History
Kettlebells have been around for hundreds of years, believed to have originated in Russia. Russians first used the kettlebell as a counter-weight to measure grains and other goods. Then surprise, surprise, men began using them for strength competitions. The effectiveness and versatility of the kettlebell helped it gain popularity quickly, and it was also used for military training.
Today kettlebells are used in fitness and sports training programs around the world, and in recent years have gained even more popularity from their use in CrossFit workouts.
The appeal is the wide variety of exercises that can be performed with a single piece of equipment. Movements engage the whole body, with an added bonus for grip and forearm strength. Kettlebell workouts are holistic, as the exercises simulate natural human movement, or functional movement, and work the coordination of different muscle groups. Workouts are generally performed at higher repetitions per exercise to build muscular endurance.
Kettlebells vary in sizes, and are traditionally measured in units called pood.
1 pood=16 kg=35 lbs.
1.5 pood=24 kg=53 lbs.
2 pood=32 kg=70 lbs.
You can find kettlebells ranging from 5 lbs to over 100 lbs.
In Beach Belles, we use 5lbs, 10lbs, and 15lbs.
Students also sometimes bring their own kettlebells!
Basic Kettlebell Exercises:
Kettlebell Swings
Goblet Squats
Romanian DeadLifts
Turkish Get-ups
Kettlebell Snatch
What is Beach Belles?
Beach Belles, or Kettlebell Yoga, was created by professional Yoga Teacher and Strength Coach, Sarah (Yo) Bublavy. It is a fusion of Yoga and Kettlebell exercises. Class is a 45 minute full-body workout performed in the sand or grass, which adds another layer of balance challenge to the practice. This helps activate and strengthen the stabilizer muscles in your ankles, knees, and hips as you move through each exercise. We use one or two 5-15lb kettlebells, so we move through a higher volume of reps, building lean, long, strong muscles. Class is designed to work and strengthen natural body movements through a multitude of exercises that challenge all your muscle groups. We warm down with some yoga postures to stretch out our freshly worked muscles.
See what some of our Belles are saying about the class:
"I love Beach Belles because it's such a fun workout with lots of laughs with the ladies and you can't beat the view! Sarah knows how to keep the energy positive and the environment welcoming for everyone," Lindsey L.
"It's a fun way to get a work out in on the beach with energizing music,"
Jaclyn P.
Beach Belles Schedule:
Tuesdays 6:30-7:15pm
Claim your own Beach Belles tank plus a class for just $20!
Offer expires September 12, 2017.
Click on the pic to claim your tank and class!
Mahalo for your continued support and love. Namaste all day,
Sarah Yo