Should You Buy the Kettlebell Hype?

Kettlebells became super-popular about 10 years ago as a versatile tool for building strength and endurance in- and outside the gym. I use them as a supplement to my regular weightlifting, but you can build entire fitness programs around them, just like dumbbells, bands or body-weight exercises. If you have a small home gym, is it worth investing in a kettlebell? Let's explore!

What is a Kettlebell?

A kettlebell is a weight with the handle on top of the mass your lifting, not in-between, like a dumbbell. This makes it much easier to hold straight down, but harder to lift up to the shoulder or overhead. In fact, lifting a kettlebell requires special techniques, and if you don't know how, you should definitely ask an expert (like me, obviously. Hey, this is a marketing blog!)

Kettlebells come either as a solid mass of specified weight or as an adjustable where you can select how much to lift. The adjustable range for most kettlebells is between 5 and 40 lbs, but some go much higher.

What Can You Do With It?

Kettlebells are very comfortable to hold for many leg exercises such as squats, deadlifts and lunges. However, the big advantage of kettlebells is being able to do swings, which are one of the best exercises for building strength and endurance at the same time.

Kettlebells swings work practically every muscle in your body. They focus on the posterior chain: the muscles running down your spine and the back of your legs. These include the neck, back extensors, glutes, hamstrings and calves. People often neglect these muscles because they can't seem them in the mirror, but they are the main muscles that support your posture and make you better at sports! Training them is critical for overall strength and fitness.

Other exercises you can do with kettlebells include rows, presses, bicep curls, single leg deadlifts and squats, cleans, snatches and many more.

Swinging the ol' 'bell

One of my favourite exercises is one-handed kettlebell swings with a heavy weight. Holding the weight in one hand greatly increases core involvement and I can keep the swings going by switching hand-to-hand. If I'm short on time, 15 minutes of one-handed swings with a 40-lb kettlebell is a great way to get a full-body workout in the shortest amount of time.

Which Kettlebells To Buy?

If you don't want to buy a whole rack of kettlebells, buying an adjustable is the way to go. For light use, I've been recommending the Bowflex SelectTech 840, which adjusts from 8 to 40 lbs. It's well built and none of my clients have had an issues with it. It is also the most user-friendly of all the adjustables I've tried over the years. You select the weight by simply clicking a dial.

If you need more weight and very sturdy construction, the Bells of Steel Adjustable Kettlebell is my top pick. With the available expansion, it goes up to 70 lbs in 1 or 2 lb increments. Note that the lowest weight you can use is 25 lbs. It may not be the best option for a beginner or a smaller person. It also takes some time to change the weight, so it is not ideal for fast-moving workouts like circuit-training.

If you don't want an adjustable, any plain metal kettlebell will do. Don't pay extra for rubber coating, and make sure the handles are comfortable for your hand size. Luckily, in the post-pandemic era, fitness equipment prices have come back down to Earth and you can find cast iron kettlebells on sale for less than a dollar a pound again.

Northern Fitness has an excellent selection, but you can usually pick them up at Canadian Tire or Sportchek, although pricing will vary greatly.