Sunday, March 18, 2012

Kettlebell Workouts: The "New" Old Way to Workout at the Gym

By Olivia Clarke


Fitness gurus everywhere are excited to bring out the latest workout tool for you to incorporate into your fitness regimen: the kettlebell. Kettlebell workouts are popping up everywhere. But this "new" tool isn't really new. In fact, it's been around for a while. Quite a while. Like, thousands of years. So, exactly, where did this thing originate? And why are people so kettlebell crazy?

What the heck is a kettlebell?

Some people describe it as a cannonball sporting a handle. But it isn't called a cannonbell is it? It resembles more an iron tea kettle. Hence the name, kettlebell. But, we digress. No matter the semantics, this weight loss tool is a hand weight that varies in size from 5 lbs. to 100 lbs. The handle allows you to perform various exercises in a way that engages almost every muscle in your body at once.

Who invented this thing?

Where did this fabulous fat-blasting tool come from? Some say Russia, back in the 1700's. But those people are wrong. True, Russians have used the kettlebell, or "girya" for many years in their fitness routines. However, it was the Greek athletes who started using the kettlebell over 2000 years ago. And not just the Greeks. Many athletes and trainers, for many years, in many different countries have been utilizing the kettlebell.

Why do they work so well?

Swing, baby, swing!

The wonderful thing about a kettlebell workout is you can engage almost every muscle group in your body at the same time. For instance, you can do a basic kettlebell swing. This move requires two hands on the kettlebell. You squat and swing the kettlebell through your legs and then swing up as you stand to about your chin. Rinse and repeat about 20 times. This move, by itself, has almost everything engaged. And after doing this about 20 times, you will feel it in your butt, your quads, your core, your arms etc. Your workout time can be reduced because your workout is more efficient.




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