Kettlebell Workout Devices Reviewed

Riding motorcycles has taken its toll on me and I am not aging gracefully or happily. Having been a competitive power-lifter, having pride at staying light but being able to push a good amount of weight for my size, when I look at myself in the mirror, the reflection in my head is not what I want. After searching through a few threads on what other motorcyclists were doing to stay in shape, or regain some percentage of a shape, a trend appeared. It was a new workout setup with minimal equipment, but can really stomp your grisly old body back into fighting weight. It was kettlebells.

To give a description of a kettlebell is very easy. Picture an old Civil War cannonball with a handle on it, and you have it. I went to the local sporting good store and since it is becoming a popular item there were plenty to choose from. The weights started at 5 lbs. and went up to 60 lbs. So I purchased the 25, 35 and 50 lbs. sizes. Told the sales guy I didn't need the fancy $20 DVD's to go with them as I had already scoured youtube.com for the basic movements you do with this enormous paperweight. Headed home and tested it out.

And the verdict? WOW! It is a cross training nightmare of epic proportions. It works. If you are starting out, just pick 5 or 6 movements to do in 3 to 4 sets and about 30 minutes later you will be worn out. You get good strength and aerobic benefits from them and when you feel the weight is too light, just go down to the store and buy the next heavier size. The bells take up no more space than a soccer ball to store. Some good sites with routines are youtube.com and bodybuilder.com. You can also use google search in the video section to find a bunch of videos of people showing their workouts. Best of all you can do it inside or out. There is no crazy equipment to move around, just the ball itself. As far as strength training goes the kettlebells are all I am using now, if there is a day that my joints are too sore to go through a workout I usually ride my elliptical. Overall I would rate these as a strong buy especially if your workout/storage space is limited. They really are a cool way to get an effective workout.