05 Nov 5 Reasons To NEVER Train With Kettlebells

Maybe you’ve heard about kettelbells, but aren’t sure if they are for you?

Maybe you have no idea what they are (I doubt it, but you never know).

I am never surprised these days when I hear people say, “a kettle what?”

Or maybe your very familiar with kettlebell training and want to see what the hell I’m talking about.

So, I’ve got your attention then.  Good.

Before making any decisions on kettlebell training, be sure to read these compelling reasons for not using kettlebells (and it’s not what you think).

Make sure you read all the way to the end, before coming to any conclusions though.

So, here’s my top 5 rock solid reasons to NEVER, EVER use kettlebells in your training program:

1. You DON’T want to shed body fat.  If you really don’t want to blast body fat then you’ll definitely want to avoid kettlebell training.  Since kettelbells are viewed a as premier strengthening and conditioning tool, sometimes the fat burning benefits go ‘under the radar’ with kettlebells.  Because of the nature of the “ballistic” or fast kettlebell exerices, such as the swing and the snatch, the fat burning or increased metabolic demand can be quite overwhelming and insanely effective.  If you don’t believe me, then check out one of the most famous case studies to date, the story of Tracy Reifkind in “The Four Hour Body” by Tim Ferris.  Tracy scorched about 100 pounds doing the kettlebell swing a few times per week.  So, if you are totally ripped and have no desire to shed an ounce of body fat, then this may be a great reason to NEVER use kettlelbells, but read on….
2. You DON’T want to ‘move better’ or ‘perform better’  Kettlebells are much different than traditional weight training for many reasons.  Moving better is one of them.  You see, kettlebells are essentially about movement and the sad fact is, most of us don’t move well.  We get bound up at our computers all day and seem to lose our ability to perform essential, basic movement patterns.  You would be amazed at how many people cannot squat properly.  Yep, a simple body weight squat is sometimes lost in the cycle of human movement.  And, unfortunately, when we lose our ability to move well, we get hurt or we lose our ability to function at the level we should.  So, we don’t perform as well as we could, whether that’s in athletics or just day to day activities, like getting in and out of your car.  Kettlebells are such an important training tool in ‘movement training’ and allowing people to move better and ultimately, perform better.  So, if you don’t think you could benefit from learning how to move better so that you can perform better, you should probably NEVER train with kettlebells.  Next.
3. You DON’T want to prevent injuries  This is an interesting reason to never train with kettlebells, huh?  I gave this one a lot of thought.  After my experience with kettlebells now and having a background as a Physical Therapist and back rehab patient myself, I have found no other exercises as beneficial in actually preventing back and shoulder injuries than the kettlebell.  My case in point is the kettlebell swing for back injury prevention and the turkish get up for shoulder health.  I should add, it’s all about the technique.  If one has proper technique with these exercises, there is nothing better.  And not just the back and shoulders either.  I would argue the kettlebell is simply one of the most important tools in musculoskeletal injury prevention there is, bar none.  But, that’s just me.  So, if you simply aren’t interested in your own injury prevention, avoid kettlebells at all costs!
4. You DON’T want to save time.  Time.  Something we all have too much of right? If you’ve got just gobs of time to train, you’ll really want to avoid kettlebells because these training sessions will be way too short for your satisfaction.  Kettlebell training is basically for those that want the biggest impact from their training in the minimum time possible, so if you’re looking for a more (boring, did I say that) time intensive training program, then definitely avoid kettlebells.  You’ll be glad you did.
5. You simply DON’T want to be powerful in your body.  This may be the clincher.  Since kettlebells are notorious for building strong, lean, and powerful bodies. You may want to defer kettlebell training if you are satisfied with the status quo.  If you are looking to avoid any aspect of improving your strength, conditioning, cardiovascular endurance, and physical power and presence, you will most certainly want to avoid ever even touching a kettlebell. I mean it.  Maybe you’re actually looking to be ‘under powered’ with your physical presence and maybe your a little intimidated by gaining even a shred of body strength.  It that’s the case, then I must concur that you should NEVER, EVER train with kettlebells!

Well, I hope that provides a little insight on the big 5 reasons to NEVER train with kettlebells!

And, of course, I write this article entirely with “tongue in cheek,” because I don’t believe there is more effective training modality than the Russian kettlebell!

Seriously, kettlebells are the ultimate fitness and performance training tool!

Now, that doesn’t mean it’s the ONLY way to train.  It’s not.

There are many other very effective training methods, but kettlebells are something special.

I really hope you discover that for yourself.

And I hope I’ve shed some new perspective on a proven training modality that can literally accomplish all of your fitness goals in a simple, dynamic system.

For a strong, powerful body, there’s nothing better than kettlebell training.