A ‘kettlebell’ or girya (Russian) is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle. It is said to be the ultimate tool for extreme all-round fitness.
It started life in rural Russia as a counter balance for weighing grain. Russian peasants picked it up and swung it around for a bit of convenient weight training.
Over time, the Russian military understood its potential and started to use it, then Russian strongmen and wrestlers. American athletes eventually discovered it. Today it is regarded by fitness experts as the ultimate training tool for all-round fitness and physical development.
The kettlebell goes way back, it first appeared in a Russian dictionary in 1704 (Cherkikh, 1994). They were so popular 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,” reported Russian magazine Hercules in 1913.
Unlike a conventional dumbbell or barbell, the Kettlebell’s centre of mass is displaced from the handle. This means the weight constantly pulls against your hand and requires not only strength and co-ordination when exercising with it, but also the recruitment of other muscles through your arms, shoulders and trunk.
Here is a short list of hardware the Russian kettlebell replaces:
barbells, dumbbells, belts for weighted pullups and dips, thick bars, lever bars, medicine balls, grip devices, and cardio equipment.
Kettle Bell training develops strength, power, endurance and balance. Kettle Bell workouts have long been a favorite of throwers, jumpers, sprinters and hurdlers. You can perform squats, pulls, overhead throws and rotational training plus much more. it improves your balance and your posture, and after working out with kettle bells just walking around the next day you can feel more centered.
Talk to your doctor or personal trainer to see if kettle bells is the right fit for you!
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