Athlo Blog

I lifted free weights regularly for about 14 years.  The past two years I have focused primarily on running and biking, rarely touching weights.  I’ve felt like something has been missing from my training but didn’t want to go back to the gym because weight lifting is more about building mass and the extra weight would only slow me down while riding or running.  Then I discovered kettlebell training.

What is a kettlebell

In simplest terms, it is an iron ball with an iron handle attached.  They range from less than 10 lbs to over 100 lbs.  They have been used by the Russian military for centuries.  Kettlebells have not been used in the US until recently but have gained popularity in past few years.

Kettlebell training

Kettlebell training is oftentimes combined with other exercises that incorporate bags, bricks, crawls, runs, ropes, bungees, and body weight resistance but the bell is the core of the workout.  Exercises like bear crawls or lunges can even be done with kettlebells in each hand to really make them challenging.  Building functional strength is the key difference between kettlebell training and free weights.  In very few sports or activities would it be useful for you to bench press 300 lbs.

Advantages over free weights

One of the biggest advantages of kettlebells is in the time it takes to do your three sets of a particular lift, you could have done three different kettlebell exercises that blasted your entire body and kept your heart rate elevated the entire time.  Free weight workouts are more resting than activity whereas kettlebell training is all about nonstop resistance and activity.  Kettlebell training can be done without a spotter as well (although I recommend a personal trainer when first starting out).  Kettlebells can also be great during the off-season when an athlete may want to focus less on power weight training and more on general fitness and functional strength.  

Safety

It is highly recommended to get a personal trainer or take a kettlebell class before ever starting on your own, especially if you have limited experience working out with weights.  You will probably want to stay with the class or trainer anyway.  They will show you the safest way to use kettlebells and how to maximize your workout.  They will also put you through the most grueling but rewarding workouts of your life.  

After your first kettlebell workout you’ll feel like you’ve been smacked around with kettlebells.  But, after a couple kettlebell workouts you’ll feel like you are carved from stone.

While living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ve met many people who commute by doing something other than driving alone.  A former employer actually paid us $4 each day we didn’t drive. If we were a carpool driver we received $2 per passenger each way.  It was a really nice benefit and definitely an incentive to be green.

Even if your company doesn’t provide a financial incentive to not drive, the money you save on gas is probably enough of a reason to take a bus, train or get there under your own power.  However, health is a reason that often goes overlooked.  Endurance commuter is a term my buddy Dave Penake introduced me to one morning on our 13-mile run from San Francisco to work.  We did this run once a week and although we occasionally saw some bikers on this route, we never saw anyone else running it with the exception of a group of Google employees making the 40-mile one-way trip to Mountain View about once a month.  Since my endurance commuting debut, I’ve become much more interested in how people get to work and an advocate for alternate commuting.

When talking to people about how they get to work and if they would be interested in running, biking or walking, I usually hear one of five excuses: it’s too far, the weather is bad, there is no shower at work, the roads are dangerous, my bike is old.  The “too far” excuse could very well be a valid one but depends on just how far away you live.  I didn’t just start out running to work the first day I showed up.  I had a good base of training but had to build up to that distance on a consistent basis.  Snow, ice and heavy rain are definitely reasons to use your car to get to work.   On light rain days I just throw on my rain jacket and just go.  The lack of a shower could be bad if you sweat easily, but check with your company’s facilities management group and see what you can do to persuade them into installing one.  Dangerous roads are an extremely serious matter so try to seek out anyone who may know the routes to work or check out the new Walk There feature on Google Maps.  Lastly, there are plenty of bike shops that can either tune up your bike or sell you a new one.  Don’t let that stop you from saving gas money, getting a good workout and helping save the environment.

What’s the most you’ve done with regards to endurance commuting?  Are you still doing it?  If not, why’d you stop?  If so, what motivates you?  If never, what’s your excuse?