| Old School Training |
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At first glance it looks like a rugged cannon ball spouting a handle. It is called a kettlbell. It is an unsuspecting tool that is toning and shaping many people's bodies in ways they didn't think possible. Kettlebells are popping up in gyms around the globe and have gained recent fame on "E Entertainment" and Men's Health Magazine from athletes and celebrities sharing their training "secrets", known to the rest of us, as Kettlebell Training. "I would say the biggest benefit of kettlebell training is that you gain strength without gaining weight. This type of training allows you to get the most potential at your current body weight. You get strong and hard and ketlebells give you a powerful punch." says Chris Hartwell, Kettlebell Coach.
It has been said that the simple kettlebell is so powerful a tool it has the ability to support all modalities of training. It can be used for sport specific training and will produce world class results. In 1983 Voropayev, a man who studied "kettlebell men", tested two groups of subjects in 4 exercises: pullups, a standing broad jump, a 100m sprint, and a 1k run. The control group trained using a program that emphasized the above exercises; the experimental group only trained with kettlebells. The result - the kettlebell group scored better in every one of the exercises. Kettlebells are used by people of all ages and for many different reasons.This February Lance Armstrong was featured in Men's Health magazine using kettlebells as a part of his training. Some train with kettlebells to gain lean muscle, while others to slim down and lose body fat, and some use kettlebell to train for a a specific sport or goal. For example, kettlebell training can be used to train for a triathlon, marathon, decrease back pain, or to become faster and stronger in a particular sport "I think Kettlebell Training is a great class to add to your regular fitness routine. If you're already in a boot camp or CrossFit class and are looking to take things up a notch you should look at adding a kettlebell class." Chris Hartwell.
Kettlebells have been called the "hand-held" gym, referring to the extensive functionality of this one tool. "If you used kettlebell training as your method of fitness you can expect fat loss, weight loss, a stronger core, shoulders, back, and legs. You're going to slim down, tone up, and gain lean muscle. There is no other tool in the world that has as much diversity as a kettlebell." Kettlebells are used by men and women alike and training is scaled to all levels of fitness. The classes are only 30 minutes long, making for an ideal high intensity workout. In the kettlbell class you can expect full body strengthening, deadlifts, cleans, turkish get ups, snatch, and sometimes incorporating the rings, pull ups, and box jumps.
Further Reading: |
Despite their recent fame, many people may not know that kettlebells have a lengthy history. As far as researchers can determine, kettlebells were first seen in a Russian dictionary in 1704. The Russian army readied its troops for battle using the kettlebell and strongmen and weightlifters in Tsarist Russia were called a "girevik" or "a kettlebell man".
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