Kettlebells - A Great Way To Strength For Runners

For me, doing strength training is like pulling teeth. I hate the gym and I would SO much rather be out on the road. The fact is however, that if you intend to be a runner for life and stay healthy, you've got to cross-train and strengthen those muscles that support your running.

Kettlebells are getting a lot of play these days and are a great way to change-up your strength training - with the added benefit that you can do these workouts at home. For those of you who don't know, kettlebells look like cannonballs with little handles on them. They come in a variety of weights and will run you between $20 - $120 depending upon the size and type of bells you buy. The best are cast iron, so if you can afford it, that's what you should get.

So what's so cool about kettlebells? Kettlebell training requires functional, whole body fitness. In these workouts you focus on whole-body conditioning because lifting and controlling a kettlebell forces the entire body, and specifically the core muscles, to contract as a group, building both strength and stability at the same time. Kettlebell workouts engage multiple muscle groups at once. In this way, they are a great option for getting a whole body workout in a short time.

Here's a warning. Many kettlebell beginners start out with a weight that's too heavy, which can result in injury to joints, neck and back. Start slow! For most women (even fit women) a weight of 12-25 pounds is sufficient.

So what do you do with these things? Here's a good beginner's workout from Running Times:

Kettlebell exercises for Runners from CoachJayJohnson on Vimeo.

I really like this particular video because the exercises engage my particular weaknesses: core, back, calves, upper arms.

Here is another excellent link that will show you some additional kettlebell exercises to get you started:

Kettlebell Moves for Strength Training

Have you already incorporated kettlebells into your cross-training plan? What moves are you doing? Have you found them helpful?

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