1. Acute Responses of KB-Specific Workouts (Mean ± SD)
CARDIORESPIRATORY AND CALORIC EXPENDITURE DIFFERENCES IN KETTLEBELL-SPECIFIC WORKOUTS J.P. Hill, L.A. Choma, K.E. Rapacz, E.M. Witthuhn, W.M. Silvers Whitworth University, Spokane, WA 
Introduction
The purpose of this study was to compare cardiorespiratory and lactate responses as well as caloric expenditure (CE) between different kettlebell (KB) workouts.
Previous descriptive studies involved only a few parameters, such as oxygen consumption (VO2) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE), for one particular workout (Falatic, 2011; Lake & Lauder, 2012; Schnettler, 2009; Skidmore, Jones, Blegen, & Matthew, 2012).
The hypotheses were that both the continuous KB swing and the KB circuit workout would:
1) meet ACSM recommendations
2) elicit similar CE and cardiorespiratory responses
Methods
Participants:
Twenty-five recreationally active college-aged males (n = 8) and females
(n = 17) completed both a KB swing and KB circuit workout.
Equipment:
VO2max test and warm up: Monark 328e cycle ergometer
HR: Polar T31 chest strap monitor
BLA: Lactate Pro handheld lactate analyzer
VO2: TrueOne 2400 mobile metabolic cart.
8 or 16 kg Pro Grade Competition Kettlebell
Procedures:
Participants attended a familiarization session:
completed a YMCA predictive VO2max bike test
learned correct KB technique for each maneuver (see Figure 1)
KB circuit testing session:
one min of swing, deadlift, snatch, goblet squat, and clean and press
two min of rest
repeat on opposite side
KB swing testing session:
continuous, self-paced two-handed swing workout for 10 min.
two min rest after five minutes of swings
In each testing session, HR, VO2, BLA, and CE were measured
Statistics:
Paired t-tests (p ≤ 0.05)
Variables: VO2, %VO2max, HR, %HRmax, BLA, and CE.
Results
Statistical differences were observed between KB swing and circuit workouts for all dependent variables (see Table 1).
The circuit workout elicited higher cardiorespiratory, BLA, and CE responses (p = ) compared to the KB workout.
Both the KB swing and circuit workouts met ACSM recommendations therefore the research hypothesis was accepted.
Discussion
Both the KB swing and circuit workouts met ACSM recommendations to improve cardiorespiratory endurance (see Figure 2).
Due to the utilization of more upper extremity muscle mass and the increased production of metabolic waste, the circuit workout enhanced cardiorespiratory responses.
The present study supported the idea that an enhanced cardiorespiratory response is typically elicited when upper body muscles were utilized (Schnettler, 2009).
It was likely that the heightened BLA and CE levels were due quicker fatigue during the circuit workout due to the engagement of more muscle groups (Skidmore et al., 2012).
A limitation of the study was that the frequency of KB swings was prescribed at a self-paced rate, which resulted in varying intensities across participants.
A strength of the present study was that researchers observed BLA during a KB workout.
The observed statistical power was high, which indicated that the significant difference between the KB workouts was due to the experimental treatment and could be inferred to the target population.
Future researchers should test whether a longer workout session could elicit similar results.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our participants, the Whitworth University Health Sciences department, and our professor, Matt Silvers.
References
Falatic, J. A. (2011). The effects of kettlebell training of aerobic capacity (Master's thesis). San José State University, San Jose, CA.
Lake, J. P., & Lauder, M. A. (2012). Mechanical demands of kettlebell swing exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(12),
Schnettler, C. S. (2009) Energy cost and relative intensity of the KB workout (Master’s thesis). University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, WI.
Skidmore, B. L., Jones, M. T., Blegen, M., & Matthews, T. D. (2012). Acute effect of three different circuit weight training protocols on blood lactate, heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion in recreationally active women. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 11,
Figure 1. A KB clean and press maneuver is demonstrated.
Acute Responses of KB-Specific Workouts (Mean ± SD)
KB Swings
Circuit
%VO2max
60.6 ± 15.5
68.0 ± 14.3*
%HRmax
74.6 ± 9.7
79.9 ± 9.2*
BLA (mmol∙L-1)
4.1 ± 2.7
6.0 ± 2.8*
CE (kcal)
74.6 ± 28.0
82.1 ± 26.0 *
Table 1. The mean and standard deviations for cardiorespiratory, BLA, and CE parameters are represented from both workouts.
* Indicates significant difference between circuit and KB swings. * *
%VO2max
%HRmax
Figure 2. Kettlebell workout %VO2max and %HRmax averages are compared to ACSM recommendations for cardiorespiratory fitness.
* Indicates significant difference between circuit and KB swings.