- Lun Fév 28, 2011 5:48 pm
#106048
Kettlebells
In the fitness world, there is a huge tendency to look for the new wave. Since 10 years, the kettlebells seem to be the new revolutionary tool.
Where are they from? What are their particularities? How can we optimize their utilization in a program?
History
“Kettlebells ( call girya in Russian) originated in Russia, and the first recorded mention of them was in 1704 within a Russian dictionary.
In the recent history of the Kettlebell, they have become increasingly popular within the United States thanks to a man named Pavel Tsatsouline. Tsatsouline is a fitness author who used to be a trainer for not only the United States armed forces but the Soviet Union forces as well. “
So in fact kettlebells are a lot older than modern dumbbells.
[img]http://www.kettlebellsusa.com/assets/images/OldKettlebellPhotos/strongfortbell.jpg[/img]
So what are the advantages of kettlebells ?
• Keep the motivation up
• Develop the power
• Develop muscular endurance
• Useful for ballistic movement
• Develop the grip
• Much less expensive than an home gym
• Easy to transport / don’t take much space
• Free weight, so it makes your body work naturally and develop your core.
• Almost indestructible
According to “Praise for Pavel Tsatsouline and Russian Kettlebell Training” they have also plenty of other qualities. They are:
• “An ancient tool that is going to transform your every day flabbiness into graceful strength.”
• “Greater challenge than dumbbells and barbells, not even to mention the wussy machines. “
• “Kettlebells set your fat on fire like no other form of exercise.”
• “ Losing 1% of bodyfat a week for weeks is not uncommon.”
• “More importantly, although many pieces of equipment claim to promote all aroundfitness, only K-bells deliver strength, explosiveness, flexibility, endurance, and fat loss all in one tight package—and without the dishonor of dieting and aerobics.”
• “It won’t add bulk, unless that is your goal. It will burn body fat, give beautiful muscle definition, strong tendons and ligaments, and functional strength that you can use in your daily life or other physical activities.”
• “This is the perfect workout for the woman who wants to look lean and have shapely, defined muscles.”
• “And for anyone who has tried every diet and exercise program to lose those last 10 pounds, the kettlebell workout will do it!”
Really ?! Why the kettlebelles would change the body in another way than free weight lifting ( with dumbbells and barbells) do ?
If we think about it, kettlebells are just a kind of dumbbells.
As strength expert we must be able to separate the marketing from the product. The best way to do it is to :
• Learning about the new products. What studies have been made on kettlebells ? What can we conclude from the result ? What do the other strength and conditioning coach think about it ? how do they use it ?
• Think out of the box, and try to understand we our physiological knowledge, what the tool is better for and what is worst for.
What are the disadvantages of kettlebells?
Kettlebell is just another tool, nothing else. If you use it well you can improve certain aspect of the conditioning, but the tool itself doesn’t make you more powerful or more enduring.
I disagree with Pavel,I really think they can’t be the master piece of your strength and conditioning program. On this point I follow Mark Rippetoe:
“Kettlebells are an excellent adjunct to barbell training, but they are not a replacement for it. Kettlebell training -- as I understand it, and I may be understanding it incorrectly -- is an endurance activity wherein volume is the primary parameter that is manipulated. It does not lend itself to lower rep incremental increases in strength at the 5RM level as barbell training does. For this reason, it would be considered an assistance method for intermediate or advanced athletes interested in competing in non-barbell sports. Quite useful for some things, not terribly applicable to an initial acquisition of absolute strength.”
I would add that it can also be a good way to bring diversity to the training program and keep the client motivation’s up.In addition, in my understanding of programming (I can be wrong) you need to first develop the strength before to look for the power.
In his book Pavel tell that “all of” their” kettlebells are made with pride in the U.S.A.”.
Ironically Joel Jamieson, whose a world class MMA strength and conditioning coach explains that in fact “ the handles were designed by someone who had no idea how kettlebells were supposed to be used because they were all way too small to get your foot into. Probably 30-40% of the exercises they did with kettlebells back in Russia were done with the foot in the handle. They felt they were great for foot and ankle strength and played all sorts of games seeing how could lift them onto the highest box, who could throw them the furthest with each leg, etc. “
Kettlebells have a strong cultural link with martial art. For example it is a good way to increase the punch power because they are generally heavier than medicine balls but to be able to maximise the power, the athlete must be able to throw the kettlebells at the end of the movement. So you need a soft surface to receive the kettlebells and so use it correctly. And nobody teaches that.
To conclude kettlebells can be very useful or worthless if they are not use on the right way. It is the conditioning coach’s role to understand how to use and incorporate different tools in his training program.
References:
History :http://ezinearticles.com/?History-of-the-Kettlebell&id=1850860
Mark Rippetoe :http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=8563&page=1
Joel Jamieson :http://www.8weeksout.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=649
In the fitness world, there is a huge tendency to look for the new wave. Since 10 years, the kettlebells seem to be the new revolutionary tool.
Where are they from? What are their particularities? How can we optimize their utilization in a program?
History
“Kettlebells ( call girya in Russian) originated in Russia, and the first recorded mention of them was in 1704 within a Russian dictionary.
In the recent history of the Kettlebell, they have become increasingly popular within the United States thanks to a man named Pavel Tsatsouline. Tsatsouline is a fitness author who used to be a trainer for not only the United States armed forces but the Soviet Union forces as well. “
So in fact kettlebells are a lot older than modern dumbbells.
[img]http://www.kettlebellsusa.com/assets/images/OldKettlebellPhotos/strongfortbell.jpg[/img]
So what are the advantages of kettlebells ?
• Keep the motivation up
• Develop the power
• Develop muscular endurance
• Useful for ballistic movement
• Develop the grip
• Much less expensive than an home gym
• Easy to transport / don’t take much space
• Free weight, so it makes your body work naturally and develop your core.
• Almost indestructible
According to “Praise for Pavel Tsatsouline and Russian Kettlebell Training” they have also plenty of other qualities. They are:
• “An ancient tool that is going to transform your every day flabbiness into graceful strength.”
• “Greater challenge than dumbbells and barbells, not even to mention the wussy machines. “
• “Kettlebells set your fat on fire like no other form of exercise.”
• “ Losing 1% of bodyfat a week for weeks is not uncommon.”
• “More importantly, although many pieces of equipment claim to promote all aroundfitness, only K-bells deliver strength, explosiveness, flexibility, endurance, and fat loss all in one tight package—and without the dishonor of dieting and aerobics.”
• “It won’t add bulk, unless that is your goal. It will burn body fat, give beautiful muscle definition, strong tendons and ligaments, and functional strength that you can use in your daily life or other physical activities.”
• “This is the perfect workout for the woman who wants to look lean and have shapely, defined muscles.”
• “And for anyone who has tried every diet and exercise program to lose those last 10 pounds, the kettlebell workout will do it!”
Really ?! Why the kettlebelles would change the body in another way than free weight lifting ( with dumbbells and barbells) do ?
If we think about it, kettlebells are just a kind of dumbbells.
As strength expert we must be able to separate the marketing from the product. The best way to do it is to :
• Learning about the new products. What studies have been made on kettlebells ? What can we conclude from the result ? What do the other strength and conditioning coach think about it ? how do they use it ?
• Think out of the box, and try to understand we our physiological knowledge, what the tool is better for and what is worst for.
What are the disadvantages of kettlebells?
Kettlebell is just another tool, nothing else. If you use it well you can improve certain aspect of the conditioning, but the tool itself doesn’t make you more powerful or more enduring.
I disagree with Pavel,I really think they can’t be the master piece of your strength and conditioning program. On this point I follow Mark Rippetoe:
“Kettlebells are an excellent adjunct to barbell training, but they are not a replacement for it. Kettlebell training -- as I understand it, and I may be understanding it incorrectly -- is an endurance activity wherein volume is the primary parameter that is manipulated. It does not lend itself to lower rep incremental increases in strength at the 5RM level as barbell training does. For this reason, it would be considered an assistance method for intermediate or advanced athletes interested in competing in non-barbell sports. Quite useful for some things, not terribly applicable to an initial acquisition of absolute strength.”
I would add that it can also be a good way to bring diversity to the training program and keep the client motivation’s up.In addition, in my understanding of programming (I can be wrong) you need to first develop the strength before to look for the power.
In his book Pavel tell that “all of” their” kettlebells are made with pride in the U.S.A.”.
Ironically Joel Jamieson, whose a world class MMA strength and conditioning coach explains that in fact “ the handles were designed by someone who had no idea how kettlebells were supposed to be used because they were all way too small to get your foot into. Probably 30-40% of the exercises they did with kettlebells back in Russia were done with the foot in the handle. They felt they were great for foot and ankle strength and played all sorts of games seeing how could lift them onto the highest box, who could throw them the furthest with each leg, etc. “
Kettlebells have a strong cultural link with martial art. For example it is a good way to increase the punch power because they are generally heavier than medicine balls but to be able to maximise the power, the athlete must be able to throw the kettlebells at the end of the movement. So you need a soft surface to receive the kettlebells and so use it correctly. And nobody teaches that.
To conclude kettlebells can be very useful or worthless if they are not use on the right way. It is the conditioning coach’s role to understand how to use and incorporate different tools in his training program.
References:
History :http://ezinearticles.com/?History-of-the-Kettlebell&id=1850860
Mark Rippetoe :http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=8563&page=1
Joel Jamieson :http://www.8weeksout.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=649