Russian kettlebell as a primordial Russian sports equipment

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

What is a kettlebell? This is a cannonball with a handle. This is a portable gym. It's a statement: “I'm tired of your metrosexual gyms! I am a man and I will train like a man!"

Kettlebell swing is similar to the aggressive and free swinging of a medieval sword. It is a manifestation of what Ori Hofmekler called "warrior instinct."

Guys name their weights the same way they name their trunks. They paint on them the emblems of their military units. They get weights tattooed on them. Russian Kettlebells are the Harley-Davidson weights.

Weights provide all-round development. Multifunctional strength. Power. Flexibility. Get rid of fat without the shameful aerobics. It will take 1-2 hours of training per week. All it takes is one compact, indestructible projectile that can be used anywhere.

Kettlebell is underestimated by many. In fact, the kettlebell is a very unique and very versatile sports equipment. With the help of a kettlebell, you can fully maintain your fitness and have good training and incredible strength endurance.

Cannons and cannonballs

Metal weights, which have retained their shape to this day, appeared in the 18th century in a completely unexpected way. Russian gunners constantly, with great efforts, manually laid the cannonballs into the muzzles of the guns.

It took preparation. A simple but excellent idea was proposed: attach a handle to the core and thereby train the muscles of the arms. The results were overwhelming, the speed of loading the cannon into the cannon increased several times.

This is how a round kettlebell appeared with a comfortable handle that provides a tight grip. Commercial weights of that time were multifaceted and had a very uncomfortable handle.

The day of kettlebell lifting was celebrated on August 10, 1885. It was on this day that the first "Amateur Athletics Club" was created, organized in St. Petersburg. The club gathered amateur athletes. At the same time, the rules and regulations of kettlebell lifting were approximately developed. Until that day, exercises with weights were more of an entertainment nature and were carried out at fairs and entertainment events, in circuses. But after this, performances increasingly began to be held officially, with the specific purpose of identifying the strongest person. And since in Russia the concept of "hero" was always highly valued, the victory in such competitions was very prestigious, and there were many who wanted to compete for such a conditional title.

There are two types of sports kettlebells:

- solid

- collapsible.

Solid weights are available in weight 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 48, 56 kg. A weight weighing 16 kg is called a pound weight. In kettlebell lifting, competitions are held using weights of 16, 24 and 32 kg.

Benefits of kettlebells

When we press the dumbbells, the weight of each of them falls on only one anchor point. This forces our ligaments and small muscles to engage at full capacity, stabilizing the load. And if they do not cope, then the weight will not submit to you. And the weights themselves are made so that the weight will be distributed over two anchor points. This will make the work of the stabilizers easier and more balanced. They will not limit the strength of the working muscle, so you can handle more stress.

On the other hand, more weight uses those same stabilizers more strongly, so whether they like it or not, they will still have to strengthen. This automatically means further weight gain, increased strength and muscle mass.

Kettlebell training is almost not traumatic. There are no strict execution techniques and other unnecessary things. You just take the shell and start pulling or pressing it the way you like. The body itself distributes the load between the working muscles in an optimal way. This allows you to build up working weights surprisingly quickly.

Another plus that appears from the distribution of the load over a large number of muscle groups is the limiting intensity. From this we get several advantages at once. First, the hormonal surge is much stronger than usual, so metabolic reactions are accelerated tenfold. This simultaneously builds up muscle mass and increases strength (replacing damaged cells with more adaptable specimens), and also burns subcutaneous fat. Secondly, over a certain period of time, a huge amount of blood passes through the target muscle, which brings much more nutrients and the same hormones to the cells than with conventional training. In short, we get an ideal environment for the development of muscles and other parts of the musculoskeletal system.

And finally, we always lift weights exactly the way we would lift a lot of weight in natural conditions. Therefore, kettlebell lifting is recognized as the best for the development of functional strength. You will become easier to move, react faster and even hit harder!