You Don't Have To Be A Musclehead To Be Strong.

Hey everyone, here's a brief interview that I took part in recently:


You Don't Have To Be A Musclehead To Be Strong.
By Steve Hern

When most people think of strength, an image of a steroid enhanced physique comes into mind. This is slowly changing and people are waking up to the fact that bodybuilding is not necessarily synonymous with strength. If it were then bodybuilders would be the strongest athletes which clearly isn't the case. If you compare an olympic weightlifter to a bodybuilder you'll quickly see this.
That isn't to put down bodybuilding, but to raise the important point that more and more people are getting today; that traditional gyms and workouts aren't the be all end all of fitness. Rather, more and more people are getting into performance based fitness training, where the priority is what you can do, not what you look like. In other words are you physically strong and fit or do you just look it.

Ultimately you'll have to ask yourself what's more important to you?

If performance, strength and fitness are more important to you than just the look, and you'd rather be strong than just look strong, then that's where kettlebell training comes in and it might just be the right fit for you.

Kosta Megas is a kettlebell trainer and strength athlete who was drawn to kettlebells for just that reason.

“As I approached my 40's my priorities in life changed as well as the amount of time I had to dedicate to any athletic activity, I found myself no longer having the luxury of being able to take two hours out of my day to drive to the gym and spend over an hour training then be able to get in a meal to recover from my workout. With kettlebells, anywhere is my gym and in the time it used to take me to drive there, my workout is now done. More importantly, the focus of my workouts is purely on my performance and this is where I find kettlebells are most effective,” says Megas, who is the founder of www.kettlebellstrengthtraining.com where his focus is on sharing the benefits of kettlebell training for strength and fitness with anyone who's goals are focused on performance.

He believes that people are ready to look beyond the image of being fit and focus more on actually getting fit and strong and most importantly enjoying the process.

“I remember talking to guys who were taking steroids and their whole focus was on how big they could get while still looking ripped, their focus in their training was based around how they looked. I remember telling myself that sounds so backward, I'd much rather be stronger than I looked, fit and healthy than I would, look stronger than I am, but most importantly it felt real to be able to actually lift heavy weight and not just look it.” But Kosta adds, “This isn't to say that there aren't any strong bodybuilders or even guys who's physiques have been built through roids that haven't retained strength as well, that wouldn't be true because I have seen many bodybuilders who were as strong as they looked. But for myself and the majority

of people out there, the journey of getting strong and maintaining an optimal level of fitness, strength and health is the primary motivation for training and that's what kettlebells are all about.”

Judging from his website at www.kettlebellstrengthtraining.com you can tell that he lives and breathes kettlebells, even going so far as to add a free video course for people looking on getting started with kettlebell training but who don't know where to begin. The site is there for men and women looking to start kettlebell training to develop their strength and fitness on their terms. “I like to push people to achieve their goals, not mine, and I understand that different people have different goals and that strength means something different to everyone as well,” says Megas.

People can take it to whatever level is right for them, an older person who wants to maintain some strength while pushing themselves occasionally will have different goals than an athlete who wants to improve their strength for performing optimally in their chosen sport. Then there are those who train for Kettlebell sport exclusively. “What's really great about kettlebell sport is that almost anyone can take part in it and can keep practicing throughout their lives, there's nothing like testing yourself in a competitive environment to bring out the best in your performance” he explains.

Among the services that are available on the site, Megas offers dvd courses, online instruction and advice, a certification seminar program and workshops for improving kettlebell skills and learning the fundamentals of training.

“The site is there for anyone who wants to get into training but either doesn't know where to begin or is intimidated with beginning a program and doesn't know if they're ready, that's why the site offers so many free resources for everyone to check out for themselves and see if it's right for them,” he assures, “Once they start, I know most people will get so into it, they won't look back.”