Kettlebell Training
 
Kettlebell training is increasingly being regarded by athletes and martial artists as an important part of their strength and fitness workouts. Popular with old-time strongmen, kettlebell training lost favour in the middle of the 20th century to more sophisticated methods and equipment, but thanks to their use by some of the champions of weight lifting, wrestling and, more recently, MMA, the rest of the sports and martial arts world are once again starting to realise the unique benefits that kettlebell training can bring.
 
Kettlebells originated in Russia, although it is believed that similar types of exercise equipment had also been used by martial artists in China and athletes in ancient Greece. They are rounded cast iron weights that are often described as ‘a cannonball with a handle’ and come in weights increasing from fractions to multiples of 16 kg.  Today, kettlebell training is finding its way back into the forefront of fitness workout methods alongside other equipment such as Swiss balls and Indian clubs. 
 
Kettlebell training enables you to workout at home and to exercise your whole body in a way that most multigym equipment cannot, yet it will cost you a whole lot less and requires no more space in your cupboard than a bowling ball. And don’t think it’s the same as working out with a dumbbell of the same weight.  Kettlebells have the weight offset from the handle which makes them harder to control. So, because you are forced to concentrate more on balancing and stabilizing the weight, kettlebell training works more muscle groups. It is especially beneficial to the ‘core’ muscles of the midsection, but many other supporting muscles and tendons will be worked as well.
 
Although kettlebells can be used for specific body part training, their real advantage over other weights methods is in combination movements. As well as standard exercises such as clean and press, kettlebell training exercises like swings, windmills and Turkish getup increase the need for the whole body to counterbalance the momentum and offset mass. The round, compact shape also means that kettlebell training is more convenient than working with dumbbells in more advanced exercises like pistol squats, and dynamic, fight-mimicking types of movement.  Furthermore, whereas regular weight training builds strength mostly within the range of specific movements like curls and presses, kettlebell training builds strength from many and varied positions, giving the kind of ‘applied’ strength in extended positions and rotational movements that martial artists require. 
 
On top of these core and overall strength gains, kettlebell training is also ideal for gaining muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness, so you’ll be getting fitter and leaner while you get stronger!