Kettlebell Training: Challenge Your Core and Much More

Healthynomics recently talked to Kathleen Trotter (www.kathleentrotter.com), a Personal Trainer and Fitness Expert located in Toronto, Canada, about kettlebell training.

What is kettlebell training and why is it such an effective training tool?

A kettlebell is a cast iron weight. It looks somewhat like cannonball with a handle attached.

The difference between a kettlebell and a dumbbell is that a kettlebell is designed so it can swing. This swinging motion creates an environment where the body has to use its inner stabilizing muscles to make micro adjustments while performing the exercise in order to maintain proper form.

There are kettlebell exercises that are unique to this piece of equipment (for example the Turkish get up or the swing), as well as exercises using the bell that are purely modifications on old favorites (cleans, clean and jerks, overhead squats).

What aspects of fitness can one hope to improve with kettlebell training?

As with any exercise tool, the benefits one gets from using the kettlebell will depend on how one utilizes it. As with any weight training regime, power and strength will be increased by performing less reps with a higher weight. Greater muscular endurance will be achieved by performing higher repetitions with a lighter weight. That being said, when done correctly and safely, the swinging motion involved in most kettlebell activities does recruit more stabilizing muscles that traditional weight training. Therefore the deep core will be challenged to a greater extent.

Also, the full body nature of most kettlebell exercises makes kettlebell training more functional than many traditional weight training programs. Thus kettlebell exercises can be a great addition to any sport or functional training program.

If you had to pick one kettlebell exercise to perform, what exercise would it be and why?

This depends on the clients level of fitness and their training goals. In general, if it is appropriate for the client, I love kettlebell exercises that are unilateral in nature or exercises that promote an environment where the distribution of weight is not centered within the body. These type of exercises challenge the core and have the potential to even out any right to left muscles imbalances within the body. Examples would be single arm swings (see the video below) or single are cleans.

My all time favorite kettlebell exercise may be the Turkish get up. It is a full body unilateral exercise so it really challenges the client to work the weak side of their body.

TRX Kettlebell Workout DVD

How do you incorporate kettlebell training into your client’s fitness programs?

The answer to this question depends on the client I am training and what their goals are.

If my client is advanced and or an athlete the sky is the limit when incorporating kettlebell exercises. Since their core, nervous system and joints can handle multi joint exercises, I love to incorporate cleans and swings into their full body routines to improve their power and core strength.

That being said, there are a lot of ways to include kettlebells, or the principles of kettlebell training, into all levels of exercise programs. For example, for less advanced clients include only one or two kettlebell exercises within a training plan and / or use lighter kettlebells or perform only one portion of the full kettlebell exercise (for example do one portion of the Turkish get up to work the client up to performing the full version).

Sometimes a gym does not have light enough kettlebells to be safe for all clients, or a client is too intimidated to use the bell. In this case, I use some of the principles of kettlebell training without the actual bell. Unilateral (1 sided) training is a big part of kettlebell training so I get a client to do a squat holding one dumbbell at their chest like they were holding a kettlebell. This challenges their core because the weight is not evenly disrupted throughout their body, but the client does not actually have to hold the bell and have it rest on their arm.

Kettlebell Basics with Steve Cotter (via Underground Wellness)

Other kettlebell training resources:

Full Kontact – Steve Cotter’s website

Dragon Door Kettlebells

Alwyn Cosgrove.com – Kettlebells for Cardio

Mark’s Daily Apple – Kettlebellin’ for Strength