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Sunday 29 August 2010

Kettlebells Part1



There are many reasons why training with the kettlebell is a fast way to fitness, I myself have been throwing these cannon ball things around for around for 4years now and have introduced them to a lot of clients and friends. A brief history of kettlebells: There’s a lot of argument about the origins of kettlebells, with the Russians and Scots both laying quite vocal claim to developing them. The most plausible reason for their existance was that they were used as a form of certified weight on scales around 150 years ago for measuring grain and other agriculture foods in markets. It is thought that a test of ones strength in those days was based on how heavy one of the kettlebells you could lift over head. As famous lifters of the time moved into using dumbells for developing muscle as well as testing strength, the explosive power benefits of Kettlebells got left behind. Mankind has always been fascinated by tests of strength and training with weights in some way, shape or form has always fascinated men ever since we stood upright. What can be said, especially in recent times, is that the Russians have taken kettlebell training and developed it into a highly technical and extremely demanding sport, The kettlebell basics focus around three core lifts - the swing, snatch and clean and jerk. What links all these drills together is that they force the body to work as an integral unit. Power is generated from the legs, driven through the hips and expressed through the arms. Every single muscle is brought into play and every single muscle is worked hard. Your hips and legs are some of the strongest muscles in the body. Okay, they aren’t the most useful for posing on the beach but for almost all sports, powerful hips will always be vital. Kettlebell ballistic drills work the glutes, hip flexors, abdominal region and erector spinae hard and will convey greatly improved athletic performance. Kettlebells do not take up much space so you can train in your apartment, backyard, garage, or go outside and get some fresh air. Kettlebell training is a form of training that will not only improve the appearance of your physique, it will give you strength and mental toughness that you did not know was even possible. Kettlebells do not take up much space so you can train in your apartment, backyard, garage, or go outside and get some fresh air. Kettlebell training is a form of training that will not only improve the appearance of your physique, it will give you strength and mental toughness that you did not know was even possible. In addition, to giving you incredible muscular endurance when done in high repetitions, with a proper nutrition plan any excess fat that you have will melt off rapidly. Ballistic exercises are not the only exercises that you can benefit from, kettlebell exercises such as the Turkish get-up and Windmill will develop a rock-hard midsection and increase shoulder flexibility and stability. If you are a woman that wants to lose weight and tighten up your glutes, quads, abs, and arms, apply a steady diet of kettlebell training ballistic work with some low rep kettlebell training strength work and you are all set. For combat athletes and anyone else that likes it tough, the ballistic shock of kettlebells teaches you how to absorb shock efficiently which is critical for combat sports such as: wrestling, MMA, football, and hockey. I have been training with kettlebells for over four years and I have never been in better shape. In addition to being lean and strong, my body has learned how to work as one unit. My muscular endurance and mental toughness have improved tremendously. I have recordered a few clips of me in action so in future when I write out workouts you will at least have the concept of what I'm going on about, enjoy :))

2 comments:

Weight Man said...

Hi, Enjoyed your write up. I hadn't really given much thought to training with the kettlebell since there are so many new and modern ways to train. I guess sometimes the old school methods are still proven successful ways to train. Nice history lesson too, I had no idea who came up with them either.

Kettlebell Rich said...

I spend most of my workout time these days using kettlebell training. I won't go back to old fashioned types of workouts any more because kettlebells keep me interested in fitness, and they get me in great shape!

Anyway, thanks for the work you put into this site!