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The giyra, Russian for Kettlebell, was originally used for measuring things at the market and at farms. Later, it was used in the Russian military for training. Kettlebell is mostly recognized for it’s origins in Russia, but records show them being used in Ancient Greece as well.

When used properly, there are many benefits to training with Kettlebells. It’s a great way to increase your heart rate for caloric expenditure by using momentum without the need to go for a run. This is great for all of you “cardio haters” out there. They also increase your balance, strength, coordination and improved grip strength.

Where does the momentum/power to move that weight come from? That’s right, your core! It’s a great core workout! Your abs will feel like you’ve done some serious isolated core training. Although a great core workout, you’re really conditioning your entire body when using this piece of equipment.

Mobility, made popular by Dr. Kelly Starrett is one of the most amazing techniques that any athlete, office worker, law enforcement personnel, or virtually any human being can benefit from.

As we go through life, we fall into repetitive movement patterns that lead to tight muscles. These tight muscles then cause imbalances in our bodies leading us to have back pain, knee pain, joint or muscular pain in general that no one enjoys.

So how do we reverse the faulty movement patterns we’ve created for our bodies? With mobility! Using a series of self-myofascial release tools and targeted stretching, you can regain good posture and live virtually pain free.

This picture depicts a hip stretch correcting lower-crossed syndrome (tight hips that don’t allow the butt to fire or activate.) Before going into the hip stretch portion though, it’s most effective if the tight muscles were released with pressure first, be it from a ball, foam roll or a partner/coach.

One of my favorite pieces of equipment to use is a suspension trainer. You can train any part of the body using one single item and your body weight. It doesn’t matter what level of training you’re at, whether you haven’t worked out a day in your life or you’re an athlete, you can get a great workout using this training technique.

It’s important to note body positioning with this kind of workout. Because your core is your base of support for this training technique, be mindful of not letting your butt stick out or drop down away from the midline. Do not teach your body to move improperly. Bad movement pattens may cause pain in your joints or injury in the long term.

Because it is a proprioceptively enriched (balance challenging) type of workout, it has added benefits. You engage more muscles in order to stay balanced; therefore you’re burning more calories, and you tone up in more areas vs. using isolated training such as working out on machines. It’s also a great tool for people that have issues with their spine because there isn’t pressure added to it.