Kettle bells resemble cast iron cannon balls with a thick iron handle. They are used for various exercises, many of which resemble variations of traditional Olympic lifts. Only the kettle bell exercises are often technically easier than their Olympic counterparts. Many people wonder why kettle bells, when you can perform the same exercises with dumbbells or barbells? Kettle bells offer a unique leverage and muscle stimulation because of their shape, as well as the potential for many different hybrid exercises. They enable trainees to transition quickly and easily between different moves. For example clean-squat-press-windmill. The windmill is one of the moves unique to kettle bells. They are efficient for developing power, strength, conditioning, flexibility, and grip. Health benefits include improving lean muscle mass, total body rhythm, as well as decreasing body fat by burning calories through intense exercise.
What to Look for
Kettle bells come in a few different variations, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. There are plate-loaded, revolving handle, and traditional stationary handle models. Kettle bells also come in different weights, which were traditionally measured in "poods." A pood is 16 kg, or 35 lbs. So progressing from one pood to one and a half pood could prove very challenging. However, these days the kettle bell weights tend to be more incremental, ranging from 10 to 106 lb. They are sold in combinations of incremental weights so that you can progress and increase your weights as you improve. The prices are pretty expensive, starting at nearly $70, and going up to $250. Typically the heavier the kettle bell, the more expensive it is. Sporting Goods stores may not carry kettle bells. However, dragondoor.com is a good learning resource where you can also order them. Pavel Tsatsouline's "The Russian Kettleball Challenge" is considered an authority on the subject.
Common Pitfalls
Though plate-loaded kettle bells make sense for the sake of progressive strength resistance, as the weights get heavier they can shift and put undue strain on the wrist. The shape of the bell in the original model prevents this. The revolving handle model can gain too much momentum when flipping around and cause unpleasant bruising to the forearms. The bottom line is that the traditional kettle bell design seems to be the best way to go. Improper use of any of these can cause injury. Make sure to consult an experienced personal trainer before attempted any kettle bell exercises.
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