A kettlebell is a cast iron weight with a handle. Developed in Russia, the original kettlebells weighed approximately 35 pounds, but with the advancing popularity of kettlebell training in the US and abroad, the weights can be found ranging from 5 pounds to 175 pounds each. Used properly, kettlebells provide a great cardio workout and can also build strength and bulk.

What is unique about kettlebells as weights is that their center of mass is not fixed. This, and the handle, allow for swinging and releasing movements that are just not possible to do with traditional barbells. Because of the shifting center of mass in the kettlebells, balancing them requires the use of more micro-muscles, which proponents say leads to a better, more effective workout.

Like any weight, training with kettlebells can significantly improve your strength, stability and physique. Also similar to other weights, if kettlebells are not used in a balanced regimen, their use can create imbalances in strength and lead to joint and muscle pain. Injury can also easily occur if kettlebells are used with poor form, such as the bending of wrists and elbows, and hunching or rounding of the back. Keeping wrists and elbows straight during kettlebell exercises will ensure that the proper muscles are being used to lift and balance the weights. Trying to “assist” the targeted muscle groups by bending wrist or elbow defeats the purpose of the workout and will lead to injury. If you notice that you cannot keep your back straight – shoulders back, chest out – while training, it may be a sign that you are using too much weight or that you are fatigued.

If, before or at any time during your workout, you feel tired or fatigued, DO NOT use the kettlebells. Training with kettlebells is incredibly intense, and if you are not up to it, you cannot reap the full benefit of the workout and you risk serious injury.

One of the most fun and beneficial ways to stay in shape is aerobic boxing. There are a variety of programs and systems, both on DVD for use at home, and in instructor-led classes at gyms and college campuses. The combination of boxing and aerobics provides the body with wide-ranging health benefits. Boxing affects the entire body with the hand and foot work involved, building muscle and increasing stamina. Aerobic exercise is any activity that allows you to reach and maintain your target heart rate, helping your body use oxygen more efficiently. It also strengthens your heart and aids in weight loss by causing your body to utilize stored carbohydrates and fatty acids for energy.

Boxing aerobics, also known as aerobic kickboxing or cardio boxing, is one of the most complete and intensive workouts you can give your body. For this reason, you want to be sure that you are in shape enough to begin such a program. Check with your doctor for any restrictions, but once you begin a cardio boxing program, you will begin to reap the benefits almost immediately. Strength, speed and resistance will all improve, and you will soon experience increased stamina. If you are a fitness beginner, whether you chose a home boxing aerobics program or attend a class, be sure to start with the basics and build up to the more dynamic workouts as your endurance improves.

In addition to the fitness benefits of aerobic boxing, the repetitive practice of kicks, jabs and punches will prepare you for self defense in the event of a physical attack. While we all hope we never fall prey to such circumstances, the simple knowledge that you are prepared will give you a sense of personal safety, internal strength and power, as well as greater confidence in yourself and your abilities.

Great cardio programs have four components.  They are: frequency, intensity, duration and mode.  When you put them to work for you, you will have a ticker that keeps on ticking.

First, you need to decide how often you want to work out.  We all have different schedules, and what works for me may not work for you.  You may be able to work out three days a week or maybe even five.  Once you get the days down, you need to determine time.  You want at least 20 minutes to complete a cardio workout.

Next, intensity is how hard you are going to push it.  Eighty percent of your maximum heart rate is where you want to be, so you push your heart without overexertion.  To find this number subtract your age from 220.  Then multiply that number by .80.  For example, 220-30=190.  190*.80=152.  This is your target heart rate.  Find your rate by checking your pulse for 10 seconds, and then multiply by 6.  Increase or decrease your efforts to meet this target.

Duration is the amount of time you spend working out.  You want at least 20 minutes while at your target rate.  This is important and why I am saying it twice in this article.

Finally, fitness a la mode.  No there is no ice cream eating as part of this plan, although that would boost gym memberships.  Mode in this program is for what type of workout you will be doing to meet your cardio goals.  The best cardio exercises are those that utilize major muscles groups.  For instance, walking, jogging, swimming, biking, etc., are all such exercises.

The key to these exercises is to sustain for the duration and intensity levels that you choose to get the best results.  By doing this, you are able to get the most of your time.  I personally love not doing the same thing every workout.  I choose jogging one day for my cardio and jump roping the next.

Remember there is no one routine everyone must follow.  Instead stick to the principles of frequency, intensity, duration and mode.

We need variety in our fitness regimes.  Stagnant waters grow algae.  Bored pets tear up the house.  I can’t afford to have mold or mischief in my muscles.  Variety is the antidote to stagnation and variety.

I always have tackled my conditioning plans to mirror that of other sports.  I did the cardio of boxers, speed of corner backs, endurance of a triathlete and so forth.  My plans change at least once every six months.  Why not daily?

Rick Bawsel provides daily workouts to supplement the active person or to use for those with little time.  Every day he offers a workout via Twitter.  There are cardio workouts, pushup/situp routines or even ones using free weights.  I find them all to be challenging and a nice supplement to what I am already doing that day.

For example, today’s cardio regime was to run a 5K or run 10 minutes walk 5 and repeat for 3 sets.  Another day featured free weights.  Challenging me to deadlift my bodyweight, benchpress my bodyweight and a spattering of other exercises to stimulate my muscles.

This concept of variety forces your muscles to work harder.  When you do the same workout every day, your muscles become bored.  There are actually certain muscles that you would never develop.  I remember being a very athletic youth who could sprint all day and jump pretty high and far.  I constantly worked my running and jumping muscles to stay competitive.  Then I began martial arts.  After a month I discovered there were muscles in my legs that I never even knew about.

Years later I noticed I was plateauing in my martial arts conditioning.  I then began to look for new areas to focus on and challenged my body with workouts from differing sports.  This was a great thing for me and catapulted me past a couple of the dead spots.

Rick’s daily plan is a great tool to help you work past your plateaus.  Connect with him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/chews4fitness.  As always, feel free to follow me at www.twitter.com/joeylaw or you can get a variety in your reading by following www.twitter.com/WasabiMedia.

Let me start by saying, I do not enjoy distance running…at all.  I do love to sprint, though.  However, the Air Force requires me to run, and I am tested on my 1.5 mile run time.

Not too long ago (less than a year) I was timed at 11:36 for my fitness test.  A run like that and the other areas of the test scored me a decent score, but I was two minutes away from getting the max points.  I have never been a fan of mediocrity and wanted to get a score of one hundred.  The quest began.

Only running two days a week, I was able to drop almost a minute by my next test.  Then the following one five months after my 11:36 run yielded me a 9:54.  Finally, two months after that we tested again, and I was clocked at 9:35, one second faster than my goal.

One day out of the week I ran for distance and the other for speed.  The distance runs were roughly three miles.  I never really kept time because pushing myself has never been an issue with fitness.  I hate to run.  Therefore, I try to finish as quickly as I can in order to make it stop.  I pick a distance and race to the finish.  Some people might find that running for a set time works best for them, not me.

The other run day was filled with sprints…yea!  I would go to the track and run a quarter mile (400 yards) as fast as I could.  Then I would walk a quarter mile.  Usually, I only would do six sets of these.  Afterward, I was exhausted but would still lightly jog a half mile lap.  Doing this forced me to push through the areas of my run when I was exhausted.

This program is so effective because you are developing all of your run muscles, as well as breathing efficiency.  Distance running builds endurance and running twice the distance of the test track ensured I would not get gassed during the test.  The sprint days taught me I could push my body harder than I was willing to do mentally.

“Why would you want to work out? Don’t you know that you only have a limited number of heartbeats before you kick the bucket?” Ah, the finite heartbeat theory that is often the last line of defense for those opposed to fitness. I heard this excuse numerous times during my tenure as a military physical training leader. The theory (aka line of total crap) is that you only have so many heartbeats and by working out you use them faster because you increase your heart rate. To the untrained eye this is a decent theory, and most people have no true comeback – until now.

According to the American Heart Association the average resting adult’s heart rate is in the range of 60-80 beats per minute (BPM) while you are not going through any physical exertion. The more fit the person, the lower the resting heart rate. With that out of the way, let’s run some numbers.

We will assume person A (Alphie) works out three days a week for 30 minutes. He is a fit 25 year old and has a resting heart beat of 60 BPM. In a 24-hour period, his heart beats about 86,400 times. Now factor in a workout day. Here Alphie gets his heart rate to the recommended target heart rate of 166 BPM for optimal cardio benefits. These days total 87,810. On a given week he is at 609,030 heart beats…whew!

It is time to take person B (Bob), who is also 25 and does not work out at all. His resting heart rate is 80 BPM. In a given day, his heart beats about 115,200. That is 27,390 beats more than Alphie on a workout day! Bob’s heart beats 806,400 times in one week. I think we can all agree that the finite heart beat theory is worthless.

Why does this matter? Today I was working out with someone who likens Bob. We were both at the target heart rate of 156 BPM for 25 minutes. However, I was able to go one mile further utilizing the same effort.

You found a great workout plan with which you truly connect. You work your butt off at the gym everyday. Today you compared your measurements with your baseline numbers and discovered a 15% improvement. How would you like to make that 20% or 25%? Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain muscle or just maintain what you already have, there is another aspect of fitness that is just as important as the routine that you choose…supplementation.

We put our bodies through the ringer every workout, but we rarely do the easiest part of the workout correctly, our diet. Lifting weights and cardio workouts really stress our muscles. Once we get into the gym and get moving we diminish our calorie storehouses at a faster rate than we do just going through the motions of our days. For some of us, the goal is to burn those calories, but the need to supplement still applies.

Our muscles need many nutrients to repair themselves and to make the best of the workout. The most important of these are proteins, which repair and rebuild. There are two main types of proteins: soy and whey. Whey protein is quickly absorbed into the body and muscles. Soy is much slower. Whey protein should be taken immediately after a workout to rebuild the muscles that you have just torn down. Soy is best to use in a smoothie or as a midday snack to replenish your body throughout the day.

There are numerous other supplements that others recommend, however, protein is a need not a want. The others are very useful in helping you get to your fitness goals. If you do a simple search for supplements online, you will be bombarded with results. This posting may even be a result of such a search. Most of the trendy or, rather, “cutting edge” supplements turn out to be bad for us like ephedra was. Do you know that pro athletes were actually encouraged to take anabolic steroids in the 70’s to speed up recovery times?

The key is to do your research. Find a company that you can trust and look for medical reviews. Ask your doctor what she thinks about a particular supplement.