Kettlebell
The kettlebell is a cast-iron or steel weight (resembling a cannonball with a handle) used to perform dynamic exercises that combine cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training. Russian kettlebells are traditionally measured in weight by pood, which is around 16 kilogram or35 lb.
Kettlebells were developed in Russia in the 1700s, primarily for weighing crops. It is said that these farmers became stronger and found them useful for showing off their strength during festivals. The Soviet army used them as part of their physical training and conditioning programs in the 20th century. They had been used for competition and sports throughout Russia and Europe since the 1940s.
Though kettlebells had been in the United States in some form since the 1960s or earlier, but have been growing in popularity as a fitness exercise over the last decade or so. I used to work with kettlebells during my college years in 1970s in Poland. A couple years ago I rediscovered kettlebells and included them into my fitness training. I love them.
By their nature, typical kettlebell exercises build strength and endurance, particularly in the lower back, legs, and shoulders, and increase grip strength. The basic movements, such as the swing, snatch, and the clean and jerk, engage the entire body at once, and in a way that mimics real world activities such as shoveling or farm work.
Unlike the exercises with dumbbells or barbells, kettlebell exercises often involve large numbers of repetitions. Kettlebell exercises are in their nature holistic; therefore they work several muscles simultaneously and may be repeated continuously for several minutes or with short breaks. This combination makes the exercise partially aerobic and more similar to high-intensity interval training rather than to traditional weight lifting.
Dumbbell
The dumbbell, another type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs, with one in each hand.
The forerunners of the dumbbell have been used through history in different parts of the world. Halteres were used in ancient Greece as lifting weights and also as weights in the ancient Greek version of the long jump. A kind of dumbbell was also used in India for more than a millennium, shaped like a club – so it was named Indian club. Despite their common English name implying an Indian origin, the so-called Indian clubs were in fact created in the Near East. Properly referred to as meels, they are first recorded as being used by wrestlers in ancient Persia, Egypt and the Middle East.
“Dumbbells” as a word originated in late Stuart England – referring to equipment simulating the action of a bell rope for the purpose of developing technique, and especially strength, for the purpose of practicing English bellringing, but without making a noise (hence dumb). When strongmen started to make their own equipment, they kept the name, even though the shape and form changed.
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