Testimonial to the Kettlebell! - Angie Dowds
I first came across the bells about 5 years ago through a Muscle Media article written by Pavel Tsatsouline - I was intrigued - I knew instinctively I had to get my hands on one! This was easier said than done, I couldn't get one shipped from the States and I couldn't find anyone in Britain who had even heard of a kettlebell, let alone sell me one.
Finding a bell became an obsession, until finally I tracked down a man in Scotland named Stan Pike. Not only was he a KB expert but he was also a blacksmith who could make his own bells! I soon took the long road to Scotland to buy my bell and learn how to use it. When I saw this big burly bear of a man throwing his bell around I couldn't believe my eyes - it was the most incredible way of training with weights I had ever experienced - it immediately struck a chord. Then and there, I vowed to be the best kettlebell instructor in Britain. Stan had just set up his certification programme and I am proud to say I was the first person to benefit from it becoming the first UKKA certified trainer. |
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From then on you couldn't get the bell out of my hands, I became super fit and super strong in a way I had never been before, despite having been a trainer for many years, doing everything from martial-arts to body building and boxing. Not willing to rest here, I flew to the States to meet the man who had originally inspired me - Pavel Tsatsouline. Determined to learn everything I could, I took his instructor course and I became one of the first European Trainers to be certified by Pavel. At that time there were literally only a handful of us. |
My mission to bring kettlebells to the forefront of UK training had begun. Initially everyone thought I was mad, swinging a huge great ball of steel around and singing its merits - that is until I had the opportunity to showcase them on the British version of the hit TV show "The Biggest Loser". Persuading the producers of the show to let me loose with my bells took some doing - they weren't convinced it was either safe or appropriate for obese contestants. I got my way in the end (I always do!!) and the results were incredible. People everywhere began to sit up and take notice. The KB was generating huge interest from the press. The British kettlebell movement was becoming a reality - and for me a dream was coming true! |
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Today I am as committed to spearheading the Kettlebell movement as I was five years ago. I will not stop until the KB is as commonplace in the average gym as is a rack of dumbbells.
Watch this space!!
