Kettlebells are an alternative to modern day weights. Called girya in its nation of origin Russian, it is a traditional cast iron weight looking somewhat like a cannonball with a handle. Kettlebells come in several sizes from 10 to 106 lbs.

The kettlebell has become a popular exercise tool in the United States due largely to the efforts of strength and flexibility coach Pavel Tsatsouline and also by World Champion and world record holder Valery Fedorenko.

The effectivness of using kettlebells can be proven by those who use them. Soviet weightlifting legends such as Vlasov, Zhabotinskiy, and Alexeyev started their Olympic careers with old-fashioned kettlebells. The Russian Special Forces personnel owe much of their wiry strength, explosive agility, and never-quitting stamina to kettlebells. In fact, the official Soviet armed forces strength training manual pronounced kettlebell drills to be "one of the most effective means of strength development" representing "a new era in the development of human strength-potential".

The elite of the US military and law enforcement also recognizes the power of the Russian kettlebell. One can find Pavel's certified RKC instructors among Force Recon Marines, Department of Energy nuclear security teams, the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, the Secret Service Counter Assault Team, to name a few.

Once the Russian kettlebell became a hit among those whose life depends on their strength and conditioning, it took off among hard people from all walks of life: martial artists and athletes. Mixed martial arts heroes Frank Shamrock, BJ Penn, Bob Sapp, and Fedor Emelianenko popularized the use of kettlebells in the sport.

The basic kettlebell exercise is the power swing, a full-body workout we'll have you doing in your first ten minutes. Master trainer and Brazilian Jujitsu World Champion Steve Maxwell has said that "the perfect kettlebell swing is superior to 99% of all the sophisticated strength and conditioning programs."

Read reviews of the top 10 kettlebell DVDs, books, and kettlebell weights at Kettlebell Reviews

http://www.kettlebellsreviews.com/

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