These days there are any number of fitness gurus out there touting their fitness devices or programs that you can buy for one or two hundred dollars. One of the fitness devices that has been gradually gaining popularity is the kettlebell. The Russians were among the first to bring this fitness idea to America, and their results show why a kettlebell workout is one of the most superior forms of exercise you can do. I will explain briefly why this type of workout is so good.
One of the primary advantages of a kettlebell workout is the whole body aspect. In recent fitness history, it has been popular to do either cardio and / or respiratory workouts by themselves – with resistance training being done in separate exercise sessions on different days. Many weight training regimens, especially those employed by body builders, focus on isolating muscle groups for “attractive” development. Kettlebell routines take a completely different, and I feel, more healthy approach to fitness training. When you do any of the basic kettlebell exercises, such as a squat, clean, overhead press or snatch, you have to engage your entire body at one time, and you also have to engage your heart and lungs to an astonishing degree.
One of the most basic kettlebell exercises demands that you swing into a squat holding a kettlebell (I use a 35 pounder for this) using either a one or two handed grip depending on your preference for difficulty level, between your legs, and then the moment you reach the lowest level of your squat on the backswing, snap you whole body and the kettlebell upwards into a standing position while swinging the kettlebell up to eye level. You continue for 10, 20 or 30 reps, or however many you can manage, and then immediately go into the next exercise in the set. By the time you go through 20 reps of 3 or 4 basic kettlebell exercises, you’ve given yourself a very productive whole body and cardio and respiratory workout, one that will leave you knowing for a fact that you have worked yourself really hard and well, and all in the space of about 10 or 20 minutes. The most significant aspects and advantages of this type of workout, however, is not superficially evident, but here’s what really happens. By using your entire body in unison for these exercises, you become MUCH stronger than you would by isolating individual muscle groups and separating cardio / respiratory workouts from resistance workouts. There is some other physiological “magic” that happens when you do whole body workouts that is of significant advantage, that I will go into in a later article.
These are the great things about using kettlebells, but one of the most significant obstacles to getting into using kettlebells for your fitness regimen is the extreme cost of acquiring an adequate weight range of kettlebells to do different exercises, and to progress to heavier weights. Typically a single kettlebell will cost from $35.00 to $65.00 depending on its’ weight. Add to that the fact that you might not be able to purchase locally, now you are talking about the cost of shipping very heavy objects. If you buy a whole weight range from small to large you can spend hundreds of dollars, and even over a thousand dollars for a complete set.
Some people and companies have tackled this problem and come up with varied solutions, some great, some not so great, and all but one still relatively expensive. Some of the best ideas I’ve seen are the various products on the market that give you a kettlebell with an adjustable weight range. These adjustable kettlebell handles can still cost a lot of money, though, typically about $250.00 – $350.00 for a weight range that is useful for an average healthy male bodybuilder.
There is, however, one company that has produced an adjustable kettlebell handle that you can use with inexpensive weights, the kind that most home bodybuilders already have laying around the house, the kind that have a 1 inch hole and that come standard with the typical home 110 lb. weight set that, even if you don’t already have, you can buy for about $80.00 – just $15.00 more than the average single 35 lb kettlebell.
If you want to get in on the amazing fitness and health advantages of a kettlebell workout at a price anyone can afford, this is the product I recommend, The Adjustable Kettlebell Handle. This device is hands down my favorite, it only costs $49.95 and can accommodate a weight range of from 15 lbs, all the way up to 60 lbs. It is of superior quality construction and materials – 440 grade stainless steel, with a modular design, and parts (except for the main handle and axle) that can easily be replaced at your local Ace hardware if need be, and it assembles in a snap. – Thanks for reading!
