A year or maybe more ago I read an interesting article in Oxygen magazine (if you are interested in fitness and have not seen this I highly recommend you check it out) about Kettlebells.
It had me intrigued as I read how with this one funny looking piece of equipment you could burn up to 1200 calories per hour and that it was more effective than running, cycling or rowing for fat loss.
For those of you who are sitting there wondering, this is what a kettlebell looks like
You are intrigued now too huh?
After doing some more research I learnt that Kettlebells are an ancient Russian training tool which were originally used as counterweights for weighing grain. Peasants soon discovered they could be used as a hand weight and this lead to the Russian military picking up on the benefits and using the kettlebell as a training tool for their soldiers. Kettlebells have the following benefits:
- Kettlebells enable you train cardiovascular fitness as well as strength, power, endurance, flexibility, mobility and speed all with this one single tool!
- Kettlebell training uses the body as a single functioning unit rather than isolating muscle groups therefore has the potential to use more energy than other training methods.
After all this research I was hooked! I learnt that you could get trained in Kettlebell instruction and at the start of this year I went off and did a full day of training in Sydney with a woman from Ironedge who are the home of Australian Kettlebells. Apart from the instructor, I was the only female in a group full of big muscled up men (not that I complained lol) but by the end of the day everyone was equally stuffed. The guys who started at 16kg or more were then trying to steal my lighter weights!
Just recently we got some kettlebells into work so I can finally start instructing and sharing the benefits of this marvellous little tool with others. Practising with them the other day reminded me not only how intensely they can work you but how fun they can be! I can’t wait to incorporate them regularly into my weekly training.
I highly recommend this method of training to everyone no matter what your goals because as you can see it provides pretty much everything you could look for in training whether it be strength, cardio,power, speed or flexibility.
You can buy kettlebells in most sporting stores these days or if you are interested in training, instruction or qualifications I would recommend looking into courses through either www.ironedge.com.au or www.dragondooraustralia.com.
Any questions regarding further info please feel free to comment below :)
Below are some pics of me training with the kettlebells this week
Below are some pics of me training with the kettlebells this week
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