Commercializing Fitness March 31, 2008
Posted by kimayars Ramblings
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I personally love the commercialization of fitness. I love walking into the fitness aisle of Target and seeing what’s popular. A few days ago, I went in for a birthday present and decided to see if there were any fitness accessories that I needed (but would probably never use). I was shocked to see… kettlebells! And in fashion colors, no less. I think my friend Dave would have cried. I might have to get him the one in “cornflower” for some auspicious occasion. 
But also lacking was any instructional DVD or book on how to use kettlebells. These suckers are heavy and I’ve watched enough videos on YouTube to know that used incorrectly they could really do some damage. Like many pieces of fitness equipment, it is usually worth it to spend a little extra cash on some instruction with a trainer than just jumping right in.
So I left the kettlebells on the shelf (not that I could lift them anyway) and grabbed a “Yoga for Flexibility” DVD by Gaiam. We’ll see if I follow my own advice…
Comments
One more reason to go to Target, excellent!
Kim, you are very correct that kettlebells require training to use. I constantly feel that I’m in training with these things, there are so many ways in which they can make you better, stronger, faster.
Also, there are many different ways in which these things are ‘constructed’. The handle needs to be thick enough, but not too thick. And, some come w/rubber bumpers on the bottom, which is actually a bad thing because the bumpers cause bruises on certain movements.
Good to see kettlebells getting into the more public mindset!