This was in the Wall Street Journal Online edition yesterday (3/18/08) They quote my buddy & fellow RKC instructor, David Whitley (they misspelled his last name "Whitely"). Dave lives in Nashville, Tn. Check out his website www.irontamer.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120579081638043241.html
Getting a Handle
On Weight Training
By LAURA JOHANNES
March 18, 2008; Page D2
They look like cannonballs with handles. Some
fitness experts say these weight-training tools, called kettlebells,
create a unique, full-body workout, but other experts fear the
explosive movements usually involved with the equipment could cause
injury.
* * *
Kettlebells, used by weightlifters in the early 20th
century, are becoming popular again. That's largely due to former
Russian military instructor Pavel Tsatsouline, who teamed up in 2001
with fitness publisher Dragon Door Publications Inc., of Little Canada,
Minn., to start selling kettlebells in the U.S. A number of companies
now sell the bells, which have a rough cast-iron surface.
In general, men start with a 35-pound bell and women
start with 18 or 26 pounds, depending on their strength. Dragon Door
says women are 40% of its customers and about 80% of those attending
classes taught by instructors certified in its methods.
You can use a kettlebell to do traditional lifting
exercises, but the routines popularized by Mr. Tsatsouline use the full
body rather than a single muscle. A signature exercise is the
kettlebell swing, in which you grab the bell with both hands and swing
it from between your legs until it is about shoulder height. Many
instructors suggest lifting them outside, says Nashville, Tenn.,
instructor David Whitely, in part because if you drop one no harm is
done.
The health benefits of strength training are
well-established. However, so far, few studies compare traditional free
weights or machines to kettlebells. In one study, presented at the 2006
meeting of the nonprofit National Strength and Conditioning
Association, researchers from Georgetown College in Kentucky found a
35-pound kettlebell worked muscles harder -- as measured by electrical
activity -- than a dumbbell of the same weight. The reason is that the
bell's offset center of gravity makes the load less stable, increasing
difficulty, says researcher Chris Proulx, now at Keene State College,
in Keene, N.H. But a higher-weight dumbell would likely work the
muscles just as hard, he adds.
Some fitness experts have concerns about safety,
particularly about the swing, which some fear could injure the back. "I
wouldn't take [someone] who has not been exercising and start her on a
kettlebell program -- it's too risky," says Manhattan personal trainer
Joan Pagano, author of several strength-training books for women. She
has concerns that many of the exercises put too much wear-and-tear on
joints.
Kettlebell enthusiasts say the handle facilitates
exercises that could be awkward with a dumbbell, and its off-center
weight distribution creates a unique workout. They also say the bells
strengthen shoulders and back, and actually prevent injuries.
Mr. Tsatsouline says kettlebells are very unlikely to
cause injury if you work up to the exercises gradually and take the
time to learn proper form. For example, the thrust in the swing should
come from the hips, not the back. He adds that kettlebells provide
enough variety on their own, but that some people do prefer to use them
along with traditional free weights.
Write to Laura Johannes at
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