Kettle Bell Training
There’s a new training method that’s sweeping the nation. Well, it’s new in the U.S. for the most part, but kettlebell training is an age-old Russian sport. The Kettlebell, or girya, originated in Russia and can be traced as far back as the early 1700s. It’s a cast iron weight that has been described as looking somewhat like a cannonball with a handle. Popular with U.S. strongmen in the first half of the 20th century, kettlebells have made a comeback in this country led by the promotions of Pavel Tsatsouline and Valery Fedorenko. Those world champions have led others to follow suit with their own brands of kettlebells and kettlebell exercise programs.
Common sizes of kettlebells are roughly 18 pounds, 26, 35, 53, 70 and 88, with 88s being for “mutants” Pavel jokes. Men and women alike and people of all ages train with them nowadays. According to Pavel’s Web site www.russiankettlebells.com, the benefits include “building your staying power because the last round decides all” and “Hacks your fat off without the dishonor of dieting or aerobics.” Pavel also points out that a kettlebell is an all-in-one gym. “It makes you as strong as you want anywhere, anytime.”
An Ohio trainer I’ve talked with on many occasions stumbled onto kettlebells by accident several years ago and now says he can’t put them down. Andrew Durniat, 30, has not only become a champion kettlebell lifter, but also uses them in his business as a personal trainer. “I was in pretty good shape having played college lacrosse and was coaching and working out,” Durniat said. “I learned about (kettlebells) on the Internet and then picked them up for the first time at a national strength and conditioning show in St. Paul, Minn., in 2005.
“I could bench press about 350 pounds and squat 400, but within five or 10 minutes with the kettlebells, I was like ‘Oh shoot, these are legitimate.’ I started training with a few guys knowledgeable in the sport and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s just taken my strength and endurance to an entirely new level.”
In a short time, Durniat advanced as a kettlebell lifter to the point where he won the single-arm snatch competition at the North American Kettlebell Federation championships held in Salt Lake City in 2007. Durniat not only placed first, but became the first American to go the full 10 minutes in the strength and endurance competition. He lifted the 70-pound kettlebells 60 times with his right arm and 64 with his left for a total of 124 reps.
“Once you pick up the kettlebells, you can’t set them down,” said Durniat, a 6-foot-4, 217-pounder who’s a former Div. III college lacrosse
All-American. “You do as many reps as possible in 10 minutes.
“The only way you can rest is to hold them against your chest in the ‘rack’ position, but hold 140 pounds against your chest and see how difficult it becomes. It hurts, it’s challenging,” Durniat said. “It’s not easy by any means.”
There are countless exercises one can do with kettlebells and trainers say they replace results one could get from barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls, cardio equipment, etc., because kettlebells engage the entire body during lifts.
“I lift as a total body athlete now as opposed to doing isolated movements,” Durniat said.
Kettlebells may be used as the primary source for working out, or mixed in to lighter degrees with other more mainstream ways such, such as free weights or machines.Durniat said kettlebell lifters require “the perfect blend of strength and endurance.
“You don’t see 300-pounders lifting kettlebells. I’m in the heavyweight class at 217.”
But Durniat and other kettlebell lifters insist they can benefit people from all walks of life, young an old, male and female. You just have to be willing to out in some hard work and have the desire to be more fit.
At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com.
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