Steve Cotter: Get into the kettlebell health habit

MANILA, Philippines - Fitness these days may come in one of two forms: either it’s riddled with too many monolithic machines that equate sci-fi complexity and complication with a pricey gym membership, or it comes with a sadistic trainer that wants every drop of your blood, sweat, and tears while pushing you over the edge of sanity and suitability. Gone are the days when the pursuit for power pecs, dashboard abs, glutes of steel, and quads of gold all come with a smile of satisfaction. Now, it seems like “no pain, no gain” has become quite a bit too literal. But perhaps now we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

 “Before, for strength training, we use dumbbells, barbells, or all these other machines, but now, that’s not the system of fitness anymore. We now have what we call functional training. You don’t have to carry over 300 pounds to be strong,” explained iFit Pro Unlimited founder and fitness coach Jonnel Cruz, debunking fitness fads and workout myths all by bringing in one of the world’s fittest men. 

American Steve Cotter is the founding director of the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation (IKFF), a movement of fitness professionals centered on the basic, Russian-developed weight-training implement called the girya or the kettlebell. “It’s very simple, it’s very cost-effective if you compare it to big equipment. It’s very space-effective, and it’s very time-effective as well, so it’s a very good investment for life and for health. It’s not about lifting heavy weights, it’s about just moving. And this is a great way to start people moving,” explained Cotter of the cast-iron, cannonball-shaped single weight that has been taking the fitness world by storm. Voted by Men’s Health magazine as one of the 100 Most Fit Men of All Time, it couldn’t have found a better spokesperson.   

“The main benefit is that it’s combining resistance training, so it’s a weight, so it’s developing muscular strength. But we’re also doing it for repetition, so it has that cardiovascular component which would be similar to running or aerobic activity. So, that’s the main unique benefit compared to barbells or dumbbells, which tend to be more single-focused,” Cotter explained, before leading a strong class of fitness professionals, trainers, and coaches to a master-class in kettlebell training. The movements involved a ballistic-type sweep, wherein you sway the weighty implement like a pendulum to match your body’s basic physiological movements. It somewhat resembled an iron ballet.

“Traditional weights may be building muscle weights or toning, but they’re not really addressing the cardio. In the same way, people who are running don’t build muscle strength. And further, it’s working the body to a full range of motions, so it’s developing flexibility and mobility, and because you’re on your feet, it’s more functional in the sense that it relates to your daily activities. It kind of integrates the way of moving that relates to your general activities like lifting up a kid, or carrying a box, or carrying a bag or whatever you’d have to do,” Cotter elaborated.

And if your daily movements may also involve quick heavy lunges, or a Thor-like, thunderous punch to the clouds, then a kettlebell, in all its weighty varieties, can complete your day-to-day fitness regimen.

“Fundamentally, the movements are just for all people, because our bodies function in certain planes of motion. Even something as simple as sitting on a chair and standing up requires some hip action, some knee action. So the movements seem to simulate or complement daily activities,” Cotter added, but not to be misled, these movements, however lighter than your usual Cross-Fit workout, still pack that muscle-forming, heart-pounding punch in the gut. Only more bearable. 

“The main thing is about starting gradually. You have to work at your level, and push yourself a little so you’re experiencing some increased respiration or cardiovascular conditioning. You don’t ever want to hurt yourself, so you have to gauge your level and start conservative and then, based on how you respond, if it’s easy, we can make it a little harder, and kind of over time progress it,” Cotter explained in a tone of voice that easily warms you up. He’s certainly no drill-sergeant out for a war-shock; rather, he’s a gentle shepherd walking us to a green field of rewarding physical exercise.

“If we’re going to say what it’s best at, compared to anything else, it’s a bang for your buck. You get more work in less time, because you’re doing all the important ingredients at one time, instead of separately,” Cotter added, as if I still might need some prodding.

“If you’re a busy professional, you don’t need to spend an hour to go to the gym, you can take 20 minutes, three times a week. With some basic instructions, you can train in your home or in the office with a single kettlebell, and you’re going to get the muscular-strengthening properties, the cardiovascular properties, and you’re going to get some range of motion, which is good for your joints. So it’s very healthy for you, it’s not going to break you down or hurt you. It’s going to make you strong, as long as you do it intelligently and not too much too soon.” Just like that, I was sold.

But of course, investing in a solid fitness regimen may also mean a ton of other compromises, like saying goodbye to that painful cigarette habit, that doughnut-crazed midday snack, or the perennial binge watching-induced insomnia. I may still be a fair 50-50.

“Basically, it can be a centerpiece, and you can build around that. It’s like a chicken-and-an-egg type of question. Is it that you start eating better because you’re doing the kettlebells? I’m not really sure, but they tend to work together, because, with this type of training, you start feeling more energetic, you start feeling healthier, so you start sleeping better, you tend to sleep more restfully. You tend to feel better, so you start eating healthier because you don’t want to pollute your body with the food that you eat,” Cotter stressed further. Well, really, all he had to do was flex his bicep.

“So it becomes a lifestyle, it kind of works together, because it’s something that you enjoy. That’s the requirement, someone shouldn’t do it because they feel they have to. So, if you use that as the foundation, then you’re going to make logical choices as far as eating or living is concerned. It’s more of a holistic approach, that’s why we say it’s a lifestyle,” Cotter said with a fervor so different from the furrow-browed pain-peddler off your usual sweatshop. 

“Imagine if, in general, Filipinos started using kettlebells and started getting strong, then that would also raise the pride, because now you have a strong population of people that are fit and healthy. It’s happening, it’s gonna happen, fitness is coming and it’s growing in the Philippines. For a country to be powerful, they have to have an equally powerful people. So, if you believe this is a great country, you have a responsibility to be great for your country,” Cotter said as if making a passionate plea.

By that, I finally knew how we could possibly take back Spratley’s.  

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If you want to get into the kettlebell habit, contact iFit Pro Unlimited at 09178414848, email them at ifitprounlimited@gmail.com, like the group’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ifitprounlimited, or follow them on Twitter and Instagram @ifitprobootcamp. Or if you want to grab your own kettlebells, visit the Finix Corporation Showroom at 2nd level, Serendra, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City.

To learn more about Steve Cotter and the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation, visit www.ikff.com.