Many people have never heard of kettlebells, but they have been around for decades. The kettlebells (also called giryas) are cast iron weights looking somewhat like bowling ball-sized cannonballs with handles. They are used to perform ballistic exercises which combine strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility training.

What’s So Great About Kettlebells?

The kettlebell doesn’t seem to be so incredible gym equipment, but here’s a list of kettlebells facts that could make you try a workout with kettlebells:

You can see kettlebells in most CrossFit gyms and school gyms, along with other basic fitness equipment such as pull up bars, free weights, jump ropes, and weighted medicine balls.

You can buy a kettlebell in many sizes; the size range is between 5 lbs to 175 lbs.

Kettlebells differ from the dumbbells, because they extend the center of weight mass beyond your hands. This allows you to perform movements that you cannot perform using dumbbells such as swinging and ballistic.

The workouts using kettlebells much mimic the movements from the real world such as farm work and shoveling. You can train using a kettlebell by performing basic movements such as jerk, clean, snatch and the swing. You should be very careful with your kettlebells workouts if you have weak back or core, or problems with your shoulders.

When you work out using a kettlebell you can build endurance and strength engaging multiple muscle groups at once such as the shoulders, lower back and the legs. Also, workout with a kettlebell can be used for increasing of grip strength.

If you find kettlebells workouts different, there are many sources from which you can learn how to train using a kettlebell, ex. American Kettlebell Club, Crossfit, International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation (IKFF), etc.

If you intend to buy a kettlebell, keep in mind that you should properly select its weight. For example, the men will need a kettlebell with weight between 25 and 35 pounds and the women will need a kettlebell with weight between 12 and 25 pounds.

In conclusion, the kettlebells could bring variety in every bodybuilding and fitness workout. They allow you to get a whole body workout in a short time.