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January 23, 2006
Why Soviet scientists gave the kettlebell a thumbs-up! Part II
Guys name their kettlebells like they name their guns. They paint them with their units' coats of arms. They get tattoos of kettlebells. "You can have my kettlebell," wrote one Comrade on our forum, "But you will have to pry it out of my dead cold hand!"
The reason for this affection is simple: Russian kettlebells deliver.
Siberian scientist Shevtsova (1993) confirmed what is obvious to any girevik: kettlebell lifting is great for your heart. Seventy-five gireviks with three to five years of experience were studied. A long-term decrease in the heart rate and the blood pressure was recorded. The kettlebellers had what Russians call ‘a cosmonaut’s blood pressure’: 110/70 in the summer and 114/74 in the winter. They clocked an average resting HR of 56 beats per minute. The heart rate took a dive not just at rest, but also during and after exercise. And the time it took the heart to slow down back to normal also decreased. Besides, the experienced gireviks' systems had also adapted to be better 'primed' and ready for upcoming action.
Kettlebell training improves body composition. According to Voropayev (1997) who studied top Russian kettlebell lifters, 21.2% increased their bodyweight since taking up kettlebelling and 21.2% (the exact same percentage, not a typo), mostly heavyweights, decreased it. Another study of elite gireviks revealed a consistently low body fat. (Gomonov, 1998)
“A girevik is characterized by a balanced development of all organs and musculature with significant hypertrophy of the muscles of the shoulder girdle.” (Rasskazov, 1993)
Russian kettlebell power to you!
Posted by james at January 23, 2006 6:33 AM