Kettlebells have a lot of advantages over traditional dumbbells and barbells. With dumbbells and barbells, your hand grips the object between the bulk of the weight, requiring stability in your arm, while kettlebells position your hand opposite the weight and allow you to use the bell's momentum. This simple Russian exercise equipment requires less joint flexibility because the arms and wrists are kept straight while using the core muscles to control movement. Kettlebell exercises also facilitate nearly seamless motion when moving from one kettlebell movement to the next since kettlebell workouts focus on the use of momentum, allowing you to enjoy an intense workout in a more concentrated period of time.
Kettlebell Hold
Kettlebells should always be gripped with a straight wrist. Bending your wrist may make the workout easier, but it reduces the exercise's benefits and increases your chances of straining your wrist during a lift. A straight wrist also provides a straight path for energy to be transferred from your core muscles to the bell itself. The grip and arm should be relaxed, since the workout primarily works out your core. This hold can sometimes be awkward, but it builds and improves coordination in your muscles.
Protect Your Wrists
It's common for individuals using a kettlebell to hit their wrists with the kettlebell on overhead lifts. As the ball rises and loses momentum, it is prone to tilting back and pivoting the handle in your hand, bringing the weight down hard on your wrist and creating a sore spot, if not an injury. When lifting the ball overhead, it's best to wait until the weight is at eye level on its way up, then punch upward and boost the kettlebell up and into a rotation that will save your wrist from the blunt force.
Focus on Technique
Like a lot of other form-intensive exercises, kettlebell users get the most out of their workout when using proper form. It's important at any level of fitness to make sure you are using proper form. This prevents injury, first of all, but it also trains your body's muscles on the proper form. If you are more concerned with repetitions and the length of your workout, your fitness level can suffer, and it won't do you any good when you try to fix your form errors.
Breathing Method
In a kettlebell motion, using proper breathing technique will help you develop a rhythm while exercising and reduce the risk of an injury related to lifting. Your exhales should occur when the weight is in motion in a specific direction--once when the kettlebell is headed upward and again when it's on the downswing.
Toe-Bounce to Lower Kettlebell
When bringing the kettlebell down from a position above your body, bounce up onto your toes and bump the kettlebell up and out. This creates a more fluid swinging motion as the kettlebell drops rather than jerking your arm and possible causing a slight injury.
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