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Kettlebells for Strength and FitnessI can’t lie, I love kettlebells. I first learned about them when I was a teenager. I had always been interested in strength and loved history. The natural progression was to explore the history of strength. Turns out that kettlebells where once a popular strength tool used by most, if not all, of the old time strongmen in America and Europe at the turn of the century. The problem is that we forgot how to get strong. During the 1970s the push was for more high-tech machines. This denied us or God-given right to build a strong, pliable and stable body. Over the last decade or so kettlebells have enjoyed a huge resurgence thanks primarily to an ex-Russian military instructor named Pavel Tsastouline. Now, I had heard of kettlebells long before I ever heard about Pavel, but credit must be given where it is due. Thanks to him and the scores of people that he has trained more Americans know about this fantastic strength tool. A kettlebell is basically a cannonball with a handle. The most popular version is the Russian one, or “girya”. In fact in 1704 there was reference to the kettlebell in the Russian dictionary. Strongmen-types were known then as “gireveks” because anyone who used them became pretty strong. Back then kettlebells were first used as weights in the marketplace to weigh grain or other items. Legend has it that at the end of the day men would toss them around, juggle them and lift them. This developed into the kettlebell being used as a staple of Russian strength and power training. The amazing thing is that kettlebells have been shown to have a positive training effect on seemingly unrelated tasks. For example, a group of students was tested on a battery of common physical fitness tests, all military related. The tests included a run, pull-ups a broad jump etc. One group trained for the test while another trained using kettlebell lifts. When they were re-tested can you guess which group did better? That's right, the kettlebell group did. So much for sport specific training! Traditionally kettlebells are made of cast iron and came in three weights, based on the Russian standard of measure called a “pood” (16 kgs.) There was a 1 pood (16 kilos), 1 ½ pood (24 kilos) and 2 pood (32 kilos) KB. For the metrically challenged those weights are approximately 35 lbs., 54 lbs, and 75 lbs. Now they come in weights from about 10 pounds to 150 pounds. The beauty of this ugly piece of cast iron is in its simplicity and its effectiveness. A kettlebell can provide you with an endless variety of training exercises and can fit under your bed or in your closet. Try that with a big weight machine. With a kettlebell you can do anything that you can do with a dumbbell plus so much more. Try a simple press with a dumbbell and then try it with a kettlebell of the same weight and you will feel the difference. Other exercises “unique” to kettlebells include the windmill, Turkish get-up and the swing. If you have never tried a kettlebell find someone that can teach you. If you don’t own one, I strongly recommend you get one. Training with them can at the same time be grueling and extremely fun. Kettlebell training is addictive. Luckily it is an addiction that will bring about great gains in strength, flexibility, stability, power and endurance. Choosing the right kettlebell
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