WOW, it’s been a long time since I’ve made a post on this blog. I’ve been involved in a few other website which, unfortunately, have caused me to neglect First Page Fitness for awhile. But when I saw the Kettlenetics infomercial last night I thought the subject of kettlebells deserved a few words.
Exercising With Kettlebells is NOT a “New Fad”
Kettlebells have been around for a long time. In-fact, they were used by the very first Olympic athletes in Greece, as well as the Roman gladiators. The simple design was much easier to create using cast-iron, and the handles made the original kettlebells perfect for training to throw spears or cross-training to throw the heavy, weighted ball used in the shot-put. Kettlebells exercises were used as the staple-routine for the strongmen of the early 1900′s (see picture).
Kettleneticks is a New Twist on an Olddie-but-Goodie
As mentioned above, the Kettlenetics infomercial a saw last night is what prompted me to write my first new post here in several months. As I was watching the way Michelle Khai – a ballet and dance instructor in Miami, FL – train the dancers for the Miami City Ballet I noticed the movements / exercises were much different to what I’ve seen before in kettlebell workouts. Instead of the jerky movements using heavy kettlebells, Michelle was using soft, fluid movements using lighter kettlebells (4lbs). At first I though, “Oh no, another fad…” but then I started thinking about the purpose of training for things like dance, ballet, hiking, or just for women to have a toned body without bulky muscle. The fluid movements in the Kettlenetics routine allows these women to strengthen and tone muscle while doing cardio to lose fat. Their bodies remain lean and defined, but they are still thin and limber – like a ballet dancer.
So next time you’re trying to think of the next Hot Fitness Product, perhaps it would be worth taking lessons from the past. Michelle Khai has taken one of the first pieces of exercise equipment ever and made it anew. She has taken something used by strongmen, gladiators and Olympians to build powerful, explosive muscles and changed the weight and movements so that it works perfectly for ballet dancers. Think about that. From Roman gladitors in the late second century BC, to ballet dancers and everyday women in 2008.
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I just started using Michell’s kettlebell workout system and have to say that so far I love it. The best part in my opinion is the fluid movement. I always thought of big, iron kettlebells jerking around in the air when I pictured these workouts but her small, light, ergonomic kbells allow you to move them around smoothly. You get a workout without jarring your joints and bones.
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