Recently, I have been incorporating something new into my workout: kettlebells! They are great for many reasons. What I like especially much is their ability to tire me out completely in a way that the barbell isn’t able to in most cases. For example, many of the movements I do with the bells involve lots of movements – like the kettlebell swing. Therefore, not only do I get s good strength workout, but my respiratory system also gets hit hard! I really have to tell you, I get absolutely exhausted whenever I train in this way. Barbells just don’t do the same to you. Sure, they tire your nervous system, and they do make you a lot stronger. But a combination of the two seems like a great way to get all the benefits!
I have looked at a very cool article about some research which was done lately. The research is about the safety of training with kettlebells. The article can be found here and is made by Len Kravitz, who has a Ph. D. Some of the main points from the research that has been done show that kettlebells definitely are a great way to train, and that safety really is not an issue if the exercises are done with proper form! This is always very important, and I cannot stress this enough. It is not worth it to do an exercise with bad technique, ever. Even if it makes you accomplish your lift, this will only make yourself believe that you can lift than you are really able to. Therefore, you will use even more weight next time, and either
a) Become disappointed
or
b) Become injured
Therefore, please do not use bad technique while lifting. You are only hurting yourself in order to show off to your friends!
Like I said, my focus has recently been something other than pure strength. I have many different reasons for this. Basically, I have reached the many goals I had with pure barbell training. Therefore, I no longer want to become stronger nor bigger. Instead, I have chosen to dwell into an area that is very interesting to me; cardio! I have tried lots of different things so far, like running, swimming, and even riding my bike every once in a while. But the thing that continuously gives me the greatest gains definitely has to be kettlebell training. I found a site with some very useful descriptions, which you can see over here: Kettlebell Workouts | All you need for a successfull kettlebell workout. It is just so different from normal cardio; instead of tiring your legs, you get the same effect, but in your whole body! This means that you can improve your endurance, not just in your legs and big muscles like that, but everywhere. I would recommend this type of cardio to anyone who wants fast results. But remember, always stay in shape for your own sake, not because you want new, quick results. Exercise is not something you do to fix things you don’t like – always look at it as a preventative measure!
Barbell Benefits 