Quickly becoming the modern alternative to the dumbbell, the kettlebell was first used back in the 1700s, and is essentially nothing more than a cast iron weight in the shape of a circular cannonball with a curved handle that loops all the way across the top of the ball.

Used as a secret fitness weapon for the Red Army, the kettlebell did not really come to the attention of the West till after the end of the Cold War but we’ve definitely made up for it since with the kettlebell quickly becoming one of the most popular pieces of exercise equipment on the fitness market.

Working to not only increase your strength, agility, balance and endurance, the range of exercises designed for the kettle also act to challenge your cardiovascular and muscular systems making it much more of a full body workout than using other weights, and has seen it become particularly popular with athletes and martial artists, as well as with celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz, Matthew McConaughey.

Much of the popularity of the kettlebell has to do with how effective it is. Offering a super fast workout, using a kettlebell to exercise not only saves time, something of great important to special forces who use them to keep fit, but also takes away that boredom of repetitive training that many alternative fitness regimes make you suffer. Add to this how exercising with a kettlebell will give you that toned look without all the bulky muscle and you’ve got something that sounds like the perfect piece of exercise equipment.

However all this tends to point to the workout being one thing – hard work. And you’d be right.

Made up of a number of quick, consecutive movements, a kettlebell workout tends to be made up of three different lifts:

Kettlebell swing

Standing with your legs shoulder width apart, the kettlebell swing sees you go into a semi squat type position with your upper half slightly bent forward and your knees. From here you pick up the kettlebell off the floor, lift it up to head level then swing it back all the way through your legs and back again.

Kettlebell snatch

Standing in the similar position to a traditional weight snatch, the kettlebell snatch sees you lift the weight from the floor up to around shoulder level where you need to pull your bicep in and punch the kettlebell up into the air.

Kettlebell jerk

First seeing you lift the kettlebell to chest height, this exercise then requires to squat down and then thrust the kettlebell above your head.

None of these sounds like an easy workout, and that’s because of one reason – it’s not, but it is one that will get you results.

A Sample Kettlebell Workout

Fancy trying kettlebells out for yourself? You can find them in both mens and womens sizes from specialist kettlebell suppliers like London Kettlebells, most good sports shops as well as online at Amazon

Photo by kl.fitness.