What are kettlebells, and where did they come from?
Kettlebells are flat-bottomed spherical cast iron weights with welded horseshoe shaped handles. Their noticeably different appearances cast doubt on claims that modern kettlebells descended from Scottish curling stones. The generally accepted story of their origins is that they evolved from Russian poods , commercial counterweights used in produce markets. A pood is approximately 36 pounds, or 16 kg. But their surging popularity has made kettlebells available in a wide range of weights, ranging from 9 to 108 pounds. The development of kettlebell weight training as an organized exercise may have started as early as the 17th century with the Russian farmers and dock hands who were required to handle them as part of their daily work. The farmers or workers would set the weight on a scale and then balance their merchandise against it, and saw their muscular strength increase noticeably as a result. It s known that by the 17th century kettlebell training was a mandatory part of the Russian
