Tone your body with kettlebells!
Friday 29 January 2010
Your dedicated CloserOnline team is constantly on the hunt for new ways to improve our fitness levels, tone up or shed a few pounds - and when we say 'ours', that includes 'yours' too!
We love nothing more than trying out new exercise trends, especially if they are said to be an A-List favourite.
So if you have ever found yourself wishing for super-toned arms and a pert behind like Jennifer Aniston's, read on!
The actress credits her lean and muscular frame to exercising with kettlebells - a cast iron weight with handles - so of course we had to go and test it in the hope of developing the same muscular definition as Jen...
Off we went to our nearest Virgin Active branch and were put through our paces by personal trainer Glenn, who explained exactly why kettlebells are being hailed as a true exercise miracle.
We highly recommend to only start training with the weights after a thourough introduction by a trained professional, as the workout mainly involves throwing around an 8 or 12kg ball-shaped device whilst performing a series of lunges, squats and planks!
Oh yes, the options are endless... you can train pretty much every muscle-group in your body - arms, bum and legs - take your pick!
Benefits of training with kettlebells...
* Helps to develop coordination by being able to change hands and body direction
* Maximizes shoulder strength, flexibility, as well as shoulder and hip stability
* Conditions the cardiovascular system very effectively by stressing all the body’s energy systems
* Burns calories and fat with high intensity, shorter duration workouts
* Improves strength, power, balance, flexibility, and co-ordination
The great thing about kettlebells is that apart from increasing your strength and muscle-tone, it is also a fantastic way to get your metabolism going and burn calories - because to be able to swing the heavy device, you have to gather enough momentum to lift it off the ground and over your head!
Gathering the speed will get your heartrate going and exercise yor cardiovascular system at the same time. So it's not just about building muscle, but an overall improvement of fitness and power!
If you want to have a go for yourself, we reccommend that you try one of the Virgin Active kettlebell classes, where a friendly Virgin Active personal trainer will introduce you to the exercises.
If you still find the thought of throwing around a cast iron weight quite daunting, Reebok have come up with a girly version which we love! 
The Cardio Bell looks sleek and slightly more user-friendly than the original black iron ones! They are available in 3, 6 or 8kg and prizes start at £19.99. They also come in blue and white!
We have three Reebok Cardio Bells to give away - click here to win!
Visit www.virginactive.co.uk to find your nearest Virgin Active Health Club