by ~ggvic~

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.

Find More Kettle Bells Articles

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This is a trailer promoting Pavel´s products back in the day when he branded himself as more of an real American man; look at his infamous poster with blue jeans, open shirt and the PAVELIZER…

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Over the past few years people everywhere are wanting to use a more dynamic approach to their workout program. The individual today wants variety in their workout routine. There is a lot of different ways to get a great workout. The “Kettlebell” or to be more specific, the Russian Kettlebell weights is a great piece of equipment to incorporate into your routine. You may not really know what they are or how to use them, but that is ok. Kettlebells or Girya, which is the Russian word for this cannonball with a handle is a solid iron ball with an iron handle attached to it. This workout tool comes to us from Russia with love. Strength and flexibility Coach Pavel Tsatsouline has popularized Kettlebells in the United States.

Russian kettlebell lifting has been nationally recognized around the world for decades along with its competitive exercises. The kettlebells dominate over other equipment simply because of its’ size and shape. It has a compact center of mass, which is moved more easily than traditional weights. The kettlebell workouts are a great way to condition the entire body. Athletes, male and female can use this apparatus for sports conditioning, as well as the average health conscience person wanting to add something new to their routine.

The hips, shoulders, and back are strengthened through a series of movements that benefits and helps to strengthen and stabilize the core, which is very important to everyone. Hip strength is vital in every sport on the planet. The movements with the kettlebell will increase your jumps, starts, stops, sprints, and kicks just to name a few. Hip strength is vital to these movements. The movement of the kettlebells conditions and strengths your back from various angles that are more dynamic than traditional weights.

This lends itself to the topic of Women Kettlebell exercises. This is not to say that there are just specific exercises for women using kettlebells. This is only to say that because of the compact center of mass it is easier for a women to move a kettlebell than some other pieces of gym apparatus. There are a great number of women that use machines in the gym and sometimes the equipment is not in proportion to the size of a woman. Generally, a womans’ hand are smaller than a mans’ hand so it is easier for a women to handle a kettlebell and this will result in optimal results for women.

I incorporate the use of kettlebells everyday with my own personal training clients. The majority being women. They love it and enjoy the mixture of kettlebells into their routine. Its is a total whole body synergistic engagement of aerobic and anaerobic endurance. Try this link and see for yourself. <a target=”_new” rel=”nofollow” rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://kettlebell-training-for-sport.blogspot.com/2009/02/top-5-youtube-kettlebell-videos.html”>http://kettlebell-training-for-sport.blogspot.com/2009/02/top-5-youtube-kettlebell-videos.html</a>, www.squidoo.com/willpowerfitness-4-kettlebells

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A member on the Supertraining Yahoogroup wrote in with the following question, and here was Mel Siff\’s response:

Member: Dr Siff, the information on the kettlebell training was informative. Many of the studies and techniques can be found in Pavel Tsatsouline’s ‘The Russian Kettlebell Challenge.’ I purchased a solid kettlebell (KB) from dragondoor.com after previously purchasing kettlebell handles from ironmind.com . The benefit of the handles is that weight can be added to any amount versus the fixed weight of the solid KBs (16 kg, 24 kg, and 32 kg).

The disadvantage, for myself, of the handles is that for cleans, presses, jerks, etc (overhead movements) the plates slide around and are not too stable. The handles are great for pulls, swings, extended pulls from blocks while the solid kbs are more stable for overhead movements.

Dr Mel Siff: Are there actual studies or references to Russian scientific journals in Pavel’s book? If so, please cite some of them here for our interest.

A Member wrote: As one gentleman stated in a past post, it is easy to overtrain with the kbs as the tonnage mounts very rapidly especially in high rep swings, cleans, and snatches. A simple calculation for volume of reps x weight, i.e., 16kg x 25 swings= 400kg (880lb) so you can see that even though the intensity (% of 1RM) is low, the volume can mount rapidly.

KB training is fun and is a throwback to the early days of weight training before machines. I take my KB and a jump rope while I travel and get a great training session anywhere – last trip I trained in the hotel parking lot.

For anyone who has not tried them, they are fun, will definitely increase your work capacity

and there are an infinite variety of exercise for the whole body to be discovered.

Dr Mel Siff: Our Scots training instructor at my former university had some kettlebells in our early university gym about 40 years ago and we enjoyed using them for many exercises, and found that they can be useful in offering one form of general physical preparation (GPP), alongside various gymnastics and rope climbing drills. However, their novelty often means that one can spend far too much time with them, time that could produce greater competitive improvement if devoted to the competitive lifts and their variants. The solid variety also allows one to impose more stress on the wrist flexors and extensors (which also can be a negative feature for some people who overuse KBs).

Member wrote: Exercises I currently do or am working toward with KBs (can be one or two arms)-cleans, clean and jerk, snatch, swings, high pulls, squat pulls, side press, bent press, Turkish get ups, leg circles and figure eights, tri extensions, curls, rowing motion, pullovers, floor press, pullups (with bells on feet and release to complete set), press, pistols. I am sure there are a lot more out there to be discovered.

Dr Mel Siff: Note that it very simple to devise exercises for KB training – just begin with the realisation that all you can do with dumbbells, you can do with KBs. Then, remember that the handles allow you to grip above the load and, if you are using solid KBs, you can add variations which involve wrist flexion and extension.

Member wrote: Pavel quotes that in Prof Medvedev weightlifting book there are 24 xercise

for arms and shoulders and 29 for legs and torso! Russian KB Challenge, p 28.

Dr Mel Siff: I have Dr Medvedev’s Weightlifting book (and a few others by him) and do not recall seeing any routines being given for kettlebell training – there were over 100 exercises based upon the Olympic lifts, but none on kettlebell training for weightlifters – did Pavel quote exactly which of Dr Medvedev’s books featured those KB exercises?

While we are discussing this topic. Would any of you care to list some of the KB exercises that you enjoy or have found to be useful? Find the answers to this and other questions at yahoogroups.com/supertraining

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Kettlebell Exercises

Going by the popularity wave, one is left wondering if the kettlebell is some kind of magical equipment which one needs to have for fat burning workouts. The kettlebell may look very obsolete when compared to new advanced weight training facilities available today, but nevertheless a kettlebell workout is very intense and allows free movement. Kettlebells can be used like other weights, to gain muscle mass, strength and fat loss.

The kettlebell is not a new invention; in fact it has been around for many years. But it only gained popularity recently in the United States after a former Russian special forces coach, Pavel Tsatsouline, brought it to the continent. Since then, many leading trainers, athletes and celebrities have embraced kettlebell exercises to increase their strength and flexibility.

A kettlebell is a weight, often made of cast iron, and looks like a cannonball, which has a suitcase type handle on top, for gripping. ‘Girya’ is the Russian word for the kettlebell, named so because of its shape. The kettlebell has long been and is still being used in Russian military institutes. These days’ kettlebells generally come with rubber grips, added for convenience.

An efficient workout with kettlebells can accomplish amazing results which even the most sophisticated gym equipment can not match.  Most kettlebell exercises work on many body parts at a time, thus providing a total work out for the whole body. There are numerous kettlebell exercises aimed at a specific body part. Like dumbbells, many variations and combinations of kettlebell exercises exist. If one wants to gain total body conditioning, then one should choose kettlebell exercises like swings, cleans, jerks, presses, windmills and turkish get ups which work on the entire body. 

Exercising with kettlebells burns the fat from your body and also works the whole nervous system. A highly intensive workout with kettlebells can leave your body totally exhausted in a few minutes. Since the body is not supported by any bench or machine, like in a gym. A kettlebell workout burns more calories and reduces fat quicker. Kettlebell cleans, snatch, jerk, swing and windmills are the most popular kettlebell exercises which can be done in under 10 minutes.

While kettlebell swings are good for muscle control and put emphasis on the posterior muscles; kettlebell cleans and jerks are lifting exercises which work on hamstrings, hips, arms, shoulders, and the chest. However, a kettlebell snatch is the trickiest of all kettlebell exercises as it combines many movements which involves muscles of the back, shoulder, forearm and abdomen, which works the whlle kinetic chain so it is a good workout for the whole body.

Doing repetitive kettlebell snatches with light kettlebells is also very good for metabolic training and can burn many calories in a short period of time. The kettlebell snatch can improve the muscle tone, increase body strength and stamina and is also very good for your posture.

While kettlebell exercises look as if you need the strength of goliath to perform the foundation exercises, they can be adopted by anyone male or female at any level- only if taught by a proper kettlebell coach.  Through performing kettlebell exercises, one can develop muscles and joints to act in a full range of motion. Kettlebell exercises work wonders for grip strength and endurance; which are so essential for sports like tennis, martial arts, rowing, ball sports and many others.

For more information go to:- http://www.russiankettlebellsuk.com

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Pavel Tsatsouline is the founder of the modern kettlebell movement. Here, Pavel discusses what is unique to his HardStyle kettlebell training and to his RKC instructor program. See www.dragondoor.com for complete details.

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Kettlebell exercises have the potential to turn your training routine on its head. Fat loss, muscle building and conditioning can all happen simultaneously with balance and stretching ability being improved too — If you don’t have kettle bell exercises in your regime, you’re missing out.

Now, before getting on to the bread and butter of the article – the exercises themselves – I feel it’s important to explain what a kettle bell is.

The training tool of choice for the Russian elite forces, kettle bells have been in prevalent in Russian society for a very long time. Shaped like a cannonball with a handle on the top, kettle bells allow for compound movements that work the body as a whole with a large amount of muscles and muscle groups being worked in each workout.

When buying a kettle bell, it is important to make sure that you start off with the correct weight. Too heavy and you could risk injuring yourself; too light and your training will suffer. Men who are new to the world of fitness training should start with a 16kg with more experienced athletes opting instead for a 20kg or even a 24kg kettle bell. Female trainers should start with an 8kg weight with more experienced athletes picking up a 12kg or 16kg instead.

Unlike dumbells, kettle bells do not increase incrementally in small jumps. This is compensated by variation in the exercises performed. As strength and conditioning is increased, more difficult kettle bell exercises are deployed that push the body harder and further.

The first exercise any aspiring kettle bell athlete (or girevek, as they’re known in Russia) should learn is the two handed swing. Despite it’s relative simplicity, the swing is an amazing exercise as it targets the back, the legs the abs all the while increasing flexibility in the hips and increasing cardio vascular endurance. The swing epitomises all that is brilliant about kettle bell exercises.

To perform the two handed kettle bell swing, you should start by placing your feet shoulder distance apart with your toes pointly slightly outwards. The next step is to squat down and pick up the kettle bell gripping the handle with both hands while sticking your bottom out in the air. Next, stand up and swing the kettle bell in front of you, pushing your hips forwards at the top of the swing. Finally, let the kettle bell fall down between your knees while you squat down. Rinse and repeat.

It is important to manage your breathing while carrying out the swing. While the kettle bell is rising, the girevek should be exhaling gradually with a sharp exhale at the top of the swing. The girevek should then inhale as the kettle bell falls and swings down between their legs.

A simple workout that can be carried out with the two handed swing is as follows:

- Warmup for ten minutes, doing a variety of bodyweight exercises. I recommend jogging for thirty seconds, then doing thirty seconds of pushups, thirty seconds of squats and then thirty seconds of ab crunches. Repeated five times at a moderate pace, the body should be warmed up and ready for action.

- Alternate between one minute intervals of swings and active rest for twelve minutes, i.e. one minute of swings followed by one minutes of jogging followed by another minute of swings followed by one minute of pushups, and so on and so forth. Active recovery is not supposed to tax the body greatly and should thus be carried out at a moderate to low pace to keep the body active.

The next morning after completing the workout, you’ll definately feel it!

Once you’ve masted the two handed swing, you can move on to other variations of the swing such as the one handed swing and the DARC swing where the kettle bell is released by one hand in the air and caught by other.

Beyond the swing, there are hundreds of kettle bell exercises to experiment with. To get the most out of your training, I recommend picking up the book Enter the kettle bell! by Pavel Tsatsouline.

Good luck in your training!

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