What on earth is a kettle bell?

Evil little ball. -Diana 

Is it a coincidence that I have had more than one client threaten to throw away the kettle bells when I’m not looking?

The kettle bell is one of the most versatile fitness tools anyone can get their hands on. Whether you want to do strength and power moves or agility and core maneuvers there is a kettle bell routine for you. I will never forget my first experience with the kettle bell. When I was a sales manager I liked to work with the different trainers so that I could better match new members with the trainers. Graydon would always walk around the gym with his kettle bell and wait for someone to ask him about it. He was able to pull several clients off the floor with this method and honestly I thought it was a pretty ingenious way of doing so. The day I was scheduled to meet with him I overslept… first mistake, upon my late arrival I could see that he wasn’t happy that he had to wait around for me when he could have been billing client hours. After my warm up we went to an open area with nothing but a 1 pood (35lbs) Kettle bell. I have never in my life regretted hitting the snooze button more. We did everything from lunges to swings back to lunges then core work. Keep in mind I am in pretty good shape at this point and by the time we finished up I felt beat down… and loved it. So I started incorporating the kettle bell into my own clients workout routine so I could share the love J.

A Kettle bell is best described as a cannonball with a handle. This makes it perfect for ballistic, swinging type movements. Not only will this add a new element for your muscles to adapt to but it is also functional in the way that it strengthens the body for everyday movements. Many kettle bell exercises such as the snatch or Turkish get up require full body muscle activation. This allows for the use of muscle fibers that are left un touched during your “normal” workouts. The obvious benefit to that is adaptation and growth due to muscle stimulus.

Kettle bell workouts generally require coordination, balance, and a certain level of muscle awareness so it’s not the first thing I do with brand new clients. However with proper technique and form it is hard to mimic the benefits of kettle bell training. Also Kettle bells are generally pretty expensive so if you can find a gym that offers kettle bell class that is a good way to start, and of course you can always seek the help of a fitness professional to get you headed in the right direction. As always feel free to contact me with further questions or extra advice.

Yours in Health.

Jeremy Oliver