Make it functional – choosing the right kit for you! Part 5 – Kettle Bell

Mar 30th, 2015

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Category: Fitness

Make it functional – choosing the right kit for you! Part 5 – Kettle Bell

If it’s calorie crunching, fat burning, total body toning you want, look no further than incorporating these functional training gems into your locker!

Over the past five weeks, I’ve been selecting one of the top five functional training tools in the industry which are transforming the way we train our clients as trainers, achieving results in half the time!

Each review rated the kit in terms of affordability, versatility and usability, giving marks out of 10, 1 being least and 10 being most.

Welcome to the last in the series bringing you an item which finds its origins back in the 1700’s where it was used to measure grains and produce on farms in Russia.

I give you the kettlebell.

Kettle Bells

‘Girya’ or ‘kettlebell’ in Russian is by far the oldest, tried and tested functional training tool on the market, with steeped history in the Soviet military, the training of Olympic weightlifters, strong men and circus performers around the world.

Unlike other pieces of exercise equipment, kettlebells have their own sport called Girevoy Sport (GS) formed in Russia in 1974 and since then the concept has gathered momentum filtering into gyms around the world.

The design of kettlebells are such that it produces a unique training effect, very different from the conventional dumbell.

The centre of mass is beyond the hand facilitating swinging and ballistic movements which creates an unstable force, forcing you to switch on the core stabilisers and make workouts truly ‘integrated’.

The exercises synonymous with the kettlebell are the ‘swing’, the ‘snatch’ and the ‘clean and jerk’ but they can be used to execute a wide range of traditional movements in a novel way using both single and double arm variations.

Kettle Bell Training

The kettlebell swing, in my opinion, is the most effective exercise out there to fire up the posterior muscle chain, building strength as well as function to the back and gluteals.

Kettlebells perfectly compliment high intensity interval training and circuit training, increasing total body strength, coordination and fitness.

They come in a variety of weights ranging from 6kgs through to 32kgs but beginners should start light with high repetitions to develop technique and anyone with back or wrist problems, should be cautious.

So how do kettlebells weigh up against the other competition out there?

Affordability – 8/10

You can pick up a light kettlebell for anything from £10 going up to £150 and over for the heavier models but unlike some of the other equipment, you may need a pair and even a set of two or more to achieve their full potential.

Versatility – 9/10

A vast array of exercises make the kettlebell up there with the best kit on the market.

Usability – 6/10

The kettlebell takes a lot of getting used to, particularly with exercises like the clean and jerk and snatch which can cause pain to the wrists with the repetitive impact and the lower back can be put under stress with the swing. However, if given proper instruction in the beginning these can be overcome making kettlebells are a must for anyone serious about increasing their strength.

Which is best?

Overall, all the equipment that I’ve covered over the last five weeks have their advantages and disadvantages.

Each piece of equipment has a unique selling point and trademark exercise ranging from the ‘spin’ with Bulgarian Bags, the ‘swing’ with the Kettlebell, ‘thread the needle’ with the ViPR, ‘atomic push-up’ with TRX and ‘power slams’ with the Battling Ropes but let’s review the total scores of affordability, versatility and usability to crown the winner of the best piece of functional training equipment.

Battling ropes – 21/30
VIPR – 27/30
Bulgarian bags – 25/30
TRX – 23/30
Kettlebells – 23/30

Congratulations ViPR!!!!

FIT1000 Bootcamp functional training using a ViPR

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