The summer season is upon us, and if you’re looking for a quick way to get your body in beach shape, then you are in trouble. It’s already too late. But, you can still start now and you will be looking and feeling progressively better over the course of the summer.
What are Kettlebells?
Kettlebells are basically iron spheres with a semi-circular handle at the top. They were developed by Russian body builders to increase strength, muscle mass, endurance, and burn high levels of fat. They usually come in a variety of sizes starting at 4 kg (approximately 8.8 lbs) and increasing in 2 kg increments. As the Kettlebell has become more popular in the U.S. over the past year, it is now possible to find them in pounds rather than kilograms. This is good for those of you who are afraid of the logical metric system.
Why Kettlebells?
The design of the kettlebell allows for many interesting exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. The exercises usually incorporate elements of traditional weight lifting and cardio training. The dual-purpose work out fits nicely with many people’s lifestyles who do not have the time or motivation to engage in both strength and cardio training programs. Additionally, kettlebells enhance your coordination and balance because of the complex movements performed in the exercises.
How do I get started with kettlebells?
Many of the exercises possible with kettlebells are difficult to describe. This has led me to the use of books and videos. I recommend a video first, because seeing these exercises is the most helpful to being able to do it yourself. Once you have begun to get familiar with the kettlebells and the exercises, graduate to a book which will usually have more complex exercise routines. But in order to use the books, it usually is wise to already have some familiarity with kettlebells because of the terms that are used to describe the exercises usually require knowledge of other, more fundamental exercises.
Pitfalls or dangers?
Well, it is an iron ball… But seriously, the workouts can be intense so make sure that you start with the appropriate weight-levels and be careful. The fact that you are getting your heart rate up into fat burning and cardio-training levels means that some of these exercises are like sprinting while lifting weights. Also, you WILL drop the kettlebell at some point. Make sure you have proper sneakers on to protect your feet, but also realize that dropping the kettlebell is a fact of life and as long as you don’t hurt someone, it’s alright.
How to learn more
I purchased the DVD Art of Strength: Providence and am very satisfied. The instructor is pretty good at explaining/demonstrating the exercises and it utilizes a two minute “Round” framework. That means the exercises are performed for two minutes, sometimes with the two minutes divided into smaller blocks with sub-exercises. However, I think that video may be discontinued, so check out The Art of Strength: Newport instead. This is typically different from how I train, so it is a nice change. In terms of books, Enter the Kettlebell is pretty much the kettlebell bible, so it covers almost anything you could ever want to know or do with a kettlebell. Periodically, I will post updates with exercise descriptions and instructions.
One-hand snatch exercise image from Mike Malher
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Kettlebell Training
The summer season is upon us, and if you’re looking for a quick way to get your body in beach shape, then you are in trouble. It’s already too late. But, you can still start now and you will be looking and feeling progressively better over the course of the summer.
What are Kettlebells?
Kettlebells are basically iron spheres with a semi-circular handle at the top. They were developed by Russian body builders to increase strength, muscle mass, endurance, and burn high levels of fat. They usually come in a variety of sizes starting at 4 kg (approximately 8.8 lbs) and increasing in 2 kg increments. As the Kettlebell has become more popular in the U.S. over the past year, it is now possible to find them in pounds rather than kilograms. This is good for those of you who are afraid of the logical metric system.
Why Kettlebells?
The design of the kettlebell allows for many interesting exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. The exercises usually incorporate elements of traditional weight lifting and cardio training. The dual-purpose work out fits nicely with many people’s lifestyles who do not have the time or motivation to engage in both strength and cardio training programs. Additionally, kettlebells enhance your coordination and balance because of the complex movements performed in the exercises.
How do I get started with kettlebells?
Many of the exercises possible with kettlebells are difficult to describe. This has led me to the use of books and videos. I recommend a video first, because seeing these exercises is the most helpful to being able to do it yourself. Once you have begun to get familiar with the kettlebells and the exercises, graduate to a book which will usually have more complex exercise routines. But in order to use the books, it usually is wise to already have some familiarity with kettlebells because of the terms that are used to describe the exercises usually require knowledge of other, more fundamental exercises.
Pitfalls or dangers?
Well, it is an iron ball… But seriously, the workouts can be intense so make sure that you start with the appropriate weight-levels and be careful. The fact that you are getting your heart rate up into fat burning and cardio-training levels means that some of these exercises are like sprinting while lifting weights. Also, you WILL drop the kettlebell at some point. Make sure you have proper sneakers on to protect your feet, but also realize that dropping the kettlebell is a fact of life and as long as you don’t hurt someone, it’s alright.
How to learn more
I purchased the DVD Art of Strength: Providence and am very satisfied. The instructor is pretty good at explaining/demonstrating the exercises and it utilizes a two minute “Round” framework. That means the exercises are performed for two minutes, sometimes with the two minutes divided into smaller blocks with sub-exercises. However, I think that video may be discontinued, so check out The Art of Strength: Newport instead. This is typically different from how I train, so it is a nice change. In terms of books, Enter the Kettlebell is pretty much the kettlebell bible, so it covers almost anything you could ever want to know or do with a kettlebell. Periodically, I will post updates with exercise descriptions and instructions.
One-hand snatch exercise image from Mike Malher