Oxygen Thief

Kettlebells

My novelty-addicted brother, who also happens to be an endorphin addict and fitness fiend, recently took notice of a fitness trend that's growing in the USA but is almost unheard of here, although it's recently got another new evangelist, as I bought my first kettlebell. Used for over a hundred years by Russians training for fitness and power, it's gaining popularity in the States following a wiry little Russian's vigorous prosletysing, and now I suspect will take a hold in Britain too; unlike any form of repetitive exercise I have ever tried, it's fun!

It's hard to describe just why it's fun, but it is. I have, like probably more than 50% of the western world, bought gym memberships and let them lapse, or joined school gyms and stopped going. The reason: it's simply dull doing artificial exercises. Running on a treadmill is about the most boring of all! Even gerbils get bored with it. The difference between a dumbell and a kettlebell is two-fold. First, kettlebells are awkwardly shaped lumps of cast iron. They feel more real somehow than traditional western free weights. Second, the exercises seem more about the body than traditional free weights exercises. Whereas with a dumbbell you might do some biceps flexions, with the kettlebell you typically do an exercise which moves the kettlebell from one point in space to another point and involves a bicep curl at some point, although you probably don't notice it. You also don't notice the abuse your abs, lats and hamstrings are getting until the next day either!

And it's hard to put down! Well, at 16kg, putting it down is only marginally harder than dropping it, but once it's down you just want to pick it up again! It sits there on my floor and really affords itself to being picked up the same way a big red button affords itself to being pushed. As soon as your breathing calms down, you simply want to try another exercise. And there are as many as you can imagine, in addition to the myriad already invented by the masters of the sport over the years.

It's early doors yet, as they say in sports commentary, but I'm highly enthusiastic about this new development. This year one of my aims is to do something with my body and hopefully kettlebells will provide me with the means to do it!