|
Often associated with the Russian Strong Men,
this centuries' old technique currently experiences a resurgence
as a fat burning, strength training and cardio workout for men
and women and inside advantage for America's armed forces.
Nationwide, over 250 individuals are now or soon to be licensed
as Russian Kettlebell Certified Trainers. Fitness
centers across the country, taking note of the trend, continue
adding Kettlebell classes for their members.
 |
|
A
Kettlebell resembles a cast iron bowling
ball with a handle. Like free weights a set can range in weight
from nine to eighty-eight pounds. Experts classify
kettlebells as a type of free weight. |
|
Kettlebell exercises focus on a person's
core, specifically the hips, abs and posterior improving
performance for athletes in running, jumping and any other
movement requiring pelvic thrust (gentlemen?) and control. By
default arms, thighs, chest and back also receive a substantial
workout with added definition. The end result creates
rounded, defined muscles as opposed to the lean smooth muscles
seen on swimmers, gymnasts and cyclists. How kettlebells differ
from traditional free weights is defined by use. Foundation
moves including the swing, clean, and press engage multiple
muscle groups simultaneously, resulting in an overall
strengthening of the body as opposed to the single-muscle
approach typical of traditional weightlifting.
|
|
|
The primary advantage of
Kettlebells over standard circuit training?
The
athletes entire body engages in each exercise rather than
circuit training's isolation of muscle groups.
"Kettlebells really develop
your core muscles and functional strength like
nothing else, which is especially important
because the average individual spends much of
their day sitting," comments
Sarah Lurie, a Russian Kettlebell Certified
instructor for Iron Core in La Jolla, California
and the producer of the "Kettlebells: The Iron
Core Way" DVD workout.
"Watching my clients embrace
the program and seeing how it changes not only
their bodies but their entire lives, is the
reward," she concludes. |
|
Many of Lurie's clients have experienced
dramatic body transformations. One female client after working
with kettlebells for eight months, lost over 30 inches. A male
client in 6 months lost 14 pounds of fat while adding five
pounds of muscle, thus allowing him to drop two pant sizes.
Kettlebells & the Military
The US Military began adopting Kettlebells in
recent years as the Christian Science Monitor notes in its June
2, 2004 article,
The strongman 'Kettlebell' makes a
comeback at the gym: One
study shows that the 'core strength' benefit of Kettlebell
lifting outperforms circuit weight training.:
"There's a competitive reason behind
the appearance of kettlebells at the back doors and tent flaps
of military personnel. When Russian and US Special Forces
started competing against each other after the Soviet Union
broke up, the Americans made a disturbing discovery.
"We'd be totally exhausted and the Russians wouldn't even be
catching their breath," says Jeff Shaffer, an off-duty Secret
Service agent watching the Sterling event. "It turned out they
were all working out with kettlebells." Now, half the Secret
Service is snatching kettlebells and a set sometimes travels
with the president's detail on Air Force One."
--CS Monitor
The First US National
Kettlebell Championships were held in May 2004.
People engaged in Pilates workouts will find
adding Kettlebells to their routine a natural. Regiments
for both types of exercise share a sense of exact, timed and
coordinated movement using balance and precision. Where Pilates
help elongate and smooth muscles, Kettlebells will add a
dimension of depth. <end>
More
Resources on Kettlebells:
|
&
