Exercising with kettlebells provides full-body workout

Kettlebells, those cast-iron weights that resemble a cannonball with a handle, were originally used in Russia for weighing crops. They’ve evolved to become a trendy fitness tool at gyms.

Handling these intimidating weights isn’t something you jump into without proper instruction. Correct form is crucial to avoid injury. Christina Whitlatch’s Kettlebell FUNdamentals class teaches basic form.

"You need to learn proper kicks and punches before getting into the boxing ring.It’s the same with kettlebells," said Whitlatch.

The kettlebell workout involves the entire body, building strength and stability. "Lifting and controlling the kettlebells forces the entire body to act as one whole piece," she said.

"With proper training and real physical exertion, even a 20-minute workout will get the job done."

The class I attended was an hour long, more than enough time to feel the effectiveness of the kettlebells in working every muscle in my body. (Classes are done barefoot. Make sure you wear comfortable workout clothes and don’t forget a water bottle.)

For squats, we held the kettlebell with two hands against the chest, lowering the body up and down. Deadlifts involve repetitions of squatting and lifting the weight into a standing position.

We also did swings, where you bend forward and swing the kettlebell between your legs and back up to a standing position.

The kettlebells ranged from 8 to 105 pounds. Before class started, we chose three different weights, which were placed in front of us, making it easy to switch weights as needed or progress to heavier weights during specific movements. I chose to use 18, 22 and 26 pounds.

The moves take some getting used to. For me, the swings seem much easier than the lifts. It was hard to keep my wrist in the correct position while lifting without tweaking it, especially when going overhead. I’d worked with kettlebells before and Whitlatch still needed to adjust my form.

The session ended with a nice stretch. Crawling across the floor like a baby and a crab was not something I was expecting to do at a kettlebell class, but it was part of our cool-down and elicited a few chuckles. According to Whitlatch, the simple movements can help to realign the body.

"I don’t always incorporate crawling as part of the cool-down.Sometimes I will use crawling as part of the warm-up or even during the class workout itself," she explained. "It really just depends.As adults, we tend to sit more and move less.Crawling reinforces proper movement patterns learned as an infant, and plus it’s just plain fun."

“Tryouts” features exercise and wellness classes and other fitness activities. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.