Here is one of my favorite entertainers giving a glimps of his life behind the scenes. This is a great example of a simple but effective workout. Another demostration to how versatile kettlebells are. I am sure this looks very familiar to my Boot Camp members.
It's the latest fitness craze in celeb land embraced by Geri, Pen, J-Lo and Jen
Geri is now a svelte Size 8 (pic:getty)
SPICE Girl Geri Halliwell is in the best shape of her life... and it's all down to a fitness craze that's sweeping Hollywood.
She's lost two-and-a-half stone following her pregnancy to become a svelte but shapely Size 8 - and it's all been done with an 18lb ball called the Kettlebell.
It looks like a cannon ball with a handle - but Geri, 34, is just the latest "body beautiful" to use it to sculpt their figures. Other devotees include Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez and Penelope Cruz.
Incredibly, the Kettlebell was invented 2,000 years ago. It originated in Russia and was used by Greek athletes and gladiators.
But what's made it so popular today is manufacturers claim using it can burn up to 1,500 calories an hour. Stars are keen on the device because it keeps their bodies in shape without adding bulk, so they can still fit into their designer dresses for premieres.
The man who's helping Geri prepare for a Spice Girls' reunion tour is former Royal Navy field gunner and personal trainer Tim Blakeley. He's one of the most experienced consultants from London company Outdoor Extreme, who specialises in exercise courses carried out in public parks.
The firm's managing director Tommy Matthews, 24, says: "Geri has got into the best shape of her life in preparation for a Spice Girls reunion. She is proof that any woman can do it - even if they have recently had a baby. She is using our Kettlebell technique, and we know that, with a bit of hard work, Kettlebells are a great way to get back your figure post-pregnancy."
Geri gave birth to daughter Bluebell Madonna last May, stuck to the regime, and was soon winning admiring comments for her figure, which is now a happy medium between her buxom Spice Girls days and the worryingly skinny appearance of her early solo career.
Jennifer Aniston, 38, also uses the Kettlebell to keep her body lean and taut without adding bulk. Jennifer Lopez, 37, swears by it to keep her arms red-carpet slender and her famous abs trim. And Penelope Cruz, 33, maintains her enviable bikini body by following the regime.
Since I began working with kettlebells in 2004, I have been confident that it is the premier training tool available today, both for fat loss and for overall functional strength. For the majority out there in gyms today, training or working out has been about losing weight. Repeatedly I hear the comments about the need for more cardio and the skepticism about how kettlebell workouts are probably more effective than their present workout.
Sparked by shows like The Biggest Loser, and movies like 300 in which Gerald Butler and the Spartans used kettlebells in part to hone their chiseled physiques, kettlebells are becoming all the rage. Enthusiasts claim twice the results in half the time.
The claims that the kettlebell delivers superior fat loss to any other method have finally been vindicated by scientists. Funded by the American Council of Exercise (ACE), research published in the January/February 2010 issue of ACE FitnessMatters proves that there’s plenty of scientific truth to back up the fat loss claims.
ACE is one of the oldest and most respected fitness research and certifying bodies in the United States. ACE is ultra conservative. They don't do fads and they don't do gimmicks. They do solid research. They want proof.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin are stunned by the research: Kettlebell calorie burn is off the charts.
Dr. John Porcari, leader of the study, said, “So they were burning at least 20.2 calories per minute, which is off the charts. That’s equivalent to running a 6-minute mile pace. The only other thing I could find that burns that many calories is cross country skiing up hill at a fast pace.”That's 1,200 calories per hour.
The research team led by John Porcari, Ph. D and Chad Schnetter, M.S at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Exercise and Health Program, used a VO2max kettlebell snatch protocol developed by Dragon Door author and Master RKC kettlebell instructor Kenneth Jay, in Jay’s bestseller Viking Warrior Conditioning.
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of particapting in at Hardstyle Ventura Workshop hosted by Sean Schniederjan, RKC and lead by our leader Pavel Tsatsouline. In attendance was Master RKC Rick Reifkind, Seniors Will Williams, David Whitley, Doug Nepodal, Team Leaders Jay Armstrsong, Mark Toomey, Dr Mark Chen, Mike Castrogiovanni and Jeremy Layport and Franz & Yoanna Snideman. As well as a couple of other visiting RKC's.
It is always a pleasure to work in such company. With Pavel's leader ship we are each encouraged to contribute to the unwavering goal of providing only the best quality information to our clients and our own training. The knowledge we gain and share only continues to make the RKC the premier strength training organization.
Welcome to our new web site. As you can see there are several changes, hopefully all for the better. Please take the time check out the new features and give any feed back you may have so we can continue to grow and improve. In future I hope to use this blog not only to inform, but to communicate. I welcome any questions or concerns you have in regards to fitness health and training. I will post response here for everyones benefit I will also be periodically posting my training progress for those who are interested. Thanks for joining us.
