Are Kettlebells Overrated?
For those of you who don't know, a kettlebell is a weighted ball with a handle. At first sight, you might think a kettlebell is simply a glorified dumbbell, and you wouldn't be wrong. Kettlebells and dumbbells have a lot in common. You can do 95% of exercises with either, they are both weights, and both can help you get strong. Why then do kettlebells have almost a cult-like following?
It is because training with kettlebells helps you make strength gains so much faster than dumbbells. There are three areas where kettlebells thrive: tension, power, and programming. If we explore each area individually, we can see exactly what all the hype is about:
Kettlebells are great for creating tension
What kettlebells do extremely well is force you to create tension throughout your body. Kettlebell swings are the most popular kettlebell exercise, and they force you (when done correctly) to create tension from your lats to your toes. Learning to create tension through your body and proper breathing allows you to lift more weight than otherwise could. Don't believe me? Try doing pull-ups with your abs and lower body relaxed. Then try doing pull-ups again with your legs crossed squeezing your glutes and abs together, and see which set is easier.
Can't do a pull-up yet? Try simply squeezing something. The harder you squeeze, the more muscles you will recruit in your body. If you squeeze hard enough, your forearms, biceps, and even your chest will contract. Compare how hard you can squeeze when your chest and biceps are flexing to when they aren't, and you'll instantly see the difference.
People see significant strength gains with kettlebells because they learn to control the tension of their bodies. Most kettlebell programs include a lot of single-sided exercises. Any one-sided exercise forces you to practice stability and create tension to keep your body square throughout the movement. If you don't maintain tension on a single-sided exercise, your doomed, and your reps will not look pretty.
Kettlebells are great for developing power
The kettlebell shines in the realm of power. While you can do most of the popular power kettlebell exercises with a dumbbell: snatches, cleans, windmills, and single-leg RDLS, you can't do them all.
You cannot do the kettlebell swing with a dumbbell (at least not a pretty one). Kettlebell swings are one of the ultimate exercises for power and are great for training most athletes. Football players to golfers all benefit from a powerful hip hinge. I've had a former PGA golfer improve his drive-by 12mph in 12 sessions working with kettlebells. How? By working on power, stability, and creating tension.
Remember, power is equal to how much work you can do divided by the time it takes to complete that work. Power = Work/Time. Kettlebells can significantly reduce the time it takes you to do a set of snatches compared to a dumbbell. Kettlebells are great for creating rhythm, and rhythm reduces time.
Kettlebells have great programming
An essential part of any workout routine is programming. Good programming can help you progress rapidly, and lousy programming can cause you to stagnate for years (or make you do 1000 burpees).
On average, a kettlebell program is better than a dumbbell program. Kettlebell programming involves lots of swings, cleans, snatches, overhead presses, and rows. While dumbbell programming can be all over the place, with some people putting a big focus on bicep curls and calf raises. While there is nothing wrong with bodybuilder programming, it won't make the average Joe/Jane strong fast.
A program focused on tension and power will make you progress way faster than a program that is trading off between back and biceps day and chest and triceps day.
Does this mean all kettlebell programming is better than dumbbell programming?
No way! There are so many bad programs out there and a lot of people selling them. Good programming is hard to come by, but here are a few places to look:
Bodyweight Training - Joel Seedman: Bodyweight-only programming that is effective and brutal is hard to come by. Joel is the most creative trainer I've ever seen, and he uses his creativity to make bodyweight workouts that can challenge the strongest athletes.
Pain Relief - Jake Dermer: I do have to use this opportunity to pitch the book I wrote, "The Desk Job Survival Guide: Exercise and Nutrition For Those Who Sit All Day.” This guide is designed for people with aches and pains from spending all day at a desk. It is a quick and easy guide to strength and nutrition.
A Simple Kettlebell Swing Challenge
You can't go wrong with any of the above programs, and there are plenty of other great ones out there. Just be careful you aren't sucked into an Instagram model's favorite workouts. Oh, and to answer the initial question, no, kettlebells are not overrated.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:
Kettlebells or Dumbells For your Home Gym
How to Get Abs Using Only Kettlebells