Q. What is a Kettlebell?
A. A kettlebell is a cast iron ball with a thick iron handle. Much like a bowling ball with a suit case handle. The handle is thick and difficult to hold onto. The weight is off centre which makes it difficult to handle. It is rugged and strong. Due to the nature of the centre of gravity being off centre, the kettlebell is constantly pulling away from the body.
Q. How heavy is a Kettlebell?
A. The kettlebell comes in 3 traditional weights 16kg, 24kg, 32kg’s. They are now available from 4kg up to 62kg. Most women start on 8kg and most males start on 16kg. The kettlebell has been around for approx 300 years!
Q. How is the kettlebell used?
A. The kettlebell can be swung, rotated, juggled, lifted over head
and even thrown. All lifts are generally ballistic in nature and teach the body
to absorb shock and gain strength from every angle. All lifts require the use
of the entire body! Nothing is isolated.
Q. Lifting and swinging those weights looks dangerous!
A. It can be! Especially if you try to learn off a DVD or out of a book, or worse off someone who is not qualified! My teaching is very systematic and safe. I will never move you on to the next level until the basics are mastered. There is more risk of developing overuse injuries with machines in gyms due to repetitious linear movement, and silly exercises like bicep curls and tricep pushdowns, than with using a kettlebell.
Q. It sounds too hard, I don’t know if it’s for me?
A. Well it is physically and mentally challenging! You need a committed approach to physically excel. So if you are already thinking it’s too hard – it will be! Stick to your hour long work out on the treadmill at your local gym – where you can chat to your friends and then go out for coffee afterwards and complain that your shape is not changing even though you are at the gym 3 times a week!!
Q. Are kettlebells your sole focus?
A. No, they are an integral part of my training, but not the entire focus. I use a mixture of kettlebells, body weight exercises and barbell training.
Q. How do you measure progress?
A. You lift heavier and last longer. The results will be well and truly noticed, even after the first month.
Q. I get bored easily, why is there only a small number of exercises?
A. The lifts that are taught are designed to promote dramatic gains in strength and fitness. All lifts work the entire body as a single unit. My training is about work and results. If you are bored then you really need to take a look at what you really want out of it and go somewhere else to train.
Q. what is the difference between hard style and traditional style training?
Hard style is a method in which maximum power is used to move the kettlebell, its a very strong style but does not promote longitivity of lifting, Breathing/movement/grip/technique is hard, tense and explosive which generates power. But alas not longitivity of lifting. It tends to be set in the old fashioned sets/reps mentality. Traditional method embraces the anatomical breathing, relaxed attitude, iron determination. The kettlebell is is moved in a relaxed manner, with the body pacing itself for the duration of the lifting, lifting in this manner can be done for a life time. Girevoy sport(GS) in Russia is where the original lifting techniques and training methods came from. The American take is quite different!!! To sum it up, with the traditional method many old physical habits and movement patterns are undone, and incredable strength and endurance is developed. Movement is sychchronised with breath. Modern martial arts greats such as Steve Maxwell say that it is very difficult for budding martial artists to be the best without GS training. My training is solely soft style, I am trained in both.