how good are Kettlebells?

I've never really lifted weights before and I think adding some strength would be useful for grappling.

Kettlebells seem like a very easy (in terms of space) way to workout at home. All you need is a few of them and you're set.

Should I persue it? If so, where do you get them? I don't suppose someone from Toronto here knows.

 

Get a plate loaded olympic barbell and 400 lbs in plates, power rack and bench first... in that order. Far more versatile and cost effective. the barbell and plates will cost you about as much as a couple KB's and allow for much more progress more options.

 

Kettlebells are good, I have a 17kg pair, but they are expensive and I have to agree with Urban when he said that "a plate loaded olympic barbell and 400 lbs in plates, power rack and bench..." is a better option for building strength.

 

mikemahler.com

 

kettlebells are good, but I have to stress good technique. The first couple of times I used them my wrists were killing me because the kb kept banging into my wrist. Also, it was tough on my back because I didn't have proper form when I swung it.

With a decent DVD you should get your technique pretty good quickly. I think the hardest thing for me to do was picking the size I needed. I ended up ordering a 26lb kb because they said 35 was for a full grown man which I am not, but I was mad because after about a week or so the kb didn't seem heavy enough to give me the workout I was looking for.

I ended up sending it back and getting most of my money back (I had to pay for S&H)

 

Way overpriced. If you can get some for free, then sure, they are good to cycle into your workout some times. If you are looking for most effective, I would go with barbells and dumbells, anyday. Anyway, give them a shot if you like or if you have money to burn. My biggest problem with them is that I can think of so many other things I would spend the money on, before getting KB's (like bills). Just my 2 cents.

 

Don't buy kbs, make your own there are all kinds of ways to make kbs on the net, and you can make them adjustable as well.

 

They're good, but very expensive for what they are. I wonder if at some point they'll get cheaper.

 

Why are kettlebells so expensive anyway??

 

yep you'd be better off with barbells and dumbells, hell youd even be better with just a sandbag. IMO Kettlebells (and clubbells) would be a good addition to someones home gym who could afford them, but only after they have an olympic bar + weights, adustable dumbells + weights, a power rack, a place for pullups and dips, a bench, a sandbag or 2, COC grippers, a thickbar bar and dumbell and sledges + a tyre.

 

I own two kettlebells and two clubbells. Are they effective training tools? Yes! Were they worth the cash I spent? No!

 

I think it's because, at this stage, they're still just a niche product. If more people started using them, and they became much more popular you'd have more companies manufacturing them, & in larger numbers. This would bring the price down. You'd hope so anyway. I'd like a set of kettlebells, but as Urban & Reakt said, there's just so many other exercise products that would be higher on the list.

 

Build a few sandbags first. Seriously.

 

Model 1 (about 50 bucks not including plates, fully adjustable):

Model 2 (about 10 bucks not including plates, difficult to adjust and limited adjustability.):


My favorite model (totally unatainable):

 

REakT, perfect post man.

Sonny, do you find the clubbells very effective. I have heard alot of good things about them and actually thought about buying one or two of them.

 

what does kettle bell exercises do and emphasize?

 

Urban, nice designs. Teflon tape may help by reducing the unscrewing of the joints.

 

I like my clubbells but they're nothing all that special. For the 150-250 bucks they cost I JUST CANNOT recommend them. Clubbells aren't gonna turn you into some SUPERMAN or anything, they're simply put, an effective, overpriced training tool.

 

Pretty much the same thing a dumbell would do except the load is somewhat displaced making you compensate more. The thicker handles hit the grip a more than a standard dumbell but you could just slide some PVC over a dumbell instead of forking out the cash for a KB.

 

Are you sure I can't get the hot bitch?