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Brentwood Press - Index

Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_10.10.08 - Index

OCTOBER 10, 2008 HEALTH & BEAUTY BRENTWOODPRESS.COM | 9B
From Russia with kettlebells
by Samie Hartley
Staff Writer
To get a good workout, some people go
to the gym. Others use an at-home exercise
machine or work out to an instructional
DVD. Dave Neal prefers to use a Russian
kettlebell.
A kettlebell is a basically a cannon
ball with a handle on it that users hold in
various positions while executing various
moves. Neal said the workout has a tremendous
effect on the body, increasing strength,
fl exibility and endurance.
“I never get bored,” said Neal. “I’ve
tried many things, and I get bored easily, but
I’ve been training with this for nine months,
and I love it. It’s like a toy for me. It’s the
fi rst thing I think of in the morning. Wake
up at 6 a.m., grab the kettlebells and go outside
and work out and watch the sunrise.”
Neal, a physical education instructor
at Dallas Ranch Middle School in Antioch,
said he stumbled onto kettlebells after
browsing the shelves at Barnes & Noble.
He came upon a book entitled “The Naked
Warrior” and after fl ipping through the
pages, he was convinced that kettlebells
were worth a try.
Kettlebells were created in Russia more
than 300 years ago but gained popularity
in the United States as late as 2001.
The surge of kettlebell practice
was spearheaded by Pavel Tsatsouline,
a former physical training
instructor for the Soviet
Special Forces, who currently
trains with the U.S. Marine Corps
and other government agencies in
the United States.
After educating himself about
kettlebells, Neal decided to become
a certifi ed Russian kettlebells instructor
so that he could train others to properly
use kettlebells as part of their fi tness rou-
Photos by Samie Hartley
Dave Neal, a certifi ed kettlebell instructor from Brentwood, lifts 35 pounds
above his head for a move called the kettlebell snatch, above left. Don’t worry;
he won’t drop it. Neal is a certifi ed Russian kettlebell instructor who knows
how to properly execute a kettlebell side press, above right.
tine. He described the certifi cation process
as brutal, going through an intensive series
of physical tests over the course of a weekend
at UCLA. While some certifi cations
only require attending a few classes,
Neal worked hard for this certifi -
cation, but he said the challenge
was more than worth it.
“They asked us to do
things I hadn’t tried yet, and I
wasn’t even sure if my body could
handle it,” said Neal. “But I gave
it a shot, and I could do the required
lifts. Kettlebells are about
self-discovery. Working out with
them makes you realize how powerful
your body can be.”
Neal, 52, calls kettlebell workouts the
martial arts of strength training or yoga
with weights. A mere 15-minute workout
three to fi ve days a week will produce signifi
cant change within two weeks. You can
lose weight, gain muscle mass and lower
your blood pressure by using kettlebells.
see Kettlebells page 10B