Kettlebells!

Due to my quest for Spartan fitness, I have discovered the kettlebell. For the uninitiated, a kettlebell is basically a canonball with a comfortable handle on top, and a flat bottom, so it doesn't roll away when you set it down. They come is all sizes up to really heavy, like 150 pounds. These things are supposedly the secret of the soviet supermen of old olympic glory. Old-school real-world lifting and moving. The exercise I started is just a "simple" one-armed swing from between the legs and up in front to slightly above shoulder height. Back and forth like an elephant trunk, swaying gently in the breeze. I do 25 with each arm, then do something else, like run on the treadmill for 5 minutes, then jump back into the swings. They are even kind of fun. These things provide an incredible payoff for the time, including aerobic dividends. If you try to reach as far behind you as possible on the downswing, you get your quads involved handsomely, you get hammies, glutes, all kinds of "core" parts, shoulders, and super grip strength. The core is where all the power is for people who have functional strength, rather than "workout strength." Unfortunately, I don't have a kettlebell, so I have to use a regular dumbell, but I employ the same movement. Supposedly, due its different weight distribution, the kettlebell gives you a somewhat better workout, though it can't be terribly huge. I'm having wonderful luck with the dumbbell, but my birthday is in May (hint? A 50 pounder would be cool).

I am also hoping to start playing with some kind of medicine ball. 25 pounders look good. Anybody up for a game of catch?