Years ago I was a member at a gym in Central London. I used to go pretty often, and there was a female trainer there who had what I like to call resting-bitch-face.
Sorry for the swear.
Even if you haven’t heard this term before, chances are you know exactly what I’m talking about. The kind of person who, when not consciously making an expression, gives the impression that they hate everyone and everything around them. So I spent the best part of a year tiptoeing around her and avoiding her unwavering death-stare.
After a few months though, I got complacent and let my guard down. I allowed myself to be trapped in the lift with the she-devil. She turned to face me, but instead of turning me to ash, she opened her mouth and said hello. And it turns out she is a lovely, lovely woman. Kind, generous and genuine. I now count her amongst my close friends.
What a plonker I am.
I missed out on a whole year of amusing times ribbing her about her RBF, just because I was intimidated by her inadvertently terrifying face. Now don’t get me wrong, I would never want to cross her. I’ve seen her angry and it is something to behold. But I love her all the more for that.
So what’s my point? Well, if this friend was a piece of exercise equipment, she would be…
A kettlebell.
On initial inspection, a brutish and aggressive thing to be avoided. But if you’re bold enough to go over and make their acquaintance, you’ll be hugely rewarded for your bravery. There really isn’t anything to be scared of, as long as you respect this great piece of kit. Do your homework, get your technique down, and I guarantee this little ball will revolutionise your training.And the King of kettlebell exercises? The swing.
Want to work on your bum? The swing does it.
Core need some work? The swing will tighten up your stomach like nothing else.
Weak back from sitting at work all day? The swing has got your back (BOOM. Sorry, couldn’t resist).
The kettlebell swing really is one of the best bang-for-buck exercises in our arsenal. Wondering what the best and quickest way to nail your swing technique and turbo-charge your workouts is?
Get help from an expert, a Personal Trainer. Such as myself. Or if you’re not ready to commit to that then I highly recommend Pavel’s book Simple and Sinister which covers the swing and a few other gems in detail.
So, the take home message – don’t miss out through fear of the unknown.
Also, I’m intimidated by empowered women.
Have an awesome rest of the day,
Ian “handled-cannonball” Male