If you’ve found yourself asking, “What is that?” while strolling through FitClub during your workout, you’re not alone. FitClub has a huge variety of fitness equipment and it can be daunting to familiarize yourself with everything. If you’re not experimenting, though, you may be missing out on great fitness equipment that packs huge potential.

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If you’ve stumbled upon a kettlebell in the weight room, you might have noticed it’s unusual shape. The weight is essentially a ball with a handle and knowing what to do with it can really amp up your calorie burn and make a great addition to your workout repertoire.

If you’re looking to add a new challenge to spice up your strength training routine or trying to improve your cardiovascular endurance, it might be time to pick up the funny looking kettlebell and give it a try.

What it works.

You’ll find the kettlbells at FitClub in the strength training rooms, near the free weights. Don’t let the location fool you, though, because kettlelbells also provide an excellent cardio workout. A kettlebell workout can burn huge amounts of calories in as few as twenty minutes, because of the added challenge of its shape. In fact, the American Council on Exercise estimates that an average person can burn up to 400 calories in only twenty minutes using a kettlebell. Unlike dumbbells, the weight in a kettlebell is not evenly distributed, requiring your core muscles to do more work.

While you’re working up a sweat and reaping the cardio benefits of the kettlebell workout, you’re also toning your arms, chest, core, legs and glutes.

How to use it.

If you’re already familiar with the weight room, adding kettlebells to your routine should come naturally. Try using the kettlebells for bent-over rows, dead lifts, and squats in the place of the traditional weights to incorporate new muscle groups into the moves and provide an additional challenge to new muscle groups.

As with all new strength training options you try, start with a low weight and use proper form. Starting off with a low amount of weight is particularly important with kettlebells because of the uneven weight distribution; start off too high and you will likely have problems controlling the weight. Ensuring that you’re able to have proper control and proper form reduces the risk of injury and allows you to build strength and endurance gradually.

There are really no limits to the type of kettlebell workouts available. If you’re looking to add creativity and a huge calorie burn to your workout, consider hiring a personal trainer at FitClub to teach you even more kettlebell moves for maximum results.

 

What unusual objects catch your attention at FitClub? Leave your questions in the comments and get the answer to the question, “What is that?”