16 January 2007
Introducing Kettlebells
If you're any kind of trainer who keeps up with what's going on in the health, fitness and strength training world you have surely come across Kettle bells in the last couple of years. If you have, or even if you haven't this should give you an introduction and more of an insight into Kettlebells and what they are about.
In some circles they are considered to be all that is needed get you strong, get you big, get you lean, tone you up, burn fat, build you a house and fly you to the moon! In other circles they are just the latest exercise fad or gimmick.
In this piece I will argue neither of the above, just that I believe Kettle bells are a fantastic training tool, as good as a barbell or a dumbbell in terms of health, fitness, strength and conditioning. Just like a barbell or dumbbell however a Kettle bell can be great for certain exercises and training goals but not as good for others.
I'll get onto the benefits of Kettle bells later on firstly I'll give my views on fitness and particularly strength training and the problems with both. I believe the human body is designed to move. A lot of the problems, injuries and health related issues that humans in the world face today can be related to a distinct lack of movement.
By movement I don't mean moving around in a car, on a bus, a train or by 'moving' on a leg press, pec deck, tread mill or cross trainer. By movement I am referring to standing on our own two feet, supporting our own body weight, balancing and controlling our own limbs. By balance I am not referring to bouncing up and down on a ball either, instead I am referring to the neuromuscular and proprioceptive ability to support ourselves and our movement. In terms of exercise I am also referring to movements such as squats, dead lifts, presses, pushes, pulls, rows, jumps, runs and throws.
Now that I have briefly explained my stand on movement I'll get back to Kettlebells and just what they're about.
Kettlebells are an old time strength training tool, think leopard skin leotards, curly moustaches and fig leaves. They originated in Russia (Gyri is the Russian name for kettlebells) hundreds of years ago and moved to the rest of Europe and the USA during the 19th century. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries they along with Indian clubs, climbing ropes, gymnastic apparatus, and the original barbells and dumbbells were the tools of choice in gyms or physical culture centres as they were called at the time.
In the West they disappeared in gyms, fitness centres and health clubs and post WW2 they virtually disappeared altogether. However they remained a tool of choice in the East particular Russia and other countries that now make up the former Soviet Union. As well as barbell and dumbbell training, kettlebells were and still are used extensively by nationally and internationally ranked wrestlers, Olympic weightlifters, power lifters and many other athletes.
In the last ten years they have began to make resurgence in the west. This resurgence has been in no small part to Pavel Tatsouline, a Soviet Master of Sport now residing in the USA.
What exactly is a Kettlebell? A Kettlebell is essentially a ball of metal with a handle on it outside the main mass of the bell. The handle is crucial in a kettlebell's uniqueness as in certain movements it creates an extra axis. For exercises such as swings, snatches and cleans this extra axis really comes into play requiring the body to be able to both create and absorb extra momentum, more so than what is required for the same exercises performed with other bells (barbells and dumbbells). The handle also allows the user to hold onto the bell in different ways to perform different exercises.
The beauty of kettlebell's is their versatility. Everything you do with a dumbbell you can do with a kettlebell, everything you do with a barbell you can do with kettlebell. I'm not saying that kettlebell's should replace barbells and dumbbells, far from it. What I am saying is that athletes and everyday Jo's wanting to improve strength and fitness could do well to add kettlebell training and exercises into their programmes.
For personal trainers and group training instructors their versatility is fantastic. With one kettlebell a client can dead lift, front squat, arm curl, shoulder press, clean, snatch, swing and much more. In comparison with barbells they are space efficient and if you want to lift heavy; two bells can be used. You have more options than with dumbbells due to the versatility of the handles; you can't get two hands around a single dumbbell handle.
Again I am not trying to replace barbells and dumbbells. For maximal strength and power gains using a barbell to; dead lift, squat and bench press heavy is essential. Dumbbells are fantastic for unilateral exercises and great for more isolation type exercises such as lateral raises and chest fly's.
My point is that kettlebells are a fantastic tool that can be used to great effect to complement any strength and fitness programme. Whether used to make up a whole session or used for specific exercises within a session, kettlebells definitely deserve their place in the fitness industry. They won't build you a house or fly you to the moon but they can definitely help you and your clients in achieving health and fitness goals.
Bernard (BJ) Rule BSc Exercise Science
BJ is Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Personal Trainer residing in London.
For more information on kettlebells and Optimal Life Fitness' two day fully REPs accredited Extreme Kettlebell Instructor Course visit this link:
www.olfstore.com
bj@optimallifefitness.com
http://www.optimallifefitness.com/
In some circles they are considered to be all that is needed get you strong, get you big, get you lean, tone you up, burn fat, build you a house and fly you to the moon! In other circles they are just the latest exercise fad or gimmick.
In this piece I will argue neither of the above, just that I believe Kettle bells are a fantastic training tool, as good as a barbell or a dumbbell in terms of health, fitness, strength and conditioning. Just like a barbell or dumbbell however a Kettle bell can be great for certain exercises and training goals but not as good for others.
I'll get onto the benefits of Kettle bells later on firstly I'll give my views on fitness and particularly strength training and the problems with both. I believe the human body is designed to move. A lot of the problems, injuries and health related issues that humans in the world face today can be related to a distinct lack of movement.
By movement I don't mean moving around in a car, on a bus, a train or by 'moving' on a leg press, pec deck, tread mill or cross trainer. By movement I am referring to standing on our own two feet, supporting our own body weight, balancing and controlling our own limbs. By balance I am not referring to bouncing up and down on a ball either, instead I am referring to the neuromuscular and proprioceptive ability to support ourselves and our movement. In terms of exercise I am also referring to movements such as squats, dead lifts, presses, pushes, pulls, rows, jumps, runs and throws.
Now that I have briefly explained my stand on movement I'll get back to Kettlebells and just what they're about.
Kettlebells are an old time strength training tool, think leopard skin leotards, curly moustaches and fig leaves. They originated in Russia (Gyri is the Russian name for kettlebells) hundreds of years ago and moved to the rest of Europe and the USA during the 19th century. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries they along with Indian clubs, climbing ropes, gymnastic apparatus, and the original barbells and dumbbells were the tools of choice in gyms or physical culture centres as they were called at the time.
In the West they disappeared in gyms, fitness centres and health clubs and post WW2 they virtually disappeared altogether. However they remained a tool of choice in the East particular Russia and other countries that now make up the former Soviet Union. As well as barbell and dumbbell training, kettlebells were and still are used extensively by nationally and internationally ranked wrestlers, Olympic weightlifters, power lifters and many other athletes.
In the last ten years they have began to make resurgence in the west. This resurgence has been in no small part to Pavel Tatsouline, a Soviet Master of Sport now residing in the USA.
What exactly is a Kettlebell? A Kettlebell is essentially a ball of metal with a handle on it outside the main mass of the bell. The handle is crucial in a kettlebell's uniqueness as in certain movements it creates an extra axis. For exercises such as swings, snatches and cleans this extra axis really comes into play requiring the body to be able to both create and absorb extra momentum, more so than what is required for the same exercises performed with other bells (barbells and dumbbells). The handle also allows the user to hold onto the bell in different ways to perform different exercises.
The beauty of kettlebell's is their versatility. Everything you do with a dumbbell you can do with a kettlebell, everything you do with a barbell you can do with kettlebell. I'm not saying that kettlebell's should replace barbells and dumbbells, far from it. What I am saying is that athletes and everyday Jo's wanting to improve strength and fitness could do well to add kettlebell training and exercises into their programmes.
For personal trainers and group training instructors their versatility is fantastic. With one kettlebell a client can dead lift, front squat, arm curl, shoulder press, clean, snatch, swing and much more. In comparison with barbells they are space efficient and if you want to lift heavy; two bells can be used. You have more options than with dumbbells due to the versatility of the handles; you can't get two hands around a single dumbbell handle.
Again I am not trying to replace barbells and dumbbells. For maximal strength and power gains using a barbell to; dead lift, squat and bench press heavy is essential. Dumbbells are fantastic for unilateral exercises and great for more isolation type exercises such as lateral raises and chest fly's.
My point is that kettlebells are a fantastic tool that can be used to great effect to complement any strength and fitness programme. Whether used to make up a whole session or used for specific exercises within a session, kettlebells definitely deserve their place in the fitness industry. They won't build you a house or fly you to the moon but they can definitely help you and your clients in achieving health and fitness goals.
Bernard (BJ) Rule BSc Exercise Science
BJ is Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Personal Trainer residing in London.
For more information on kettlebells and Optimal Life Fitness' two day fully REPs accredited Extreme Kettlebell Instructor Course visit this link:
www.olfstore.com
bj@optimallifefitness.com
http://www.optimallifefitness.com/
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