A Kettlebell Birthday Party: Why Kettlebells Are So Popular
By admin
This is how I started my day today:
I followed this recipe, then once the batter was in the hot skillet, added the peaches. As it cooks, the pancake cooks up around the peaches so you can flip it.
They were delicious: sweet but tart, a bit of a crunch on the outside but soft on the inside = perfect pancake! Unfortunately, these aren’t Charleston peaches (frozen), they have me very excited about fresh summertime peaches at our farmers market.
This is how I ended last night:
Nothing says happy birthday like a dark chocolate peanut butter lava cake, and it was vegan. Each spoonful was creamy, rich and oh so good. The “lava” in the center was a combination of 82% dark chocolate and Peanut Butter Co.’s extra smooth peanut butter. Of course we ate it right out of the oven so everything was melted and extra gooey.
When I went to blow out my candle, I had a hard time making a wish. I had such a wonderful day between the race, time with my husband and my surprise gift that I wasn’t in a wishing mood.
Of course I finally came up with something 
As for my “surprise”, check out with Dan got me:
We have been wanting some kettlebells for quite a while so I was really excited when he told me we had to go run an errand, then we drove to Dick’s and he walked straight to these.
I was a happy girl! Our goal is to buy 1 new one each month until our collection grows to what we want (we use these for boot camps).
Love Of Kettlebells
Over the past few years kettlebells have blown up in popularity, is it because they just look cool and big athletes/trainers use them? For quite a while I argued that what you can do with a kettlebell, you can do with a dumbbell… saying that they are basically overpriced dumbbells.
Then, about a year or two ago, I actually got to use them, train with them, study them, and I realized that I was wrong.
Kettlebells do have a place in the fitness world and I am not a proud kettlebell supporter.
Why Should Women Use Kettlebells?
Great For Cardio.
Who says that cardio has to be running, biking or ellipticalling? You can get an amazing cardio workout from using kettlebells do preform high rep moves like swings, snatches, and clean & jerks.
In fact, I just read a study somewhere that doing 10 minutes of intense kettlebell work burns the same amount of calories as running for the same amount of time. But here’s the kicker… the kettlebells work more muscles so in the long run (recovery and after-burn) you’ll end up burning MORE calories than running.
You can do either rep intervals (doing at least 20 reps per set) or timed where you set a timer for 30-60 seconds and perform as many reps as possible in that time. For both, rest for 30-60 seconds and repeat. Continue on for 10-20 minutes and then beg for mercy as your entire body will be wonderfully exhausted!
Great Flexibility.
No they won’t make you more flexible but the shape of a kettlebell overs so many different ways to use them. Dan and I are experimenting a lot with this right now!
For example, “thread” a towel through the handle and then hold on to the towel. Now you can have more range of motion to do swings and such.
Another great idea, is to place a bar through the handle… now you have a “barbell”. This is just two examples but this list can definitely be increased!
Balance Training
Balance training is crucial for improving overall fitness, yet many women leave it out of their training. Don’t! Grab a kettlebell and practice 1-legged deadlifts, squats; 1-armed chest presses, snatches, clean & jerks.
The handle makes balance work training a bit easier than if using a dumbbell, at least in my opinion.
Rehabilitation
Several studies give kettlebells a thumbs up for their ability to help injuried athletes get back into performing. They offer a great array of functional moves (moves that help train and prepare the body for life outside of the gym) in all planes of movement. Forward motions, side to side, and rotational exercises are much easier to do with this single piece of equipment than others.
Here’s an exerpt from one study published in the North America Journal of Physical Therapy:
They’re Fun.
If you’re not having fun with your workout, you will not push youself to a level to get maximum results. I love kettlebells because they are a challenge but also because they are fun to use.
Dumbbells are fabulous, and I use them the most however it’s great to change things up to spice up the excitement of your workout. For whatever reason, I get a surge of confidence when using kettlebells that I don’t get when using a bar or dumbbell. Perhaps its because I see so few women opting to use them, so I feel pretty bad-ass.
Regardless, I have fun with them and know that I am doing my body a great service.
In tomorrow’s show, I might just have a few of my FAVORITE kettlebell exercises to show you… now that will be fun!
Have you ever used kettlebells?
Do you like them?