I recently found out about the life changing benefits of picking up a kettlebell. My good friend has a kettlebell in his garage and one day I choose to pick it up and start heaving it around without knowing much about how to use it – but whatever I was doing it left me feeling great after just a couple of minutes. It is such an intuitive tool that I didn’t even need to know much about the proper form and technique to get a good workout in. I had to look up more about the Kettlebell and so I gathered some more about here.
“Part of the kettlebell’s mystique lies in its humble origins. Kettlebells debuted in 18th-century Russia, where they were used as counterweights to measure grain and other dry goods. It wasn’t long before farmers started challenging each other to lift the heaviest ones, and kettlebells eventually found their way into the hands of circus strongmen. After World War II, the Soviet Red Army adopted kettlebells as a means of training its soldiers, and in the 1970s, kettlebell lifting had grown to become the official sport of the Soviet Union.”
-Via Onnit
“Kettlebells have a distinct advantage to other modalities of exercise in that they are physically and naturally ergonomic. As every earthbound human body is victim to gravity, every free body object manipulated by the human body physically acts like a kettlebell. In terms of physics, a kettlebell essentially is a handle with a big heavy weight attached at the bottom of the handle. There are infinite examples of how this is expressed in our daily lives: suitcases, bags, backpacks, shopping carts, door handles, buckets, chairs… the list goes on. Due to gravity, no matter how one lifts a free body object, the point of grip/contact becomes the handle and the remaining mass becomes the big heavy weight at the bottom”.
According to Dr. Ben Fung (Fung & Shore, 2010).
Top 10 Reasons to Train With Kettlebells via Swing SF
- Combines cardio and strength training Kettlebell training keeps the heart rate high increasing cardiovascular strength and metabolic conditioning
- Increased fat loss Kettlebell training increases metabolic conditioning so you burn more calories over a longer period of time
- Dynamic never boring Kettlebell Exercises involve full body motions keeping you mentally engaged
- Short efficient workouts 10 minute mobility drill warm up, 40 minute strength training workout, done!
- Builds lean muscle Kettlebells build real life athletic muscle
- Improves posture Kettlebells work from the core out training the spine to be straight and upright
- Builds mobility Kettlebells require full range of motion opening up the bodies mobility
- Increases coordination Kettlebells require the body to work as one unit coordinating the arms, legs and core
- Mentally stimulating Kettlebells require you to stay engaged and constantly think of your movements
- Easy to learn Kettlebell strength training movements are functionally natural movements that everyone uses everyday
The kettlebell’s ability to work multiple muscle groups at once means that this training improves endurance as well as strength.
(Green, 2014)
I use the kettlebell now as my main source of weight lifting and do a 21 minute workout combined with jumping rope and shadow boxing. I recommend just doing a couple of basic movements to start, like the swing and the snatch.
The struggle is the reward – the struggle is what strengthens your resolve, it fortifies your mind.
Mykorstrength.com
