Kettlebell exercising and sport is starting to gain traction in India
Just like the duo above, Vaishnavi Venkat, a 38-year-old dentist from Chennai, also regularly works out with kettlebell. “Kettlebell helps do whole-body workouts. You can do squats, swings, etc. I do all these workouts using kettlebells that weigh 16kg. And it helps me with strengthening and overall fitness. But I need to practise more to do it at a competitive level.”
Mathu Hari, another fitness enthusiast, concurs with Vaishnavi and says that there are more women into it of late. Last year, she even won a gold medal at the state-level kettlebell-lifting competition. “Last time, I did 150 repetitions with 8kg kettlebell. This time, I want to increase the weight to 16kg. Also, I am hoping better participation at this year’s competition,” she says.
Kettlebell Krusher Says:
According to the Bloomberg article from December 2017, India is Getting Fat, there has been a 2500% increase in male obesity since 1975. It would be unfair to solely single out India, as I believe the world, in general, has become a lot more sedentary.
The workforce is a lot more sophisticated than decades ago. Naturally, labor jobs have been replaced by machines while more skilled positions usually require serious thinking rather than physical exertion. This means that most exercise needs to occur during recreational time. Unfortunately, most of us spend this time endulging in entertainment such as watching tv, going out to dinner, attending sporting events, etc. It’s hard to blame anyone when society has been conditioned to value these things more so than personal health.
The good news is that there is a fitness revolution happening across the world. Of course, I’m talking about kettlebell training and exercising! Many people are starting to realize that you can get a full-body workout in a short amount of time using kettlebells. There’s no need to spend hours at a gym when you can perform kettlebell workouts in your home or even your office.
If you read the source article, you can see just how enthusiastic several Indian kettlebell users are. Not content with just working out, those interviewed are genuinely excited about competing in kettlebell events. As a regular kettlebell user myself, I can fully understand the desire and motivation that forms when you start to weigh all the benefits of kettlebell exercising.
