What Makes Kettlebell Exercises Better Than Other Free Weight Exercises?


Posted January 2, 2013 by RaynaJess

If you have been going to fitness clubs recently, you will notice that kettlebell workouts are expanding across the country.

 
If you have been going to fitness clubs recently, you will notice that kettlebell workouts are expanding across the country. In many ways, kettlebell exercises have been proven to be more effective than many other fitness routines. Kettlebell weights originated in Russia over two hundred years ago, but it is only now that they have been shown to be preferable over normal free weights for many routines and goals.

Major Advantages
By virtue of their design, kettlebells have their centre of gravity several inches offset relative to the handle. Thus, your body’s core is actively used during the workouts making kettlebell workouts more challenging than others forms of resistance training. Overall, the workout becomes more efficient since more parts of the body are recruited. This is perfect for people with busy lifestyles that find exercise time difficult to come by.

The kettlebells most prominent advantage over other free weights is that the whole body is used in many of its compound exercises. This engages more muscle groups at the same time; thus burning additional calories, building muscle more effectively and losing fat more efficiently. It is mainly for this reason that its popularity has soared and kettlebells are now a regular feature in most gyms.

Athletes can also benefit hugely from kettlebell exercises because the movements are more fluid and can relate to the demands of their sport. Power can be developed through ballistic exercises and transfer to performance on the field. The work capacity of an athlete can also be greatly increased with simple interval training which is joint friendly due to being low impact.

Most Popular Moves
A current favourite among kettlebell exercises is what’s called Turkish Get-up. Here, you lie down and hold the kettlebell over your head using one hand. You use the other hand to lift your body up and continue to a standing position while keeping weight raised overhead the whole time. With this move, all muscle groups are used and it also requires concentration and coordination. This makes it a great exercise for many different sports activities and can be used as a movement screen to assess imbalances.

Another great kettlebell exercise is the swing. It also uses nearly every major muscle group and features a smooth, swinging motion that actively incorporates the core muscles since they are needed to stabilize the body while its center of gravity constantly changes throughout the motion. Because of this, it is quite effective in promoting balance and stability for beginners as well as laying movement foundations for more advanced exercises.

Safety Considerations
There are a few people who say that kettlebell weights should be used with caution and while this is partially true the same can be said for every exercise involving free weights. The key is to maintain correct form and posture throughout each movement and with each repetition. The guidance of a certified trainer is also recommended if you are new to this form of exercise.

Conclusion
Kettlebells are highly functional pieces of exercise equipment. Their design necessitates greater effort to handle and control as the movements involved in each exercise requires the whole body to engage and resist the external force of the kettlebell in motion. The movements also require controlled power by the whole body, making these tools ideal for sports training. They also offer a novel alternative for athletes with research documenting the numerous benefits they can provide for performance.


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Issued By thestrengthacademy
Country United Kingdom
Categories Sports
Tags kettlebell exercises , kettlebell workouts
Last Updated January 2, 2013