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Kettleball history and workout
By Christina | May 25, 2008
Always looking for new workout toys I spend my time searching the gyms and parks for what people are doing. As a trainer if you allow yourself to become boring or not infuse your workouts with new tools of your trade, you risk losing business. This article is about the kettlebell or kettleball - both are correct.
The kettlebell or girya is a traditional Russian cast iron weight looking somewhat like a cannonball with a handle. The kettlebell has found amazing success as a popular exercise tool in the United States due largely to the efforts of strength and flexibility coach Pavel Tsatsouline and also by World Champion and world record holder Valery Fedorenko. The kettlebell has been coined kettleball and is mass produced by many fitness companies. Some modern kettlebells feature adjustable weights.
The following are a few exercises you can try if you have already found the benefit:
Kettlebell Cleans
1. Keep torso straight but bent forward at the hips just a bit.
2. Explosively raise the kettleballs by extending the hips, knee and ankle in a “jumping action”.
3. Keep your elbows out and shoulders directly above the kettleballs as long as possible. Keep the kettleballs close to the body.
4. Once you have extended the lower leg shrug your shoulders and at maximum elevation of the shoulders start pulling with the arms. Keep the elbows high during the pull until the highest point. This is similar to a squat with an upright row.
Single Arm Kettlebell Row
1. Stand with feet hip width and knees slightly bent. Bend at hips with back straight and knees bent.
2.Take one hand and place on stationary object that is approximately waist height to support upper body.
3. Hold kettleball in other hand with a neutral grip and let arm hang straight down (perpendicular to floor).
4. Keeping elbows close to body, pull kettleball up to body and squeeze shoulder blades together at top of movement.
5. Return to start position. Remember to keep back and head straight - hyperextension, flexion, or trunk rotation may cause injury.
Kettlebell Front Squat
1. Grasp kettleballs and hold them at chest level in front of you.
2. Stand with feet slightly wider than hip width apart. Knees should be slightly bent.
3. Lower body by flexing at the hips and knees. Upper body can flex forward at the hips slightly (~5°) during movement. Be sure to “sit back” so that knees stay over the feet.
4. Once thighs are parallel to floor, return to start position.
Kettlebell Swing
1. Hold one kettleball between your legs and your body is in a bentover stance with your back flat.
2. Swing the kettleball backwards and then forcefully swing the kettleball forward to a chest level. Keep your arm straight and forcefully extend your hips, knees, and ankles.
Topics: Exercise, Fitness Fads, General |
May 25th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Good article! It’s difficult to describe the speed of kettlebell drills for folks who have never seen one. Here is a collection of free online kettlebell videos
so your readers can see them in action.