Let's Get Serious Ladies

"Serious women should train hard just like serious men. You don't get a great body by messing around with ineffective exercises and light weights." - Mike Mahler

Ladies, you want to look lean and toned, right?  You aren't interested in bulking up.  You want to look like a woman, not a man.  I know how you feel.  I feel the same way.  Unfortunately, there is a common misconception out there. We've been deceived.   As women, we are told that to get our best body we need to cardio ourselves to death by jumping on a treadmill or an elliptical, and join an aerobics class. And if we do lift weights, they better be the pink Barbie ones at high reps or we're going to end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger.  This couldn't be further from the truth. While there is nothing wrong with these options, they are missing an imperative component with getting the results you want - heavy weight lifting.   

Lighter weights at higher repetitions is a common method that body builders use.  Why?  Because this approach causes sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (translation - flesh & fluid excessive overgrowth).  That is the "Fancy Nancy" way of saying big & bulky, soft & pointless muscle.  Now picture a body builder.  Isn't that what they look like, exactly the way you don't want to look?  What you do want is myofibrillar hypertrophy (translation - muscle fiber enlargement).  That is the "Fancy Nancy" way of saying dense, strong, functional muscle.  And the best way to achieve that while also sculpting a lean and toned body is heavy weights at low repetitions.

Science agrees.  In 2002 a study was done on two groups of women.  The first group performed resistance exercises with lighter weights (45% of their maximum ability) for 15 repetitions.  The second group performed the same exercises with heavier weights (85% of their maximum ability) for 8 repetitions.  They found that the second group of women burned more calories and had a greater increase in metabolism post exercise.

Another study was done by scientists and published in 2009.  This study followed 122 women for 6 years.  The results showed that the women who did resistance exercises three times per week with heavier weights (70% - 80% of their max ability) lost more body fat and weight.

Kettlebells are an amazing tool that enables you to get the amazing results you want!  I truly do not know of a more versatile and beneficial one, and I have tried a lot of things.  Kettlebell training offers resistance & cardio training in a handled ball of iron. When you combine the right amount of strength training with a touch of cardio done at intervals, you will literally turn your body into a fat burning machine.

Ladies, I challenge you to find out the physical strength you're made of.  And I guarantee it will be more than what you think.  You will maintain your femininity, while also being beautifully strong, toned and lean.  Go ahead, impress yourself!     

  
     

Photo Shoot by My Dad Photography :)

Thank you, Dad!!!

Questions & Answers

What is a kettlebell?
  A Russian kettlebell or gyra is a weight made of cast iron.  Its appearance resembles a cannonball attached to the end of a handle.  The kettlebell has withstood the test of time.  It was first documented over 300 years ago.

Are there different size kettlebells?  
 Yes.  Russian kettlebells range from 4 kg to a whopping 48 kg.  An average woman typically can start with 8 kg (18 lbs).  An average man typically starts with 16 kg (36 lbs).  The beauty of it is that kettlebells help you achieve an exceptional workout with just a few varying weights.

Why train with kettlebells?
  Why not?  The benefits are extraordinary!  The kettlebell is definitely the most versatile tool available.  It offers total fitness - head to toe.  It develops purposeful strength, creates resilience, conditions to the utmost, enforces the importance of flexibility and melts away fat.  If you want to lose weight, use kettlebells.  If you want to gain and strengthen muscles, use kettlebells.  If you want your body to feel better and move more functionally with greater coordination and agility, use kettlebells.  If you are an athlete and you want to improve your game, use kettlebells.  A Russian kettlebell is a gym in an of itself!  You and your kettlebell can take the place of any equipment found in the gym.  You can use them anywhere.  You can take them anywhere.  They will become one of your best friends!

What makes the kettlebell different from other weights, like dumbbells?
  A kettlebell's weight is centrally concentrated into a dense ball with a handle.  A dumbbell's weight is primarily on the sides with a bar in between.  The unique kettlebell shape allows the user to perform both resistance and high cardio exercises more effectively.  Swings are one example of this.  The kettlebell becomes an extension of your arm while performing the swing.  This means that the force to move the bell ballistically, even floating at the top of the swing, comes from your hips.  True functional power originates from the hips.  This isn't the case with a dumbbell.  Swings are more awkward and the arms are used more to raise the bell as opposed to the hips.  The kettlebell's handle strengthens your grip and also allows the user to pass the bell easily from hand to hand.  This is fun and the cardiac conditioning is intense!  The kettlebell's center of gravity is offset.  Due to this, the shoulder is loaded differently than it would be with a dumbbell when performing lifts overhead.  And because of that a solid foundation of stability and mobility are created to maximize your body's resilience and strength.

Who uses kettlebells?  Does age matter? 
  The range of kettlebell users is broad: Soviet legends in weight lifting, Russian Special Forces, US military and law enforcement, Secret Service Counter Assault Team, US Navy SEALS, Force Recon Marines, martial artists, athletes, and regular people just like you and me.
  Age isn't a factor - young or old, however, an open mind, willingness to learn, patience, attention to detail and a strong spirit are a must.  

Is there any science to back up the kettlebell claim?              
  "Voropayev (1983) observed two groups of subjects over a period of a few years and tested them with a standard battery of armed forces PT tests: pullups, a standing broad jump, a 100m sprint, and a 1k run. The control group followed a typical university physical education program that emphasized the above. The experimental group just lifted kettlebells.  In spite of the lack of practice on the tested exercises, the kettlebell group showed better scores in every one of them!"
  "Researchers at the Lesgaft Physical Culture Institute in Leningrad (Vinogradov & Lukyanov, 1986) found a very high correlation between the results posted in a kettlebell lifting competition and a great range of dissimilar tests: strength, measured with the three powerlifts and grip strength; strength endurance, measured with pullups and parallel bar dips; general endurance, determined by a 1000 meter run; and work capacity and balance, measured with special tests."
  "Shevtsova (1993) discovered that kettlebell training lowers the heart rate and the blood pressure and increase the heart's functional capacity."
  "Gomonov (1998) concluded that "Exercises with kettlebells enable one to quickly build strength, endurance, achieve a balanced development of all muscle groups, fix particular deficiencies of build, and they also promote health"."
  In 2010, the American Council on Exercise concluded that "an off the charts of at least 20.2 calories per minute were burned" while performing the kettlebell snatch exercise for 20 minutes with 15 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest.  That is the same as running a mile in 6 minutes!  And unless you are someone like Louis Zamperini, then odds are you can't keep a 6 minute mile pace.  The only other thing found to compare to that high of a caloric burn was "cross-country skiing uphill at a fast pace".
  Recently a study on the use of kettlebells to improve musculoskeletal health was done in Scandanavia.  The results were that training with kettlebells properly decreases pain in the neck, shoulders and lower back while strengthening them.
  Science and research have proven that kettlebell exercises offer extreme overall fitness with little to no competition. 
 

 

     
    

Officially Official

After 8 hours of swings, goblet squats and turkish get-ups, after being tested on 27 skills of form and strength, Matt and I received our Hardstyle Kettlebell Certifications!!!

Chapter 1

This is the beginning of a new chapter in my life.  Since my childhood, I have always enjoyed and thrived in being physically active.  Athletics came natural to me.  I was blessed with talents of strength, coordination and heart.  Now, 25 years later, those God given attributes still remain a part of who I am.  The "one and only", my husband, introduced me to kettlebells four years ago.  I was looking for an exercise that was intense, challenging and beneficial.  I also wanted it to be fun.  He believed kettlebells were the perfect fit for me.  He was right!  I am stronger, healthier and more flexible than I have ever been in my life.  I have a resting heart rate in the low to mid 50's.  I can't help but wonder how much more of an athlete I could have been had I known the awesome effects that kettlebells have when done correctly.

It is never too early or too late to start kettlebell training.  Just be careful, since Pavel Tsatsouline (a Soviet Special Forces trainer) reintroduced the kettlebell to the U.S. and it went mainstream in 2001, there have unfortunately been those who have diluted this form of exercise.  They do not perform the exercises properly themselves, let alone teach it to others correctly.  You can achieve amazing results with kettlebells, but proper technique is essential!  I recently became certified as a Hardstyle Kettlebell Instructor (HKC).  My certification comes from Pavel himself - the first, the best.  I want to take my personal experience, knowledge and success and share it with others.  I want to build a business that changes lives, makes them better.  This is the beginning of that journey.