Join the Swing Kettle
Evening News
SARAH HOWDEN
They have been used by burly weightlifters to hone their physiques since the 1700s and were the secret fitness weapon of the Red Army.
Now from Russia via Hollywood, Kettlebell is set to become the biggest fitness craze in Edinburgh since spinning.
Looking a bit like a large cannonball with a handle on the top, the kettlebell weight used for the workout is certainly distinctive and is being promoted as a way of shedding excess pounds quickly and toning fast.
“It is a Whole-body workout and you get results fast,” says Edinburgh-based personal trainer Brendon Hartt.
“It uses a basic swing movement, a lot of compound movements and your whole body is working with the weights.As you get stronger the weight is increased. The result is a massive cardio burn and a rise in heart rate as it’s a high-intensity workout and you get an after-burn which is when the body’s metabolism rises.”
Kettlebell as anew fitness vogue was the brainchild of Pavel Tsatsouline.Having trained elite Latvian soldiers of warfare, Pavel moved to the US to work with troops before becoming what is considered to be the world’s kettlebell guru.
“Twenty years ago the Russians would have shot me for revealing these techniques,” he says.”They are designed to produce instant results.” “In Traditional martial arts, people spend ten to 20 years to achieve mastery.This is not a option for any special-forces unit and, because the exercises give such a fast total body workout, there’s none of the boredom of repetitive physical training.”
The US military and law enforcement soon jumped on the kettlebell-wagon, and even our Highland neighbours reportedly used the cast-iron weight to train for curling matches.
Jennifer Lopez uses it to keep her arms red-carpet slender and her famous abs taut and trim and Penelope Cruz swears by it to stay in shape. Even Sylvester Stallone has been swinging, snatching and pressing with them.
“I came across Kettlebell about two years ago while I was dong some research on the internet,” explains Brendon. “I was really interested in it as a really dynamic way to work out and perform -vit works the whole body and works it hard.”
Brendon then went on to study the technique and obtained his Extreme Kettlebell Instructor qualification earlier this year.He is now one of the very few Kettlebell instructors in Scotland and he believes he is the only one in Edinburgh.
The Kettlebell hype stems from the results – lean, taut,toned bodies without bulk. Apparently, 15 minutes with one of these weights will burn more fat than 40 minutes on the treadmill.
According to Brendon, most exercises begin in a squatting position, moving to standing, as well as swinging the kettlebell between the legs, up in front of the torso and over the shoulder. The result is quick toning and improvements to core stabilty which leads to lean muscle building and strength.
And, despite its far from ladylike origins, the sport is said to be ideally suited to women. “Because of the way you work, it creates long, lean muscle,” adds Brendon.
The difference between using a kettlebell and any other kind of weight is the variety of movement available. “You’re building up strength through your entire muscle range,” explains Brendon. “The power is generated throught the hips – that’s where most of the work comes from – and then your glutes and your hamstrings and your lower back come into play.”
And so within a very few sessions, the body strengthens, the muscles tone, the metabolism rises and excess fat is shed. “You’re basically metling fat off your body,” adds Brendon.
But don’t think you have to be super strong to even attempt Kettlebell – women start with a relatively light 8kg weight and men, 16kg.Student Iain Rowe, from Craiglockart, has definitely felt the benefits of kettlebell.
“I’ve been doing it for about six months now around twice a week and Ive seen a big change,” explains the 25-year-old.”I first decided to give it a go as I fancied a change. I was always just going to the gym, doing the same old things, and I wanted a bit of variety.
“Intially, it was a lot a harder than I thought it would be and I was sweating buckets during my first session. I was sore the next day – but in a good way. I knew I’d been working hard.”
Within a couple of weeks, Iain was seeing chages in his strength, his performance at other sports such as running, endurance and his muscle definition. “I gained a lot more power, my arms became more defined, I lost weight and lost my gut,” he says. It also helped with my posture.”
So would he recommend it? ” Defintely,” he says. “Kettlebell is for everyone.The people Ive told about it who’ve tried it have stuck at it and seen results. No-one looks back.”
– For more information about Brendon Hartt’s Kettlebell sessions go to www.xplosivefitness.co.uk
WHO’S KEEPING THE KETTLE BOILING?
Who does it?
Kim Cattrall, Penelope Cruz, J-Lo
Where can you do it?
Edinburgh-based Brendon Hartt does one-on-one sessions for £40 each or £30 in block bookings. Brendon also runs Kettlebell classes at CraiglockartSports Centre for £6 per class. Telephone him on 07764950493 to find out more.
What’s it like?
Holding what looks like a bowling ball with a handle, you swing, squat, lift and stretch. A session delivers cardio, strength training and toning, and rather than producing bulk, it gives lean, dense muscles.
This article: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=974072007
