WHY A KETTLEBELL IS AN EXCELLENT PIECE OF HOME GYM EQUIPMENT

So you bought a set of kettlebells during the pandemic and you still haven’t used them yet? I hear this all too often! But this can change, just as soon as you finish reading this article! 

Lifting things is part of our everyday lives. Do you grocery shop? Do you have a purse or a bag? Do you carry things or small humans to various places? Do you travel with a suitcase? This is why a kettlebell makes so much sense as a training tool. Using a kettlebell mimics everyday life tasks!  Pulling, pushing, hinging, squatting, lunging, and carrying a kettlebell strengthens your ability to do all of the things you need to do in your life, and strengthens your awareness of what those movements might look or feel like.

Kettlebells are sometimes lighter, and sometimes heavier than the objects you need to pick up off of the floor. They vary in weight, and I always recommend that you start off with a set of 4 kettlebells, spread out in 4kg increments:

1. One for mobility training (~4-6kgs or ~10lbs)
2. One for movement practice (~8kgs or ~18lbs)
3. One for upper body strength building (~10-12kgs or 20-25lbs)
4. One for lower body strength building (~14-20kgs or 30-40lbs)

These recommendations are what I give to the majority of my beginner and returning students, who are learning or re-learning their kettlebell skills. As you get stronger and more confident in your technique, you will want to get kettlebells that are much heavier than 40lbs! I have a quite a few kettlebell “addicts” in my life who have complete collections ranging from 6kgs to 52kgs (100lbs!).

Legend has it that old time strongmen taught apprentices the Turkish Get-Up (one of my all-time favourite kettlebell movements that combines the primitive movement patterns of rolling up, pushing yourself up to a kneeling position, lunging, and reaching your arm up overhead all into a tidy and yoga-eseque flow), then told them to come back when they were able to do it with 100 pounds. The exercise is at least 200 years old and modern science has confirmed what strongmen have known all along – it’s really good. And it’s one of the movements I teach regularly, starting with a very light weight, and often progressing to a kettlebell as heavy as one-third of your bodyweight! 

So how on earth are you going to learn to use YOUR kettlebells and build YOUR foundation of strength, mobility, and flexibility in the comfort of your own home? With the help of a trainer, of course! When I got certified with StrongFirst as a Kettlebell specialist, they emphasized the power of training with a certified professional who can meet you where you are at, and propel your strength and fitness journey to the next level. Learning kettlebell skills is FUN and will serve you well over your lifetime. Along the way, you will learn so much about yourself, your strength, your fitness, your body, and your learning and training style that can really only be given justice when you spend the time with a coach in a private session. 

Of course, private training sessions might not be something you have a budget for right now, and you might want to build your foundation on your own. I do recommend booking me for a FREE consultation before you do that though, because I can help to guide you towards a program that will be the closest to the one you are ready for. I have several inside my Video Library On-Demand membership, for just $30/month. You can work at your own pace starting with the Foundations, and then choosing a program from the beginner, intermediate, or advanced section that appeals to you. And perhaps you will do a combination of Live Zoom Classes, an intro package of private sessions, and the video library to supplement your learning. I have many happy students who are using all three of my offerings!

Once you get rolling with strength building from the comfort of your own home, you will build a slow and steady exercise routine that fits into your life. Sometimes it’s simply CARRYING kettlebells inside your home, sometimes it’s carrying them out to your backyard where you use them for pushing (think arms, chest, and core exercise), pulling (think back strengthening), hinging (think glute exercises), squatting (think leg and core exercise) and kettlebell swings (think amazing cardiovascular workout)! And sometimes, it’s learning the Turkish Get-Up as your go-to when it’s too cold to go outside, too busy to go a class, or too stressful to find a gym membership that works for you. Your kettlebell is your at home gym! 

The insurance that the 6 foundational kettlebell movements I will teach you provides, is priceless. You will have these skills for your entire life, and you will WANT to keep coming back to them because they FEEL good, keep you moving on days when you didn’t get your steps in, and give you a reliable option to work on your fitness without having to make it complicated! 

Fitness and strength building really doesn’t need to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to be yet another burden on your list of things to do each day. Kettlebell training is the break in your day that actually gives you more energy, boosts your confidence to do other things, and builds your strength at your own pace. 

For myself, I have a set of kettlebells at home that I use about 1x/week on days when I don’t want to leave the house, don’t want the stress of a gym where I have to wait for equipment to be available, and when I don’t want to do more than a few goblet grip squats or a minute or two of overhead carries. It’s really the best thing to have lying around at home - something that will be a lifelong friend and that can inspire you when all you need to do is get off of the couch and move your body. 

So, if you do have kettlebells sitting at home, or even if you don’t, go pick something up and carry it around for just one minute. This is truly a great place to start! Your kettlebells will soon become the best, most well-used piece of at home gym equipment you’ve ever had. 

After that, please get in touch to book your FREE CONSULT and I’ll get you organized with your next steps along your path to home strength, posture and fitness training.

Karen is a StrongFirst certified Kettlebell Trainer and Egoscue Postural Alignment Specialist.