Introduction
Kettlebells have been proven to increase muscular strength
Kettlebells increase muscular power
Kettlebells aid in the increase of aerobic capacity
The kettlebell originates from Russia, It was initially a counter weight for weighing scales in the 1700s it's only later on that the kettlebell was used as a resistance training tool.
Kettlebells are still reasonably new in the western fitness world and have coincided with the recent ‘functional training’ boom in the last 15 years (Eckert & Snarr, 2016).
You could describe kettlebells as a cannonball with a looped handle and mostly constructed out of cast iron, although some can be made of rubber and plastics.
Kettlebells are similar to olympic barbells and dumbbells in that they are extremely flexible and many different movements can be performed with them. With lockdowns and future potential lockdowns they could have an advantage over barbells as they are not 7 foot long and tend to be a lot more affordable and easy to put away in storage. They can also be a great tool if you cannot make it to the gym for a quick efficient home workout.
Potential shortcomings
One of the shortcomings of kettlebell is that it can be hard to train maximal strength in well trained individuals, as it is not possible to achieve the loads that can be achieved in things like the back squat or bench press exercise.
Kettlebells are also very technical full body movements with a steep learning curve for a beginner, bodybuilding athletes or powerlifters may also be unfamiliar with the explosive full kinetic chain movements involved in things like Kettlebell swings or snatches and cleans, all kettlebell staple movements.
Benefits of kettlebell training
Kettlebell training has been shown to increase maximal power levels over its ability to increase maximal strength, this is most likely down to the ballistic nature of movements like snatches and cleans. The loading of kettlebells have to be lighter than things like barbells due to the ergonomics of the bell meaning it is more efficient for power development (Eckert & Snarr, 2016).
Banded kettlebell swing
Kettlebells can be considered an effective tool for improving aerobic capacity and muscular strength endurance, this is because of the lighter loads used with kettlebells allowing more repetitions per working set.
15+ reps per sets are recommended for muscular strength endurance
60 second + working periods for aerobic capacity.
In Summary kettlebells are an excellent and reasonably affordable tool, They are not effective for maximal strength training but are effective in increasing power, muscular strength endurance and aerobic capacity.
From personal experience kettlebells are a great substitute if one is not able to make it to the gym due to schedule conflicts or any future gym closures.
Single Kettlebell front squat
References
Eckert, R. M., & Snarr, R. L. (2016). Kettlebell training: a brief review. J Sport Hum Perform, 4(3), 1-10.
Haff, G. G., & Triplett, N. T. (Eds.). (2015). Essentials of strength training and conditioning 4th edition. Human kinetics.
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