Kettlebell in Shanghai

With each step, the burn intensified. Just seconds into my two-flight journey up the stairs, I threw in the towel, walked back down in shame and took the elevator. I’ve been addicted to the bittersweet post-workout muscle burn for years, but this was something different; my muscles were on fire. The cause? My first kettlebell training session at Eternity Fitness.

Founded 300 years ago in imperial Russia, the girya or the kettlebell looks like a small cannonball with a handle attached to it. Because the kettlebell distributes weight outside the grasp of the hand, one can swing it, working out a whole range of muscles. This is where kettlebell contrasts with typical weight training, integrating the whole body into strength training movements that work entire muscle groups in unison. The continuous movements and rapid pace also make for a cardio workout as well.

Due to its ability to provide total body fitness efficiently, kettlebells have found their way into the intense workouts of mixed martial arts practitioners. And with the increasing popularity of this sport, knowledge of kettlebells has increased as well, finding their way into mainstream sports culture with fitness buffs across the world beginning to take them up.

One such rookie kettlebeller in Shanghai, Patrick Cadariu has been working and working out in Asia for the three years. He’s anything but a couch potato; having completed the 102 kilometre Oxfam Trailwalker in Hong Kong in less than a day, Cadariu knows what it’s like to be fit and to push oneself to the extreme. Yet despite the grit instilled in him by Hong Kong’s intense physical training culture, Cadairu has never been exposed to anything like a kettlebell workout.

In his second kettlebell workout at Eternity Fitness, Cadariu also felt the toll of the challenging workout regimen. He described the post workout sensation as his “core feeling destroyed”. Still, a few days later, Cadariu’s view on this difficult exercise evolved into veneration as he noted that he felt his “posture start to correct”. The experience may have been a bit hellish at first, but as with most fitness exploits, no pain, no gain.

And who is the guru at Eternity Fitness leading the high-impact, core-punishing kettlebell workout? World-class trainer, Mark Soo. An Aussie by birth, Soo travelled the globe for 23 years as a personal trainer. Today, Soo calls Shanghai home, bringing his expertise and unique fitness perspective to workout buffs throughout the region. One of only two internationally-certified kettlebell instructors in all of China, Soo is the only certified instructor in Shanghai.

Soo sheds light on the magic (and the pain) of the exercise when describing why it works so well. “Kettlebell training is movement-based training, including full body movements, not just individual muscle groups,” he explains. “It identifies all your weaknesses first. If you have thick legs or buttocks, it is going to trim you down.”

Sessions at Eternity are focused on strength-endurance training. With kettlebell workouts, an exercise routine of 30 reps is considered low – 50 to 100 reps is more typical. The weights for first timers ranges from 8-16 kilograms. It might not seem like a lot at first, but after swinging the kettlebell around for a few minutes you’ll see why less is more. At first, I felt my 12kg kettlebell was light, but halfway into the training session, even lifting it off the ground became a struggle.

And not only is the kettlebell good for shaping muscles, it’s also a great way to burn calories. According to the American Council for Exercise, running burns about 400 calories per hour, while spin classes reach up to 800. In contrast, a kettlebell workout burns a whopping 1,200 calories in an hour, making it an incredibly efficient option for full-body fitness and weight management if you’ve got the stomach – and the muscles – for it.

Web: www.chinakettlebellclub.com

Eternity Fitness Retreat. Room 101, 861 Jiangning Lu (near Haifang