What are kettlebells and what they can do for my fitness?
If you are new to kettlebells or have been interested in them for a while, you are sure to have heard of Steve Cotter or Pavel Tsatsalone. If you haven’t you will in time. I have found both of their products to be helpful in different ways.
>> Learn more about Steve Cotter’s products here.
>> Learn more about Pavel Tsatsalone products here.
What are kettlebells? There has been a lot said about Kettlebells: the New Fitness Trend for 2009. Truth is Kettlebells have been around for centuries, but have become re-popularized through the work of Pavel Tsatsalone through Dragon Door, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter, Mike Mahler, and Jeff Martone to name a few, and of course many others.
Kettlebells are more than just another fitness tool. Kettlebells can best be described as cannonballs with handles. More versatile than dumbbells and barbells because the design of the weight allows the kettlebell to be pushed, pulled, thrown, and swung through various planes and angles in space. This allows the practitioner or you “the grunt” (Grunt because you’ll probably be grunting and gasping during your work-out.) to recruit muscles that normally aren’t worked with exercise machines or other types of exercise or weights. Indeed, the little kettlebell is not only versatile but takes up little space – that is, until the grunt, again, that’s you, begins to feel gains in strength, endurance and power stronger. You might be prompted to buy more kettlebells. Or you can just do more reps with the lighter kettlebell.
The kettlebell, when properly utilized, teaches that weight moving through space requires more dynamic tension in the body to control the momentum and the poundage of the weight. Steve Cotter said that strength is a skill; and the skill to be developed is functional strength: the strength needed to do the work. Kettlebells help teach you to develop that skill through kettlebell workouts and exercises. Kettlebells can be used to aid in gain in many sports and activities. The main feature of the kettlebell is its portability. True, heavier weights are troublesome to carry. But a couple of kettlebells can be loaded into a trunk. You can place one in suitcase for air travel. Be prepared to pay extra fees, and also be prepared for angry looks when the conveyor belt breaks from all the weight. (It happened to me.) You can develop many parts of the body with kettlebell. All that is required is a little creativity and knowledge about the structure of anatomy, namely the origin, insertion and action of the muscle. But why reinvent the wheel?
There are videos, DVDs, books, kettlebell trainers and related products in many locations to help rev up your kettlebell fitness level. With Kettlebells, and/or in conjuction with the specific training done for your individual sport, k-bells will do a lot for you in a short amount of time. Kettlebells can be used for any sport because the exercises are basic to human activity. For example, the Swing is similar to someone preparing to leap or jump the motion of that sport. It can also be applied to a swimmer’s freestyle stroke. And the only way to truly experience the power of kettlebells is to use them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRNZlRWl6gk&feature=PlayList&p=5E1A43A996B31DAC&index=55&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL
Some Additional Resources for Kettlebells The Russian Kettle Bell is a tool, and like any tool needs to be respected. Kettle bells can be found at a variety of gyms and stores. The Rusiian Kettle bells are a great tool, but as with any physical exercise, consult a health practitioner before starting a new regimen.
From Kettlebell Blogs Reasons To Love Kettlebells Kettlebells are the best way to get strong. Kettlebells are fun to use, they require great focus, and it is more fun to practice than to work out. The New Old School of Fat Loss: Kettlebells From a training standpoint, nothing provides more efficiency than combining kettlebell training with traditional bodyweight exercises. Separately they still will yield impressive results, but together, NOTHING can compare.