"That was a fake groan! You're advanced now!"
Missy Beaver is encouraging one of her students, Nicole Visram, who grimaces back and cranks out the repetition, hoisting an 18-pound kettlebell above her head. She then tosses the iron weight, which resembles a cannonball with a thick handle, onto the sand with a satisfying whump.
"Five of these, five of these, five of these," Beaver says, demonstrating the next kettlebell exercise to the students, swinging it slightly above waist level and, still holding on, letting it fall between her legs, with knees slightly flexed.
The class will include more than 10 exercises, but I'm already sweating after just one. By exercise No. 7 I'm numb with purpose, and after the last, I'm elated. Did I mention that the instructor makes us run laps on the beach too?
In my years of avoiding health clubs for outdoor sports, one result has been a lack of workouts purely for fitness. With my wedding several months away, I am feeling soft and especially susceptible to get-fit-quick schemes. Look up kettlebells on the Internet and you see mostly pitches by he-men promising short sessions, fat burn and quick results.
After one or two 40-minute sessions I certainly felt stronger, though I can't be sure if I really was. Real-world physical tasks with a propensity to strain -- such as hoisting grocery bags, luggage or planters -- seemed easier to me because I was learning to lift with my upper and lower body in conjunction, not stress my lower back or knees.
Another effect I noticed was a stiff knee, which I had begun to feel some months ago. It had started to throb after one of my initial workouts with kettlebells.
"You probably didn't hurt yourself," said Beaver, a petite California blond with a firm handshake. "What the kettlebell does is unmask your injuries, forcing you to deal with them."
Perhaps. But in any case, Beaver examined the underside of my knee, pronounced it swollen and began to massage it briskly. Within minutes it felt spry enough for me to join the class.
Though the members of my class were mostly in their 20s and 30s, kettlebell enthusiasts include people much older and professional athletes. As far as the he-man image, well, most of the students in my class were women.
Instructors in kettlebells emphasize proper form to minimize the risk of injury. In swinging the heavy kettlebells, for instance, the arms and back are along for the ride while power is generated by thrusting the hamstrings forward.
