 OK so maybe you've seen kettlebells in
a gym or maybe you’ve read an article
in the latest fitness magazine and perhaps
you thought to yourself, what’s all
the hype about?
We know the kettlebell as a strength training
tool dates back over 100 years ago and has
strong links to Scotland, Greece and Russia.
Its exact origin remains up for debate. It
was brought more to the mainstream when it
became a competitive sport in Russia in the
late 1940’s and has since been used
by many athletes as all round conditioning
tool.
 Kalli-Sthenos is the Greek origin of the
word calisthenics. Kalli meaning “Beautiful”
and Sthenos meaning “Strength”
is where the word calisthenics comes to life.
 Calisthenics is a form of dynamic whole body
movement. It demands rhythmic and systematic
movement from the musculoskeletal system
to gain mechanical advantage for movement
and promotes good mobility, stability, muscular
strength, and cardiovascular fitness.
 Kettlebell training is a form a calisthenics
that’s been around longer than any
modern day piece of gym equipment. If you
are looking for a simple yet highly effective
way to get into balanced shape then kettlebells
provide just that.
Unlike traditional fixed axis gym equipment
which effectively restricts your natural
movement patterns whilst exercising, kettlebells
allow the body to move freely and in all
planes of movement allowing you to develop
better fitness in the way you were designed
to move.   The kettlebell will constantly challenge
you, trying to throw you off balance, and
as a result, encourages muscle to stabilize
the body in each and every lift. The strength
and endurance conditioning provided is not
only demanding on major muscle groups, but
also the smaller more intricate postural
musculature.
This type of training demand unifies the
relationship between the body’s big
prime moving muscles and stabilizers. Kettlebell
training leads to greater amounts of work
imposed on the body, in less time, and teaches
the body to learn to move and function as
a 'whole' or integrated unit.  The kettlebell is a cast iron ball with a
handle attached to the top. Unlike a dumbbell,
the centre of mass is outside the handle
and it is much more demanding. This means
that the kettlebell is constantly pulling
away from you. Consequently, your whole body
has to compensate and stabilise, recruiting
the core, stabilizer and primary muscle-group
to work together.
With certain exercises the body has to develop,
overcome and absorb momentum, increasing
cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance,
strength and power. Kettlebell Training builds
multiple components of fitness and athletic
development simultaneously.
Explosive Olympic-lift exercises are also
performed with the kettlebell. This takes
advantage of the positive transfer effect
these movement patterns have for athletic
and sports-specific training as well as general
functional movement patterns that are used
in everyday life. |
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 Kettlebells are suitable for just about everyone
because they fully involve all the
components of physical training including
strength, speed & power, flexibility,
endurance, joint mobility, balance, and cardiovascular
health and provide a fast, intense and very
effective training option suited to our very
busy & modern lifestyle.
Kettlebells can provide excellent benefits
to anyone who wants to lose weight, be fit
and healthy, reduce risk of injury, move
more effectively, improve in sport, strengthen
and feel better for everyday living. Kettlebell
training is open to men and women, young
and old who are looking for a challenging,
more efficient and effective training platform.
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