Just a quick one today, its been a real busy week! This post will just touch on the kettlebell a little bit to give some information on them, many people see them around the gym and have no idea what they are, or what to do with them, or even how to pick them up!
Remember those Swiss-Army knives? I am sure most of us have had some experience with them while growing up. It was an all in one tool that pretty much had anything you could ever need in case of an emergency. I mean some even had toothpicks and little scissors in them (that never really worked anyway). I used them a lot whenever I would go camping, and they were generally helpful to have. Some people just knew how to use them better than others. Some would only use one or two implements while others knew how to use everything. Of course the more you knew about your Swiss army knife, the more effective you were when you needed it . . . right?
The kettlebell is such a tool to use in the gym. It is not a new tool by any means, it just went to the wayside for a while here in America, while it was used extensively in Russia. If you have ever heard anything about Russian athletes, you know they mean business. Kettlebells have been around for hundreds of years, making old time strongmen build physiques that men today find themselves striving for!
The Kettlebell is a handheld gym – it can be used to produce everything from endurance, to strength and size, to fat loss conditioning, and athletic training. The great thing about the kettlebell is that you really only need one, and you can transition quickly, easy and comfortably from one exercise to the next. The kettlebel is the national sport of Russia and some of the criteria for making this so is that the Russians were looking for a strength tool that was
- Practical and Economical
- Easy to Learn
- For the Masses
Kettlebells provided all of this, you just grab and go! They are easy to learn, and can be used by every population.
The unique handle and shape, with the off center weight allow for many different and unique uses from flexibility to power drills that are just not the same with dumbbells.
Today, top American athletes, police and fire departments, the military, and martial artists are training with kettlebells to stay in top form for their respective professions. With the growing popularity of kettlebells, dedicated kettlebell gyms are starting to root their feet in the over-saturated, fad-laden, frilly fitness industry, while allowing anyone and everyone to get involved. The kettlebell has proven to not be a fad, but a tried, tested and true means of obtaining higher levels of fitness and health.
It has been said that training with a kettlebell is the closest you can get to being in a fight without throwing a punch. When it comes down to it, they are a great tool to add into the mix, learn to use them effectively and you can yield some great results!
Stay strong,
Joey
