So what are the real benefits of Kettlebell Training?
Well they have been around for a while now and they have hit the UK's fitness industry by storm! They are called 'Kettlebells', not 'kettleballs' or 'kettles', and they prove to have many benefits.
1. They help you train Acceleration and Deceleration.
Elasticity During Kettlebell Training
When kettlebell training it is important to know that it helps create elastic potential. This is because due to the nature of the tissues in muscles elastic potential occurs. This is seen when doing ballistic movements when doing kettlebell swings. Stored elastic energy is present in the concentric phase of the movement. Another example is seen, by stretching a rubber band or compressing a spring, energy is stored in the band or spring. By releasing the stretched band or compressed spring, the elastic potential energy is converted to kinetic (motion) energy. This is seen in sport where athletes jump or even in martial arts where elastic potential is required to throw an opponent to the ground.
2. Kettlebells Trains the Posterior Chain
The Posterior Chain
Unlike dumbbell training, Kettlebells helps train the muscles that you don't see when walking away from the mirror-this is know as the posterior chain.
The posterior chain is a group of muscles in the lower body that are important in force development for explosive movements like jumping and sprinting. The muscles that fall into the posterior chain are the Semimembranosus, Semitendinosus, Bicep Femoris, (known as the hamstrings), the Gastrocnemius and Soleus (known as the calves), the Gluteus Meduis and Gluteius Maximus (known as the glutes) and the Erectae Spinae (known as the back). The primary exercises for developing the posterior chain are Swings and deadlifts-the common denominator among these movements is an emphasis on hip extension. So when doing kettlebell swings, you help strengthen the core and lumbar spine and therefore kettlebell training is useful as a back prehabilitation tool.
Hip extension is important when training with kettlebells as it isometrically keeps the lower body in place whilst doing upper body exercises and it helps you concentrically and powerfully lifting a kettle-bell.
When doing Kettlebell moves like Swings it is important to understand hip extension and also to understand that there is 3 parts of the extension:-
- Hip
- Knee
- Ankle
The muscles used when the hips are extended are:-
- Gluteus Medius
- Semitendinosus
- Semimembranosus
- Bicep Femoris
- Gluteus Maximus
The muscles used when the knee is extended are:-
3. Kettlebell Training Helps You Get Full Range of Movement
When kettlebell training don't be scared to go through full range of movement as our bodies are designed to do this and won't be damaged as they are protected and surrounded by ligaments and tendons. Even so, one of the benefits of kettlebell training is that they allow you to go through full range of movement which promotes flexibility. So then when we adduct and abduct our arms or legs or when we flex and extend our torsos when exercising the joint is protected and equally balanced to allow for the correct movement.
4. Kettlebells Help You Engage Your Core On Every Exercise
Again unlike most traditional exercises, Kettlebell training will help you recruit your core musculature. Unlike a dumbbell or barbell, the Kettlebells' centre of mass is offset from the handle. This means the weight constantly pulls against your hand and requires not only strength and co-ordination when exercising with it, but also the recruitment of other muscles through your arms, shoulders and core stabiliser muscles.
So when the deep trunk muscles, Transversus bdominis (TA), multifidus (MF), Internal Oblique (IO), paraspinal, pelvic floor, are activated when swinging the kettlebell, they provide an active support of the lumbar spine. The co-contraction of these muscles produce forces via the "thoraicolumbar fascia" (TLF) and the "intra-abdominal pressure" (IAP) mechanism which stabilise the lumbar spine, and the paraspinal and MF muscles act directly to resist the forces acting on the lumbar spine.
It is not just the recruitment of these deep-trunk muscles, but how they are recruited that is important. Hodges and Richardson (1996) showed that the co-contraction of the TA and MF muscles occurred prior to any movement of the limbs. This suggests that these muscles anticipate dynamic forces that may act on the lumbar spine and stabilise the area prior to any movement. Hodges and Richardson showed that the timing of co-ordination of these muscles was very significant.
Anyone can benefit from a regular kettlebell workout- from those who just want to be fit and healthy or for those who want to reduce injury and move more efficiently for everyday living. A kettlebell workout will develop your all-important body core stabiliser muscles those that help you trunk to become strong to prevent back pain, and also help you train the whole kinetic chain!
Jamie Lloyd Bsc RKC CKT
Kettlebell and Strength Coach
https://www.russiankettlebellsuk.com
'A Gripping Experience'
- Rectus Femoris
- Vastus Medilalis
- Vastus Intermedius
- Tensor Fasciae Latae
The muscles used when the ankle is extended are:-
- Gastrocnemius
- Soleus
- Peronus Brevis
- Peronus Longus
- Flexor Hallucis Longus
- Flexor Digitorum Longus
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