Why a kettlebell? To bring out the athlete inside.

Kettlebells are everywhere these days in the fitness world. From magazines to Internet articles to TV shows, these cast-iron balls-with-a-handle are making their way around the mainstream of fitness training. Celebrities, professional athletes, and everyday people looking to shed a few pounds and get some muscle are looking to the kettlebell for help.

It’s not like kettlebells are new. In use for at least 300 years, these weights and the basic techniques gained popularity in the Russian military for being the most efficient way to get troops into fighting shape and keep them battle-ready on the field—with the minimum of equipment.

But it was ex-Soviet Special Forces (Spetsnaz) instructor Pavel Tsatsouline who introduced them to America in 1998 with his article “Vodka, Pickle Juice, and Kettlebells” for Milo magazine, a strength journal for those interested in the most functional, serious training available. Kettlebell training is grouped into two basic types: ballistics and grinds. Ballistic kettlebell training revolves around swinging the weights (ballistics) versus lifting the bells in a traditional manner (grinds).

When you swing the kettlebell, every part of the body is involved in each and every rep. Your body is always doing something, either producing force (swinging it up), reducing force (as it swings between the legs), or reversing the load (as one goes from the backswing to the next rep). This leads to high workloads with much lower perception of effort. Add in the acceleration forces (three to five times the weight of the bell) and even the average person can do extraordinary workloads in very short order.

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