The uniqueness of kettlebells

Is uniqueness a word?  The spell checker says yes so I am going with it.

It can be very difficult to explain the kettlebell to a novice.    Here are some common explanations of the kettlebell followed by the typical reaction.

 "It's a weapon against weakness"

huh?  I just want to get in shape!

"An all-purpose training tool that can replace 90% of what you do in the gym"

 Show me how you curl it I want bigger guns!

 'Weapon against weakness' is a great expression but it tells us very little about what a kettlebell is and what it does.

Does a kettlebell  replace all of that fancy equipment in your typical commercial gym? 

Not really.
A floor press is not a barbell bench press.
A swing may have similar mechanics to a deadlift but a swing is definitely not a deadlift.
Squatting 2 kettlebells, no matter how heavy, can not replace the barbell back squat due to the increased leverage the barbell gives you.
There are many other examples but a kettlebell can not replace the equipment typically used for bodybuilding, powerlifting or olympic lifting.

So instead of treating people like nothing more than stupid consumers I like to assume they are all intelligent.  Give them the facts and they will most likely come to a conclusion that best fits their needs.

Now with all that being said, here is why kettlebells are unique.


1) You can hold a kettlebell 3 different ways.

The traditional rack position.
Bottoms-up, holding upside down by the handle.
Waiters style, holding mostly upside down by the bell palm spread wide.

2) Kettlebells offer the largest variety of full body functional exercises that  you can do with just one piece of equipment.

So while I am telling you that the kettlebell does not replace an entire commercial gym it does offer a tremendous amount of variety when it comes to full body functional training.

Swings, cleans, getups, standing presses, bottoms up cleans, bottoms up presses, bottoms up squats, rack squats, goblet squats, pistol squats, snatches, high-pulls, windmills - the list is long enough to keep you busy for a lifetime.


3) You can move the kettlebell  from deep behind you  all the way to a standing over head press position.

When you snatch a kettlebell you experience the largest  possible range of motion the body can do with a braced neutral back.   This is the ULTIMATE full body exercise for strength and conditioning.  The kettlebell allows you to access and work the posterior chain (hams, glutes, low, upper back) way more effectively than a dumbell.    Dumbells tends to access the anterior chain (front delts/thighs) because they prefers to go up and down as opposed to the kettlebells desire to move 360 degrees.

4) Kettlebells are the best tool for overhead work when it comes to beginner and compromised athletes because they rotate as you press them.

 A kettlebell can step in and out of the pressing groove to a much higher degree than a barbell or dumbell.      The moment you fall out of the pressing groove with a barbell you are basically fucked.  During overhead pressing the barbell only wants to go straight up and down directly under your center of gravity.  You can not move from the wrists at all when pressing with a barbell so if you can not extend your arms fully straight overhead with the palms forward you can not even do a barbell overhead press.  Dumbells give you a little more play but the big difference between a dumbell and a kettlebell is that the kettlebell can rotate while you press it.  This allows the kettlebell to stay more directly and more easily under your center of gravity than any other tool.  It is the unique grip in the rack position that allows you to rotate your wrist without rotating from the shoulder.  This makes it much easier to press overhead with the shoulders packed into the lats, increasing the strength and long-term safety.  KETTLEBELLS ARE FUCKING AWESOME FOR OVERHEAD PRESSING!  No, the Arnold Press is not a viable option to a kettlebell rack press.  Try it, you will be able to go much heavier with kettlebells.


5) You do not need much room to train with a kettlebell.

A barbell or any sort of weight machine setup requires a dedicated room.  A typical kettlebell collection is just 2-3 bells which can easily store in your closet right next to your shoes.  Yes, you can do something similar with dumbells as far as storage goes but for the reasons stated above, kettlebells make dumbells look, well, sort of dumb.

Traits of people who get lean and stay lean in the long run

I have been at what I consider an optimum bodyweight for about 5 years.  Before this time period I was never happy with my body and always 'felt fat'.   I got the bulk of my bodyfat off using a ketogenic diet and now I keep it off by eating a balanced diet that includes some junk food but not too much.


Long term successful dieters will often remember how absolutely obsessed with food tracking and planning they were in the earliest stages of their weight loss.  They can tell you their own personal calorie maintenance levels and how this fluctuated as they lost weight.  They will most likely tell you that they now currently eat quite a large amount of food.   Their metabolisms have been basically repaired as they experience a healthy bodyweight for an extended period of time.

People who have lost a large amount of weight and kept it off tend to eat some variety but not too much.  They have at least 2-3 meals that they consider go-to meals that they can access  easily and know they will enjoy.  A typical example would be how I chose to eat bacon, eggs and vegetables for breakfast 95% of the time.

Many people who have lost weight and kept it off long-term changed their focus from food to some sort of physical activity or sport.

True to their circadian  rhythm - early to bed and rise.

You can experience hunger without headaches, tiredness, moodiness - Hangriness is at a minimum because we are not diabetic. Remember, excessive appetite is a symptom of being diabetic.

Losing the weight took a long time.  The longer it takes to get the excess bodyfat off the better chance of keeping it off.  The weight loss was a product of long-term lifestyle changes.

A change of friends, a brand new social network is created.  This is something of a secret, this idea that you will need to change your entire social identity to succeed at losing a large amount of weight and keep it off.  Water seeks its' own level.

Regular doses of long-slow-distance.  Walking, cycling, swimming, etc.

Carbohydrate and alcohol restriction at some stage of life.

Some sort of obvious and serious motivation.  Actors and athletes have an obvious motivation to stay lean.  Some are motivated by a past illness or illness of somebody close to them.

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10 traits of the modern Alpha Male

You are physically bigger and stronger than the majority of your peers.  Before civilization took over this was the only thing that mattered.  We still have shades of this in modern times as the majority of men considered alphas, namely athletes,  celebrities and successful businessmen, are almost always very physically fit and some variation of lean muscular.

 You only look down on somebody to help them up.  Alpha males are so confident in themselves that they waste very little time degrading other males.  Alpha males are not in the business of creating other Alphas but if you are a beta and are trying to manifiest Alpha tendencies other alphas will respect this.

You are educated in some formal manner beyond high school and most people consider you of above average intelligence.  You can speak in a clear and lucid manner to individuals or groups.  You are not afraid to stand in front of a large group and speak.

You have children or are planning to have children with your spouse.  If you are in a monogamous relationship with a female that has no interest in reproducing you are not an Alpha Male, you are a indentured servant to an Alpha female.  The length of your servitude will be decided  by your female spouse and will have very little to do with any decision making of your own.   A great alpha once told me, "women decide who gets sex since the beginning of time"

 You do not fight with your spouse or other males.  Fighting is a sign of insecurity.  If you fight frequently with your spouse you are insecure in the relationship.  You are insecure in the relationship because you believe you are in charge but are not, your girlfriend is your boss.  Unless you are a competitive martial artist fighting with other males is another  sign of personal insecurity.  My friends who are professional fighters never get into street-fights.

You can kick fucking ass.  You are either trained in some form of martial art or are one of those guys who grew up fighting and are naturally good at it.  Alpha males will avoid fighting in modern times because they know how much damage they can do to their opponent.   Alphas know that they  could end up with a lengthy jail sentence regardless of who is right or wrong in a modern day fist fight.    An alpha male can handle a guy giving him a hard time with his brain first and only use his fists as a last resort in self-defense.

You make a good amount of money.  If you are sweating your bills on the daily you are not Alpha because that is such an incredible energy suck.  You are giving away energy that would otherwise be used to move you forward and humbly dominate everything in the way of your success.

You do something for community.  Alpha males want success for the people around them and are willing to generously donate their time and energy to help the less fortunate.  What good is it to be an Alpha in a community that is not prospering?

You have a job that has high value to your community.  These jobs are somewhat limited which is why the bulk of the male population can never be Alpha and that is the way it should be. Alphas tend to have jobs that are skill based and can not easily be replaced.

You are not an asshole and most people enjoy your company.