What can replace kettlebells for home fitness?

If you are doing basic movements such as kettlebell swings, deadlifts, and seated presses, a large-capacity laundry detergent bucket filled with water/sand, an unopened cooking oil bucket, dumbbells of matching weight, or even a canvas bag filled with rice or heavy books can be used directly as kettlebells, and the training effect is not much different.

When the epidemic was under lockdown, express delivery was stopped for nearly a month, and I couldn't go to the gym. I wanted to train my glutes and legs and couldn't find a suitable weight, so I carried two unopened 5L barrels of peanut oil, each weighing just 10 pounds. I held the handle and started swinging. The only thing I had to pay attention to was wrapping two circles of old towels on the handle, otherwise my knuckles would hurt. After doing three sets of 20 times each, the soreness in my gluteus medius the next day was almost exactly the same as when I used a 10kg kettlebell in the gym.

Of course, it also depends on what kind of movements you are practicing. If you are doing movements such as Turkish get-ups and kettlebell snatches that require precise weight control, a daily chemical bucket is not suitable. The handle will swing around and it is easy to lose stability and hit yourself. In this case, just find a dumbbell with a suitable weight. Hold the bell at one end of the dumbbell. The force exertion mode is almost the same as grabbing the kettlebell handle. Several enthusiasts around me who have practiced at home for two or three years have not bought kettlebells yet. These movements all rely on dumbbells, and I have never seen anyone do it wrong.

I have seen some fitness bloggers say before that the weight of the bench is unbalanced, and long-term use will change the force trajectory and hurt the waist. I think this is a bit putting the cart before the horse. If the movement is standard and the center of gravity is properly controlled, you can do deadlifts even if you carry a cloth bag full of rice. On the contrary, the movement will be deformed. People, even if you buy a professional competitive kettlebell that costs hundreds of dollars, you should still swing your waist. A netizen complained to me before that he spent more than 300 to buy a professional kettlebell. When practicing the swing, it relies entirely on the waist to generate force. After a week, the waist disappears. It is better to use a light oil bucket to find the feeling of exerting force in the buttocks and legs first.

By the way, if you really can't find a suitable hand-held weight, you can carry a backpack full of mineral water or rice on your body to do squats and deadlifts. You can also make up for the load. Just don't use those thin plastic bags to make up the weight. If you spill rice or water, it will take longer to pack it up than it takes to practice. Just find something to do for yourself.