What is a Kettlebell?
A Kettlebell is a dense, compact, and portable piece of equipment that looks like a cannonball with a handle. It is the ultimate tool for challenging your center of balance, muscles, joints, central nervous system, and cardiovascular system. However, it is not just the Kettlebell itself that provides the results; it is the ‘system of movement’ and ‘Kettlebell specific’ exercises that are performed with the Kettlebell that provide the results. The Kettlebell is simply the best tool for performing these movements and exercises in a safe and effective manner.
Why Kettlebells?
The benefits from Kettlebell lifting include improved muscle tone, hip strength, power and flexibility, grip strength, athletic performance, proper breathing techniques, core stabilization in all planes of movement, explosive strength, and speed. Not to mention it can help to make you a fat-burning machine!
A lot of emphasis has been put on “core” training over the last few years. Some of these modalities are not of practical use in terms of real strength. Real core work is achieved in the standing position challenging the muscles of the core through various planes of movement. Exercises that mimic daily activities of life are the ones that produce functional core strength. Safe lifting, pushing, pulling, getting up off the floor, reaching overhead and bending over are just some of the kinds of movements that are integrated in to the basic kettlebell drills.
Kettlebells also live up to their reputation as an all around fitness tool in the sense of replacing many other training tools. Various exercises in the kettlebell genre include ballistic moves which produce enhanced cardiovascular fitness, grinding moves used for increased strength, and core movements as discussed above for both strength and flexibility. Without the kettlebell, it would take as many as ten other pieces of equipment to cover the spectrum of possibilities.
Kettlebells are also great because they fit into the busiest of lifestyles. Workouts are shorter in duration so there is practically no reason to sacrifice your workout even in the most hectic lifestyle.
Save valuable time with Kettlebell training:
The name of the game in fitness these days is efficiency and intensity. We want to get the maximum results in the least amount of time. Unfortunately for busy women, the first thing to get cut out of your schedule is taking care of yourself, including your workout. However, it is possible to work out as little as 10 – 15 minutes at a time and still experience the benefits of a full workout.
Kettlebell workouts will reshape your body, increase your metabolism, increase functional strength, increase your overall fitness level, and burn fat from your hips and thighs in far less time than you might think. Since a Kettlebell workout can include strength and cardio components at the same time, it is the most efficient modality at your disposal. With this kind of a time saving tool, your workout does not have to be the casualty of your busy lifestyle.
Will I get too big from training with kettlebells?
Most women have an underlying fear of strength training because they believe that they will become bulky or masculine. Actually, a woman cannot develop a body like a man without some “special” supplements. As a matter of fact it is usually difficult for a woman (or a man for that matter) to develop and maintain large muscles even when they are trying for that look! For a woman, it is very beneficial to lift heavier weights to develop firm muscles and beautiful curves in all the right places. Especially with a Kettlebell, where the movements are through a long range of motion and require your body to compensate for changes in your center of balance, muscles developed are sleek, strong and useful for the daily activities of life. The muscle gained through more aggressive training techniques is the engine that burns up stored fat. For every 10 lbs. of lean muscle mass we carry on our body, 500 calories per day is consumed to maintain that body mass. So even at rest our bodies are burning calories at a higher rate. A common myth among women is that muscle will turn to fat if you stop training; however, muscle and fat are two different types of tissue. If you do stop training, your muscles will simply shrink and may appear flabby. If you stop training and continue to eat the same amount of calories as you did while training, you will definitely gain some fat.
Do you really care how much you weigh if your clothes fit?
A woman’s body that has been trained with heavy resistance may actually weigh more than a woman of the same size that has not done this type of training. This is because muscle is denser than fat and weighs more while taking up less space. The scale, therefore, is not your friend when you are undertaking a body transformation using heavy resistance. Body fat measurements and the fit of your clothing are more accurate indicators of how your body transformation is coming along.
A few more interesting facts and some good news:
The more we age, the more muscle we lose. Even if you have weighed the same since you were 20 and you’re now 50, if you have not used resistance training to build some muscle, your body composition will be less muscle and a greater percentage of body fat. Less muscle results in a slower metabolism and combined with sloppy eating and a few pregnancies, it is no wonder women experience the middle age demise of our formerly svelte physique. Once you let your shape go, it becomes more and more difficult to get it back. But there is good news…Kettlebell training is perfectly geared toward reclaiming your body of years gone by! With shorter, more intense workouts, you can have less burnout, and more energy left for all those things you “have” to do.
I am new to kettlebells, what size kettlebell should I start out with?
If you are in average to good shape and have some experience with weight training:
An average woman should start with an 18 pounder (8 kg).
An average man should start with a 35 pounder (16 kg).
If you are strong and in great shape with a lot of experience with weight training:
A strong woman can start with a 26-pounder (12 kg). Some women will progress to a 35-pounder.
A strong man can start with a 44-pounder (20 kg), but may want to use a 35-pounder (16 kg). Most men progress to a 53-pounder (24 kg), the standard issue in the Russian military.
If you are out of shape with no experience with weight training:
A woman should probably start close to a 14 lb (6 kg).
Men should consider the 26 lb (12 kg).
Ladies, please don’t be intimidated by the sound of these weight sizes. It is just as important to pick a kettlebell that is not too light as it is to pick one that is not too heavy. When kettlebell exercises are done with correct technique, you will absolutely be able to handle more weight than you ever thought you could. We have found that in the beginning there is a lot of use for the 6 or 8 kg bell, but in very short time as you gain flexibility, you will be using the 12 kg for your swing, clean, and snatch. It is about gaining confidence as well as gaining strength. Some of the overhead pressing moves may require you to stay with the 8 kg until you establish that pattern of strength. It really doesn’t matter though, because you can still do higher repetitions with a lighter bell and get a great workout. You can also use it to perfect your form when learning new exercises. You will never really outgrow your lighter bells.
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