“Kettlebells” Real Deal or Just Hype!

A kettlebell is a cast iron weight, which resembles a cannonball
with a handle on it. It’s origin came from Russia. They have
been used for more than a 100 years by the special forces and
hard core fitness enthusiasts. From what they say superior forms
of strength and endurance can be obtained using this cannonball
type exercise. they are not measured in pounds they are measured
in poods.

In the twentieth century Soviet science revealed that repetitive
lifting with kettlebells is one of the best tools for all around
physical development. There are a series of exercises that you
can perform like swings, clean&jerk, snatches, presses, that if
performed in a high repetition environment can make for a great
workout in a very short period of time. Short intense workouts
but very effective. Now I have known about this type of training
for sometime but never really had a workout with them. I decided
it was time to try.

So I called a certified kettlebell instructor in my area and told
him I wanted to learn the movements and exercises to see what
type of workout i could get from these scary looking black
cannonballs with handles. There is a safe way to handle this
exercise device so I would strongly advise anyone who is
interested in this type of workout to also learn from a
competent professional. There are little tricks of the trade to
get maximum results.

We started off with the swing which is basically taking the bell
from a crouched position and swinging it upward with pelvic
thrust in a straight line with a straight arm. now the weight I
started with was probably equal to 36lbs. After watching him
perform the movement he told me to try and do 15 reps with 1 arm
and then 15 reps right after with the other arm. Well believe
you me after doing these 30 reps my breathing was heavy.I was
really testing the old lung capacity. Now this is the KEY POINT
it took me roughly 90-120 seconds to perform these reps.

And I was breathing like I just got finished running a mile. Even
when I started to get back to normal I could still feel my system
running at a higher level. The second exercise was the snatch
and basically it is the same movement as the swing but the
difference is you take the bell and bring it up overhead in 1
movement. Another nasty lung developer.

What I liked about this tool was it gives you a strength and
cardio workout at the same time. So I can see doing any of the 5
basic exercises he showed me for a high number of reps could put
you in oxygen debt rather quickly. I will say that if you could
perform these exercises for say 8-10 minutes it could totally
wipe you out. And that to me is a tremendous benefit, and time
saver.

So I know myself I will be adding “kettlebells” to future
workouts. And I think all the hype surrounding these castiron
balls for the most part is true. In addition to their many
mentioned benefits, the official kettlebell lifts also develop
the ability to absorb ballistic shocks. If you want want to build
strong ligaments and joints there is no equal.

I see these being used for athletes and for the fitness
enthusiast who is looking to output maximum effort in a limited
time frame. And fatloss acceleration because of high demands on
your system and afterburn effect. By the way women seem to peel
of the pounds when using this exercise protocol.

One word of advice make sure you start light. You need to get the
techniques down to avoid potential injury and to feel
comfortable with them. Master the technique and then go up in
weight. It may add a little spice and challenge to your fitness
program. I know it did mine I am still sweating!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Lose Weight at 6:27 AM Weight Loss Exercises