The
Kettlebell is an old Russian training tool that has been recently rediscovered
for full body conditioning. Kettlebell
workouts are said to improve strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination,
and balance.
But
does a kettlebell workout provide enough resistance to improve strength over
traditional weight lifting? Does a
kettlebell workout improve cardiovascular endurance better than traditional
cardiovascular exercise?
The
American Council on Exercise did a study on the workout intensity on
kettlebells versus treadmill running. As
expected, the kettlebell workout was intense.
Heart rate and oxygen consumption increased rapidly. The average caloric expenditure was 20
calories per minute with the kettlebells.
The intensity was high but VO2 max was higher during the treadmill run.
Furthermore,
kettlebell training does improve strength and power for your beginner
clients. But experts agree in order to
improve strength and power for your experienced athletes, traditional weight
training may be more beneficial.
Moreover, you will have to incorporate other traditional exercises to
really target some of those muscles that kettlebells don’t fully incorporate.
In
summary, if you are looking to change up your routine, give kettlebells a
shot. Similar to circuit training or
cross training, you will receive some strength benefits along with very good
cardiovascular benefits.
