Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/571399
Page 38 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysHealthAndNutrition.com What is the secret of their efficiency? Is it hype? Propaganda? Hardly. Anything that gives us more bang for our buck should get our attention. It's the off-set center of gravity. Traditional weights are balanced. Once the lift is in motion, momentum is able to do some of the work for you. The kettlebell is different. As you swing the kettlebell, the weight of the bell shifts, requiring our major muscles, stabilizers and connective tissue to work hard for the entire lift. You're body is required to work harder in the same lift. It's that simple! FUNCTIONAL FITNESS Functional movements train movement patterns rather than individual muscles. They are efficient and effective. The commercial gyms have expensive machines that often work isolated muscles. There are two main reasons this is not a good idea. It takes too long to get your workout done. Working isolated muscles is not efficient, but, more importantly, we need to think of the gym as our training room for life and the unknown. We need to exercise in the gym, the way our bodies are designed to move in life. These movement patterns will protect us from injury because we are prepared for the unexpected. Functional movements strengthen our major muscle groups, stabilizers and our connective tissue. Kettlebells are your best rehab tool and your best injury prevention tool. The neat thing about functional fitness is it doesn't matter what you do in your real world activities. When I registered for my course as a Tactical Athlete Instructor, I was reviewing the extensive training manual. This training is designed for law enforcement, para-military; not my world at all. I began to have serious doubts about my decision. I contacted Jeff Martone, owner of Tactical Athlete, with a few questions. I will never forget his response. Jeff was aware that my background was quite different than his typical clients. His encouraging words have stuck with me, "Della, functional fitness is functional fitness, whether you're carrying a gun, or whether you're carrying a baby." Rather humorous, but so true. KETTLEBELLS DEVELOP FLEXIBILITY The buzz word today is mobility, moving within your God-given full range of motion. Whether you say flexibility or mobility, kettlebells do it. If you were to take all the attributes of an athlete, the foundation is based on three things: flexibility, strength and endurance. Kettlebells not only develop amazing strength and endurance, they are also excellent for your flexibility. Folks that have poor flexibility can safely lift kettlebells. THE WORLD IS YOUR GYM One of the biggest obstacles on the road back to strength and optimum health is simply "staying on the road". Sometimes we refer to it as "falling off the wagon". Today's world is full of crowded and ever changing schedules. It simply isn't going to change. If you plan to train, it will work most of the time, but not all of the time. The beauty of kettlebells is that all you need is a 4x4 space and you're good to go. The value of this is I will never fall off the wagon when the unexpected comes, because we all know it will. As a mother, and a homeschool mom at that, I have found a great secret. Get out of your living room. With kettlebells you can train in your yard, garage or patio where all your tasks aren't staring at you. A 15-20 minute training is ideal, but when I have no time, I have my 4-10 minute backups. It keeps me in the game. I never fall off the wagon. If you have time to brush your teeth and comb your hair, you have time to train. You just need the know-how. My favorite place to train is the beach. When we have a weekend get away, I always take my kettlebells with me. I don't crush myself when on vacation, I just do enough to feel good and stay in the game. Keep it fun and simple. STRENGTHEN THE CORE Kettlebells are core based. The core is the center that coordinates all the human movements. Strengthening the core is essential. Strong abdominal muscles are essential to protect the back and spine. Most trainers believe everyone should directly train the core. In my opinion, the kettlebell swing, which is the foundation of kettlebell lifting, is one of the best core strengthening