Kettlebells South Africa

Get leaner, stronger, more flexible in less time. More efficient, but not easier. Russian kettlebell training is one of the most versatile ways to train if you want to improve your overall fitness and strength. Kettlebells mimic many real life functional movements, enhancing your quality of life!
Give it a try today!

Exercising and health

Our modern lifestyle is not what nature intended. We used to be hunters. Survival depended on physical prowess. Nowadays, it’s quicker, easier and often cheaper to get a take-away and watch sport on TV. We don’t even go to the live game anymore.

Many people don’t exercise at all, and even those that do, are often “out of shape” because of injury, or don’t have enough time to do it properly.

Although gym training does offer benefits, and does improve strength etc, it sometimes just adds to the problem. Specialised machines mean you can now isolate just about any single muscle or small group of muscles and target them with workload.

Great in theory, but what when that group of muscles gets TOO strong for the rest of your body? INJURY! Your super strong arms or legs can damage your back and/or spine.

OK, so now you need to balance the work done throughout, so that all the muscles are about equal in power and response. You work diligently on lots of different machines and achieve optimum results. Perfect? Nope. Despite the hours and hours and careful planning, you’re now stronger, but you didn’t get any cardiovascular work done, so you’re “unfit”

If you’re lucky, you’ve got enough time to squeeze in some extra hours at the gym getting your fitness level up to your strength level.

In today’s world, where most people “don’t have time to go to gym” these precious hours are not easy to find.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get it all done in one? ENTER Kettlebells!

So what the heck are kettlebells?

A kettlebell looks like a cannonball with a handle. They were first noted in a Russian dictionary in 1704. In South Africa, they are available in sizes ranging from 8kg-48kg.

Some have even been nicknamed. (eg. A 40kg is called a Bulldog, and the 48kg is called “the Beast”). In the USA they have little pointless ones like 4kg, but we won’t bother with those - this is AFRICA!

They have been popularised in the west thanks to pioneer Pavel Tsatsouline, a strength coach and martial arts trainer for the Russian Special Forces (amongst others). It’s continued to grow, and there are now 3 kettlebell groups in the west. The RKC (Pavel Tsatsouline), AKC (Valery Federenko), and IKFF (Steve Cotter).

What is different about kettlebell training vs. other forms of training

Kettlebell training is based on natural movements, so it strengthens your whole body, not just isolated areas. Simultaneously, the movements are explosive/ballistic, so your cardiovascular system is working - HARD - while you get stronger. Aerobic and Anaerobic training in one. Kettlebells have also been shown to correct body mis-alignment, and assist in repair and rehabilitation of muscular-skeletal misalignment. Kettlebells will find you out, and fix you.

So what’s the catch?

Sadly, there are a few “glitches”. Although kettlebells work, they’re currently hard to find, and quite pricey if you’re buying a full set (but still less then a gym contract will set you back).

Although the techniques are based on natural movement, but... we’ve kinda forgotten how to do that with our modern lifestyle.

For maximum benefit, you SHOULD find a certified or suitably qualified trainer until you’re comfortable with the movements. (None of these are “requirements” - you could just buy a few kettlebells and some books or videos, and go for it, but it is safer to get some tutoring).

Better still...Steve Cotter will be in South Africa soon to give a 2 day, hardcore intensive training seminar. If you’re interested in getting certified as an instructor or just want to learn from one of the best guys in the world - this is for you!

In short, kettlebell training HACKS the fat off, blasts your cardiovascular system into orbit, and increases your strength and fitness dramatically - all in a matter of weeks.

Who’s using kettlebells?

In the celebrity world, avid kettlebellers include...

BJ Penn (Welterweight UFC champion), Bruce Lee (Actor), Chris Pontius (Actor), Ed O'Neil (Actor), Jennifer Lopez (Actor), Kim Basinger (Actor), Kim Katrell (Actor), Lance Armstrong (Athlete), Matthew McConaughey (Actor), Paige Adams-Geller (Model), Penelope Cruz (Actor), Reggie Saunders (Pro Baseball), Sasha Roiz (Actor), Sylvester Stallone (Actor), Varya Akulova (World's strongest girl).