By Mark Reifkind, Master SFG
Why a kettlebell?
To bring out the athlete inside.
Kettlebells are seemingly everywhere these days in the fitness world. From magazines and internet articles to TV shows, these cast-iron balls-with-a-handle are making their way around the mainstream of fitness training. Celebrities, pro athletes and everyday people looking to shed a few pounds and get some muscle tone are looking to the kettlebell for some help.
It’s not like kettlebells are new. In use for at least 300 years, these weights and the basic techniques gained popularity in the Russian Military for being the most efficient way to get troops into fighting shape fast, and keep them battle ready on the field — with the minimum of equipment.
But it was ex-Soviet Special Forces (Spetsnaz) instructor Pavel Tsatsouline that introduced them to America in 1998 with his article “Vodka, Pickle Juice and Kettlebells” for Milo magazine, a strength journal for those interested in the most functional, serious training available.
And now it has come full-circle with the mainstream of the fitness public (all over the world) clamoring for as much information as possible about what this “low-tech, high-concept” tool can do for their own serious, functional training.
Kettlebell training is grouped into two basic types: ballistics and grinds. Ballistic kettlebell training revolves around swinging the weights (ballistics) as well as lifting the bells in a traditional manner (grinds).
When you swing the kettlebell, every part of the body is involved in each and every rep. Your body is always doing something; either producing force (swinging it up) reducing force (as it swings between the legs) or reversing the load (as one goes from the backswing to the next rep). This leads to very high workloads with much lower perception of effort. Add in the acceleration forces (3-5 times the weight of the bell) and even the average person can do extraordinary workloads in very short order!
Swinging the bells lets you work your cardiovascular and muscular systems at the same time and can burn upwards of 20 calories per minute, even with very light bells – a very efficient way to get in shape very quickly.
Add in the high-tension lifts such as the overhead press, the getup, and the squat, and one has more than a complete exercise program; they have a seriously state-of-the-art training program that will actually deliver the results it promises.
The essence of “functional” training is that is has a solid carryover to the real world. The body is indeed a linked, interconnected system and needs to be trained as such for maximum benefit. The kettlebell and our methods of swinging and lifting the bells maximize this functionality. Even picking the bells off the floor using the correct form will carry over to everyday life and make one stronger and more resilient in record time.
Plus, by sheer necessity, kettlebell training will help bring out the athlete inside you, even if you never played sport. Compelling in a way a treadmill or plate-loaded machine can never be, kettlebell swinging and lifting requires balance, coordination, core control, hand-eye coordination, and teaches the trainee to move as an athlete, hips first.
For most people, work capacity is perhaps the most important factor in their “fitness” life. The ability to perform the activities of your day and have a reserve at the end is vital. Nothing will improve your work capacity faster, or more safely, than kettlebell training. The combination of ballistic and grind lifts, done in many possible ways will increase muscle tone and strength, cardiovascular ability, and stabilize and strengthen the legs, hips, lower back, abs and shoulders in the quickest time possible — 20-30 minute workouts 2-3 times a week.
That’s not much, but kettlebell training is not easy.
Simple — yes, easy — no.
But growing up and growing old is not for sissies and kettlebell training will give you another component that’s essential for life as well as fitness: toughness. Both a physical and a mental toughness. Just by showing up and getting to know your kettlebell.
Even if all you do is pick it up and carry it, it will make you stronger, tougher and more resilient. But don’t just take my word for it, ask around. Ask the military, law enforcement, martial artists, and athletes around the world that put the kettlebell square in the center of their training. If it’s a fad, it’s been a long, 300-year one.
Yet for all its usefulness for the athletic Elite, the kettlebell’s basic moves, particularly the swing and the getup, are truly the People’s exercises. Practicing swings and getups on a consistent basis will yield results to the average person that they just couldn’t get from virtually any other kind of training. Because there is no impact, and the training has core, stability and balance training built into its foundation, it is some of the safest strength training a person can do.
And the cost of entry is very low. All one needs is one or two kettlebells and a 4’x6’ square of clear floor to practice. By the time you put your exercise clothes on and get to your car to start your drive to the gym, your kettlebell workout is over and you’re already a better man or woman.
Of course you should get basic instruction from a certified trainer, but that goes without saying as one enters into any new physical venture. Kettlebell training is not without its risk, but neither is being alive. Again, growing old is not for sissies.
Strength is the Master Quality. From strength all other fitness aspects are derived. Think about it. If one doesn’t have the strength to oppose the small force of gravity enough to stand up straight throughout the day, how important is their aerobic capacity?
Kettlebell strength is unique because kettlebell training builds useable strength. Basic strength. Functional, real-world strength. And, after you have that, everything else is easier.
Mark Reifkind, SFG Master Instructor, lives in Palo Alto, CA. You can learn more about him at his website or his blog: http://GiryaStrength.com, and http://Rifsblog.blogspot.com.
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