Kettlebell Health - Begin With Kettlebell Workouts

Appearing first back in 1704, these were originally weights used in Russian markets. They became training tools as they were discovered to help develop muscular strength and strong bodies in the Russian men. The people of Russia have always valued physical strength and have held unofficial strength contests in the various villages and towns across Russia. The men that used these to increase their strength were known as kettlebell men or girevik. The winners of these contests were referred to as Bogatir, which means extremely strong and honorable men. They held a place of high honor in the Russia. Up until the end of World War II, kettlebell contests continued to be a form of entertainment at various village functions or festivals.

After World War II, weight lifting became quite popular throughout Russia and other European countries. Still kettlebell contests were unofficial contests or events at various social gatherings. The contests continued their popularity throughout the 60's and 70's without any formal rules or regulations. Basically whoever could list the heaviest kettlebell the most times was the winner.

In 1985, the first National Championship was held with official national rules, national regulations and specific weight categories. In 2002, the kettlebells finally made their way to the United States. With our growing interest in health and fitness, kettlebells are growing in popularity in this country and many people are impressed with the results their bodies are getting.

Kettlebell Exercises - Am I Going to Huff And Puff?

Having never seen a kettlebell before, I really wondered how exercises are done using the kettlebell. A gentleman named Pavo Satzline brought the kettlebell to the United States in 2002. The kettlebell was introduced to the military, law enforcement and athletes.

The kettlebell is used for developing strength, increasing your endurance, increasing your flexibility and developing your cardiovascular capacity. I want you to understand that there is a vast amount of kettlebell exercises. The key is to find the combination of exercises that will give you the results that you are looking for. Here are some suggestions that will help you find that combination.

To start you out, it would be best to use the kettlebells as an overall body-conditioning program. With this in mind you would want to include some of the swing exercises such as the one or two-armed swing, any of the snatches, the kettlebell clean exercises and the kettlebell windmills.

Some kettlebell exercises for the shoulders would be to include presses such as the military press and the seesaw press as well as the kettlebell clean and jerk. Exercises for the chest and abs might include presses, windmills, figure 8's and passes between the legs. As you start working toward the lower body, you want to include, swings, snatches, lifts and rows and squats.

I have included several different names of types of exercises that can be used with kettlebells. You of course will want to look further into the specific exercise as you create your routine. Will you huff and puff? I actually believe that you will if you are new to kettlebells. Don't let that bother you though. Some of us huff and puff (me included) when we go up the steps. Seriously, start out slow and take your time. Find the best combination of exercises that will give you the results that you are looking for. If you are going to use the kettlebells, make sure that you have proper training by a certified kettlebell trainer. This trainer will be able to help you develop the program that will be right for you.