A 'kettlebell' or girya (Russ.) is a traditional Russian cast iron weight

that looks like a cannonball with a handle! Russian Special Forces

personnel owe much of their wiry strength, lethal agility, and never-

quitting stamina to kettlebells.

 Who uses kettlebells?

The extreme kettlebell workout would have remained the exclusive domain of Russian spec ops, had former Spetsnaz instructor Pavel Tsatsouline not immigrated to the U.S... Then the power of the Russian kettlebell, soon took off among people from all walks of life: martial artists, athletes, and regular people.

In the UK, Kettlebells have been famously used by such diverse people as Geri Halliwell, Amir Khan, and Liverpool and Chelsea Football Clubs. You may not be a Liverpool or Chelsea fan, but have you ever wondered why the likes of Steven Gerard and Frank Lampard can run non-stop for 90 minutes without getting tired…?

Russian Kettlebell Power!!

Kettlebells deliver extreme all around fitness, and that's a SCIENTIFCALLY PROVEN FACT:

Shevtsova (1993) discovered that kettlebell training lowers the heart rate and the blood pressure.

Gomonov (1998) concluded that "Exercises with kettlebells enable one to quickly build strength, endurance, achieve a balanced development of all muscle groups, fix particular deficiencies of build, and they also promote health." Most methods that claim 'all around fitness' deliver no more than compromises.

Accept no compromises: choose the Russian kettlebell!

 The kettlebell body

Russian kettlebells are not for Kens and Barbies who want to look like a collection of body parts. Kettlebells forge doers' physiques along the lines of antique statues: broad shoulders with just a hint of pecs, back muscles standing out in relief, shapely arms, a cut midsection, and sleek strong legs.

Kettlebells melt fat without the dishonor of dieting or aerobics; losing up to 1% of bodyfat a week is not uncommon. If you are overweight, you will lean out. If you are skinny, you will get built up.

According to Voropayev (1997) who studied top Russian gireviks, 21.2% increased their bodyweight since taking up kettlebelling and 21.2% (the exact same percentage, not a typo), decreased it. The Russian kettlebell is a powerful tool for fixing your body composition, whichever way it needs fixing.

Are kettlebells dangerous? Am I too young or too old?

Only 8.8% of top Russian gireviks Kettlebell Athletes), reported injuries in training or competition (Voropayev, 1997). A remarkably low number, isn't it? Note that these were not regular guys, but elite athletes who push their bodies to the edge.

As for the age, at the 1995 Russian Championship the youngest contestant was 16, the oldest 53! And we are talking elite competition here; the range is even wider if you are training for yourself rather than for the gold medal!