All-round Body Strengthening Tool

September 3, 2007 by Lucy

The kettlebell - a traditional cast iron weight that looks very similar to a cannonball with a handle attached, has over the years become a popular all-round body strengthening tool mainly due to the enormously successful efforts of strength and flexibility coach Pavel Tsatsouline and World Champion, World record holder Valery Fedorenko.

Many companies nowadays manufacture their own brands of kettlebells, whereas the older types were made in Russia. Some of the more up to date kettlebells feature adjustable weights, where workouts are intended to increase strength, endurance, agility and balance, challenging both the muscular and cardiovascular system with dynamic, total-body movements.

When training with kettlebells exact timing, balance and coordination is essential. The kettlebell is one of the most versatile tools for all-around athletic development by strengthening the body’s seat of power, the hips. With a well-developed hip drive, you will become better at running, jumping and anything else requiring power. Training with kettlebells also requires balance and coordination between all of your body’s parts.

There are classic kettlebell exercises that cover all the major muscle groups. You’ll find excellent free exercises explained at Sport Fitness Advisor and Straight To The Bar - where examples are shown of how these exercises are done and how they can make up an exercise routine. Russian Kettlebells has a wide variety of information on kettlebells as well as exercises.

There is a huge variety of fitness equipment solutions in the market ranging from a few dollars up to hundreds or thousands. Recently kettlebell exercises are gaining popularity as a means of strength training. These exercises make use of heavy iron-kettlebell and require expertise for proper use and are more challenging than using the weight lifting gear.

Tags: