Russian Kettlebells

**flashpoint111** · Posted On: 7/14/2003 4:04pm

I don't think there is anything wrong with kb's per se,it's just all of the hype with his Pavel guy and all of his books,seminars,and certifications surrounding this man,that I object to.Kettlebells can be a decent training tool,but I hardly think they are magical like the hype guys say.

**FingerorMoon?** · Posted On: 7/14/2003 8:46pm

Fair enough.
Personally, I think Pavel markets himself well.
And their is substance behind his hype.
I've got a few of his ebooks and they are pretty good (I don't actually have his Kettlebell book)

**Matt Stone** · Posted On: 7/15/2003 1:09am

Fair enough.
Personally, I think Pavel markets himself well.
And their is substance behind his hype.
I've got a few of his ebooks and they are pretty good (I don't actually have his Kettlebell book)

Pavel's ability to market himself and what he does is incredible... However, so is the training.

I have done traditional weights over the years with minimal dedication and minimal results (well, no ****, right?). I was never into lifting all that much, so I didn't care.

Over the years I've been in the Army, I've used regular weight training principles with nearly all the physical fitness training I have had (it is ingrained into Army PT training theory). Again, mixed results at best (just because it is Army doesn't mean it's the best).

I started KBs in January. Due to work requirements and scheduling conflicts (I work days, my wife works nights), I have had a hard time getting regular work outs in. The upside to KB training is that you don't need a lot of equipment. One KB is the bare minimum. I have DBs of the same weight as my KB, and lifting the KB feels at least twice as heavy. The results with only moderate exercise were flatly astounding as far as I was concerned. Perhaps it is just sticking to it. Perhaps it is due to the non-isolation principle Pavel uses. It could be a lot of things.

Finally, Pavel's training is NOT solely about the KB. It is only one (large) addition to the overall training principles. It is the principles that guide the training.

Gambarimasu.

**flashpoint111** · Posted On: 7/19/2003 1:39am

as I mentioned in another post,one of the few martial artists i"ve read who seems to have a handle on the reality of strength training is Mr. Burton Richardson of Jun Fan /Jeet Kune do.Most martial artists,sadly,tend to jump on fads or to blindly follow the advice of bodybuilders,strength gurus,and/or exercise physiologists.Burt Richardson is one of the few voices of sanity in the martial arts community,as regards to strength training and many other matters.

**flashpoint111** · Posted On: 7/19/2003 1:41am

ps----why,pray tell,is doing 120 reps in the kettlebell snatch better than doing 150 dumbbell cleans,120 dumbell swings,or 200 pushups.?If doing high reps of an explosive resistance move is so great for the metabolism,they why not do 300 quik pushups and 600 quik crunches,and save the money you would have spent on kettlebells?

**Vargas** · Posted On: 7/20/2003 4:10pm

Couple of reasons. Kettlebells are intentionally unbalanced, forces you to use lots of core muscles you never use otherwise, as well as your forearm and hand muscles. Kettlebells also provide a large variety of different exercises that you could never duplicate with a dumbbell or other conventional weight. Finally, KBs are kind of fun to play with, once you get the hang of them. Calisthetics can be kind of boring, in my opinion.

"Go cry about it Vargas. Aren't you late for your shift at McDonald's?"