Recalling The Kettlebell

The kettlebell craze was initiated at the turn of the century by Comrade Pavel Tsatsouline. Back at the height of it all powerlifting had embraced the kettlebell as the perfect tool for the "in between" stuff. It wasn't a barbell, but it wasn't stretching and jogging either. But it would allow powerlifters to get mobility, flexibility, and aerobic capacity while using a heavy chunk of iron!

There were people who tried to get the benefits of a barbell by using a kettlebell. That wasn't such a good idea, though. The barbell replaced the kettlebell over a century ago as the far superior pure strength tool. People were using the kettlebell for front squat, one-arm overhead pressing, and rows. Honestly, the barbell was way better for very heavy squats and presses, and the dumbbell was just fine for most one-arm stuff.

Where the kettlebell really shines, however, is the swing.

I will never like jogging. Sprinting is the superior form of locomotion for people who are concerned with developing strength and power in the lower body and a perfect compliment for lots of heavy squats. Sprinting is also excellent for getting the heart rate up.

But the kettlebell swing is even better at getting the heart rate up than sprinting is. High rep squatting is also good at this, but high rep squats are a bit problematic. They can be done properly, but they invite loss of form and vomiting. Swings are just more...fluid. The weight is just heavy enough for lots of smooth reps in a short amount of time.

I just did a bunch of swings non-stop after just a cup of coffee. I tend to fast till about noon every day (Intermittent Fasting comes naturally to me). I have been taking GW501516 (Cardarine) daily, but not doing any sort of aerobic work to get the full benefits of the drug. I figured I'd change that this morning.

No counting reps or time. I just swung the 16-kg bell and switched arms till I couldn't anymore. I probably didn't last much longer than two minutes. And when I was done I walked around sucking air like an asthmatic. I tried to do more swings a few minutes later, but I just couldn't. I'd kicked my own ass.

Update: I just did another set a few hours after the first. Still haven't eaten for the day, but I will be breaking my fast soon. My glutes are killing me.