My Rant on Russian Kettlebells
Kettlebells aren’t new. The modern opinion would have them roughly three hundred years old. Over recent years, though, they’ve shot up in fame to emerge as one of the most popular workouts anywhere in the world. And, why not? All you need are the kettlebells and anybody can begin with these straightforward routines. You can’t just leap immediately to the trickier moves, however. Walk before you run, as the saying goes.
A very important preparation before beginning to train with kettlebells involves ensuring you obtain the correct weight. Because of the way kettlebells work, your weights don’t need to be as heavy as you might expect. For women, an 18lb Russian kettlebell can easily be more than enough to start with, and meanwhile men are better served by the 35 lb weights. This is down to the fact that the benefits of a kettlebell workout are related far more closely to the movements proper than they are to the weights being lifted. An educational aid (such as a video or brochure) is a smart asset when starting out, checking that you’ve got the movements as they’re intended.
The starting routine to learn when employing the kettlebell must be a double-handed swing. As the basis of many later kettlebell routines, this must be dealt with in the early going — and there’s more to it than you’d expect. Rapid stops, unsteady movements — these are hardly what you should be working for. A helpful health & safety word of advice merits relating before you begin: back and shoulders shouldn’t be used to lift the weights. You should, instead, employ your hips. By the time you have perfected this move, you can try a few of the more complex exercises. In order to retain your commitment, variety is the spice of life — you could perhaps adjust your accompanying music, rotate exercises in and out of your regime, and so on. Perhaps another set can be included once you’re comfortable, and to punch things up altogether you might maybe even alter the weights you use. That way, you’ll keep your muscles working as effectively as possible and avoid reaching a plateau. Don’t imagine, however, that a bulkier body and bigger muscles are in your future if you only use kettlebells, mind you. Remember that Russian kettlebell workouts are developed only to develop your overall health level and stimulate weightloss and tone up.
Really, we suggest folding a Russian kettlebell routine into your broader keep fit regime. The amount you turn to these techniques is naturally up to you. With a couple of routines every week it’s very easy to support your baseline levels, and if you up that to five you can be sure to burn off excess fat and weight rapidly.
