Home-Based Kettlebell Exercise and Coronavirus Outbreak: Practical Suggestions

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic and the adopted social isolation to contain the virus spread led to several negative consequences including the decrease in the population's physical activity levels and increased physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. Home-based physical exercise assumes fundamental importance to maintain physical activity and fitness levels. Among the various exercise possibilities of home-based exercise, the kettlebell exercise can be a useful and low-cost tool. The kettlebell is a round-shaped steel or cast-iron weight, commonly described as resembling a cannonball with a handle whose dimensions increase with weight that varies from 2 to 92 kg. Kettlebell exercise offers an opportunity to train multiple muscles through functional exercises that could be performed at home to improve and maintain health-related physical fitness (e.g., cardiorespiratory capacity, muscle strength, and body composition) and mental health. In addition, kettlebell exercise (with a progressive increase in training overload) could be an alternative of home-based exercise program for the general population during pandemic outbreaks.

Factors Associated with Reduction in Physical Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic in São Paulo, Brazil: An Internet-Based Survey Conducted in June 2020

“…This body of knowledge can inform evidence-based policies to be implemented to counteract the impact of the reduction in physical activity level and sedentary behavior during the COVID-19 outbreak, thereby alleviating the global burden of noncommunicable diseases [28]. Although there are some previous published studies that recommended exercise that can be performed at home [19,41,42], in Brazil there are no public strategies at this time.…”

“…With this information in mind, physical activity programs have been consistently encouraged in the pandemic period, and home-based physical activity programs have received special prominence [15][16][17][18][19]. Numerous tips have been published for home-based physical activity and sedentary behavior interruption [20].…”

YouTube as a Source of Information About Physical Exercise During COVID-19 Outbreak

“…In some countries, levels of physical inactivity can be as high as 70%, due to changing transport patterns, increased use of technology, cultural values, and urbanization. Depending on the country, despite the #Stay-atHome is still an important safety and security measure it limits the practice of a series of physical activities in open and closed environments (e.g., parks, gyms, beaches, and clubs) (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). That is, COVID-19 outbreak just made this even more aggravated.…”

Are exergames an option to cope with sleep disorders during the COVID-19 outbreak?

“…In this sense, preventive measures adopted to mitigate COVID-19 transmission included the shutting down of physical exercise facilities (e.g., gyms, swimming pools, and fitness centers) and restriction of outdoor and indoor activities, which may increase physical inactivity and sedentary behavior 22 . To cope with this situation, previous studies have proposed home-based physical exercise programs through feasible and alternative strategies, such as practicing kettlebell training 23 or interval training 24 (e.g., high intensity interval training: 1-4 minute bouts of vigorous exercise interspersed with periods of passive or active recovery). However, for some persons, especially for those that are not experienced with physical exercise training, these strategies could not be easy to implement, since there is a need to control the variables related to training, such as intensity and/or guidance from a specialized professional 25 .…”