Why Kettlebells?

I ran across this article, and wanted to post it for anyone wondering why kettlebells are different, and why people should use them. Greg is the owner of the Underground Gym in NJ, and is a great athlete, check out his site, the link is below, and see for yourself; enjoy!
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Why Kettlebells? By Greg Mihovich

Kettlebells are some of my favorite tools for all-around athletic development. There are quite a few reasons for it.

First, I consider kettlebells to be a four-dimensional tool, because not only it moves (and needs to be controlled) like a dumbbell when held with one hand, it also has an offset center of gravity, which leads to the unique feature of flipping over and creates sort of a “pocket”. You could feel the same “pocket” of energy when you grab a vertical pole on the one hand on the run and swing around it changing your direction. That “pocket” is that “forth dimension” of a kettlebell.

Second, the flip of the kettlebell creates the need and teaches you to absorb ballistic shock, which builds strong tendons and ligaments. The skill of proper shock absorption is a must for any contact sport athlete, or anybody for that matter. The kettlebell’s ability to flip and an offset handle also create a unique opportunity for a whole array of juggling exercises impossible with any other implement.

Third, as opposed to the barbell, in most ballistic kettlebell exercises after absorbing the shock you need to redirect the force immediately. This skill is one of the cornerstones of athletic ability.

Forth, most kettlebells have thick handles, which is great for the grip. Any exercise with a kettlebell automatically turns into a grip exercise. High rep kettlebell ballistics, like Snatches or Long Cycle Clean & Jerks have to be experienced to appreciate how they work the grip and the whole body.

Fifth, the offset weight distribution of the kettlebell keeps your core constantly engaged in a dynamic battle to keep the weight from falling off to the side, where a dumbbell would “rest” on your bone structure.

Sixth, like I said earlier, high rep kettlebell ballistics, like Snatches or Long Cycle Clean & Jerks have to be experienced to appreciate how much work your heart and lungs have to perform. If you still think that weightlifting and cardio are two different things try these exercises and let me know then!

Seventh, the sheer amount of exercises and objectives you can accomplish and perform with a kettlebell or two is staggering. Strength, power, endurance, conditioning, coordination, grip strength – and hundreds and hundreds of exercises to keep you interested. An athlete could be all set with just a couple of kettlebells and his own bodyweight.

I’m sure I could find a few more reasons to lift kettlebells, but you are getting the point across.

http://UndergroundGym.com