The David Boles Bells Blog.
Ring Them Boles Bells!
“Ring them bells
from the sanctuaries
’Cross the valleys
and streams”
Pressing Kettlebells Over the Age of 50!
Understanding High Heart Rate: Causes and Concerns
A high heart rate, medically known as tachycardia, can be alarming and may be caused by various factors. It typically refers to a resting heart rate over 100 beats per minute. It's crucial to understand the causes and potential health concerns associated with high heart rates before engaging in any exercise regimen, including kettlebell workouts.
Kettlebell Chronicles: Mastering the Art of Swing and Strength in 2024
Our time-honored champion, the Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up, continues its reign, challenging every fiber of our being with its rigorous demand for core and shoulder stability. The Kettlebell Swing, a foundational pillar of kettlebell doctrine, remains an unrivaled method for engaging the posterior chain whilst forcing cardiovascular prowess into our trends of training.
Bells Build Massive Biceps
Hello again, my Kettlebell friend! We always want to look and feel our best — that’s why we do what we do everyday with slinging our rounded iron! Yes, creating massive biceps is a common goal for many fitness enthusiasts — not that there’s anything wrong with that!
Kettlebells Swing From Russian Markets to Global Gyms
The Kettlebell's story begins in Russia. Originally called 'girya' (plural 'giri'), they were first mentioned in a Russian dictionary in 1704. These weights, resembling a cannonball with a handle, were initially used as counterweights in markets to measure goods. However, their potential for physical training was soon recognized. Farmers and strongmen began to use them for displays of strength and endurance, laying the foundation for their later use in fitness and sport.
Make Your Own Kettlebell
Sometimes, you want to work out with your Kettlebells, but you aren’t home, or near a gym. You might be travelling or staying with a friend, and now get that itch to swing a Bell! What to do?
Master Your Blood Sugar: Daily Kettlebell Workouts for Optimal A1C Management
Kettlebell exercises, often involving high-intensity interval training (HIIT), have been shown to enhance the body’s ability to utilize glucose. This is primarily due to increased muscle activity, which demands more glucose as a fuel source. A study published in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" indicated that participants engaging in HIIT workouts, similar in intensity to kettlebell exercises, experienced improved blood sugar levels.
Manage A1C with Kettlebells
Hello, my delightful BolesBells.com Kettlebell friend! You're here because you probably already know, exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. But did you know it can also have a direct impact on your A1C levels if you're dealing with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes?
Hydro Homies Unite!
Hydro Homies Unite! Yes, water is the way of the world. We often don’t value the swallow that follows us from birth to the grave. Some folks never drink water! They don’t like the taste — because, they feel, water has no taste. We’re here to turn that idea around — water is life! Our bodies are pretty much just a big puddle of water. We are 60% wet stuff!
Begin Swinging Again at 50!
As we age, we may find ourselves becoming weak, and brittle, from inactivity, and the contretemps of getting older. Using the new Claude.ai LLM, I asked it to create a simple, but workable, introduction to Kettlebells for the over 50 crowd like us. Here are the wonderful results!
Vitamin D Pinnacles and Pitfalls
Vitamin D is known to modulate the immune system, enhancing innate immunity by promoting the production of antimicrobial peptides. It also modulates adaptive immunity by inhibiting the production of proinflammatory cytokines. This immune-balancing act may help the body to respond more effectively to infections, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19
Post Surgery Kettlebell Workout
Recovering from surgery can be a cruel experience. You are ready to start lifting again, but you don’t want to reinjure yourself. Here’s a carefully crafted “Post Surgery Kettlebell Workout” to ease you back into your Bells routine. Remember, it's crucial to get clearance from your doctor or physical therapist before starting any new exercise regimen, especially after surgery.
Muscle Retention and Atrophy
As we age into the wisdom of our bodies, it can be a challenge to always keep up with the exercise and weight routines. Sometimes we’re too tired to workout. Sometimes we are injured and cannot workout. Sometimes we back off just a bit to give our bodies a rest.
How I Blew Out My Anus By Lifting, Bro
However, the next day, in the shower, while I was washing all my private parts — and if you are not washing your anus and testicles, and the bottom of your feet every time you shower, you’re not doing it right, you must always gently scrub and check for things that don’t belong or feel out of place — and I was lucky in that as I was washing my delicate bits I felt something really out of place anally and out of the ordinary rectally.
CoQ10 and Niacin for Lowering Blood Pressure
In our ongoing effort to stay alive, relatively young, and prosperous of mind and heart health, we examine today the rumored positive effects of combining CoQ10 and Niacin to help lower our blood pressure. Beware that none of this is medical advice, and if you are on a formal medication system, don’t add any supplements before you consult your doctor.
Long Covid and Adverse HRV
We don’t yet understand much about the incoming perils with Long Covid. It appears there is growing evidence that Long Covid is already adversely affecting people’s lungs, and hearts, and the need for urgent emergency transplantation — and we have to be cautious, and careful, about moving forward in a safe way that leads to longevity and conservative recovery!
Grip Strength and Longevity in Aging
One of the greatest ways to practice your grip strength is to simply take two Kettlebells of equal weight, and grab one in each hand and stand tall holding the weights by your side. The weights should challenge you, but not hurt you to hold them.
Alcohol and Exercise
There’s an old rumor out there — spread by the person who is the topic of the rumor — that a certain bodybuilder would get protein more quickly absorbed into his system by using vodka instead of water to mix heavy scoops of protein powder for the drinking!
OpenAI Chat Becomes Your Health and Fitness Coach
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is here to stay, and AI will enhance, and change our approach to fitness and health. OpenAI has a new ChatBot that is quite fantastical. We can set up a training schedule, and get back answers to serious inquiries. Here are a few examples of just what we can do with AI — to not only make our lives better, but to educate us in ways we may have yet to imagine.
HRV Revolution
Don’t compare your HRV with anyone else’s — that is a problem many of us have, we want to know how we add up to others in our community, or age group — well, with HRV, we only compare ourselves to our own readings over time. That’s why it’s important to record our HRV in a reliable way for memory and reference.
Do Not Mix Weights and Stretching
I was doing deep stretching while also lifting heavy weights in the same workout session. That is completely dangerous for a myriad of reasons, mainly because it confuses the muscles in your body: “Are we stretching, or are we compressing?” Fair question, and my answer was always failing.