“Doing the perfect kettle-bell swing alone is superior to 99 percent of the sophisticated strength and conditioning programs out there.
–Pavel Tsatsouline (CEO and Founder of Strong First)
If the Russians are using them for strength training, then they work.
There is no doubt that strength athletes from Russia and the surrounding Eastern European countries are considered the authority on strength training. Maybe not the anti-doping topic or advocates for clean competition, but when it comes to men and women being able to pick up, move and put down weight, they’re the ones to listen to.
Developed at the end of the 18th Century, the original kettle-bells were used as counter weights to measure crop harvests. They then started to make an appearance in strongman exhibitions as parts of travelling circuses. In recent times they have grown in popularity and can now be found in nearly every commercial or home gym. Why? They’re effective.
Watch any infomercial on television and you’ll see bulky and complicated equipment that is nearly guaranteed to either gather dust for the rest of its life under a bed or go to the tip. What you won’t see is a paid model swinging 16 kg of cold steel over their head while the hosts talk about the benefits of the kettle-bell and how it will melt away the belly fat faster than any other activity. Why not? Because the market they’re pitching to isn’t interested in hard work and effort. The overweight house wives and their soft husbands aren’t interested in the callouses, sweat, suffering or straight up physical and mental anguish a good kettle-bell work out brings. They’re also not interested in real results.
So what sort of kettle-bell should you get?
Just making time for a quick search online for kettle-bells will demonstrate how the market has numerous different variations and aesthetically appealing versions of kettle-bells. Some are just plain black. Others are pink with soft handles or plastic casings to some how appeal to those who are worried about their nails or hands. There are even adjustable kettle-bells that can have weight added or taken off to suit your ability.
But in the famous words of the former Black Flag front man, Henry Rollins, ‘200 pounds will always weigh 200 pounds’.
Regardless of how much your kettle-bell weighs or what it looks like, if you’re going to buy anything for the physical self-improvement of yourself as a man, buy a kettle-bell. Plain black and powder finished. 16 kg is a good all-round weight as you’re starting out because it’s not too heavy or too light. Treat yourself to some lifting chalk as well and start picking it up, swinging it and putting it down.
The list of exercises you can do with a kettle-bell are almost endless. Just walking with it is an effort in itself due to the core stability required and grip strength. Funnily enough, walking with two of them is called a ‘Farmers Carry’. So why not buy two of the same weight at the same time.
How do kettle-bells benefit you?
The use of kettle-bells whilst pursuing the concept of functional fitness, that being preparing your body for real life movements and activities, is an excellent idea. Squatting, carrying, reaching, pulling, pushing, walking, running and lifting are the just some of the activities human beings need to be able to do repeatedly and effectively in their day to day lives. For men seeking to improve themselves, this is an excellent concept to research and follow.
Additionally, functional fitness is where men seeking self-improvement need to be looking. Why? Because it will help with everything else in your day-to-day life. Why train for something that will never present itself as a problem or challenge in real life? Loaded barbells on a flat bench press aren’t going to suddenly appear in front of you, but perhaps having to lift, drag or push a large object off of someone you care about will? Either way, using a training methodology that benefits your health, life and that of the people around you can’t be a bad idea.
In summary
And finally, constant work outs with a kettle-bell will make your hands harder and tougher. Callouses will start to form and when your wife or significant other feels them on their body, somewhere deep down she will be impressed with the rough and calloused hands of an empowered man. One that is physically capable, strong and intelligent. That alone is reason enough to start gripping and ripping some large kettle-bells with gusto and testosterone.
So where can you get a kettle-bell? Just about any where is the answer. How do you use it? Well, that information is easy to come by as well. A simple online search into ‘Basic Kettle-bell Workouts for beginners will set you on the way forward. No matter what you do though, make sure it’s hard and that you initially regret it. If it sucks, you know it’s working.
The important thing is that you start.
Go!