Kettlebells: Interesting Weight Training

by Melissa

I did not know what Kettlebells were until about a year ago. I had moved into a home and the previous owner had left two odd looking iron weights in the basement. They were round iron balls and they said 16KG on them. I wasn't sure what they were for or even what the weight was in pounds, all I knew was that they were heavy.

But, every time I passed them I would try to pick them up. Being a woman of pretty good strength, I could lift them both but not for long. So, I just would pick them up a few times a day and think nothing more of it. My nephew thought they looked like cannon balls and liked trying to lift them as well.

Finally, about 3-4 months later a gentleman visited my home to look at my furnace (which is in the basement) and told me what they were. He said they are originally from Russia and used for weight training. Once I knew the name I starting looking them up on the internet and found how to use them.

They increase your grip, core strength and you can mimic things like shoveling. I started working with them slowly more and more each day. I have to admit at first in a few minutes I was winded and had to stop. But eventually I noticed my strength and stamina rising. After awhile it was easy, and sort of fun.

I haven't lost a lot of weight or beefed up to a bodybuilder but I noticed every day strength tasks being easier. My advice to someone new at it would be to be trained by a professional, because you could very easily hurt your back and if you dropped one on your foot you would break it.

If I had purchased these myself I think I would have started with much lighter weights. I like them, and might buy a couple more in a much lighter weight. I would think a woman would want to start at about 5-10 pounds each. Be careful and make sure and have adequate shoes on to prevent injury.

Good luck with kettlebells - they are fun and everyone will ask you what they are!