Are Kettlebells Too Expensive?

It's funny how people react to the price of a kettlebell. Their eyes usually get wide and their mouth opens a bit, as if to say "Are you kidding?"

Their reaction is usually due to the fact that they just don't realize what a simple kettlebell can do for one's physical fitness, strength building and fat loss. I mean hey, it's just a simple little sphere with a handle, right? Where are the gears, the cables, the springs and pulleys that are a hallmark of a real piece of fitness equipment?

Here's a secret: You don't need all that complicated (and really expensive!) stuff.

The same folks who balk at paying $90 for a kettlebell would have no problem whatsoever dropping $300 or more on some "total gym" that uses rubber bands to give them a "full body workout" and maybe $100 a month in expensive (and unnecessary) dietary supplements. Don't forget those exercise machines that are advertised on TV during those two-minute long commercials... They're so expensive that they don't even mention the price, just the monthly payment! (BTW, I researched some of those Bowflex and Nordictrack gadgets: they cost as much as $1,500 and UP)

With a kettlebell you can get both an aerobic and anaerobic (strength building) workout in just a few minutes a day that (if you're so inclined) can leave you feeling like you went 3 rounds with Mike Tyson. You can work your arms, shoulders, legs, abs, chest and back all with that little iron cannonball. Also, anyone who knows anything about weight training will tell you that working out with a free weight is far superior to using a motion that moves along a track.

Using Pavel Tsatsouline's techniques (Pavel is a former physical training instructor for the Soviet Special Forces) and a common sense diet you will see your strength increase rapidly and the fat come off quickly by using kettlebells.

Another benefit is the small size of kettlebells... no hunting for a spare room or extra closet space to store them, or having an eyesore like a treadmill or universal gym (soon to be used as a clothing rack) in the middle of your bedroom.

So if you think that kettlebells are too expensive, think again.

To learn more about training with kettlebells visit http://kettlebell-training.com where you can find information whether you are just starting out or looking for advanced kettlebell lifting tips.

Victor Holtreman is the author of The Last 10 Pounds, an eBook which chronicled his 2 month journey from 13% to 9% body fat using kettlebells. He is also the author of the Kettlebell-Training.com site and a number of other fitness related sites.

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Actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, Alan Rosenberg, poses for a portrait in this March 17, 2003, file photo taken in Los Angeles. The Screen Actors Guild said Saturday Nov. 22, 2008 that contract talks with Hollywood studios has failed despite the help of a federal mediator and it will now ask its members to authorize a strike. (AP Photo/Ric Francis, File)AP - The Screen Actors Guild said Saturday it will ask its members to authorize a strike after its first contract talks in four months with Hollywood studios failed despite the help of a federal mediator.



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U.S. President George W. Bush listens during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Lima, Peru November 22, 2008. Both leaders are in Peru for the APEC Summit. This is Bush's final scheduled foreign trip of his presidency.  REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque          (PERU)AP - President George W. Bush says he understands that countries across the globe are being hurt by the financial crisis.



Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, left, speaks to the media during a news conference on  Friday, Nov. 21, 2008, at the Annapolis Basin Conference Center in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. Gates was in Canada to participate in meetings of NATO's International Security Assistance Force to discuss the Regional Command South in Afghanistan. Canadian Minister of National Defense Peter MacKay is at right. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Mike DembeckAP - Even in a global financial crisis, the world cannot afford to skimp on its obligations to Afghanistan, which wants to double the size of its army but will never be able to pay for it, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says.



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President-elect Barack Obama waves as he leaves his first press conference following his election victory in Chicago, in this file photo from November 7, 2008. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama said on Saturday he was crafting a two-year plan to fight an economic crisis of "historic proportions" and Chinese leader Hu Jintao said his country was ready to play a big role in the global effort.



Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan addresses a news conference in Nairobi, in this file photo from October 17, 2008, after receiving the report on Kenya's post election violence in 2007 from the Commission of Inquiry. (Antony Njuguna/Reuters)Reuters - Zimbabwe has barred former U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and other prominent figures from visiting the country to assess the humanitarian crisis, the group said on Saturday.



Pedestrians walk past a Citibank branch in Singapore November 18, 2008. (Vivek Prakash/Reuters)Reuters - Citigroup Inc has begun talks with the U.S. government as its plummeting share price raises doubts about the bank's ability to survive, a person familiar with the matter said.



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