Why train with kettlebells?

I’ll be honest - when I signed up for the Bell Mechanics trainer certification last fall, I thought it would be “just another fun training tool” I could use with clients. Kettlebell movements were something I didn’t program often - not because I didn’t see their value, but because I wasn’t confident in coaching them up. I

Ok, and selfishly, I wanted to give my own form a glow-up and finally figure out how to do a kettlebell clean without bruising the sh*t out of my wrists.

I promptly fell down the KB rabbit hole

About two months into the Bell Mechanics course I discovered a few things

1️⃣ It turns out kettlebell movements aren’t awkward or uncomfy. I’d just been doing them wrong. I cannot overstate the difference that proper technique made in my enjoyment and confidence in using KB’s.

2️⃣ Skill-building led to self-trust. Through practice and coaching, I started to build my skills - and finally trusted myself to actually choose a load heavy enough to challenge me. And THAT is where changes in strength, muscle, power and capacity start to happen.

3️⃣ I found my athlete-self again: Not just “pre-baby” me.

I’m talking high school track athlete ME.

Fearlessly pounding down scree fields in the Rockies ME.

Launching off a cornice and knowing I got that first turn ME.

Signing up for an ultramarathon over the rockiest terrain in Pennsylvania ME.

That me was someone I didn’t even know I was looking for.

Kettlebell work made me feel athletic in a way I hadn’t in decades. And that’s where “ME” was hiding.

Are you ready to fall down it too 🐰? Let’s get real.

Strength training can feel boring.

One of the top struggles I hear (especially from my runners and outdoor athletes) is while they’re consistent AF with their runs, when it comes to strength it’s a real on-again-off-again relationship. There are several ways we address this - but a common thread is that lifting doesn’t feel as engaging and rewarding as their mountain jaunts. Have you ever said “I want to love strength training but it just feels boring"?

As a lifelong chaser of that runner’s high - I GET IT. And while I’ve learned to love lifting over the past ten years, I’ll fully admit that it didn’t hit the same - until I dove into kettlebells.

That’s because kettlebells:

✅ demand awareness of the position of your body and of the bell - are you slinging a bell over your head? you’d better know where TF it is!

✅ requires coordination of your muscles, breath, and mind - kind of like that rhythmic Zen of running trails for hours

✅ you need to be both FAST and patient - again, are we seeing the parallels to running here?

✅ teach you to trust your ability to generate power and to put on the brakes - and you know trusting your body & yourself is my love language.

✅ ballistic movements (swings, cleans, snatches) will make you feel powerful, strong, and athletic in a whole NEW way -let’s face it, that is empowering and fun AF.

You can build real strength at-home.

But the work has to be CHALLENGING.

And it has to ENGAGING enough that you actually do it consistently.

Story time.

Before motherhood I was a gym girlie.

I truly loved (and still love) not only the equipment but the camaraderie of training around other humans (with my noise-cancelling headphones in, duh).

But getting there became a big barrier while navigating the ups, downs, illnesses, sleep schedules, and moods (his & mine) of having a young kiddo.

Meanwhile…doing 4,000 bicep curls with 3 lb dumbbells on the Peloton app also didn’t hit (see previous point re: boredom)

Enter: Kettlebells.

Home training that is fun, athletic, empowering and effective.

Being able to train in my living room with a few bells during my son’s nap - rather than the 2+ hours it took drive, park, drop him at gym childcare, train, and do it all again to get home - meant I could train consistently four times a week.

And that is how I re-built a stronger, more athletic body postpartum than I had in my 20’s.

Love the gym but hate waiting for Chad in the squat rack?

Hello, I’m the person glaring at him with you.

And you can (and should, if you choose) ask to work in between his grunty sets.

But in my experience, on those days when every rack and bench are full, the lonely kettlebells are still gathering dust in the corner.

And if you learn to make friends with the iron, you can, grab a few bells, a bit of space (make sure to position yourself with a “no fly zone” to avoid anyone walking into your path) and get to work.

Functional strength and conditioning, simplified.

At the end of the day, I don’t want you to just “get stronger”. My hope is that you’re also more resilient, capable, and ready to handle any adventure you choose to take on.

That means building these 5 things - all of which can be done with a few* kettlebells.

1️⃣ Strength: If you’d told me a year ago I’d feel the strongest I ever have without touching a barbell I wouldn’t have believed you but it’s true. Grab yourself some heavy bells (or doubles).

2️⃣ Mobility: Are you skipping your cooldowns and nightly stretching? Because…same. You can use KBs for effective loaded mobility work that you’ll actually do.

3️⃣ Stability: the KB shape makes it naturally “unstable” - which teaches your body to STABILIZE. This is key for resilience and injury prevention. In every day life, we encounter unstable loads every day - having muscles that can provide that stability for our joints is 👑.

4️⃣ Power Development: this is where that “feeling athletic AF” comes in. KB cleans, heavy swings, reset swings, snatches, push-presses and jerks teach you not just to move weight - but how to move weight FAST ⚡.

5️⃣ Conditioning: Linking reps (kettlebell swing or continuous snatches like 👇) or flow between different KB movements seamlessly (kettlebell complexes) makes them a phenomenal tool for aerobic conditioning that feels a heck of a lot more fun than running repeats on the track 🏃‍♀️.

*Ok, you might start with a few but if you’re anything like me…over time you may wanna build your collection

Ready to drink the Kool-Aid?

One thing about kettlebells is - they DO require proper technique to get the most benefits and ENJOYMENT out of using them. I avoided them in my own - and clients - training for a full decade because I didn’t know how to DO IT RIGHT until I passed my Bell Mechanics certification.

So, you’re ready to go from KB-curious to KB-confident, here are a few ways I can help:

1️⃣ If you’re local to Burlington, VT - I’ll be offering several kettlebell based small group series this fall. If you’re interested, email me for details and schedule options.

2️⃣ For AUGUST 2025 only - I’m offering virtual 30 minute skill sessions for $49 to work on ONE specific skill (KB squat, deadlift, swings, cleans, snatches, Turkish get ups). Fill out this form and I’ll get in touch to schedule you.

3️⃣I’ll be launching a new course focused on building KB skills and confidence in early 2026. You can get sneak peeks and first dibs by joining my email list (👀 stay tuned there for wait-list announcements this fall!)