Kettlebell Training

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="044785a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B> John Brawn</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" John Brawn"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="aboutjohn.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About John"><U>About John</U></A>   |   <A HREF="news.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News and Events"><U>News and Events</U></A>   |   <A HREF="contact.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact John"><U>Contact John</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dennismartin.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Dennis Martin Courses"><U>The Dennis Martin Courses</U></A>   |   <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dvd.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Power Punching DVD"><U>Power Punching DVD</U></A>   |   <B>Kettlebell Training</B>   |   <A HREF="us.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="US Advert"><U>US Advert</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Kettlebell Training</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><IMG SRC="0da9d650.jpg" border=0 width="925" height="613" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> <IMG SRC="0c8c2fa0.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="506" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">Wednesday, December 14, 2005 </div> <bR> <div> Weighting for the kettle to boil </div> <div> By: Michael Gallagher</div> <bR> <div> <I>In 1704 the strongest man in Russia was using a cast-iron weight known as a kettlebell to achieve supreme fitness. More than three centuries later a Westport man is hoping to introduce it to Ireland. Michael Gallagher met the world-renowned self-defence expert, John Brawn, and checked out the Russian revelations. </I></div> <bR> <div> It’s a long way from rural Russian cereal crops farms of the 1700s to the plush surroundings of Hotel Westport in the winter of 2005 but an amazing piece of metal has made the transition wonderfully.</div> <div> Used initially as a counter-balance for weighing grain in the area to the west of the Ural Mountains, the kettlebells were later used by farm-workers to keep fit and they slowly became the primary tool for Russian athletes of all sporting disciplines. They are even used as an integral part of the training apparatus for the Russian Olympic team as they build, strength, stamina and power without putting undue stress on the joints.</div> <div> Now the gospel has spread worldwide and John Brawn, arguably the leading strength and fitness expert and lecturer from Westport has caught the bug. Involved in sport all his life, Brawn has tried out every training method on the market and is in no doubt that the kettlebells are the best. In a suite in Hotel Westport last week he spoke about the Russian revelations and how he became a believer.</div> <div> “Years ago I used to see old pictures of men lifting unusual looking weights and when I started looking around for something different earlier this year I came across the kettlebells on the internet. I got my hands on one and it totally revolutionised everything to do with my training, speed, power and general fitness. </div> <div> “The more I learned about the kettlebell, the more I liked it and I got a few more. I’ve been involved in sport for a lifetime and I’ve never come across anything as good as these. They work every part of your body from one’s toes, right through the legs and the core to the shoulders and neck, but the amazing thing about them is that you can do all this in a five-minute workout. Normal weights concentrate on one area of the body and that’s where the kettlebells are much better,” the man who featured in Channel 4’s documentary ‘The Truth About Killing’ added. </div> <div> “They give one an all-over body workout in a fraction of the time because you can combine a number of exercises in the one fluid movement. The kettlebell also puts very little stress on your body and even though I’ve had back problems for years I can use it with no adverse reaction. In fact they have strengthened my back and I haven’t felt as good in years,” he explained.</div> <div> Unlike a conventional dumbbell or barbell, the Kettlebell’s centre of mass is displaced from the handle. This means the weight constantly pulls against your hand and requires not only strength and co-ordination when exercising with it, but also the recruitment of other muscles through <IMG SRC="0c6bef60.jpg" border=0 width="446" height="502" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">your arms, shoulders and trunk but this doesn’t restrict the use of the kettlebells according to Brawn.</div> <div> “They can be used by men or women and one doesn’t have to be an athlete to work with them. There’s a lady in Westport who started using one seven weeks ago. She’s just an ordinary woman who works during the day and didn’t have time to go walking or to the gym during the evenings. She started using one of the lighter kettlebells five minutes every evening and already she has lost seventeen inches off her body. She wasn’t overweight but the kettlebells toned her up and now she can’t get enough of them. </div> <div> “In today’s busy world where time is of the essence the kettlebells are ideal, whether they’re for a person to use in the privacy of their own home or for athletes to use as part of a training and conditioning program,” he added.</div> <div> Soon Brawn was demonstrating the weights; moving them around in a series of fluid movements. The simplicity of the kettlebells and the straightforward exercises required to get benefit from them impressed even this time-pressed writer. Within a minute Brawn, a very fit man, was breathing heavily – the renowned cardio benefits of the exercise was immediately obvious. During a break from his routine Brawn listed out a number of teams using the kettlebells and explained how their use has moulded some of the finest athletes and teams in the world.</div> <div> “Chelsea use the kettlebells as part of their training schedule. A number of rugby league teams, American footballers and most Australian Football teams swear by them and some of the best boxers in the world love them. The former undisputed World Super Lightweight Boxing Champion Kostya Tszyu used them religiously in his training camp before big fights. One can develop huge power and speed by using the kettlebells without putting on weight and that is a huge bonus for boxers and martial arts people. They make one leaner and tougher while improving strength and agility,” the lecturer explained. </div> <div> “Another benefit of the kettlebells is that they put little or no stress on the joints so they’re ideal for injury rehabilitation. If Brian O’Driscoll had been using the kettlebells he would have been back playing at the top level much faster after his shoulder injury,” Brawn explained as his enthusiasm for the ancient weights reached new heights.</div> <div> “If the GAA players who went to Australia had been using the kettlebells they wouldn’t have been thrown around so easily by the Aussies. Every time the Irish lads went into contact in those two matches they came out worst but if they’d been using these weights they would have been much more powerful and far more agile with less time spent training,” he added.</div> <div> The kettlebell craze has already spread to Hollywood where celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Lopez and Penelope Cruz have taken to them but research into how the kettlebells came to America initially a few years ago, throws up another interesting angle.</div> <div> Used by the Russian special-forces, the Spetsnaz, because of the all round workout the kettlebells could supply when arctic conditions restricted outdoor training, their use spread to the U.S when a Spetnaz instructor moved there. The elite of the U.S. military and law enforcement instantly recognized the power of the Russian kettlebell, ruggedly simple and deadly effective. </div> <div> The kettlebells are now used by American special forces such as the Force Recon Marines, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, and the Secret Service Counter Assault Team and recently the Australian army, navy and emergency response teams have adopted their use, citing the agility they deliver as well as the obvious strength benefits.</div> <div> Brawn was now lying on his back demonstrating exercises that would have cured Brian O’Driscoll’s injured shoulder and then suddenly he was on his feet showing how ordinary people could strengthen and tone with a few well-chosen exercises.</div> <div> Later when the weights had been put away and Brawn’s breathing had returned to normal he explained what his next move will be as he attempts to spread the kettlebell gospel.</div> <div> “I’m going to run a number of seminars after Christmas explaining and demonstrating the benefits of the kettlebells. There is little point in a club or an individual getting their hands on them without knowing their uses or benefits. I’d encourage people to come along and check them out for themselves. I can guarantee that they will be hooked immediately. </div> <div> They can find out more about the seminars and get some general information on the kettlebells on my website johnbrawn.com."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>