I’ve rekindled with an old flame: kettlebells. Aren’t they pretty?!
Made of iron or steel, kettlebells are (literally) full of potential for anyone, from professional athletes to first-time exercisers who are looking to gain strength and burn fat. Kettlebells combine the benefits of heart-pumping cardio endurance with weight-lifting in a dynamic, full-body workout. It’s like fusing a killer spin class or an energized run with intense strength-training session. Instead of choosing cardio or weight-training, kettlebells are a double whammy.
Kettlebell training builds muscle, increases endurance, strengthens balance, burns fat, and, in-turn, boosts metabolism too! Another added bonus is that kettlebells can be incorporated into your existing routine or utilized as the primary workout, in which case, it only takes about 20-30 minutes to reach exhaustion and reap the benefits. There have been many times where I’ve only had 10-15 minutes to spare and I turn to kettlebells for a quick full-body burn. Although they can be used to target certain muscle groups and body parts, pretty much all kettlebell exercises engage and strengthen the core. Due to the handle, the center of gravity of the weight is constantly changing, teaching your body to adapt by turning on a range of muscles.
There is definitely a technique to training with kettlebells and proper form is highly important to prevent injury and maximize effectiveness. I would suggest taking a class or consulting an expert if you’ve never used a kettlebell or aren’t confident you have it down. Fortunately, the Hamptons has some great kettlebell experts. Try a Kettlebell class at Sag Harbor Gym with Sara (pictured above) and/or a class at Truth Training in East Hampton. You’ll get a kick-ass workout and eventually, you’ll learn to love yourself some kettlebells too! Once you’ve got your form down, you may just want to invest in one of these bad boys for yourself.
Sara explains: kettlebells can be used as a full body integrative movement, strength isolation, cardio drill, or all of the above. I’ve kept a kettlebelll in my workout routine for years and with all of the types of exercise equipment out there, kettlebells remain my favorite. The range of resistance, exercises, and challenges using a kettlebell makes it absolutely impossible for one to plateau. Besides the fact that everyone looks badass flinging iron, kettlebells build muscle and increase exertion, which burns more calories throughout the day, long after your workout. Who doesn’t want that?!
One Healthy Breakdown: why choose between weight-lifting and cardio when you can do both with kettlebells?
WRONG! Now picture this: barbells, sweat, burpees, squats, and panting…a whole lot of panting. Connor Miller’s Beach Body class at Southampton Gym is all work, not so much glam, but if you’re looking for that one class to get you into beach body shape from head to toe, Beach Body is your answer. And, with a couple months until Memorial Day, now is the time!
After the warm-up, the class is comprised of high-intensity tabata intervals (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off) separated by abdominal circuits and strength-training with weights. Plyometric drills are all timed, so the goal is to bang out as many as reps as possible. Each interval is four minutes long. Four long minutes, really. The first round is doable. And then, just when your heart rate hits the roof, you have three more rounds to go. This is where the panting comes in. That 10 second break are just enough to avoid a heart attack, but definitely not enough for recover. Recovery must wait until about five minutes after class is over and sanity is regained.
One Healthy Breakdown: forget the layers, get your ski on in your living room!