I tried using kettlebells instead of dumbbells for a month—and it was a game-changer for my core stability

One of the best home fitness hacks I've discovered is that you can keep challenging your muscles just by changing the equipment you use. I’ve ditched my dumbbells for resistance bands before and gained a surprising set of benefits, so I decided to see if switching to working out at home with a kettlebell would make a difference.

Dumbbells and kettlebells are fairly interchangeable, and you can use either for most strength training exercises, but some moves will feel more challenging depending on your weapon of choice.

The main difference is the shape, which affects the weight distribution. When I swapped my dumbbells for a kettlebell, I really noticed how much more I had to engage my tummy muscles to maintain stability, and this had the wonderful effect of improving my core strength (one of my goals for this year). Here’s more on that and what else I discovered.

My core stability improved

I'm always keen to strengthen my core, since it's essential to all daily movements and can help reduce the back pain I often get from sitting for too long. The unique shape of a kettlebell, the distance from the handle to the bell, and the way the bell moves around handle during movements forced me to engage my core and stabilize my mid-body. This makes it an excellent bit of kit for improving core strength and maintaining proper form, particularly when I did moves like the plank drag and the one-armed kettlebell swing.

I burned more calories

I love building muscle with strength training, because the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest because muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat.

Using a kettlebell for strength training is particularly effective because kettlebell workouts tend to involve dynamic movements that recruit multiple muscle groups, creating a higher intensity than some dumbbell workouts which often include isolation exercises.

It felt like I was torching the calories during my kettlebell workouts. The sweat dripping off my face was my first clue, and my Apple Watch heart rate reading confirmed it—an average of 170bpm.

My grip strength increased

Dumbbells are often easier to grip and maintain a neutral wrist position (where the wrist stays straight) while a kettlebell tends to pull the hand backward because of how the weight moves in relation to your grip on the handle.

I found that this really forced my forearm muscles to work harder to stabilize the load, particularly when doing moves such as swings, cleans and racked farmer carries.

Grip strength is strongly linked to various aspects of wellbeing, including heart health, bone density, cognitive function and frailty. Studies have found that people with strong grip strength tend to have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases and increased longevity.

Shop kettlebells

I bought my kettlebells from UK retailers Decathlon and Physical Company. If you're reading this in the US, I've found some equivalent affordable cast-iron and vinyl-covered kettlebells.