what would make a decent substitute for a kettle bell? I don;t see myself being able to shell out $100 for one of these anytime too soon and theres a fair amount of them in the cross fit skill level tests and i want to start doing this
any ideas?
dumbell
If you can find them, there are barbell plates that have handles cut out on the inside near the edge of the plate, so they make for pretty good substitutes. They swing around more unevenly than dumbbells.
DBs K-grips /K-stacks as well as the above mentioned Plates.
Anything will work unless you require the unique characterisitcs of the K-bell.
TAKU
what does a specific kettle bell do that the above wouldnt do?
If a kettlebell is too expensive, try a kettlestack. www.kettlestack.com
I love mine. Totally adjustable, and I like the difference in feel between it and just using a dumbell. Not saying it's 'better', just different. A good different.
i use the marcy max grip plates. $150 for the 300# set, and you can use them for most of the kettlebell exercises.
If you lift the kettlebell correctly, it won't bang into your wrist.
baby calf across the shoulders.
Let it grow.
''If you lift the kettlebell correctly, it won't bang into your wrist. ''
This is correct. People should learn how to use kettlebells correctly, and they would all realise this.
so just take a dumbbell and grab the middle with both hands and swing like a kettlebell?
ill try it...any major difference between the hex style dumbbells or the plate style dumbbells
Here's an example of differences between three types of weights that I've used for a specific exercise.
Overhead static press with squats: Basically, you get 2 weights (one in each hand), press it over your head with locked elbows, then squat (while you maintain the isometric press over your head).
With dumbbells: With the weight being evenly distributed, I felt only the "target" muscles working here, being the legs and glutes, plus an isometric "burn" in my shoulders. My triceps didn't really feel anything, because they were locked. Relatively easy exercise.
With plates that have handles: With the plate swung over my forearm, the distribution of the weight is now BEHIND me. This actually activated my forearms more, just to keep the weight more stable. I found my lower back activating as I was lowering for the squat. My shoulders worked more also, as I was lowering. A bit easier, when I was squatting up.
With kettlebells: This was actually the most difficult to use. I really had to activate my forearms, because letting the kettlebell rest on them was uncomfortable. So I got more burn on my forearms when using kettlebells. If my grip waned in any way, my shoulders and back paid for it. My shoulders and back had to really stabilize because the kettlebells just seemed "uneven" to me. My legs and glutes to engage both on the lowering and the raising in the squat. I actually had to really concentrate just to maintain form. It wasn't necessarily more difficult in that I was gasping for air, but it was more challenging because I had to engage more muscle groups and more concentration to execute the task proficiently.
I personally don't feel the same when I work with dumbbells as I've found that they're too easy to use, because the weight is distributed evenly (which lends itself well to "isolation" regimens). The kettlebells present the greatest challenge in terms of coordination AND strength.
I guess the best thing you can take away from this post is that the more "unwieldy" a weight is, the more it lends itself to kettlebell-type training. If it is evenly distributed like a dumbbell, you may not find them too challenging.