What is a 'kettlebell'?

A 'kettlebell' or girya (Russian) is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle. The Russian Special Forces personnel owe much of their wiry strength, lethal agility and never-quitting stamina to kettlebells. Soldier, Be Strong! The official Soviet armed forces strength training manual pronounced kettlebell drills to be "one of the most effective means of strength development" representing "a new era in the development of human strength-potential."

The kettlebell body

Kettlebells melt fat without additional aerobics; losing 1% of body fat a week for weeks in not uncommon. If you are overweight, you will lean out. If you are skinny, you will get built up. the Russian kettlebell is a powerful tool for fixing your body composition, whichever way it needs fixing.

Who uses kettlebells in the United States?

The extreme kettlebell workout would have remained the exclusive domain of Russian spec ops, had former Spetsnaz instructor Pavel not immigrated to the U.S. The elite of the U.S. military and law enforcement instantly recognized the power of the Russian kettlebell, ruggedly simple and deadly effective as an AK-47. You can find Pavel's certified kettlebell instructors in outfits such as the Force Recon Marines, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and the Secret Service Counter Assault Team. Once the Russian kettlebell became a hit among those whose life depends on their strength and conditioning, it took off among people from all walks of life. There is no stopping the Russian kettlebell invasion. Men's Journal called it 'a workout with balls.' Rolling Stone pronounced Pavel 'The Hot Trainer of the Year' and his Russian Kettlebell 'The Hot Weight of the Year.' "Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated."

Kettlebells deliver extreme all around fitness

Kettlebell training lowers the heart rate and the blood pressure. Exercises with kettlebells enable one to quickly build strength, endurance and achieve a balanced development of all muscle groups, fix particular deficiencies of build and they also promote health. Most methods that claim "all around fitness" deliver no more than compromises. Accept no compromises - choose the Russian Kettlebell!

Are kettlebells dangerous? Am I too young or too old?

Only 8.8% of top Russian gireviks, members of the Russian National Team and regional teams, reported injuries in training or competition (Voropayey, 1997). A remarkably low number, isn't it? Note that these were not regular guys but elite athletes who push their bodies to the edge. This does not give you an excuse to lift kettlebells flippantly, as any type of strength training can be dangerous if you use bad judgment. As for the age, at the 1995 Russian championship the youngest contestant was 16, the oldest 53! And we are talking elite competition here; the range is even wider if you are training for yourself rather than for the gold.