Kettlebell Fever | Santa Fe Reporter

I’m pulling into the Ski Basin parking lot feeling light and energized—not at all like I just powered 15 miles and 3,400 feet up a mountain on a bicycle for the first time.

My friend Tanya and I are laughing and planning what to cook for dinner and, in the back of my mind, I’m gloating a little, like I got away with something. Because Tanya is an accomplished cyclist, but I’m not. Cycling for me usually means moseying around at sea level, checking out antique stores. But lately, I’ve been performance-enhancing. Not with drugs, but with something that I’ve definitely become addicted to—kettlebell workouts. 

Kettlebells aren’t new. The cast-iron balls with handles have been around for hundreds of years. The Russian military used them to train soldiers in the early 1900s. But new research, and anecdotal stories like mine, suggests that the weights—which are designed to be slung around in the style of old-fashioned strongmen—can deliver aerobic, circulatory, flexibility and strength benefits far beyond traditional dumbbell workouts.

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