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Workouts

The Potency of Kettlebells in Strength and Conditioning Programming

Kettlebells are often used in training by recreational athletes, elite athletes, and sports professionals. New research looked at the actual effectiveness of kettlebell training.

Mindith Rahmat

Written by Mindith Rahmat Last updated on Feb 22, 2023

Kettlebells are often used in training by recreational athletes, elite athletes, and sports professionals. Strength and conditioning coaches train their athletes with kettlebells to increase muscular strength, muscular endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness. However, to date there is very little research examining the validity of the use of kettlebells in strength and conditioning programming.

Kettlebells are often used in training by recreational athletes, elite athletes, and sports professionals. Strength and conditioning coaches train their athletes with kettlebells to increase muscular strength, muscular endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness. However, to date there is very little research examining the validity of the use of kettlebells in strength and conditioning programming.

New research in Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research examined the cardiorespiratory workload of a kettlebell workout. Researchers measured the heart rate and oxygen cost of performing a workout using a 16kg (35#) kettlebell for a duration of 12 minutes.

Ten men were studied and completed an average of 265 kettlebell swings during the 12 minute workout, for an average of 22 swings per minute.

Researchers concluded from measurements taken from the athletes that the kettlebell swings provided a definite metabolic challenge which was enough to to effectively illicit an increase in V?o2max.

Simply performing the kettlebell swings elevated and maintained the subjects heart rate and V?o2max at an average of 87% and 65% of their maximum. According to researchers …

“The American College of Sports Medicine recommends an optimal intensity of 60-85% V?o2max to improve and athletes cardiorespiratory fitness”.

Another study examined the translational effect of kettlebell training to Olympic Weightlifting. Researchers explained that because kettlebells are ballistic in nature they may react similar to Olympic lifts in training.

Ballistic training or power training can be used by elite athletes to develop power and explosiveness. Researchers studied the translational effect of a 10 week kettlebell program to the strength, power and endurance of Olympic Weightlifting.

Researchers tested a sample of 15 athletes using a standard periodization model, with a 2 day per week training program using only kettlebells. Measurements in overall strength, power, and endurance were recorded using clean and jerk 3 rep max, bench press 3 rep max, vertical jump, and a back extension exercise to failure.

Researchers concluded that the kettlebell programming did result in a translation of strength, power and endurance similar to the effects of Olympic Weightlifting. *It should be noted the kettlebell programming produced a highly significant difference in the measurements of the clean and jerk.

Overall this research supports using kettlebells as a potent tool to improve an athlete’s cardiorespiratory capacity, strength, power, endurance, and provide a significant transferability to Olympic weightlifting.

Mindith Rahmat

About Mindith Rahmat

Mindith is a born mover. She has spent her life exploring various athletic disciplines, starting with ballet and modern dance from an early age. She went on to become a E-RYT 500 certified yoga therapist and teacher and discovered CrossFit after the birth of her daughter.

Mindith coached CrossFit at a number of boxes near her home in Southern California, which lead to her involvement in Russian kettlebells and Olympic weightlifting. She has coached a wide variety of populations and cares deeply for women’s health, specializing in pregnancy and postpartum fitness. She is currently studying the principles of Natural Movement and Kettlebell Sport, and is working to complete an additional teacher training in the Taoist art of Yin Yoga with Master Paulie Zink.

Mindith founded Breaking Muscle in 2011. Over 5 million people a month have visited the site, hundreds of thousands of them follow Breaking Muscle on social media, nearly 2,000 coaches have written or appeared on its pages, and there are thousands of free, fully-formed training plans freely available. Breaking Muscle has won numerous awards in the industry and is recognized for pioneering new approaches to fitness and coaching techniques. In 2021, Breaking Muscle was acquired by Barbend. Mindith continues to devote time to her kids, pursue her doctorate in psychology, do research, and teach.

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