Kettlebell training is wonderful for your health. As I mention on my About page, the body yearns to be challenged. We were built to carry, and move, heavy things, and as we age and we become wiser to the ways of the conspiracy against our health by Mother Nature, we tend to give in, and sit down, instead of fighting to get up, and Press away! There is no better exercise routine for apartment living than the Kettlebell. Kettlebells are quiet. You can Swing a Kettlebell in a really small space. You don’t have to go to a gym to use a Kettlebell. Kettlebells are affordable, and they won’t wear out for the next three centuries. Kettlebells are a challenge wrapped in a solution. You can get your heart rate high, and exponentially increase your stamina, and strength, within a few weeks of starting.

Kettlebell training can lower your blood pressure. If you are on medication for your blood pressure, you need to calculate your high rate heart rate based on your age and medication. There are several online tools that can help you measure your goal heart rate range or, better yet, ask your cardiologist — just make certain that your age, and medication, are taken into account for your top heart rate stress range. Your acceptable Maximum Heart Range may be 30 beats per minute lower than someone younger doing the same Kettlebell workout routine. On the BolesBells.com Gear and Witches page, I make some recommendations for tracking your heart rage. It’s important.

If you’re new to working out, or even if you’re an experienced athlete, one undeniable truth you know is this — you will become injured. Injuries are part of living, especially when you are challenging your body to do new things. We don’t want to be injured, but we must be prepared to deal with our injuries as they happen. The older body does not always rebound as quickly from an injury as a more youthful one, so keep that in mind as you are on the mend. Injuries can range from strains to bumps, bruises or more severe events. Always stay alert and aware. Know your body. Then, listen to it all and, above all, obey!

Common Kettlebell injuries include muscle soreness, lower back pain, and other cricks and creaks. It’s okay to hurt a little bit the next day after a Kettlebell workout, but if you feel you did too much, wait a few days until your body gets a chance to repair the damage and heal. Healing comes at night, so make sure you are getting at least seven hours of sleep. Make sure you are eating enough protein. Kettlebell workouts make you hungry! That’s okay! Just make sure you are feeding that hunger with healthy foods that will replenish and refresh you.

I have had several injuries over the years, and almost all of them were due to me asking my old body to do too much. When I workout, I have the mindset of a barbell-lifting High School student, and not the reality in which I currently Squat. In the past, I would get injured because I did not sleep enough. Or, my protein intake was too low. As well, I often would not give myself enough time to recover between workout days. Work hard. Then, take a day off, and do some Yoga, simple stretching, or just take a nice walk.

Kettlebells challenge your body a lot. You’re moving and Pressing and pulling weight in many different directions; but Kettlebells are also one of the safest exercise routines I’ve ever had the joy of learning. If your form is right and good, and if your bell weight is right, and if you respect your limitations, Kettlebells are relatively gentle on your knees, ankles, and other movable types. You can really get a lot stronger, faster, with Kettlebells more than any other exercise equipment. Injuries happen when you are tired, and you push yourself to finish anyway. If you can’t do all 10 of a workout set of something, then try just doing three of that something instead. Your body will thank you for that kind consideration the next day.