{Fitness Friday} The Kettlebell

So what is this cannonball with a handle? Enter, the kettlebell. It's probably one of my favorite pieces of equipment because of the intensity you can achieve with it & it's overall versatility. While it's recently gained popularity, it's not a newly discovered.  They've been around forever, used by Russian strongmen dating all the way back to 1700's. 

“Not a single sport develops our muscular strength and bodies as well as kettlebell athletics,” reported Russian magazine Hercules in 1913.

Working with a kettlebell is intense & challenging. It's a total body workout that challenges both the muscular & cardiovascular system. Regular/proper use improves strength, endurance, agility and balance with dynamic, compound and multi-joint movements. They range in weight from 8lbs upwards to 107+ lbs. It's extremely versatile. You can do standard weight training exercises like squats, deadlifts, presses, curls, bent over rows, etc. to more complex movements like turkish-getups, cleans, swings, snatches. 

Check out these 2 videos: