Tuesday, April 29, 2014

5 Reasons to Love Kettlebells by Nikolai Puchlov



5 Reasons to Love Kettlebells
(List One)

I referred to this as “List One”, because although “100 Reasons to Love Kettlebells” is more accurate, there’s a chance you might not really appreciate all 100 reasons at once.  So I decided to start with these:  

1)      Kettlebells promote functional fitness; exercises that help you in real-life movement.  Conventional dumbbells and barbells are typically used in an isometric manner, meaning they only focus on one muscle (or large muscle group) at a time.  I liken this to learning how to say one word at a time.  On the other hand, your standard kettlebell exercises are compound and dynamic; requiring a larger range of motion and involving multiple muscle groups.  I liken this to using those “words” in a sentence.

2)      Kettlebells increase flexibility.  Those “range-of-motion” exercises I just mentioned?  You’ll quickly see why yoga isn’t the only game in town when it comes to flexibility.

3)      Kettlebells are versatile.  With a single kettlebell you can work your chest, back, biceps, legs, shoulders, triceps and core.  You can train for power, strength and conditioning, cardio, speed, sports… the possibilities are practically limitless.

4)      Kettlebells are mobile.  Kettlebells are one of the few pieces of exercise equipment that can do all of those things and travel in the trunk of your car.  When the weather is nice and the mood hits you – no, problem.  

5)      Kettlebells are compact.  That extremely effective impromptu park workout you just had?  How great is it that the arsenal of equipment required consisted of, oh, say three or four kettlebells.  They take up less space in your trunk than some people’s gym bags… and don’t smell if you forget to take them out afterward.

We really do have a passion for training with kettlebells and want to share it.  You’re invited to join us at our next “Swingin’ in the Park:  Free Outdoor Kettlebell Cross Training Class” at Alki Beach on Saturday, May 10th at 10:30 am (weather permitting), at our neighborhood kettlebell clubs, or for personal training.  For more information visit www.seattlekettlebellclub.com .

Thanks,

Nikolai Puchlov



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