There are so many benefits to incorporating kettlebells into your fitness routine that many people have made a full switch to only using them instead of more traditional weights and workout routines. The kettlebell benefits are vast from the fact that they are perfect functional fitness tools, helping you strengthen muscles that you use in everyday life, to the intensity of the cardio workout you can get from the use of kettlebells in your routine. There really are so many kettlebell benefits that it’s hard to pinpoint what is the best. But here are my top 3 kettlebell benefits and reasons why you need them in your life…like yesterday!
Kettlebells are the Ultimate Functional Fitness Tools
Kettlebells are amazing tools for anyone looking to turn their fitness routine upside down and change the focus from the workouts that focus on the glamour muscles to really focusing on functional fitness. With their extensive work to the core and back with almost every move, kettlebells are one of the best things you can do to help you with your everyday life. Kettlebells are a great tool for any athlete as well, no matter what the sport or what level. There are hosts of professional athletes that swear by the use of kettlebells in their workouts. The fact is that they are so unique that they really do work muscles in a way that no other piece of fitness equipment can. Most other pieces of fitness equipment only allow one range of motion..typically up and down. Kettlebells allow you to swing, fo in and out, side to side, and allow you to move with the weight, which really simulates everyday movement.
Kettlebells are Amazing for Cardio
One of the most underrated aspects of kettlebells is their incredible cardio benefits. The level of cardiovascular exercise that you get from an intense kettlebell workout is truly amazing. According to a study in the American Council of Exercise, you can burn as many as 20 calories per minute during a kettlebell workout. That was 400 calories in 20 minutes. To put that into perspective, that is the equivalent of you going out and running a six-minute mile. I don’t know about you, but I am pretty sure I’m not clocking in anywhere close to six minutes on a mile these days. Those days are long gone. But I can go knock out a 20-minute kettlebell workout and burn the same amount of calories. It is awesome to know that while my glory days may be behind me, I can still get an intense workout in that will burn as many calories as when I was at my top physical condition of my life.
Kettlebell Exercise is Easy on the Body
Now I know that I have talked about how important it is to have proper technique and how easy it is to injure yourself when using kettlebells for beginners. But the fact is that once you get used to kettlebells and how they move and perform, it can actually be much easier on the body. A lot of people like to do plyometric workouts to burn a ton of calories in a short amount of time. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with plyo, the fact is that it can be pretty stressful on the joints. The fluidity of kettlebell movements is actually a lot easier on the joints…once you know what you’re doing and don’t try to act like the Incredible Hulk.
So there are my top 3 kettlebell benefits. There are a ton more, but I wanted to give you my personal favorites. These are the main reason that I have switched my focus from doing traditional workouts to a more functional kettlebell workout. I really like the fact that I can strengthen my core due to a more functional routine, get some crazy ass cardio in without sprinting a mile, and not kill my knees while I do it.
