accredited and respected and qualified kettlebell teacher, whose methods are endorsed by the leading …”ex-spetsnaz” to use your language…kettlebell teacher on a “kettlebell juggling” website.
It’s all great, until a few people over the next several years get hold of the dvds teaching these moves…believe me, many of these people will not have paid kettlebell instructors handy to keep them safe (if they can)…
Did you know that the human foot can not always be repaired successfully if broken…not to speak of the human head…or back.
The young fellow there is only juggling with a 16kg bell in that link…but he has another on Youtube where it is a 32kg bell he is launching high overhead and watching it come down again towards his face just before he catches it.
There’s no margin for error at all.
And these guys are the “teachers”!
They absolutely do not give a xxxx about all the potential injuries their bad info will be causing over the next few years.
As long as they can sell their books and DVDs…and $1600 weekend courses… to guys like you who will then go round spouting the comrade/spetsnaz/da kattleball is gut mumbo jumbo…then they will stay in business and the virus will keeep spreading.
Get well soon Sev,
Logan
What exactly happened? You are being a bit vague on the details of your incident. This is the first major injury I have heard of from kettlebell use. No doubt there are more. Everyone needs to be very cautious when using a weight of any size or shape. Good fom is essential.
I am looking for training to carry over into real life. Improve general athletic conditioning, strength, flexibility, the like. KB’s definitly fit the bill.
I personally own a 16 kg KB and find it more usefull than my total 145 lb. barbell and adjustable dumbbell set. I am very limited there and cannot justify the expence of more weights.
Proper form and skill are far more important than what your training tool is. You can use nothing but your bodyweight and still succed in most things. Not everything. The same goes for every other fitness tool or training system.
I would like to know details on both your KB training history and your injury.
Reigle,
I trained for 24 years: weight training, bodyweight training, yoga, chi kung, running.
From 1985-1987 I worked as a trainer in a gym, the only trainer there, teaching weight training: no-one of the dozens of people I taught over the years was ever injured.
Then, at age 40, I bought a 24 kg kettlebell.
I was not vague at all: I trained with it for 9 months, sets of 6 cleans and presses per arm/ sets of 8 snatches per arm. Did this once a week, had no signs of bad form such as the only kind warned of in the books and DVDs I owned, like bruises or pain in forearm or wrist after snatches, none of that.
Then went in the garden one day, April 4 last year, (can’t remember exactly what time in case you’ll say I’m being vague…late afternoon though…ok?)…I’d warmed up with sets of cleans and presses, sets of high pulls. Then started my usually weekly set of snatches I’d done safely for months and months by then with no probs…first rep fine….2nd rep broke my arm.
2 days in hospital…morphine…surgery…now a steel plate and 6 screws stuck in the arm so deep that surgeons are afraid to take it out for fear of nerve damage, 10 months later.
What is vague about that?
If you want the full exhaustive detail you can Google “kettlebell snatch broken arm”..I typed a blow by blow account (with one finger) on the Transformetrics website…maybe you’ll find whatever kernel of detail there that I am failing to supply you with now.
In fact, if you Google it, you’ll find quite a few forums and posts I made over several months.
I still think the worst thing going on right now is that the kettlebell gurus are now pushing kettlebell juggling…see my earlier post.
And the world’s biggest Ruskie kettlebell guru is directly endorsing the kettlebell juggling website, right at the top of the page…advising people to juggle kettlebells at speed overhead…the main teacher is on Youtube juggling a 32kg iron ball and it nearly hits his skull more than once.
Someone is going to end up dead or in a vegetative state sooner or later.
If none of this is specific enough for you Reigle, you just let me know.
By the way, I used the 24kg bell because the 16kg was too light for me to snatch or press…it felt like a toy (and for that reason I do not believe the story that training with a 16kg prepares you for a 24kg).
A 16kg will not break your arm.
A 24kg will.
That’s all I know.
Either will fracture your skull though, if you juggle them.
I’ll try to tell you again: I trained for 24 years, myself and others, weights, bodyweight, yoga, chi kung…I did not injure myself ever, I did not injure anyone I trained, ever.
Then I get a kettlebell, and I’m in hospital 9 months later.
I wish you a speedy and complete recovery, John.
I’m a college undergrad who has recently purchased a 24 kg bell of my own (in place of a gym membership) under the premise of training for the USSS snatch test. After considering your posts, I’ve decided that for my fitness goals I have no need to condition the bones of my forearms to withstand repeated contact with heavy iron flung at maximum speed. It seems like common sense, when the kettlebell mystique is removed, that the risk to benefit ratio of the snatch is exceptionally dangerous compared to other movements.
Further, no RKC has been able to provide a consistent rationale for why the snatch provides better athletic benefits than a high pull or one armed swing performed to head level. That seemingly negligible flipping action of the bell does seem to infuse the snatch with more risk than benefit, especially when the weight becomes as heavy as 32 kg.
I’ve decided to adopt the moderate approach to kettlebells, using the strict military press and turkish get up (neither of which absolutely require a kettlebell) for upper body conditioning, and using the one armed swing and high pull for posterior chain development and cardiovascular conditioning. I still stand by aspects of the RKC training philosophy, but with serious reservations concerning ballistic movements with a potential for impact.
It should stand to reason that regardless of whether kettlebell lifters agree with your account or not, the precautionary principle dictates that we should weigh potential risks with potential benefits. This is a basic law of choice and economics. Athletically, suppose a parkour club decided that running downstairs two steps at a time was the proper way to run stairs, simultaneously training coordination, reaction speed, and concentration under fatigue (the claims of the USSS kettlebell snatch test). Suppose even one of them fell and broke an arm while running downstairs two at a time.
A member of the club might criticize the injured person’s technique like a bully…
Or they might conclude that the risk of running in that fashion negates any perceived benefit, and further, that running downstairs one step at a time would yield the same benefits without the same potential for disaster. For those who train with kettlebells, I suggest considering the benefits and risks of each movement, and diminishing risks when possible.
I believe you’ve done a service to the fitness community through your testimonial, John. Best of luck,
-Ben Reynolds
Nevada, USA
Interesting article. There is really no better or worse tool overall. It depends on what is your purpose.
I like to the kettlebells for what they are. I do not like the balance of dumbbells. Kettlebell movements feel lively. Dumbbells movements feel dull.
i highly disagree. kettlebell worked cardio and muscle at the same time and the cardio aspect was very difficult. i wouldnt say only use one or the other but putting kettlebells into a training routine for me put me over the hump, helped me lose weight i couldnt do with dumbells and cardio alone and seriously gave me a six pack with muscles on the sides of the six pack too.
if you hurt your arms your form is wrong. this article is just plain idiotic.
I”ve used both implements. Finally sold my KB. I also bought into the hype. Here is the thing: kb presses are actually easier than same weight dumbell presses. With a KB, you can stil open your hand, somewhat relax your grip, and still get it up. With a dumbbell, relax your grip for a second and the db will come out of your hand.
Same goes for Farmers Walks… walk with a kettlebell, you can just let it hook around your fingers and walk. Try that with a dumbbell and watch what happens.
Furthermore, KB proponents often tout that KBs are superior for presses because of the rotational force one has to fight, you therefore utilize all the small shoulder stabilizers, so the argument goes. BUT… a fixed weight hex head dumbbell also has two forces, one left of your hand and one right, its more of a lever than a rotation, but its something your hand and arm also have to fight as it were. IF anything, that rotational force can tear the crap out of your shoulder if you aren’t PERFECT in your form, like the above Mr. Logan stated. Who is THAT good, EVERY TIME?
I’ll stick with DBs. Play It Again Sports has ‘em for 49 cents a pound ussed, 75 cents new. Beats $2/lb plus shipping on those big ole overrated kookieballs.
I’ll just put my own 2 cents in here and say that kettlebells are FAR inferior to dumbbells.
I use dumbbells for bodybuilding at home, and then in the spring, I also use them for cardio to burn off the winter flab.
I take the plates from them an insert them in an adjustable weight vest, and go do dips and pullups off my back deck.
Each dumbell has 47.5 kg (100+lbs)worth of plates on them fully loaded and I can do snatches, swings , cleans and any other kettlebell exercise as well, including those rebel row thingies and what have you.
Where do I keep them and the vest? in a 1, 1/2 sq ft corner of my closet.
Kettlebells, in my opinion, are for those who can’t think for themselves, easily fall for marketing hype or are just plain exercise poseurs.
The smart man uses dumbbells.
The experts agree that kettlebells are superior to dumbbells for some of the claims that you are trying to refute. Let your readers decide if they would want to take advice from someone who won’t post their qualifications on their own site or from a Ph.D who runs a human performance lab at a major university…
http://www.ironcorekettlebells.com/lib/images/acekettlebells012010.pdf
Sarah posts more kettlebell drivel. Of course you can work out with them. That’s not an issue. You can get a great workout lifting a sandbag, chopping wood, running hills or doing pushups. But compared to all the advantages that dumbbells offer, Kettlebells suck. I agree with Thomas, Willie, John and Mark, and the others who go along with this blog’s main point. Kettlebells are for wannabe poseurs, buying into the grand marketing schemes of a few get-rich-quick scam artists.
Funny how Sarah’s link is related to a kettlebell company. Duh, go figure! lol
Myself, I do cardio weights with dumbbells and get ripped to shreds. I don’t need any “pseudo-scientific” studies to tell me dumbbells work. They’ve proved their metal for far longer than the kettlebell fad. You can get both huge and ripped with dumbbells, and without killing your joints, like with kettlebells.
And kettlebells are a fad, no mistake. You can tell by the number of people who get their back up when somebody tells the truth about how kettlebells suck. Kettlebells suck, and so do their hypemeister fanboys.
Kettlebells suck.
Most kettlebell zealots believe their exercises are somehow special or unique. But what they fail to realize is: signature kettlebell moves are nothing more than assistance lifts that have been in use forever by Olympic-style weightlifters. Unfortunately, the kettlebell variants are modified — bastardized really — from the original barbell and dumbbell lifts. And they are far less useful and far more dangerous.
What do you do if you don’t have access to kettlebells or dumbbells? Watch this video from Max at YouTube:
And watch this one:
I wonder how many people over the years have “broken” just about everything in the body using just about any tool, including bodyweight stuff (gymnasts for instance). Why was this article ever written. It’s like hey, don’t you know that brown-eyed people are superior to the blue-eyed freaks! Makes about the same amount of sense. Strange as well that so many informed chiropractors, physical therapists, and osteopaths are giving the green light for the ‘bells. Yes, there are NFL players using kettlebells. Go to Art of Strength and see Anthony Diluglio and the Tennessee Titans do some work. Did you also know that the number one job of a strength and conditioning coach at such an elite level is to…get ready…keep the players on the field (that means INJURY PREVENTION). Why would Gray Cook, a noted PT and founder of the Functional Movement Screen (used by many pro sports teams to reduce injury rates) be such a huge proponent of kettlebells? Guys, use what feels good to you and what delivers results that match your goals. In the end it’s all good and all tools can be used wisely or foolishly. Kettlebells aren’t magical but they are damned fun to work with. If bodybuilding is not your goal, but short and effective workouts and strength-endurance are high on your list. NOT A FAD, just a fun and playful tool. IF it ain’t fun, DON’T DO IT!
Uh, Erik I think it was written exactly because a lot of k-bell fanboys out there believe, and are themselves trying to brainwash everyone into thinking they are “magical.” The irony, and one of the points of this article, is that dumbbells, which have been around for much longer, are equal, and in many respects superior to what one can achieve with k-bells. This is not so much pumping up dumbbells, but taking k-bells down a deserved notch or two. If you can’t appreciate the validity of this argument, maybe you too have drunk the proverbial coolaid.
There is such a lack of counterpoint on k-bells, and so much over-hype, it really is like a cult.