Tuesday September 8, 2009
Cast-iron wonder
By S. INDRAMALAR
Fancy a lift? Here’s a fitness apparatus that makes your workouts go with a swing.
THEY look like cannonballs and they’re quite possibly as powerful, though most deadly in exercise programmes. Kettlebells – small cast-iron balls with handles that weigh anywhere from 8kg to 32kg – are the fitness apparatus that are fast gaining a reputation for being an all-in-one training tool that gives you a cardio and strength-training workout in one go. On top of that, kettlebells improve your flexibility and agility too.
Too good to be true? Not according to International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation (IKFF) founder Steve Cotter.
“Kettlebells are really quite unique. Though they are a form of weight-lifting and resistance training, a kettlebell workout combines elements of cardio-respiratory fitness training with resistance training and stretching.
Full-body workout: Whether with one kettlebell... “Usually, people would do cardio training two or three times a week; resistance training another two or three days a week; and some flexibility training like yoga one or two times a week. With kettlebells, you do all three elements at once,” says Cotter, 39.
Kettlebells work differently from dumbells and barbells because of their shape and correspondingly, the motions with which you train with them, explains Cotter.
“The difference is in the way we move the body to work the kettlebells. You move in a circular fashion and instead of just working your limbs, you have to use your whole body to move the weight.
“So basically, it’s working through a greater plane of motion, working more muscles from head to toe. You’re using the large muscle groups in your body to move the load and that makes it more of an aerobic activity which is where your cardio comes into play. So it’s basically doing aerobics with weights. You are getting the aerobic benefit of something like running or cycling but you’re also adding bone density that comes with weight training,” says Cotter.
Unlike a dumbell or barbell, kettlebells are highly unstable and unbalanced because of their asymmetrical design. That is the very reason they are such effective tools for a total body workout – you need to apply total strength to manoeuvre them.
They also prepare you for real-world movements – for example, lifting heavy pots or boxes at home – as you strengthen not just the muscles in your arms or legs but also your back, abdominals and more.
Cotter’s fascination with fitness began with martial arts which he picked up as a child.
“I was living in Philadelphia (in the United States) with my mother and sister. My brothers were a lot older than me and were either working or studying in California. I was getting into trouble and getting into my mother’s hair and so my brothers decided to take me to California. They were studying martial arts and when I moved there, I started training too, fell in love with it and just stuck with it. I found the philosophy behind martial arts ... developing the whole person, the body, mind and spirit ... very appealing. I was also attracted to Chinese medicine and meditation (qi gong) and found that it was a way to express myself,” says Cotter adding that his present qi qong master, whom he sees five times a year, lives in Malaysia.
.. or two... Cotter soon developed into a world-renowned martial artiste and full-contact martial arts exponent – he won two US national full-contact titles in 1995 and 1996.
He decided to stop competing in 1996 and enrolled as a full-time student in college to study sports science – a decision which led him to the kettlebells.
“When I was doing martial arts, I was doing it all day, every day from a young age and I’d achieved a very high level of fitness as a result. But after being a student for three years, I felt I was losing my fitness and I didn’t like that. I was losing the sharpness and that peak I once had. I wanted it back. Yet, I knew I could not and would not train eight to 10 hours a day again, six days a week like I did as a younger man. My wife and I had just had our first child and my life was very different.
“There is a saying that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Well, it appeared in an ad in a martial arts catalogue. At the time, kettlebells were brand new in the United States and the ads appealed to me because they talked about using the body as a whole unit and also of how kettlebells are complementary to martial arts and military athletics. Given my background (in martial arts), it made a lot of sense.
“At the time though, I didn’t have a lot of money and getting a kettlebell was too expensive so I had to wait until I could afford to invest in a couple. I bought a basic video and just followed it and taught myself the basic lifts,” says Cotter.
Upon graduation, Cotter chose to use his training, experience and education to help others. He started working as a personal trainer and taught martial arts part-time, incorporating kettlebell training in all his sessions.
“I loved how quickly everyone was progressing in their fitness, myself included.”
Keen on learning more, Cotter enrolled in a kettlebell training programme.
“At the time (in 2003), there was only one programme in the United States and I soon became friends with its head. Because of my martial arts training, I was able to learn very fast and be noticed.
“My instructor asked me to start teaching with him and in 2004, urged by many, I made a DVD about how I combined martial arts and kettlebells. I made a second DVD soon after and in 2005, I made The Encyclopedia of Kettlebell Training DVD, which was the biggest most comprehensive kettlebell DVD available at the time. It’s a seven-hour training DVD. That sort of got my name out,” says Cotter, who has since made a second volume of The Encyclopedia of Kettlebell Training, a nine-hour training DVD that goes beyond the basics.
... using this unique apparatus will give the user a cardio and strength-training workout in one go. Cotter is currently a much sought-after trainer and travels around the world conducting seminars and instructor certification courses for fitness professionals and coaches.
From Russia with load
Kettlebells originate from Russia where they were used in the 18th century as agricultural scales. The farming communities also used them in local kettlebell-lifting competitions, which eventually grew into a national sport and soon enough, equipment and rules were introduced and standardised. The sport debuted in the United States some years ago and Cotter was team captain for the first-ever US team to compete in the World Championships of Girevoy Sport (Kettlebells) in Moscow in 2005.
“Its popularity has increased in the last three years or so in the US as people are learning about the higher levels of fitness from kettlebell training. Kettlebells are quite challenging for general fitness but once you’re used to them, you will want to get to a higher level and that’s when you start getting interested in it as a sport and push your fitness to a more advanced level,” says Cotter.
Kettlebell lifting generally consists of doing many repetitions of just a few types of lifts within a specific time. Some of the techniques include swing, jerk, snatch, and push press. How you work out with your kettlebell depends on your goals – whether for fitness or competition sport.
Women generally begin with an 8kg or 12kg kettlebell, while men can start with one that weighs 12kg or 16kg.
Cotter has observed that kettlebells best benefit those who have trouble with weight management.
“For people who are overweight, kettlebells are a great form of exercise as there is no pounding on the joints as in running or paralifting, which can hurt the body,” says Cotter.
“It’s also good for children and elderly people because there is a lot of mobility. You start with light weights and move through a full range of motion which is very good for joints and flexibility.”
It is, however, important to learn the basic lifts and moves from a trained teacher or you may risk injury.
“Anyone can learn kettlebells but you initially need a teacher who is patient and careful not to push you too soon.
“Women especially become attracted to kettlebells because they can become strong without bulking up muscles and gaining weight. Kettlebells (help you to) develop a leaner body that is strong, athletic and co-ordinated,” says Cotter.
Among his other achievements, Cotter has trained teams from the US National Football League and National Hockey League, those in Major League baseball, the US Navy Seals at Virginia Beach and the US Marines at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
But Cotter remains humble.
“In martial arts especially, teachers have a position of influence and it’s very easy to be addicted to that sense of power, especially since I travel so much and am easily visible. My students are very complimentary and respectful and sometimes, as is human nature, they put me on a pedestal. It is a dangerous position to be in and I try not to take it too seriously or personally. I am a regular guy with some exceptional talents which people respect me for. But that’s it.
“I am still, first and foremost, a student. To be a good teacher, you have to be a good student,” he says.
Though an ancient sport, Cotter explains that kettlebells are new to the world outside Russia.
“Slowly, we are getting more and more information about them as more information is being translated from Russia. A lot of the top Russian coaches either don’t speak English or they are very closed with their knowledge so there is still a lot to learn. Occasionally, we do have Russian teachers who are more educated in English and are willing to share. This really helps,” says Cotter.
Cotter is not the only kettlebell instructor in the United States but is sought after because of his clear and concise teaching style.
“I would say I am probably the global ambassador for kettlebells. I am not the best lifter ... there are those who are much better than me. I am 39 years old and I didn’t come into kettlebells till I was 32. Most competitive kettlebell lifters start when they’re 12 or 13.
“My primary role is a teacher. I think I am a very good teacher and a good athlete. My gift is more as a communicator and I consider it a great honour to be able to teach and influence people in positive ways,” says Cotter.
■ IKFF-certified kettlebell classes are available at the KTA Academy at 41 Bangsar Puteri, Jalan Medang Serai, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. For more information log on to kdta.com, e-mail vince@kdta.com or call ☎ 012-202 6111.
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