Russian kettlebells are becoming an extremely popular fitness tool for fat loss and conditioning but they are shunned by a lot of the "hard core" weight lifting types. The reason for this is they are viewed solely as a conditioning tool and not a strength or power development tool by many. I used kettlebells to supplement my powerlifting when I was a competitive lifter and found it added some speed and "pop" to my squats and deadlifts. My vertical jump increased by a few inches and I lost about 26 lbs of body fat in two months. Not bad for 30 minutes a day three times a week!
I initially bought the kettlebells to lose fat without the dishonour of long slow cardio, but they did in fact help my lifts go up. I was leaner, faster and in better shape. This year I was sick of the gym and needed something totally different so I got back into kettlebells after a two year hiatus and stopped lifting weights. Sacrilegious I know, but sometimes you just have to make changes. I was so sick of squatting and deadlifting it was unreal. So, for three months straight I did nothing but kettlebell wings, cleans, snatches, and any other kettlebell exercise I could think of.
During my kettlebell only phase, I leaned out like crazy and kept most of my muscle mass. I will admit that my legs, arms and back shrank a bit, but I guess that happens when you stop squatting three times a week! My shoulders, chest and traps stayed pretty much the same, and my waist shrank considerably. All in all I was pretty satisfied with the lack of atrophy.
Long story short I decided to return to the gym and powerlifting about a month ago. At first my lifts were a bit shaky but within one month I am as strong or stronger in all the powerlifts as before my gym hiatus! The fact is, training with Russian Kettlebells only did not have any negative long term effects on my strength and power! Also, with my new athleticism I feel like I will get stronger than I was before, and at a lower body weight, in no time!
Strong and Lean without even going to the gym? Sounds like a deal to me!
Check out this video below of 185lb American Kettlebell Club Head Coach, Valery Fedorenko, demonstrating the benefits of Kettlebell Lifting for Strength Athletes.
Russian kettlebells are becoming an extremely popular fitness tool for fat loss and conditioning but they are shunned by a lot of the "hard core" weight lifting types. The reason for this is they are viewed solely as a conditioning tool and not a strength or power development tool by many. I used kettlebells to supplement my powerlifting when I was a competitive lifter and found it added some speed and "pop" to my squats and deadlifts. My vertical jump increased by a few inches and I lost about 26 lbs of body fat in two months. Not bad for 30 minutes a day three times a week!
I initially bought the kettlebells to lose fat without the dishonour of long slow cardio, but they did in fact help my lifts go up. I was leaner, faster and in better shape. This year I was sick of the gym and needed something totally different so I got back into kettlebells after a two year hiatus and stopped lifting weights. Sacrilegious I know, but sometimes you just have to make changes. I was so sick of squatting and deadlifting it was unreal. So, for three months straight I did nothing but kettlebell wings, cleans, snatches, and any other kettlebell exercise I could think of.
During my kettlebell only phase, I leaned out like crazy and kept most of my muscle mass. I will admit that my legs, arms and back shrank a bit, but I guess that happens when you stop squatting three times a week! My shoulders, chest and traps stayed pretty much the same, and my waist shrank considerably. All in all I was pretty satisfied with the lack of atrophy.
Long story short I decided to return to the gym and powerlifting about a month ago. At first my lifts were a bit shaky but within one month I am as strong or stronger in all the powerlifts as before my gym hiatus! The fact is, training with Russian Kettlebells only did not have any negative long term effects on my strength and power! Also, with my new athleticism I feel like I will get stronger than I was before, and at a lower body weight, in no time!
Strong and Lean without even going to the gym? Sounds like a deal to me!
Check out this video below of 185lb American Kettlebell Club Head Coach, Valery Fedorenko, demonstrating the benefits of Kettlebell Lifting for Strength Athletes.