You know in elementary school when you’d bring your prize possessions in for Show and Tell? I had a teacher that called this portion of our day Bring and Brag. So humor me for a second and let’s just pretend we’re all sitting in a circle and it’s my turn for Bring and Brag.

Check out what my brother Joe gave me for Christmas! My very first kettlebell. I like to say “kettle belle” because it really is a beauty, isn’t it?

Actually, Joe didn’t technically give this to me, but he did buy me the gift card to the sporting goods store that sold me my kettlebell. The adults in my family did a Christmas gift card exchange this year and part of the deal was we had to take a picture of what we purchased. I think the picture above should complete that portion of the Christmas homework assignment. Which means, I can go to recess with Amanda from Precision Nutrition and do some kettlebell swings:

What’s not to love about a kettlebell swing? It works your glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, back, and your heart! I am the ultimate multi-tasker so doing cardio and a strength training in one move gets an A+ in my fitbook.

I’m just a beginner when it comes to kettlebell training but so far it’s been a great addition to my workouts. I’ve added 15-20 kettlebell swings in between sets of lifts to keep my heart rate up during a few of my workouts last week. I also played around with some single-arm swings, explosive squats, and Turkish get-ups. If you don’t have a kettlebell at home, no worries, you can do Turkish get-ups with a friend…

KIDDING! DO NOT try this at home. In fact, if you’re interested in kettlebell training and haven’t already, please make sure you have a professional teach you the basics of kettlebell training so no one gets hurt.

Now I really must go head to the cafeteria and see what the lunch ladies are brewing up in their kettle(bells).