Kettlebells are a
form of free weights whose origin dates back to the beginning of the 18th
century in Russia. In Russian they are called "Girya", and there
began to be used to train soldiers. Their Olympic athletes have also used them
since the 1940s. Later, they made the leap to the USA, where they are now
trending in training (Pescador, 2012). And like any trend, the use of
kettlebells has spread throughout the world and is nowadays widely used in
sports centers.
(Image extracted from https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-tips/5-reasons-your-kettlebell-swing-sucks).
Its shape
resembles cannonballs (round), but with a handle on top and flat base. The main
difference we find with respect to traditional dumbbells is their shape, since
in the kettlebell the weight is not evenly distributed. This differentiating
feature has important applications in terms of training allowing us to perform
ballistic exercises such as swings and snatchs; and making it difficult to
control movement, challenging our stabilizing muscles (Rodríguez, n.d .;
Colomer, 2017; Pescador, 2012). However, this fact does not limit the range of
movements that both can do: curl, press, pull, etc. (Colomer, 2017). In
addition, when performing kettlebell exercises, our grip strength increases
(Colomer, 2017). For all this and more, kettlebells play a very important role
in functional training, because when using them, we use large muscle chains and
activate the stabilizing muscles, training the body as a whole.
(Image extracted from http://prowellness.es/core-con-kettlebell-control-vertical/ ).
Currently, there
are several companies that manufacture them in a wide variety of materials
(cast iron, steel, rubber, filled with soft sand, plastic, etc.), shapes,
colors and sizes (Rodríguez, n.d .; Colomer, 2017). Its main classification is
based on the weight, and there are between 4-50kg, but there even with more kg
for professional competitions. They have even released a kettlebell model with
variable weight, being able to change it according to our needs without having
to change weights.
(Image extracted from http://michellecfitness.com/2016/02/02/a-few-of-my-favorite-things-the-birthday-edition/primal-bells/).
Image extracted from (https://listado.mercadolibre.cl/pesa-rusa-kettlebell-12kg-idef-chile_NoIndex_True).
(Image extracted from https://www.newitts.com/madfitter-boombell-kettlebell).
*ATTENTION: One of the main drawbacks associated
with their practice is the need for a great experience to perform the exercises
correctly because a bad execution can cause injuries and damages in different
parts of the body (Rodríguez, n.d.). In addition, when you train with them you
are moving a lot of kg at a lot of speed, so the grip strength and the technique
are key, because if miss the kettlebell, you can cause very serious damage to
people, objects or surfaces in which you train.
But if
kettlebells stand out it's really because of their advantages, although some of
them have already been mentioned, the most important ones are:
·
Functional
training
·
Ballistic
training and Olympic movements
·
Grip
strength
·
Affordable
price:
As we have said,
we can perform any exercise as we would with dumbbells, working both
unilaterally and bilaterally. However, with the kettlebell, greater emphasis is
placed on movements involving a large number of muscle groups, with the Olympic
movements and swings being especially interesting (Colomer, 2017):
POWEREXPLOSIVE SWING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bz_YtynvYk "Kettlebell Swing: lo que nunca te han contado"
SWING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cVT3ee9mgU
“Kettlebell Swing”
CLEAN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf2f1fQxYBA
“Kettlebell Clean”
SNATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQccQg4kDf8
“The Kettlebell Snatch”
If you want to
know what more exercises can be done with the kettlebell, here is an
infographic with some of them:
(Image extracted from https://www.pinterest.es/pin/627548529298177090/).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Colomer, J. (2017). Pesas Rusas o
Kettlebells, Qué son, Cuáles son sus Beneficios y Ventajas - Blog de Fitness,
Nutrición, Salud y Deporte | Blog HSN. Blog de Fitness, Nutrición, Salud y
Deporte | Blog HSN. Retrieved 22 March 2018, from https://www.hsnstore.com/blog/pesas-rusas-o-kettlebells-que-son-cuales-son-sus-beneficios-y-ventajas/
Rodríguez, M. Entrenamiento con
Kettlebell | Mundo Entrenamiento. Mundo Entrenamiento. Retrieved 22
March 2018, from https://mundoentrenamiento.com/entrenamiento-con-kettlebell/
Pescador, D. (2012). Kettlebell:
la magia de la pesa rusa. Transformer. Retrieved
22 March 2018, from
http://transformer.blogs.quo.es/2012/12/03/kettlebell-la-magia-de-la-pesa-rusa/
Post done and edited
by Álvaro
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