History of Kettlebells

The kettlebell, is known as the Girya in Russian. It is a strength and conditioning tool. It has been widely used for centuries in Russia by the police, military and the people to increase strength, power and endurance. It is used for both training and competitions to prove strength.

It first appeared in a Russian History in the dictionary in the year 1704, there are lots of people claiming to know the history and origins of kettlebells and there are loads of theories surrounding them which causes a lot of confusion, this article discusses all the theories and forms a valid conclusion as to the history of Kettlebells.
The Traditional Russian kettlebell weighs 1 Pood this is approximately a 16 kg kettlebell (or 35 pounds).

 

Kettlebells were recognised internationally as a superb fitness tool when there was an article about them in the fitness magazine Hercules in 1913.
The first kettlebell competition was held in 1948 in Russia. It later became Russia's National sport.
Russians were outstripping other nations in terms of explosive endurance and strength this led other nations to start training and finding the benefits of Kettlebells.
A committee for the sport of Kettlebell lifting was created in 1985, with the first National Championship for Kettlebells held in Russia in 1985.

Theories of kettlebells history

Human culture has been inventing for thousands of years , we have also been competing for strength since the dawn of time. So it makes complete sense that we would begin training for these events and all intelligent cultures would add a handle to a weight to increase the amount of weight we can train with.

Throughout history Cultures have used some form of handled weights for strength training and this can be traced back thousands of years to the Shaolin Monks of China, they used stone padlocks to train similarly to kettlebell training. This training was known as Shi-SuoGuong. Ancient Greeks are also known to have trained for their Olympics so it is likely they would have used kettlebell style training.

Another theory for thier history is that the kettlebell originated with the Russian artillery branch of the military, who added a handle to the cannonball in order to develop strength that they could apply to loading the cannonball in battle.

Some people believe Kettlebells origins are part of the Scottish Highland sporting history using curling stones as the principal model. Curling uses brooms to guide heavy gliding round stones across ice. Iron handles were attached to the stones to make them easier to handle. Farmers began using handled stones for their training sessions to prepare for the Highland Games. Scotland and Russia have a close relationship which dates back to the middle ages. Many Scots flocked to Russia over the ages because it was ripe with opportunity and potential for a better standard of living.

Conclusion - The history of kettlebells
As I discussed above many cultures used similar equipment to kettlebells in their training both before during and after the Russians started using kettlebells. But is important to state they used similar equipment it is however Russians who started using kettlebells specifically. It is a known fact that Russians farmers used a bell shaped weight to measure out quantities of grains and goods on balance scales. As I have discussed earlier, give a man a heavy weight and he will quickly want to show everyone he can lift it. So farmers and laborers were quickly competing for strength with the kettlebells.

So it can be concluded that kettlebells originated in Russia as a farmers weight.

Sorting Nutrition Fact from Fiction with a Cardiologist

Low-fat, fat-free, sugar-free, low-carb, good carbs, trans-fat, paleo, gluten, kale, quinoa, juicing, and coconut oil are just a few of the many dietary trends and buzzwords we hear while trying to make sound nutritional decisions. It seems like every day a new food is made a scapegoat for weight gain, high cholesterol, diabetes, or even autism, while a new food is touted as the next “super-food” with the power to lower blood pressure, aid weight loss or build muscle. Additionally, foods such as eggs or red wine are alternatively promoted as heart-healthy or contributory to high cholesterol, depending on who you ask. Even the most discerning consumer can have a difficult time separating nutritional fact from fiction. What does a cardiologist have to say about what we should be eating?

Consider the much vilified egg. For years, conventional wisdom was that eggs were high in cholesterol and should be avoided. However, new research shows that eating one egg per day, including the yolk, is safe for your heart. The American Heart Association’s advice for a heart healthy diet is simple: Eat a variety of foods. Enjoy an egg with fruit and foods rich in protein, such as cheese, and vitamin C, like spinach. Neither is red meat the scoundrel it has been made out to be. Red meat is an excellent source of protein and saturated fats, and is a healthy component of a diet that also includes fish and chicken.

 Additionally, any regimen approved by a cardiologist will involve exercise. After all, our ancestors managed to live long, productive lives while eating a hearty diet of farm-fresh butter, eggs, cheese, red meat, bread, and even our beloved bacon. In fact, the Amish eat this way today, and obesity among them is a fraction of the rest of the population. Exercise is what sets the Amish, and our ancestors, apart from the rest of us. For thousands of years, humans foraged for food, hunted, or grew crops. As the world became mechanized and, eventually, digitalized, the amount of physical activity required for work and even survival declined drastically. Today, chasing your next meal is an option, not a requirement. The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week.
Finally, any cardiologist worth his salt would recommend keeping the amount of processed foods consumed to a minimum. Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock famously gained 25 pounds over 30 days in the name of science in order to assess the toll a fast-food only diet took on his body for his award-winning documentary, “Super Size Me.” Our ancestors might not have eaten fancy grains like quinoa, but they certainly did not eat anything out of a box engineered to withstand years in a bomb shelter, either. Try sticking to food items with an expiration date sometime in the next few weeks. Better yet, try buying fruits and vegetables from the farmers market, or using lemons and limes to flavor your dishes. Save room for dessert, too, because ice cream, in moderation, can be part of a heart-healthy diet.

Make smart decisions about what you eat. Learn more about proper nutrition from a trusted cardiologist Metairie LA. Here
  

Why We Still Need Cardio Training ..

 

Cardio training has really been taking a beating recently. In the strength-training world, it’s become trendy and fashionable to make a name for yourself by suggesting that no one ever do any form of cardio training ever again or all of your muscle mass will disappear. Why are we listening to people who can squat 600 pounds with a big gut and can barely move well?

Like many topics in fitness, the accepted view on what you “should” do swings from one ridiculous extreme to the other.

There is no question that the previously dominant view that people have to do long cardio sessions to get fit is incorrect. More isn’t better. But zero isn’t better, either.

Here’s what you need to know:

-Endurance—as a component of fitness—is essential for optimum health and function.

-Cardio increases blood volume, allowing more efficient buffering of acids produced during higher-intensity training.

-You don’t need nearly as much cardio as we used to think, but you need more than zero.

Endurance is an essential human capacity. It’s what allowed us to successfully evolve to the top of the food chain. Developing the ability to outlast our prey when hunting helped us obtain precious resources for survival. But the kind of endurance we had back then was developed at a higher intensity than the long, slow cardio training that was popular not too long ago.

Of more current interest, aerobic exercise changes the brain in ways that improve cognitive function and may have beneficial effects throughout the lifespan. Aerobically fit people have more fibrous and compact white matter, which is comprised of the bundles of axons that carry nerve signals from one brain region to another. More compact white matter is associated with faster and more efficient nerve activity. This provides a host of benefits to many mental and physical tasks. And aerobic exercise can help keep our minds sharp as we age. The goal of most strength training (or even cardio training) isn’t directly tied to a better brain, but I think it’s safe to assume that all of us want a sharp mind throughout our lives.  

With strength training, the goal is larger, stronger muscles and this means we have to perform shorter, more intense training. A limiting factor is the accumulation of acidic waste products in the muscle when performing an effort.

When the accumulation increases at a rate that is faster than your body can clear out, muscles begin to burn and further contractions become increasingly difficult. Your blood carries sodium bicarbonate to buffer the acidic state. Boosting the acid-buffering ability of the blood would push your fatigue point further out. A little aerobic training can make your anaerobic training better by increasing blood volume, which allows the blood to carry more sodium bicarbonate.

To get this benefit, you may need only one “traditional” cardio workout a week, but there is a better way.

If you’re reading this thinking I’m a big fan of cardio workouts, you’re wrong. I’d much rather be chasing a ball or a person playing a sport or outside in nature hiking or taking a short trail run to get my cardio training done. But life doesn’t always present opportunities to do those activities. I prefer higher-intensity strength training and faster explosive training. But it’s foolish to only train that way all the time. By performing interval training according to the ACE IFT model, you can get a lot of benefit in less time than “old school” cardio. I use this interval training two to three times per week for no more than 20 to 25 minutes per session, and have used it successfully with many clients since first learning it a few years ago.

There’s something inherently unnatural about climbing onto a machine and going absolutely nowhere while disconnecting yourself from nature. But sometimes circumstances like scheduling or weather make other options impossible. When doing this kind of training, it’s best to use the minimum effective dose so you devote more time to other forms of training or just other things in general.

And it’s also important to make clear that in no way am I advocating any boring exercise. Whatever you do should be engaging to both body and mind. That may mean using motivating music or some elements of play, competitiveness or reactivity. The moment I’m not engaged and get bored, I either change what I’m doing or I stop.

There’s not much need to do the long, boring, steady-state training of yesterday. Using modern, intelligent approaches to interval training gleans the most out of a minimum investment of time while still providing the benefits of aerobic training.

Source : Johnathan Ross / Ace 

Julie Foucher vs Lauren Brooks - CrossFit Games Open 15.3

CrossFit Open Workout 15.3 Tips & Strategy

Jump Rope Your Way to Buff

Jumping rope is an excellent calorie-burning exercise, which can help you achieve or maintain a healthy body weight -- and tone up. Harvard Health Publications reports that a 155-pound person burns 372 calories in just 30 minutes jumping rope. While jumping rope may seem mundane, changing up your jump rope routine regularly can help break monotony -- and will work a variety of muscle groups to improve your physique.

 

 

 1. Basic Single Jumps
One of the most basic ways to jump rope is to complete basic single jumps, jumping over your rope with both feet at one time. Speed up and slow down your jumping pace to complete interval training, or choose one pace to achieve steady-state aerobic exercise.

2. Basic Backward Jumps

Backward jumps are similar to basic single jumps. However, instead of swinging your jump rope around your body in a forward motion, you reverse the rope swing to go backward around your body before each jump.

3. Side to Side

To change things up a bit and work different muscle groups, alter your feet movements to complete side-to-side jumping. During this exercise, instead of jumping just up and down, you'll jump from side to side with both feet at one time.

4. Front to Back

Front-to-back jumping is similar to side-to-side jumping, but your feet move forward and backward during jumps instead of side-to-side. By switching up your jumping routine, you'll work a variety of muscle groups and maximize results.

5. Sprint Jumping

Perform sprint jumping by jogging rapidly in place while jumping rope, jumping with one foot at a time. You can alternate slow jumps with sprint jumping to achieve the benefits of interval training. You may also jog, while jumping rope, in a forward motion instead of in jogging in place. Then jog backwards to your original position and repeat.

6. Side Straddle Jumps

To complete side straddle jumps, alternate jumping with your feet and legs next to each other, with your legs spread apart in a straddle position. This leg motion is similar to performing jumping jacks, but with a jump rope.

7. High-Knees Jumping

High-knee jumps are similar to jogging in place while jumping rope, but you'll lift your knees slightly higher. Aim to lift your knees as high as you can up toward the ceiling, one at a time, while jogging in place and feel the burn.

8. Butt Kick Jumps

To complete butt-kick jumps, jog in place while jumping rope -- but touch each foot to your butt during jumps.

9. Scissor Step Jumps

Perform scissor step jumps by placing one leg in front of your body and one leg behind your body. During each jump, move the leg that was in front on your body behind your body, and the leg that was behind to the front -- in a scissors-like motion.

10. Jumping on One Foot
Instead of jumping rope with both feet at the same time, try single-leg jumps by hopping on just your right leg. When that leg starts to fatigue, switch it up and jump on just your left foot.

11. Circle Jumps

Complete circle jumps, or jumping in a circle, by slowly jumping from one spot to another spot on the floor to move your whole body around in a circle motion. You can also hop on just one foot in a circle motion across the floor, then do the same thing while hopping on the other foot.

12. Double Jumps

Double jumps can be difficult, because instead of swinging the jump rope around your body one time during each jump, you'll swing the rope around your body two times before each jump. Therefore, while your jumping speed may remain the same, your arms have to move twice as fast.

Source : Erin Coleman / Fitday

Pre and Post Workout Strategies for Kettlebell Training

Pre and post workout nutrition strategies for kettlebell training

The right nutrition plan and timings of your food or supplements before and after your workouts are some very important components to think about when kettlebell training. This article will shed some light on these key factors and it will discuss some nutrition guidelines, so that you hit the ground running when are performing your kettlebell workout. Plus it will enable you to recover effectively. A key point to consider is that an excellent workout is always planned in the kitchen even before you even step foot into the gym.

If you don't have the right nutritional strategy for your kettlebell regime; then you are doing yourself an injustice when it comes to you achieving your goals. If you are working out when you are in a starved state, you will not have enough energy for you to maximise your fitness gains. If you are exercising for a long duration without eating, you are limiting your body's ability to burn calories and to sustain the intensity of the kettlebell workout. In addition, if you don't feed your muscles and restock your energy stores after exercise, you will not have the essential recovery tools in your armoury.

What should you eat before your session?

As mentioned previously the main aim of the pre workout nutrition plan is to start the kettlebell session in a fed state and to ensure that all of the foods that you have eaten have been digested and absorbed properly. The last thing that you want to do is eat a meal that is very high in slow acting proteins and fats, because they take longer to digest and they can make you feel sluggish and zap you of your energy. When you eat, the blood is redirected to the digestive system to help with the breakdown of foods. This essentially takes away the blood from the skeletal muscles; thus reduces the oxygen supply and waste removal when exercising. So the kettlebell session will be much harder work when you have eaten a meal which is high in fats and proteins. More often than not stomach ache is attached to this scenario when training.

To ensure that you are full of energy when you perform you kettlebell session, eat a meal that is roughly 300-500 calories, high in fast acting carbs and proteins, 2 hours before you begin the session. Try consuming a small bowl of porridge, whole meal cereal or even a small yam or sweet potato as these are a good example of some fast acting carbs. If you have to eat 5-10 minutes before you workout then consume half a banana or a small spoonful of peanut butter along with a small handful of almonds.

Staying hydrated is essential for kettlebell athletes because without proper hydration your body will find it harder to deliver the nutrients to the muscles, along with oxygen and water to the cells. This will decrease your energy levels and it will make the session a lot harder. Try to drink at least 2 litres of water per day but don't over do it before your workout because you will feel bloated and sluggish. A good strategy is for you to drink your water intake gradually and continuously before you begin your workout!

In terms of supplements you can drink a whey protein shake that is high in branched chain amino acids 1 hour before you train, as this will ensure the following:

· They are a catalyst for muscle protein synthesis and then it binds together the muscle amino acids to create a stronger muscle infra-structure

· They boost insulin levels to facilitate an anabolic environment during protein synthesis. This mechanism enables the right balance of nutrition, hormones and metabolic actions that are essential for you to create muscle and burning fat

· They enhance human growth hormone levels and decrease the stress hormone's (cortisol) levels. Cortisol is a hormone that breaks down muscle tissue to be used as body fuel. This is very bad news for muscle building and weight loss.

A post workout nutrition strategy

The supplement intake post exercise is very important for aiding recovery along with growth and repair. Branched chain amino acids (BCAAS) are again an excellent choice to consume post exercise; the question is why?

Well, BCAAs are broken down quickly and used in the working muscle effectively because they by-pass the liver. It is this process within the body that stops muscle soreness after you exercise because it blocks muscle damage and increases muscle growth and repair. Plus, it increases insulin levels post exercise and this induces an anabolic environment which is a primary factor in muscle growth and repair.

They should be consumed within 45 minutes of stopping your session and this is a very important timeframe as enzymes and hormones are actively repairing and rebuilding muscle tissue, as well as restocking your glycogen stores. This makes your muscle tissues very susceptible to the nutrients and building muscle hormones. You should be using a simple carb such as maltodexrin because it raises your insulin levels and this will drives the amino acids into the muscle tissue. This will also increase your glycogen stores and add want more energy  lost electrolyte levels, as this will further your recovery.

Article Source: Troy Van Spanje