{"id":39637,"date":"2015-04-29T11:15:05","date_gmt":"2015-04-29T15:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=39637"},"modified":"2021-04-30T07:41:02","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T11:41:02","slug":"kettlebell-swing-workout-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/kettlebell-swing-workout-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons to Start Kettlebell Training Today"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kettlebell
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019ve seen them in the hands of everyone from fit moms to buff jocks<\/a> at your gym \u2014 yet you\u2019re still hesitant to pick one up. While kettlebells have become a go-to piece of workout equipment for many, they can be tricky to master \u2014 and even cause damage \u2014 if you don\u2019t know how to use them properly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kettlebells are thought to have come from Russia in the 1800s, but some believe they date back to Spartan times when handles were placed into cinderblocks in order to help move them around. Since, the spherical weights have rolled into the fitness world, popularized in America by former Soviet Special Force trainer, Pavel Tsatsouline<\/a>, who believed that with a kettlebell you can do the same things you can with a dumbbell, only better.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Are Kettlebells Better Than Dumbbells?<\/a><\/p>\n

“If you can\u2019t keep your back straight, as you pick up, put down, or swing the kettlebell, then you have no business picking up the weight.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cFor many purposes, a weight is a weight is a weight,\u201d says Keith Wittenstein, Level 4 CrossFit<\/a> coach, CrossFit HQ seminar trainer and senior coach at CrossFit Solace in New York City. \u201cHowever, kettlebells differ from dumbbells by virtue of the fact that the center of mass is located away from the hand in a kettlebell.\u201d This is what makes the tea-kettle-without-a-spout shaped weight ideal for dynamic swinging exercises, he says.<\/p>\n

And with that ability comes countless multi-joint exercises you can perform. \u201cThere\u2019s an extended library of motions and how you can link them together using a kettlebell,\u201d says Dasha Libin Anderson, MS, NASM, NASC, MKC, M-KBI, author of Kettlebell Kickboxing: Every Women\u2019s Guide to Getting Health, Sexy, and Strong<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let Me See Your Hips Swing<\/h3>\n

Every exercise stems from the basic kettlebell swing<\/a>, which, contrary to the way it looks isn\u2019t a swing powered but the arms, but is rather great for developing strength in the posterior chain \u2014 back, shoulders, hamstrings and glutes<\/a>. That is as long as it\u2019s performed safe and correctly. \u201cIt\u2019s not a squat<\/a>,\u201d says Libin Anderson. \u201cIt\u2019s a hinge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Best
Photos courtesy of\u00a0Kettlebell Kickboxing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The biggest thing to watch out for when swinging the bell? Never rounding your back<\/a>. \u201cIf you can\u2019t keep your back straight, as you pick up, put down, or swing the kettlebell, then you have no business picking up the weight,\u201d says Wittenstein. \u201cMaintaining your posture at all times when working with weights is crucial. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Kettlebell Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)<\/a><\/p>\n

Swing, check! Still not totally convinced you should switch your normal routine? Read on to learn why you might want to give this dynamic training a try.<\/p>\n

5 Reasons to Start Kettlebell Training<\/h3>\n
\"Kettlebell
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. It\u2019s incredible exercise.
\n<\/strong>When you swing kettlebells, your heart rate<\/a> can come up as quick and as elevated as it would from any form of jump training, Libin Anderson explains. According to a study from the American Council on Exercise<\/a> (ACE), you can even burn up 20 calories a minute, depending on how hard you\u2019re working. That\u2019s equivalent to (if not more than) what you might accomplish in a cardio class<\/a>. Plus, these cast iron weights help solve the debate of \u201cDo I do cardio or strength today?\u201d With kettlebells, you get both.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 New Ways to Switch Up Your Cardio Routine<\/a><\/p>\n

2. It tends to be easier on the body.
\n<\/strong>Kettlebell routines generally flow from one exercise to the next similar to the vinyasa flows<\/a> you might see in a yoga class. If done correctly, the smooth transitions make it feel more natural for your body to perform the steps. \u201cThere is nothing wrong with plyometrics<\/a> at all, but if done incorrectly, jumping can sometimes break down the joints,\u201d says Libin Anderson. \u201cKettlebells, because of the fluid swinging movement used to move them, they don\u2019t affect the joints<\/a> as much.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>It\u2019s functional training.
\n<\/strong>What exactly does that mean? \u201cKettlebells are great conditioning tools for developing cardio respiratory and muscular endurance<\/a>,\u201d says Wittenstein. They recruit the use of mobility<\/a> and coordination, too when you do things like switch the kettlebell from one hand to the other. \u201cTherefore, routines work motor and balance skills more than traditional weights,\u201d says Libin Anderson. This might be one form of exercise where you can\u2019t totally turn your brain off<\/a>!<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>It can be worked into other exercise forms.
\n<\/strong>We\u2019re talking everything from strength and power routines, to HIIT<\/a>, Tabata<\/a> and even traditional cardio training like running. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to do crazy lifts like cleans and jerks with a barbell in the middle of your Tabata set,\u201d says Libin Anderson. \u201cWith kettlebells though, you can.\u201d Thanks to their size and versatility, swings find there way into all types of exercise regimens and classes.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 20-Minute Tabata Workout You Need to Try<\/a>
\n
\n5. Kettlebells easily fit in your home.
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s not likely you have a bench and barbell in your living room next to the fireplace. Not only is there probably no room, it\u2019s just not practical and would look ridiculous, right? With kettlebells<\/a>, you just need one weight in order to recreate the same heart rate spike<\/a> you\u2019d get on a five-minute run, explains Libin Anderson.<\/p>\n

Worth the Weight<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the most important things when kettlebell training is choosing the correct weight. \u201cFor males, I\u2019d start with at least 25 pounds and no more than 45 or 55 pounds. And for women, a 15-pound bell or anywhere up to 35 or 40 pounds if you\u2019re comfortable with a double-arm swing with that.\u201d If you\u2019re not sure the correct weight for you, simply hold one by the handle straight out in front of you with both arms parallel to the floor. If you can do that easily, it\u2019s probably too light. The kettlebell should be too heavy to comfortably lift in front of you, says Anderson. Choose your weight and you don\u2019t need anything else but your body to work out at home<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s also a great conversation starter sitting in the corner when you have guests over,\u201d says Libin Anderson.<\/p>\n

To try a full kettlebell routine with streaming video to follow along with, head to <\/em>DailyBurn.com\/dbk<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Note to reader: Some of the content in this article relates to the core service offered by DailyBurn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by DailyBurn.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kettlebells can be a game-changing tool in your workout \u2014 if you know how to use them. Learn proper form and reasons to practice your kettlebell swing today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":39646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,14],"tags":[63,281,341,343,154],"class_list":["post-39637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-kettlebell-training","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-weight-training"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}