Thursday, November 20, 2008

Visualize the Impossible

Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible, they begin to see it as possible.
I'm super happy today Carl is coming to visit we are going to have so much fun..We are going to be very busy.
I love showing people my world especially the ones I love. I have spent time at Carls place now it's time to spend time in my world.
For those of you who love Rocky..It's been a while so here he is striking a pose.

My WOD for today::

Complete five rounds for time of:

  • 21 kettlebell swings (M:53#/W:35#)
  • 15 push-ups
  • 9 knees to elbows
  • My time: 12:47
What is a 'kettlebell'?

A 'kettlebell' or girya (Russ.) is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle. The ultimate tool for extreme all-round fitness.

The kettlebell goes way back, it first appeared in a Russian dictionary in 1704 (Cherkikh, 1994). So popular were kettlebells in Tsarist Russia that any strongman or weightlifter was referred to as a girevik, or 'a kettlebell man'.

"Not a single sport develops our muscular strength and bodies as well as kettlebell athletics," reported Russian magazine Hercules in 1913.


Russian Kettlebell Pavel Tsatsouline Strength Flexibility Training Hard styleWhy train with kettlebells?

Because they deliver extreme all-round fitness. And no single other tool does it better. Here is a short list of hardware the Russian kettlebell replaces: barbells, dumbbells, belts for weighted pullups and dips, thick bars, lever bars, medicine balls, grip devices, and cardio equipment. Here is why the kettlebell dominates other exercise equipment

Vinogradov & Lukyanov (1986) found a very high correlation between the results posted in a kettlebell lifting competition and a great range of dissimilar tests: strength, measured with the three powerlifts and grip strength; strength endurance, measured with pullups and parallel bar dips; general endurance, determined by a 1000 meter run; work capacity and balance, measured with special tests.

Voropayev (1983) tested two groups of subjects in pullups, a standing broad jump, a 100m sprint, and a 1k run. He put the control group on a program that emphasized the above tests; the experimental group lifted kettlebells. In spite of the lack of practice on the tested exercises, the kettlebell group scored better in every one of them! This is what we call "the what the hell effect".

Kettlebells melt fat without the dishonor of dieting or aerobics. If you are overweight, you will lean out. If you are skinny, you will get built up. According to Voropayev (1997) who studied top Russian gireviks, 21.2% increased their bodyweight since taking up kettlebelling and 21.2% (the exact same percentage, not a typo), mostly heavyweights, decreased it. The Russian kettlebell is a powerful tool for fixing your body comp, whichever way it needs fixing.

Kettlebells forge doers' physiques along the lines of antique statues: broad shoulders with just a hint of pecs, back muscles standing out in bold relief, wiry arms, rugged forearms, a cut-up midsection, and strong legs without a hint of squatter's chafing.

Liberating and aggressive as medieval swordplay, kettlebell training is highly addictive. What other piece of exercise equipment can boast that its owners name it? Paint it? Get tattoos of it? Our Russian kettlebell is the Harley-Davidson of strength hardware.

4 comments:

*Ultra*Rockstar* said...

We love Rocky pics.

I love KB.

I used to train with power lifters and they introduced me to them a few years back, and I fell in love with it.

Shannon said...

Haven't tried the "kettle bell" routine. :)

Rob said...

I should pony up for a kb or two myself. Those things are rough at first.

I couldn't imagine doing 53lbs on one though...

Great photo's yesterday, your looking Fit as hell in the First one in B&W.

Going anywhere up in the city with carl? DNA lounge? etc

Old Man said...

pic of a kettle ball tat?

the results speak volumes.