Friday, September 7, 2012

A Brief History of Kettlebells

By Greg Diener


It has been shown that working out with kettlebells can be very effective when trying to reach the goals you want when working out. It is very demanding when you work with these weights since you only need to work out for a small amount of time while getting comparable results. However were you aware that kettlebells were invented in Russia and they have existed for three centuries now?

Kettlebells were initially manufactured by the Russians to be made use of as weights, somewhat seemingly, given their heaviness. However, they weren't invented for use as weights for bodybuilding but to be used at markets, in order to have a counter weight when weighing dry helpfuls. The "pood," or measurement value, was written on the bells so that one could see how much something that they bought weighed. The pood is still the way a kettlebell is calculated and weighed. Later on, as with many inventions that once had a practical use, the kettlebell was made use of for entertainment.

Kettlebells use as a good training tool in workouts would soon be utilized by the Spetznaz a group of elite Russian soldiers. Russia's embrace of the kettlebell would also be seen when it was made a national sport by the country in the 1940s. After getting some use by the U.S. Special Forces it wouldn't be long before kettlebells would hit the U.S. by storm. In the 1970s kettlebells started getting mainstream use in workouts and in the 1980s the first kettlebell competitions would start.

Other countries have made use of variations of kettlebells for thousands of years. A heavy weight with a handle connected has been used by Scottish clans for their Highland Games. Chinese monks used large stone padlocks in much the even manner as kettlebells are utilized today. Similar weights were made use of by the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Once you pick up your initial kettlebell, you probably won't be remembering the thousands of years of history accompanied with them. You'll be concentrating on your form and posture, not to mention a way to lift without injuring yourself. But take a quick second to reflect on the tradition of the kettlebells, a tradition that you are proceeding the first time you grab that handle and swing your kettlebell high.




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