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Get a whole body workout with kettlebells - get swinging!

Kettlebells are big news in the fitness industry - this is partly due to the fact that this kind of exercise has been taken up by a lot of celebrities including Kim Basinger, Penelope Cruz and Matthew McConaughey. The publicity here has brought this kind of equipment back into the public eye and more and more people are trying out kettlebells as part of their fitness routine.

Often described as a ‘bowling ball with a handle attached’ a kettlebell really can push every fitness button. These bells have been around for centuries - traditionally used by strongmen in Russia, they get a mention in a Russian dictionary from the 1700s! So, if you want to improve your endurance or build or simply want to lose some weight then a kettlebell workout could give you an ideal solution.

Kettlebells impact on a lot more muscle groups than any kind of workout - they also help decrease body fat and increase muscle and tone. Few pieces of workout equipment can give such a versatile repertoire of potential benefits. Some people, for example, use them to build muscle, some use them to improve posture and balance and some use them to turn fat to lean muscle.

Used correctly they can also burn up a lot more calories than many other forms of exercise and can help improve posture and balance into the bargain. It’s estimated they double the number of calories the average person can burn off compared to other workouts such as treadmill running, for example. So, if you workout with kettlebells and keep to a healthy diet you could see some very real weight loss benefits.

One of the big attractions with kettlebells is that they are as versatile as dumbbells so they can be used both in the gym and for workouts at home. So, what can you do with a kettlebell?

There are few limits to the types of exercises that you can do with a kettlebell as they can give a real benefit for both strength training and weight loss exercise programs. You can use them for dead lifting, squats, curls, rows, presses and swings, cleans, jerks and snatches.

Kettlebells come in various weights from 8lbs and up. They are then graded by weight to suit any kind of fitness ability.

Remember, if you’ve not used kettlebells before or aren’t sure what kind of workout will suit your exercise needs then try talking to an online personal trainer, or a nyc personal trainer to make sure that you get the maximum benefits before swinging the lead!