Christmas is over and the presents have been unwrapped.

My Christ child was good and also put a kettlebell under the Christmas tree for me. But what exactly is a kettlebell and does it make sense to train with it? I will answer these and other questions in this article.

Kettlebell History and Development

The joy at Christmas was great, as the Christ Child had read my blog carefully and me one put my fitness gift ideas under the Christmas tree. Since I had never trained with a kettlebell myself, I didn’t know right away how to best handle it. But soon it occurred to me again that swinging the kettlebell is a core element of training with it and then of course it started right away under the Christmas tree. Squat, swing with both arms up over the head and back down into the squat. But I couldn’t think of much more straight away, which is why I dealt with it in more detail. My favorite exercises will soon be available here on 4yourfitness.com. But back to the kettlebell itself.

A kettlebell is nothing else than a kettlebell. There are many different forms, for example in terms of weight (2 to more than 20 kg), handle shape, material, etc. As far as I know, the name kettlebell is not protected, which is why there are kettlebells from different manufacturers. From my point of view, the choice is more a matter of taste, the most important thing is that the weight is right for you. For example, two different weights for one-handed and two-handed exercises would be possible. Contrary to what the new German name suggests, the kettlebells have been around for a relatively long time, Wikipedia, for example, reports that strength athletes in Germany used them as early as the late 19th century. The kettlebell also has a long tradition in Russia, especially in the military. The kettlebell only became really trendy in the 21st century when it was made popular in fitness studios in the USA. Now the trend is on the rise with us too.

Kettlebell training

The biggest advantage of kettlebell training is that you not only train isolated muscles (as is usually the case with the classic dumbbell or even more with the mechanical strength machines in the gym), but entire muscle groups or chains. In addition, this extensive muscle strain also includes a coordination and endurance component in kettlebell training. For all beginners among you, it would be advisable, due to the challenging exercises, to put on a lower weight first and ideally to go through the most important exercises with a trainer you trust. Kettlebells are particularly suitable for people who want to prevent neck and back pain. I will soon put together a few exercises for you that will make getting started with kettlebell training easier. Until then, keep moving!