Kettlebell Therapy Based on Kettlebell Science

In 2010, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published my doctoral thesis on kettlebell exercise and allowed me the privilege to present my thesis at their Annual Conference held in Baltimore.  Many attendees of the ACSM, alongside the World Congress for “Exercise Is Medicine”, gathered in Baltimore to unite and envision the future role of sports medicine and exercise in our society.

The unique results from my doctoral research yielded some exciting and valuable data about kettlebell exercise.

1. The “standard” kettlebell exercise protocol (Fung 2010) enabled a person to safely workout for 15 minutes at a Heart Rate Response of almost 90% of their maximum heart rate. This was a shocking result. Imagine running from a bear and subtract that intensity by 10%. Could you maintain that for 15 minutes? No way! Kettlebell exercise makes that possible.

2. The Fung 2010 protocol enabled a person to maintain cardiovascular intensity of 7 METS (a brisk jog) for at least 15 minutes as measured by oxygen consumption. All this was done while engaging in a high intensity full body workout.

3. If a person wished to maintain exercise strictly in the aerobic domain with the Fung protocol, they must use a kettlebell weight less than or equal to 13% of their body mass.  This specification allows for one to exercise while metabolically targeting fat and sparing muscle protein.

My research participants ranged from semi-sedentary individuals to former college athletes – all normalized for their “standard” workout.  My results yielded less than 5% variability which means that ANYONE can use kettlebells and experience the benefits.

Coming up: What is the ballistic kettlebell swing?  In my next post, I will define and discuss one of the foundational kettlebell exercises used for Kettlebell Therapy.