Why train with kettlebells?

Because they deliver extreme all-round fitness – and no single other tool does it better. Here is a short list of hardware the Russian kettlebell replaces: barbells, dumbbells, belts for weighted pull-ups and dips, thick bars, lever bars, medicine balls, grip devices, and cardio equipment. Kettlebells are compact, inexpensive, virtually indestructible and can be sued anywhere.

What makes the kettlebell design unique?

The shape and compact size of a kettlebell allow one to safely accelerate it on the way down in exercises like swings and snatches. There is a growing body of research that such “virtual force” is exceptionally effective, efficient, and safe at improving many components of fitness: dynamic strength, many types of endurance, muscle building, and fat loss.

Obviously, you cannot swing a barbell between your legs and a dumbbell encourages a stiff shoulder raise if one tries to swing it. The kettlebell’s offset “live” weight amplifies the feedback and forces one to swing it ballistically – using the hips while relaxing the arms, the way an athlete is supposed to move.

Another unique benefit of the kettlebell’s offset center of gravity is the special manner in which the shoulder is loaded in overhead lifts. This promotes mobility and stability, which sets up a foundation for extraordinary upper body strength and resilience.

Because the unique nature of the kettlebell lifts allows you to get a powerful training effect with a relatively light weight, you can replace your whole gym with a couple of kettlebells. Dan John, SFG Master Instructor and highly accomplished power athlete, has famously quipped: “With this kettlebell in my bedroom I can prepare myself for the Nationals.”

What does science have to say about kettlebells?

Vinogradov & Lukyanov (1986) found a very high correlation between the kettlebell snatch and jerk numbers and a great range of dissimilar tests: strength, measured with the three powerlifts and grip strength; strength endurance, measured with pull-ups and parallel bard dips; general endurance, determined by a 1000-meter run; work capacity and balance, measured with special tests.

Voropayec (1983) tested two groups of subjects in pull-ups, a standing broad jump, a 100m sprint, and a 1k run. He put the control group on a program that emphasized the above tests; the experimental group lifted kettlebells. In spite of the lack of practice in the tested exercises, the kettlebell group scored better in every one of them! This is what we call the “what the hell effect.”

The official Soviet armed forces strength training manual approved by the Ministry of Defense (Burkov & Nikityuk, 1985) declared kettlebell training to be “one of the most effective means of strength development,” representing “a new era in the development of human strength-potential.”

Kettlebells improve coordination and agility (Luchkin, 1947l Laputin, 1973), develop professional applied qualities and general physical preparedness (Zikov 1986; Griban, 1990). Kettlebells lower the heart rate and blood pressure and increase the heart’s functional capacity (Shevtsova, 1993).

Kettlebells melt fat without the dishonour of dieting and aerobics. American Council on Exercise (ACE) commissioned a study by Porcari & Schnettler (2010). The researchers concluded that in a kettlebell snatch workout the subjects “were burning at least 20.2 calories per minute, which is off the charts. That’s equivalent to running a 6-minute mile pace. The only other thing I could find that burns that many calories is cross-country skiing up hill at a fast pace… We knew it would be extremely intense. It’s a quick workout, and you do get a big bang for your buck in a very short amount of time.”

What are the different ways of using kettlebells?

The original “style” of kettlebelling was what the West knows as the “odd lifts.” Strongman stuff, like Ukrainian Ivan Sedyh bent pressing three 70-pound kettlebells – not tied together! – and similar “hold my vodka and watch this” feats.

In the Soviet times odd lifts lived on, especially in the circus, and two additional kettlebell uses developed. One was girevoy sport, or kettlebell sport, a competition for a maximal number of reps with a given weight in the snatch and jerk. It was born in 1948 when the first official competition took place.

The other was strength training for sports. Roman Moroz, the coach of weightlifting great Alexey Medvedev, explains in his 1958 book Develop Strength: “Exercises with kettlebells are a wonderful means of developing a person’s physical strength. They can be used in the training of athletes of different specialities: track and field, skiers, weightlifters, wrestlers, gymnasts, rowers, boxers, acrobats, etc.” This is what we teach at StrongFirst.

Who trains with kettlebells?

• Champions in a widest range of sports from powerlifting to MMA to triathlon.

• Elite military and law enforcement special operators.

• Hard men and women from all walks of life.

Kettlebell training is not for sissies but it is not elitist. Dr. Krayevskiy, the father of kettlebells, took up training at the are of forty-one and twenty years later he was said to look fresher and healthier than at forty.

The price of admission is a strong spirit and attention to detail.

Third, look at your eating habits for the past two weeks and become aware of the general pattern. You might notice that when you skip breakfast you tend to have a very large lunch or that every time you sit down to watch TV you unconsciously drink and snack with a high dose and low moderation. This awareness alone, will start the process of your self-control.

Once the pattern is clear, then plan for a breakfast and come up with three meal options using the concept of the third-plate portion: 1/3 carbohydrates, 1/3 fats, 1/3 protein (**). With these options you are sure to consume a breakfast that is balanced in macronutrients. Then make this transfer into lunch and dinner.

Fourth, it is important to understand the over-all principle; it is not what you eat during a day that matters rather what you eat during a period of time (2-3 days). Our goal is to aim for balance within each meal, but this principle enables us to get back on track when we didn’t follow the balanced-meal concept of categories and quantities. An example of the over-all principle is if you are going to your friend’s party and there will be cake and wine which you would also like to consume. That is totally fine, just reduce your fats and carbs in your other meals that day. Think of this as if you had your car’s gas tank divided into three categories; if you fill one category with more, then the next meal/day fill it with less while compensating in the other two. And so on.

Fifth, eat only until 80% full. In other words, eat to fuel and not to fill yourself. You are still eating and enjoying food, but in moderation. This principle is enhanced by the following one.

Sixth, each meal should last at least 15 minutes of undistracted and mindful eating. Not only do we taste the food better and improve digestion, but we also feel better as we appreciate the food we have on our table. This act of mindfulness elevates our soul and also allows our brain to receive the signals of satiety – thus commanding us to stop eating.

Seventh, make time for daily self-evaluation, to evaluate your own habits and eating behaviors, which builds independence and self-appraisal. Once this becomes an easy habit, you can start focusing more on the other aspects of your journal; sleep time, sleep quality, water intake, mood before and after physical activity, bodyweight and percentage of success based on all of the above guidelines (***).

These seven steps that I recommend will allow you to avoid the fad diets and yo-yo dieting that we now know are not sustainable and which negatively affect our health both physically and psychologically. This is a good way to start without cutting anything out but simply working on developing self-efficacy and moderation. Know Thyself and Nothing in Excess.

Imagine walking into a clinic and having all the related experts there, in one place, all aware of what you need. What if you no longer wasted time and effort going from one specialist to another but could go into an interdisciplinary clinic where multiple experts would listen to you, then discuss your case and determine whom you will see and what will be done?

As indicated by president and CEO of CHEO, Alex Munter “Our healthcare system excels at acute care and urgent cases. But we fail at chronic needs that require more than one specialty.” Thus, with this awareness student started an initiative that seeks to plant the seeds of collaboration into our healthcare system. This initiative is necessary for progress as Dr. Jack Kitts CEO of the Ottawa Hospital, proposed “we need leaders because we need change. If we don’t change, we don’t get better.”

These leaders host an annual Interdisciplinary Student Research Conference on Healthcare (ISRCH), the last one held on March 30th, 2019. ISRCH is a student-run conference dedicated to the importance of interdisciplinary care for the improvement of healthcare and patient care.

The annual event, which is open to the public, includes keynote speakers and workshops that cover various subjects. There are also research presentations by Undergraduate, Masters and PhD students from various faculties, which are evaluated by professors outside of their field of study to foster knowledge translation and hence cooperation.

Alex Munter imparted “When I attended the Interdisciplinary Student Research Conference on Healthcare, I was really pleased to see tomorrow’s health care practitioners already making a difference today. The best future for health care is teams of professionals from many disciplines partnering with patients and families to keep people well, prevent disease and treat ill health. The ISRCH provided a rich opportunity for learning for everyone who was involved – students, faculty, speakers and guests.”

The event ends with an open panel discussion that address critical issues and suggests possible solutions through an interdisciplinary approach. ISRCH 2019’s panel debated whether there is an over-prescription of psychiatric drugs compared to other methods in the adolescent population.

Thus, an epidemiologist, a CHEO psychiatrist, a psychotherapist, a Royal Hospital pharmacist and a social worker presented their individual approach to the case all the while delivering examples, research and statistical evidence to support their points. Once the panel had expressed their individual responses, they voiced the need for collaboration and encouraged the support for such a system to be put in place. Students were also involved by participating in a Q&A.

This is a unique opportunity for specialists and a greater one for students as they don’t get access to such teaching approaches nor get involved in such debates in a university class setting.

In support of this initiative, Dean Thibault, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, shared: “You have my complete support for such an effort. I myself was able to learn more about how some of my faculty’s professors conduct their research. You are the interprofessional teams that will play a part in healthcare and wellbeing. It is a great opportunity for current professionals as well, to connect and share their knowledge.” She added, “Next year, I would like to support you and be one of the judges to help students with their presentations. I hope to see this becoming more and more bilingual.”

The goal is a future of an interdisciplinary approach in healthcare which will not only save us money but will also save patients time, effort and frustration.

 Disclaimer: I am part of the conference planning team, however I made sure that the feedback is objective i.e. participants, CEOs of CHEO and Ottawa Hospital and Dean of Faculty at U of O.