Kettlebells are useful little devices - compact and extremely portable, they offer a wide range of challenging movements if you have the knowledge and creativity to put them into use. On a road trip to Utah in the summer of 2010, a 55lb KB was the only piece of equipment I brought and it was an excellent choice... nothing like crushing kb snatches and goblet squats in the desert in July!
Ideally it would be great to have a selection of weights along for the ride but I find the good old 1 pood fits most needs really well - it's a good weight for swings, presses, snatches, c+j, goblets, and TGU's. If you're a bit stronger, a 1.5 (73lb) kb might be a better option.
Either way, pick one up, learn yourself some KB skills and pop it into your car. That way, whenever the mood strikes you, there's a gym just waiting to happen. This is a great option during the summer months as well when it's so nice to get outside to crush a workout.
Last night I did just that. There's a small school with a big playground and field a short drive away from my house, and I needed to do some conditioning work. The obvious choice with a kb, a pullup bar, and field was "Helen" (3 rounds of 400m run, 21 swings, 12 pullups). I wanted a bit longer wod so I bumped the rounds up to 4. The pullup bar was a good challenge since my feet tended to scrape the ground a bit when I did my kip, and I'm not sure about the run distance but it "felt" about right!
In the end, it was a great evening to be outside and crushing a workout... all thanks to my kb buddy.
Give yourself a break from the usual gym-ness during the summer when you can - you'll find it's a great way to enjoy your fitness experience and it will add some necessary variety.
Cam
