April 2009

Russian Revolution

Kettlebells take strength training back to the basics

story and photos by Eric Bond

Michael Belan stands with his feet at shoulder width. He folds himself back into a squat and leans forward to grasp a handle attached to a 53 lb. cast iron ball. He swiftly “hikes” the weight between his legs and lets it swing forward as he snaps up. Then he drops back into a squat and repeats the motion ten times, with the efficiency of a machine.

“That’s 60 percent of your fitness,” says Belan after he has placed the kettlebell back in front of himself.

Belan is a kettlebell trainer at Blue Heron Wellness, an integrated health center in Silver Spring that is generally more inclined toward yoga and acupuncture than weight training. Belan, a certified kettlebell trainer, introduced the discipline in the fall of 2008 and has been pleased to find a receptive audience. Belan says kettlebells require a focus on form that is congruent with yoga. The emphasis is on doing it right rather than simply knocking out reps.

Once little more than the props of strong men in circus clichés, kettlebells have been gaining in popularity in the United States since the fall of the Soviet Union when Pavel Tsatsouline, a former trainer for Soviet special forces, introduced them to elite fighters in the United States. Tsatsouline began teaching marines, SWAT teams, and other professionals who needed a full body strength without the big showy muscles. According to Belan, kettlebell training encourages “strength, stamina and a classical physique.”

Typical kettlebell exercises involve swinging the weight or pressing it. But unlike the sorts of presses that are typically done with dumbbells or barbells, kettlebells challenge the muscles in the body to work together to move the weight efficiently. There is no such thing as isolated muscle work. Belan describes the kettlebell workout as a means to creating a muscular shield to protect the body.

Kettlebells, or giryas, go back to at least the 17th century Russia. According to Belan, the prevalent theory is that they were originally counter weights in the market to determine quantities of grain and other commodities. The handles were used to add the weights to a hook on the scale. But such handy objects naturally invited feats of strength. Russian peasants didn’t have gym memberships, but they did have their kettlebells.

When I found kettlebells I was looking for something that I could do that wouldn’t require a gym and would keep me in superior conditioning,” says Belan. “I’m a minimalist. Kettlebells are great because you can develop a full body workout in 30 minutes with a single kettlebell.

As an Emergency Medical Technician with the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad, Belan found himself short on time, but in need of a superior fitness program. He had some experience with martial arts, but says that he never stuck with anything long enough to get good at it.
In his work with the rescue squad, Belan hnoticed that most of his calls are a result of “people’s poor lifestyle choices.

“They eat too much, they drink too much, they smoke too much, and they don’t move enough. As a result, they pay for it with diabetes, obesity and decreased quality of life.” This observation motivates Belan to maintain his own helath and teach others to improve theirs through whole body fitness.

“One thing that I noticed when I began working out with kettlebells is that my energy level went up,” relates Belan. And his total body strength improved as well. “I have to carry large patients out of cramped rooms. You have to be able to maneuver yourself and your equipment and the patient and do it safely.”

“Strength is a skill,” says Belan, “and like all skills, it is something that you practice.”