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About Kettlebells: Join the Revolution! What the h*** is a ‘kettlebell’?
Short answer: a cannonball with a handle.
A ‘kettlebell’ is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle. The kettlebell has been used for hundreds of years as a strength training tool in Russia. In the United States our fitness industry was taken over by commercial gyms, expensive equipment, and one “craze” after another. The Russians needed something that would allow anyone from average people to Olympic athletes to exercise effectively without excessive cost or space. It is the system of training that makes the Russian Kettlebell a complete gym—in your hand!
What is so special about kettlebell training?
Kettlebell workouts are comprehensive. Training with ‘bells is a full body experience, requiring concentration. The Russian Kettlebell Challenge™ (RKC™) system is based on the principle that technique and strength are inseparable. You will be taught proper posture, breathing, and exercise technique. Kettlebell workouts are much more similar martial arts or yoga practice than to any other type of group exercise or aerobics. In addition to concentration kettlebell training promotes balance, strength, endurance, and mobility.
As the RKC™ manual states, ‘kettlebell training is to free weights what free weights are to machines’. Kettlebells allow far greater freedom of movement than traditional weights and therefore challenge your athleticism more. The result is that for every minute spent using ‘bells, you are required to expend more mental and physical energy—resulting in greater gains in overall fitness. It is likely that these additional stresses and the way the nervous system adapts to them account for part of the ‘what-the-hell-effect’ commonly noted when beginning serious kettlebell training.
The kettlebell body
Russian kettlebells are not for Kens and Barbies who want to look like ‘a collection of body parts.’ We believe that form follows function. If you train hard, eat clean, and treat your body like an athlete then you will display the body of an athlete. The most common description given of hard-core, long-term kettlebell devotees is that we all look “generically athletic”. The typical kettlebell trainee becomes leaner, stronger, more mobile and flexible in general, has better body control, and moves with clearly better posture—which could be said about athletes from dancers to rugby players to martial artists to figure skaters to boxers to gymnasts. In short, the RKC™ system will uncover the athlete in you.
Women are pleased to find that kettlebells increase “density”, simultaneously making them stronger and harder while stripping inches and dropping sizes. Kettlebell users develop pronounced strength and muscular development in the lower back, hip, and glute region—a pleasingly high and rounded shape women jokingly refer to as ‘kettle butt’. Other physical changes include improved posture, dramatic hardening and tightening of the torso and especially the waist.
Athletes notice that they are strengthened in all the right areas: the upper and lower back, the grip, hips and hamstrings, along with a dramatic stabilization of the knees, hips, and shoulders especially. The kettlebell body is not just strong, it is resilient: users notice a resistance to injuries in the harshest sports and working conditions from kettlebell training. The chronic neck and back pain which is epidemic in our cubicle society disappears as the body is finally put to good use with honest kettlebell training.
Kettlebells deliver xtreme all around fitness
Everyone who trains with kettlebells notices rapid improvement—not just in body shape but also in real-world performance. The Russians refer to this as the “black-box” effect while in America we call it the “What-the-hell?” effect. Because the RKC™ system concentrates on basic, correct human movement patterns the results translate to every area of life. The RKC™ system of kettlebell training simultaneously develops strength, agility, coordination, explosiveness, flexibility, and more. Although you do not run, jump, or hit with a kettlebell you will notice that you are faster, that you jump higher, that your tennis or golf swing improves—whatever your chosen activity, ‘bells will give you a noticeable edge.
Contact your local certified Kettlebell instructor for workshops and personal training:
BRIAN PETTY, RKC, 610-659-0435 Power to you! Who can use kettlebells—and what for?
The RKC system is based on principles and foundation techniques which can be modified to condition you for any goal or prepare you for any sport or physical endeavor. I currently train clients from 12 to 60. While the workout for a competitive gymnast or boxer will be different than one for a client who merely needs to lose weight, the principles will be the same. Kettlebells are the most versatile exercise tool available, given an RKC™ instructor who knows how to structure training sessions.
Today people are recognizing the kettlebell as the ultimate in “one stop shopping”—with just a single kettlebell and 30 minutes and you can improve your strength, endurance, body fat levels, and more. RKC™ style training can provide the benefits of weight training, aerobics, stretching, and yoga—simultaneously.
Are kettlebells just another exercise trend or fad?
Kettlebell training is just becoming popular again in the USA, but the kettlebell has been used for generations by people who were interested in results, not popularity or sales (think of old pictures of YMCAs…kettlebells, Indian clubs, cable and pulley weights along with gymnastics equipment and a big open floor space). In the former Soviet Union, soldiers’ and athletes’ lives depended on their physical training. Soviet sports scientists had to deliver results on the type of skeletal budget that a delusional economic system could provide. The result is what we call high-concept, low-tech. The hardware is just an iron ball with a handle. The software is the RKC™ “system of strength”, which we download into your nervous system. People who need results, TODAY, are increasingly turning to kettlebell workouts.
Kettlebells have been used for centuries by all of the people who are the antithesis of today’s bodybuilders: gymnasts, Olympic and professional athletes, elite military and police forces. Today in the US kettlebells are a trend—the trend to real-world strength as the goal of strength training, not round pecs, bulging biceps, or trim and toned inner thighs. The inside joke is that simple hard training produces better bodies infinitely faster than the goofy attempt to build a complete body in separate parts. Everyone increasingly realizes the truth—train like an athlete, look like an athlete.
Are kettlebells dangerous?
Although any type of training carries a small inherent risk of accident, I have supervised thousands of hours of kettlebell training with only one observed injury. Most trainees find that kettlebell training is much easier on the body than standard bodybuilding-type weight lifting, running, or competitive sports. In particular many people with knee, neck, and back issues find they are able to safely train with the RKC™ system and qualified instruction.
What results can I expect from kettlebell training?
When you are trained by a Russian Kettlebell Challenge™ (RKC) certified instructor you will quickly realize that you are being taught, not just exhorted to ‘lift more’. An RKC will convey a great deal of practical information about using your body. Therefore the first benefit you will enjoy from RKC™ training is an improved awareness of your body as you move through life. You will then be aware that you are stronger and more stable when performing ordinary activities as well as strenuous work or sports training. Most clients quickly notice an improved sense of balance, posture, breathing, joint stability, and useful strength.
What is the difference between personal training, small group sessions, classes, and seminars—which are right for me?
Some choose to begin with personal training in order to feel more comfortable when they attend classes. Personal training sessions are conducted one-on-one at the Dragon Gym. Some advantages of personal training include individual assessment and goal-setting, receiving the full attention of the trainer which facilitates faster learning, and customized sessions. The latter is very important—a class of 20 people will not be altered for you personally. But your RKC instructor can take into account your specific goals, concentration, injury status, overall health, daily activities, etc. and change your personal sessions as needed to benefit you most.
Small group sessions are 2-4 people who are balancing the attention of personal training with the cost. Many people find training with a partner to be more motivating and are able to train more frequently because of the dramatically reduced cost. The only caveat is that it generally is helpful if the group is somewhat similar in fitness, experience, and goals.
Classes are for groups of more than three and are generic in nature.
Seminars are for groups of any size and are designed to introduce kettlebells or inform users about topics of special interest such as kettlebells for specific sports or goals.
Contact your local certified Kettlebell instructor for workshops and personal training:
BRIAN PETTY, RKC, 610-659-0435 Power to you!
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