Today, I added another set of exercises to my routine: Kettlebells. I’ve been reading the book, “Kettlebell Simple & Sinister” by Pavel Tsatsouline, a former Soviet Special Forces physical training instructor. I’ve been interested in kettlebells for about a year, and I even bought a set last year. I started working with them, and within a few days of starting, I broke a toe (not related to the kettlebells; I kicked my dog’s doggie stairs when I wasn’t paying attention) and I stopped with the kettlebells. Now, after some reading and after all the gains I’ve made in my running and push ups, I decided I needed something to do on my non-run days.
Kettlebells it is.
I did 10 sets of 5 and 6 for a total of 55. It doesn’t sound like much, and it only took me about 15 minutes, but HOLY COW was it a work out. The first two sets were really pretty easy and I was wondering if I started too easy or too light. Those thoughts were quickly laid to rest when I got past my fifth set. By the time I was done, I was out of breath, and my legs felt a bit noodle-like. The best part; nothing was burning or really worn out, just well used.
In the book, Pavel says that you should end a workout with a little bit left in the tank to handle daily life and whatever it brings. He says it’s not a good idea to work until failure because you will be sore and unable to handle surprises. I agree wholeheartedly, and it turns out, this has been a big strategy of mine throughout my running and fitness journey. I made it to 110 push ups doing it this way as well as my current running times and pace.
I will likely be doing kettlebells 3 times a week on the days I don’t run. I figure between my runs and the kettlebells, I should be in pretty awesome shape within the next three months.
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