For decades the Russian military and strong men were known to have strength of unparalleled per portions. Tales of men with Herculean type physiques and gorilla type strength were told throughout the world. What the western and the rest of the world fail to realize was that this strength and muscle wasn't being developed in a conventional body building manner. There were no machines, Olympic bars or plates being used to achieve these physiques. So if they weren't lifting weights how could they possibly achieve such unbelievable amounts of strength and muscle? The answer is simply kettle bells.

Kettle Bells look like a cast iron ball the size of a cannon ball and have a very thick metal handle. They come in sizes starting from 16 pounds and going up in range all the way to 72 pounds. Most of you bodybuilders reading right now are laughing at the minuscule weights I just mentioned. What can 72 pounds do for a man who can lift two, three or even four hundred pounds for some lifts? Your second questioned would be, why would I not just use a dumbbell? Those are both valid views but at the same time are quite incorrect. The feel and awkwardness (for lack of a better word) of a kettle bell is unlike anything most bodybuilders have ever felt. The leverage of the bell creates a totally different feel when compared to that of a dumbbell and the larger handle requires extra grip work in order to properly handle it. The single greatest advantage a kettle bell gives you above all other bodybuilding equipment is the ability to create hybrid exercises in order to hit your muscles in positions they have never been subjected to.

Most of the lifts that are tailored towards the use of kettle bells are the ones with an Olympic lift origin. Any serious bodybuilder should know the benefits of Olympic lifts for not only strength and coordination but also for mass building. There is no better way to add quality muscle onto your frame then hitting large muscle groups at the same time. When using kettle bells, regular lifts becoming quite challenging, due to the awkwardness of the bell and this difficulty results in more optimal training sessions. With the lack of stability the kettle bells offer, your body is forces to recruit more muscles to help stabilize the movements. Another excellent aspect of kettle bell training that is often overlooked is the ability to lose body fat quite rapidly. The caloric expenditure while doing a kettle bell workout when compared to any other lifting or cardiovascular routine is unparalleled.

Bodybuilding is a sport where any little edge one can find can be the difference between 1st place and last place. The fact that there is a tool that will allow you to not only gain muscle and add strength but will also burn body fat like no other equipment ever made, should be reason enough to incorporate kettle bells into every bodybuilding routine.