WHAT ARE KETTLEBELLS?

A ‘kettlebell’ or girya (Russ.) is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle. As the 1986 Soviet Weightlifting Yearbook put it, “It is hard to find a sport that has deeper roots in the history of our people than kettlebell lifting.” So popular were kettlebells in Tsarist Russia that any strongman or weightlifter was referred to as a girevik, or ‘a kettlebell man.’ “Not a single sport develops our muscular strength and bodies as well as kettlebell athletics,” wrote Ludvig Chaplinskiy in Russian magazine Hercules in 1913.” The Russian Special Forces personnel owe much of their wiry strength, lethal agility, and never-quitting stamina to kettlebells. Soldier, Be Strong!, the official Soviet armed forces strength training manual pronounced kettlebell drills to be “one of the most effective means of strength development” representing “a new era in the development of human strength-potential.”

Who uses kettlebells in the United States?

The extreme kettlebell workout would have remained the exclusive domain of Russian spec ops, had former Spetsnaz instructor Pavel not immigrated to the U.S. The elite of the U.S. military and law enforcement instantly recognized the power of the Russian kettlebell, ruggedly simple and deadly effective as an AK-47. Once the Russian kettlebell became a hit among those whose life depends on their strength and conditioning, it took off among hard people from all walks of life: martial artists, athletes, and regular tough guys. There is no stopping the Russian kettlebell invasion. Men’s Journal called it ‘a workout with balls.’

Kettlebells deliver extreme all around fitness
Voropayev (1983) observed two groups of subjects over a period of a few years and tested them with a standard battery of armed forces PT tests: pullups, a standing broad jump, a 100m sprint, and a 1k run. The control group followed a typical university physical education program that emphasized the above. The experimental group just lifted kettlebells. In spite of the lack of practice on the tested exercises, the kettlebell group showed better scores in every one of them! Researchers at the Lesgaft Physical Culture Institute in Leningrad (Vinogradov & Lukyanov, 1986) found a very high correlation between the results posted in a kettlebell lifting competition and a great range of dissimilar tests: strength, measured with the three powerlifts and grip strength; strength endurance, measured with pullups and parallel bar dips; general endurance, determined by a 1000 meter run; and work capacity and balance, measured with special tests! Shevtsova (1993) discovered that kettlebell training lowers the heart rate and the blood pressure. Gomonov (1998) concluded that “Exercises with kettlebells enable one to quickly build strength, endurance, achieve a balanced development of all muscle groups, fix particular deficiencies of build, and they also promote health.” Most methods that claim ‘all around fitness’ deliver no more than compromises. Accept no compromises – choose the Russian kettlebell!

The kettlebell body 
Russian kettlebells are not for Kens and Barbies who want to look like ‘a collection of body parts.’ K-bells forge doers’ physiques along the lines of antique statues: broad shoulders with just a hint of pecs, back muscles standing out in bold relief, wiry arms, rugged forearms, a cut midsection, and strong legs without a hint of squat-induced chafing. Kettlebell have shown to help melt fat without having to do aerobics; losing 1% of bodyfat a week for weeks is not uncommon. If you are overweight, you will lean out. If you are too skinny, you will get built up. According to Voropayev (1997) who studied top Russian gireviks, 21.2% increased their bodyweight since taking up kettlebelling and 21.2% (the exact same percentage, not a typo), mostly heavyweights, decreased it. The Russian kettlebell is a powerful tool for fixing your body comp, whichever way it needs fixing.
Are kettlebells dangerous? Am I too young or too old?
 Only 8.8% of top Russian gireviks, members of the Russian National Team and regional teams, reported injuries in training or competition (Voropayev, 1997). A remarkably low number, isn’t it? Note that these were not regular guys but elite athletes who push their bodies to the edge. Which does not give you an excuse to lift kettlebells flippantly; any type of strength training can be dangerous if you use bad judgment. As for the age, at the 1995 Russian Championship the youngest contestant was 16, the oldest 53! And we are talking elite competition here; the range is even wider if you are training for yourself rather than for the gold.

What size kettlebell is right for me?

Most women can start with a 15-18 pound kettlebell. Stronger women can begin with a 25 pound. Many women will develop strength and use a 35-44 pound.
Most men can start with a 26 – 35 pound kettlebell. Stronger men can begin with a 44 pound kettlebell. Many men will develop great strength and use a 53 pound all the way up to 106 pound.

Where can I purchase kettlebells?

With kettlebells growing extremely fast it is common for many companies who don’t really know much about kettlebells to cheaply manufacture them with competitive prices. The problem that is happening is they are not properly made and therefore, can really get in the way of your training. For examples some handles are too rough which can tear up your hands. Other kettlebells have a vinyl coat, which looks nice, but doesn’t leave the proper room in between the handle and the ball. Therefore it’s hard to have proper wrist alignment and technique in many of the lifts. The reason why I know is I have taken the time to use most of the bells out there and confidently can tell you that the following 3 are made the best.

Some kettlebell options out there.

#1.Dragon Door kettlebells
These hand down, are the highest quality kettlebells around. You don’t have to worry about the handles being too rough or the ratio of the bell to the handle being off. I have had Dragon Door bells the longest and they look and feel the newest. They are the most expensive but they will last.  I will choose these first over any other kettlebell when it comes down to it.

#2 Lifeline Kettlelbells
The shape is very similar to dragon door bells. However, the handles are not as smooth. If you constantly have sweaty hands and do not like to use chalk these are nice for that purpose. The price is also a bit lower.

#3 Ader kettlebells
I enjoy using the smaller size Ader bells. Although I have found these bells to chip from time to time, the price is nice. If you don’t exercise much outside you should be fine. I teach group classes on cement so we are not very gentle to the bells. These also come in a few pretty colors for those who want something other than a standard color. The smaller size bells are good for gifts in the berry and pink color and will not tear up your hands. 

Can you tell me more about suspension training and which product would be the best fit for me?

Suspension training using your body weight is one of the best ways that will compliment your kettlebell training. Using rings or cables will develop amazing full body strength, core stability, and can aide in a stretching program for flexibility. The beauty of suspension workouts is you do not need a gym and you can take with you almost anywhere. Here are the 3 suspension training products I use interchangeably.

Rings
This is the first method I used. Rings have been around the longest. This is a solid piece of equipment that will get you doing chin ups in no time. You can hang these on a pull up bar, beam, tree branch. You can do many exercises with these. If your main purpose is to progress to pull ups rings will be your best option.

Jungle Gym
This is probably the most cost efficient. They now have 3 apparatuses you can choose from. It’s an easy set up as you can put it over any sturdy door, beam, bar, tree branch, etc.. This tool is very versatile and allows you to do many exercises that the TRX. You can also do chin ups with the Jungle Gym. The only draw back is you have to shorten them one at a time. It can take a little getting use to as you change lengths with this system to make sure they are identical lengths. Still good quality, very light durable, and does the trick without breaking the bank.

TRX Suspension Trainer
This is a high quality product that I enjoy using with my group classes. It’s a bit more pricey than the original Jungle Gym. This does almost everything that the Jungle Gym. However, there are more rules as far as how high to hang it. When on a door it doesn’t really allow for full chin ups like the Jungle Gym since it’s lower. It’s very easy to adjust the length, as it makes flowing from one exercise to the next a little smoother than the Jungle Gym. The handles are also softer and easier to approach.

I am new to kettlebells which DVD do you recommend I start with?

The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells, will be all you need to begin your kettlebell journey. Other than a kettlebell. This DVD will give you a complete tutorial section on the foundation kettlebell exercises that will keep you busy for months with a couple follow along workouts.

Would the “Baby Bells” DVD be too easy if I am not pregnant?

The workout provided on Baby Bells can be challenging even for those who are not pregnant. This is a good workout to try and use a heavier weight since the pace is a little slower. Many who are not pregnant have actually found this to be a good workout to add to their rotation. The design of the workout uses full precaution for every stage of pregnancy.

How much weight can I expect to lose working with Kettlebells?

Many people have lost 10-15 pounds in the first few months when implementing kettlebell workouts in to their regimen. Don’t expect to lose tons of weight if you are eating lots of junk and processed foods. With any weight loss program, it’s imperative that you incorporate clean and balanced nutrition. You will feel and look better overall. Too read about On The Edge Fitness nutrition services click here.

Will I be able to use Ultimate Body Sculpt Vol. 2 if I don’t own Vol. 1?
If you are familiar with your basic kettlebell drills then you should be able to safely use Vol. 2. Although Vol 1. Does include challenging workouts even for the advanced lifter.