After mentioning that I train myself and others using kettlebells, the first question I often hear from someone typically falls into one of two categories depending on their past experience:
- “What do you do to build strength?”
- “What do you do for cardio?”
My answer to either question is: “I mostly use kettlebells. For power, mobility, and stability too.”
Then I briefly explain that a kettlebell’s offset weight builds shoulder and torso stability when performing movements like swings, snatches, cleans, get-ups, and “bottoms up” drills.
Using a pair of moderately heavy kettlebells for multiple, low-rep sets of presses, squats, rows, and get-ups is great for building strength.
And doing an even greater number of low- to moderate-rep sets of swings, snatches, cleans, or jerks with either one or two kettlebells of a variety of sizes is effective for building cardiovascular endurance, grip strength, and power while also enabling high-quality technique that minimizes the potential for training-related injuries. Not to mention improving body composition (in conjunction with simple nutrition tweaks, of course).
Based on that explanation, some people pick up on the fact that I use kettlebells in different ways at different times to produce different outcomes. But I usually explicitly mention it too, just to make sure.
And that leads me to the point of this week’s (brief) tip… which actually isn’t to convince you that you should be training with kettlebells. 😉
Rather, it’s this:
Kettlebells—like barbells, dumbbells, treadmills, stationary bikes, medicine balls, swimming pools, yoga mats, and running shoes, among others—are just tools. And different tools have inherently unique characteristics that make them generally more or less effective at any given task.
That means the way we use them matters. It also means that, while we may have a preference for a specific tool, we’d be wise to make judicious use of other tools which have characteristics that more appropriately align with the outcome we’re after.
Of course, we can continue to use our tool of choice in every situation and still probably experience some results, just like we could use the pry end of a hammer to twist in a screw. But it’s usually faster and more fun to find a drill.
Putting it into practice
This week consider making a review of the tools that you currently or typically use in your training regimen as well as how you use them.
Are you getting the results you’re after?
If so, that’s awesome! And carry on! 🙂💪
If not, consider what small tweaks might you be willing to try—to either the tools or the methods—in an effort to boost your results. Then get started implementing them.
Whether they work or don’t, you’ll certainly learn something through the process—and that will have a positive impact in the long run.
And if you’re not particularly excited about the results you’ve been getting but have no idea what to change or where to start (if you aren’t yet exercising regularly), we can help! Learn about our methodology—or contact us to schedule a brief chat about how we can help you knock off some of your goals.