Weight and see

RUTH WALKER

THE fact that Russian weightlifters have for centuries been using them to hone their physiques should surely be endorsement enough. But the latest fitness trend to arrive on these shores has come the long way round from Red Square – via Hollywood.

Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz, Sylvester Stallone, Claire Danes and Matthew McConaughey are all said to be devotees of the kettlebell – which basically looks like a canonball with a handle. Some say its origins do not lie in Mother Russia at all, but closer to home, with Highlanders having long used such weights to help them train for curling matches.

The balls range in weight from 5kg to 90kg, cost around £50 and are said to deliver an intense workout that takes half the length of time of a traditional regime but produces twice the results. Apparently 15 minutes with a kettlebell will burn more fat than 40 minutes on the treadmill.

Having trained elite Latvian soldiers for warfare, Pavel Tsatsouline moved to the US to work with troops there. He now lives in Santa Monica and 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 an option for any special-forces units, and because the exercises give such a fast total body workout there’s none of the boredom of repetitive physical training.”

Most exercises begin in a squatting position, moving to standing, and swinging the kettlebell between your legs, up in front of you or over your shoulder – all of which means it is great for toning up those pesky bingo wings and for improving core stability.

Brendon Hartt is one of the few qualified kettlebell trainers in Scotland. He says that, despite its unglamorous origins, the sport is ideally suited for women. “Because of the way you work, it creates long, lean muscle.”

The difference between using a kettlebell and any other kind of weight is the variety of movement available to you, he says. “You’re building up strength through your entire muscle range. The power is generated through 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 as well.”

Hartt says the beauty of kettlebells is that they link everything up, so you’re not just working your core – like you do when you’re doing sit-ups on a ball. It’s teaching everything to work correctly.

He advises women to start with an 8kg kettlebell, and men a 16kg. “Get yourself a set of bells – or just one bell to begin with – and that’s all you need. You can do just about anything, and you don’t have to change weights. You’re basically melting fat off your body.”

Most importantly, though, you won’t end up looking like a Russian shot put champion. Unless you want to.

Brendon Hartt (0776 495 0493)

This article: http://living.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=450172007