The History of Kettlebells

As the hot sun beat down on our shoulders and backs the last moments of our graduation workout was over. It had broken many, but I seemed to be in good shape. My hands were bleeding but my spirit unshattered. One thing that went through my mind, as well as the incredible pain during our final workout on the Russian Kettlebell Challenge course in Denmark, was where did the Kettlebell come from?

There are few resources documenting the very first use of the Kettlebell. But old strongmen such as Joseph Greenstein, Arthur Saxon, Eugen Sandow and alike all used a form of the Kettlebell which had similarities in appearance to today’s modern bells. Although the shapes and sizes varied and they probably didn’t do many of the exercise we know and love today, but they were essentially used for the same purpose, to condition the body to handle unexpected demands and forces.

Before I was introduced to Kettlebells I knew nothing of their history nor the brutal nature of the all round physical development these balls of iron can give you. The very first time I used Kettlebells I was hooked and I still am 7 years later. There is always something new to learn that can get you that last rep, that last snatch or jerk. But how did these curvilinear cannon balls get her?

The first recorded entry first appeared in a Russian Dictionary in 1704 which read girevik meaning ‘Kettlebell Man’ since then Russian weightlifters such as Vlasov , Vorobyev, Stogov and Alexeyev were using Kettlebells during their careers during the 1900.

During the 1980’s Vinogradov and Lukyanov from Lesgaft Physical Culture Institute in Leningrad began scientific studies as well as Voropayev. They ran research using control groups to test what strongmen of old already new. That Kettlebells are great for strength development.

Even Russian soldiers have been reported to take a Kettlebell with them when stationed in a remote out posts in Siberia. The Navy Seals also use them in their training. Celebrities, athletes, sportsmen and women have all benefited from improved bodies and muscular strength.

The popularity of Kettlebells is now truly global.

Visit Kettlebellunion.com for classes, personal coaching and current workshops and events.

First post of the new year and feeling a little down. Not that Xmas is over but I tried a longer run on New Years Eve of 8 miles and didn’t complete it to the standard I thought I would.

After arriving at my brothers in Nottingham I planned an 8 mile run through the villages and along the River Trent. The morning was cold, icy and very fresh but clear. A head wind of around 2 miles an hour, perfect for an hours run.

I planned the route via gmaps and thought I could make it. I commenced the run and after several miles I had to do a number of turns along the route. I managed to run in the wrong direction and after approximately 1 mile I realised my mistake and this effected my concentration and focus.

I decided to turn back. Not knowing the distance that I had already covered I approximated that I did around 6 miles. Not the distance that I had hoped for. Castigating myself along the way back I stopped and walked for about 2 min which further infuriated me. I am not as focused and mentally tough as I thought I was.

So, a valuable lesson learned. Plan better and focus on smaller runs in between long ones. I also think that over the festive period the food and alcohol, although not large quantities, had its toll.

After a great 6 mile run on Xmas day I thought that I was onto better things, but I need to up the training if I want to complete the Marathon in a respectable time.

Early run tomorrow lets hope I do better.

First run complete 2 miles in 17 minuets. Not bad at all. Although the distance is short, I’m slowley getting my joints used to the impact of running. I have never run more than 2 miles in my life so this was a big undertaking for me, although I did find it quite easy.

My left calf was quite sore 2 days after and shows that I’m using my left leg more and distributing my weight far more on this side. I know this already and it wasn’t a surprise as I’m unilaterally tight on my right side and have a tendency to stand on my left side which I’m conscious to correct all the time. Although yoga has helped me considerably with these imbalances.

Some tennis ball massage and moans and groans from 1/2 hour on the foam roller for some MFR and trigger point therapy did the trick.

3 miles is my next target and lets hope the massage has helped my recovery for the sprints in a few days time.

Frankly I hate running. There’s nothing I detest more than long distance running, but I firmly believe that taking yourself out of your comfort zone to experience new training methods.

As I get older I want to challenge myself more and more and I’ve always thought how I would cope running the London Marathon. Watching the superb coverage on the TV for many years, I always imagined myself finishing but never managed the courage to sign up and embark upon the grueling training.

Now it’s more of a reality than a dream as I have got a place through the North London Hospice and I’m about to start my training next week. My plan is to start with one run per week to get used to the impact upon my legs and joints and then increase my running to 2 long runs per week and 1 sprint training involving the S.I.T method.

I have enough cardiovascular fitness to cope with the run, it’s just the impact on my legs, hips and ankles that concerns me and may interfere with my kettlebell conditioning.

Well tomorrow I start day 1 so lets see how I fair.

Holiday Workout

Weight Loss Programe

If you are going on holiday and need to keep up your training but can’t get the enthusiasm together for a trip to the gym. Then try this very quick but killer program that not only burns lots of FAT to help control weight loss, but also doesn’t leave you exhausted for the entire day afterwards.

This simple program will give you increased strength and massively help your cardiovascular conditioning. Doing this weight loss program 3x aweek will be an added bonus to your training program. It also helps break up any stale routine and adds a bit of variety and colour to your training.

The weight loss program begins with a stroke of choice, usually front crawl is the better option for most people although any stroke can be used.

Front crawl to one end of the pool. Get out and do 5 push ups. Swim back to the other end of the pool. Get out and do 10 push ups. Repeat this ladder until you reach 20 push ups and then descend the ladder taking 5 push ups every length. Until finally you reach 5 push ups to finish.

After the first set of 15 push ups your arms will be mashed. You feel it everywhere and you really start to think about stepping up your training after this simple workout.

Weight Loss Programe – Simplified

1 length Front Crawl

5 push ups

1 length Front Crawl

10 push ups

1 length Front Crawl

15 push ups

1 length Front Crawl

20 push ups

1 length Front Crawl

15 push ups

1 length Front Crawl

10 push ups

1 length Front Crawl

5 push ups

1 length Front Crawl – Finish

Simple eh? But deadly! Each length should be done as quick as possible. This work out is very simple but I love it and many of my personal training clients have done it with great results. Your imagination is the limit with this weight loss programe.

Enjoy.

Harder, faster, more

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is “How can I punch and kick harder”?

To increase power, speed and agility my first response to this question is to look at the individuals athletic performance, which can sometimes be over looked by trying to find the ‘latest exercise’ or developing over complicated training programmes. We need to strip back the layers to the underlying belly of athletic performance and you get what Mike Boyle, former strength and conditioning coach for Boston University, believes to be the ‘Big Rocks’ of strength and conditioning. He advocates functional movement before functional performance.

What do we mean by functional movement?

Put simply functional movement is the ability to move without restriction or flexibility. This can be achieved by Self Myo Fascial Release (sMFR). sFMR is a technique that massages the fascia network throughout the body. Fascia can be thought of as a body stocking that surrounds muscles, ligaments, bones and tendons from the very tip of the toes to the top of the cranium. It is also interwoven through blood vessels and the nervous system. There is a deep layer called the epimysium which surrounds the fascia, this is where movement and postural imbalances occur commonly around the hip, pelvis and lower back.

Many MMA fighters that have come through our strength and conditioning clinics have all had asymmetries or unilateral tightness in their glutes, hips, lumbar back and hamstrings. This is mainly because of inadequate stretching techniques and not knowing when, why and what to stretch. Inflexibility should not be thought of tight prime movers such as the quads, hip and hams etc, but tightness in the connective tissue the fascia and the build up of collagen deposits. These forces of tension and compression can cause trigger points (knots) in the muscle. These knots can constrict blood vessels, restrict nutrient distribution and increase the build up of waste produces contributing to tighter and weaker muscle fibres causing great losses in power, speed and agility.

All of the above rely upon an intacked balanced facial network. Put simply, if you are not stretching fascia you won’t get flexible and your striking power will suffer as a result.

A simple example of sMFR which can be seen very clearly is the release of the hamstrings and lower back tension by massaging the feet with a tennis ball.

Picture

1. Stand with feet together and try to touch the toes. Record the depth at which your flexibility is restricted.

2. Place a tennis ball beneath one foot and begin to massage the sole of the foot with forward, backward and circular motions for approx 1 min. Ensuring the arch of the foot is covered which is the most common sore area. Repeat for the other foot.

3. After you have massaged both feet stand once again with feet together and touch the toes once more and record the depth.

What did you notice? You gained an extra 2-3 inches on your stretch without needless painful hamstring stretches. Magic!

Well, not quite. The feet are the foundation of the body, they have the greatest concentration of proprioceptors (nerve endings) throughout the body. By stimulating these and the fascia the entire fascia network relaxes causing great increases in flexibility.

There are many sMFR techniques that can be applied to the entire body using just a tennis ball. In our clinics we focus upon the hip area of the 6 deep rotators to gain greater mobility crucial for athletic movement enabling our fighters to increase greater forces.

It is easy to over look functional movement and neglect stretching after class but it is not until after a sustained injury it becomes apparent that functional movement is essential. So give yourself the knowledge and tools for better movement and functional ability for harder kicks and punches. Without such tools non professional athletes are at serious risk of become slow and weaker thus effecting the ability to increase and maximise performance.

The results are in and they are spectacular

ITV Kettlebell Training Results

Finally, the ITV group have finished their first 6 week course with flying colours after a couple of weeks of interuptions!!

Not only have the majority of them increased there lung capacity by a significant margin but some have, unbelievably, tripled their muscle endurance too.

Today was reassessment day after completing 12 ‘killer’ Kettlebell sessions covering all basic exercises. As the blog has detailed their progress over the course, todays post will outline each individuals improvement over the 6 week course. Some participants were absent due to work commitments, so the results will be filled in as and when they are assessed.