In the last several years, internet
message boards relating to fitness and exercise have filled up with hype
about kettlebells: old-fashioned pieces of weight lifting equipment
that resemble cannonballs with handles.
Marketers and kettlebell aficionados alike make claims about the versatility, effectiveness, and utility of kettlebells and kettlebell workouts. Often, they go so far as to decry other familiar pieces of exercise equipment like barbells, dumbbells, and exercise machines. But are kettlebells really the wave of the future, or is this hype nothing more than marketing buzz intended to separate gullible fitness fanatics from their hard-earned money?
Infact, dumbbells are safer and more efficient for virtually every exercise that marketers try to associate with their expensive kettlebells. Dumbbells are time tested and proven, and have been used successfully by countless athletes and fitness buffs. Kettlebells, on the other hand, are a recent development (despite misleading marketing hype designed to convince you that they are "secret" age-old workout tools that are only now being introduced to the mass market). You won't find a single professional athlete who regularly used kettlebells during his formative years.
While it's true that kettlebells can be used as a tool to achieve a decent, full-body workout that focuses on muscular endurance, these benefits are not exclusive to kettlebells. It's perfectly acceptable to use dumbbells for this sort of workout, and athletes have been doing so for ages.
The facts are plain: dumbbells are cheaper, safer, and more efficient than kettlebells. Dumbbells have comfortable handles which don't promote the formation of blisters the way kettlebell handles do. Dumbbells are either adjustable, or available in a wide range of weights, which is necessary for any piece of weight training equipment used in modern workouts which feature progressive overload. And, dumbbells work just as well for the exercises -- like swings, snatches, or jerks -- that kettlebell marketers would have you believe are exclusive to kettlebells.
So before you waste money on overpriced and underperforming kettlebells, take another look at adjustable dumbbells.
Marketers and kettlebell aficionados alike make claims about the versatility, effectiveness, and utility of kettlebells and kettlebell workouts. Often, they go so far as to decry other familiar pieces of exercise equipment like barbells, dumbbells, and exercise machines. But are kettlebells really the wave of the future, or is this hype nothing more than marketing buzz intended to separate gullible fitness fanatics from their hard-earned money?
Infact, dumbbells are safer and more efficient for virtually every exercise that marketers try to associate with their expensive kettlebells. Dumbbells are time tested and proven, and have been used successfully by countless athletes and fitness buffs. Kettlebells, on the other hand, are a recent development (despite misleading marketing hype designed to convince you that they are "secret" age-old workout tools that are only now being introduced to the mass market). You won't find a single professional athlete who regularly used kettlebells during his formative years.
While it's true that kettlebells can be used as a tool to achieve a decent, full-body workout that focuses on muscular endurance, these benefits are not exclusive to kettlebells. It's perfectly acceptable to use dumbbells for this sort of workout, and athletes have been doing so for ages.
The facts are plain: dumbbells are cheaper, safer, and more efficient than kettlebells. Dumbbells have comfortable handles which don't promote the formation of blisters the way kettlebell handles do. Dumbbells are either adjustable, or available in a wide range of weights, which is necessary for any piece of weight training equipment used in modern workouts which feature progressive overload. And, dumbbells work just as well for the exercises -- like swings, snatches, or jerks -- that kettlebell marketers would have you believe are exclusive to kettlebells.
So before you waste money on overpriced and underperforming kettlebells, take another look at adjustable dumbbells.
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