Dragon Door Publications Media Clip: Bell Curves

BurrellesLuce PressClipping
75 East Northfield Road / Livingston, NJ / 973-992-6600

PUBLICATION: PILATES STYLE
DATE: 08-01-2007
HEADLINE: bell curves


elements

bell

curves

a 300-year-old russian exercise is the hottest thing in 21st-century america

irieof Iron Core La Jolla demonstrates the foundation kettlebell exercise, the Swing (top) and the Windmili (bottom).

BY KATHY SUMMERS

Who doesn't wiint better body tone, greater flexibility and more control? That s wliy we lo\ e Pilates, Throw in even more power, all-day endurance and qnieker fat loss—all from an item we can hold in our hand like a Prada purse—and we might have the ultimate fashion accessory, Tlie dowmside is that unhke couture, a kettlehell looks like a cast-iron cannonball with a handle, uiisculine and a hit medit-val. It also requires special training to get started. And \et, the colorful kettlebell could become the new black, "Formerly a man's tool, it has become increasingly populai" vvith

women," says Pavel Tsatsouline, a St, Paul, MN-based coach and former Russian Special Forces instructor credited with introducing kettlebells to the United States in 1998, The kettlebell, or girya in Russian, is at least 300 years old. But in 21st-centur)' America, movie stars like Penelope Cniz, Kim Basinger and Jennifer Lopez train with kettlebells, and in 2006, American athlete Catherine Imes won the bronze medal in the Kettlebell Sport World Championship,

Like Pilates, kettlebeU exercises require coordination, body awareness and proper breathing techniques, Kettlebells also provide a good cardio workout, so you can forget that hour on the Stairmaster or elliptical machine after your Pilates workout, says Andrea Du Cane, a certified Stott Pilates instructor and certified Russian kettlebell (RKC) instructor in St, Paul, In fact, kettlebells complement Pilates in man)' ways. For starters, both focus on core conditioning, "Once you ve gotten all your stabilizing muscles to fire properly with Pilates, you might want to get even stronger," says Du Cane, That's where kettlebells come in,

kettlebell basics

Most people leam the basic kettlebell exercises in a few days and notice changes in the way they look and feel in a few weeks, says Sarah Lune, RKC, founder of Iron Core fitness studio in La Jolla, CA, People witli a background in Pilates get up to speed even quicker, she says. Many gyms now carry kettlebells, but it only takes one to get started, Kettlebells come in a range of weights from 9 to 88 pounds. People who practice Pilates regularly will typically start with an 8kilogram (approximately 18-pound)

kettlebell. If you're starting from scratch, go for the 6-kiIogram (approximately 13-pound) kettlebell,

and if you're used to weiglit lifting tn' one that's 12 kilograms (approximately 26 pounds).

Foundation kettlebell drills, with names like the Swing and Clean and Snatch, rely on momentum, gravity and fluid motion. Like Pilates exercises, especially those using the Reformer, these drills promote flexibility' in the shoulder and hip and stiengtlien and stabilize the scapula, shoulder, glutes, hips, thighs, al)s and lower back, sa\'s Du Cane, The difference is that the weight of the kettlebell provides even more resistance, Pilates teaches you to engage and track your muscles, Tliese skills come into play during more complex kettlebell moves, like the Deck Squat, W indniiU and Tnrkish CJet-up, Combined into a circuit, kettlebell exercises provide a heart-pounding workout that strengthens even muscle in the body. While a fev\' kettlebell drills sound like traditional weight lifting with barbells and dumbbells, kettlebell exercises are not designed to isolate muscle groups. Instead, they work multiple groups together. Nor are they meant to tniin muscles to failiue, "Consistency is more important than intensity," says Tsatsouline, who considers kettlebell training a greater challenge than either traditional weight lifting or aerobics, "Unlike in running or

other popular weight-loss regimens, kettlebell exercises distribute the load evenly throughovit the body," he says, "'More muscles working at once means greater metabolie overload, which translates to superior fat loss,"

The difference shows up in how

muscles develop to form a graceful and athletic body, "Yes, yoti're lifting a weight, but you're moving it dynamically and getting your heart rate up, so bulky muscles just aren't going to happen," says Lurie, You also get really strong, she says, "People vvho do Pilates a couple days a week and kettlebells a couple days a week notice when they're doing Pilates how much stronger they've gotten," Lurie's students

report improved performance in other activities as well, whether they're training for competitive sports or just moving heav^' furniture.

One reiison for that is that rather than Lifting the kettlebell vvith arm strength, you .swing it up vvith an explosive hip thrust, a move commonly used to power many athletic activities. Performing well at sports also requires mental focus, a skill honed when doing both Pilates and kettlebells, "You're not sitting at the gym mindlessly watching a TN' monitor," says Du Cane, "It's more like meditation vvith movement,"

in the swing

Learning proper form and breathing techniques is essential for health and safety, "The kettlebell is a highly effective tool for strengthening the connective tissues, especially in the back," explains Tsatsouline, But back pain can occur if you round your lower back. After picking up a kettlebell for the first time, some people find it hurts their back, so they decide to put it down—permanently. The

problem is usually improper Form, Pilates practitioners protect their backs by holding the body in a neutral

spine position. But kettlebell instructors advise students to tilt the pelvis foncard. "We stick our butts out like we're proud we've got them," says Du Cane, That may sound wrong to the Pilates-educated ear, but the difference is in the language, "Trainers cue the exercises this way to compensate for what the body wants to do when the back is under load, which is to cave in, especially when the hamstrings and glutes are weak," explains Du Cane, When performed correctly, the glutes and hamstrings will tighten and the back won't overextend,

Kettlebell breathing techniques are also different from those used in Pilates, RKC instnictors teach a special abdominal breathing technique that supports the abdominal muscles like a virtual weight belt, "We do this by engaging the inner core muscles, pulling in the pelvic floor or perineum, inhaling into our bellies and then hissing out like we're saying the word 'snake,'" notes Du Cane.

A session or two vvith a (jualified instructor is the best way to get started. (For a list of RKC instnictors bv state, go to dragondoor.com/in.stnictors.html.) In the absence of an instructor, a good DVD will teach the biisics and a few advanced drills. Adding more reps, changing the combinations or adding a second kettlebell keeps things interesting. People who graduate to heavier kettlebells often continue to use the smaller ones. In fact, some find they've bonded with their bell. That's not surprising, says Du Cane, "They make us feel good, they make us look good and they last forever," What more could a person ask for?

Kathy Summers writes ahout health, fitness and nutrition for several national magazines.

pull your own weight

equipment

• Cood quality kettlebells are available for $80 to $100 online at russiankettlehells. com.

dvds

• Kettlehelk the Iron Core Way, Volumes One and Two (Iron Core, 2005) Tlie Kettlebell Goddess Workmt. Andrea Du Cane (Dragon Door, 2006) From Russia with Tough Love: Pavel's Kettlebell Workout for a Femme Fatale, Pavel Tsatsouline (Advanced Fitness Solutions, 2003)

books

• Kettlebells for Dummies, Sai-iili Lurie (Wiley, 2007)