When it comes to martial arts, strength and power training almost nothing beats the kettlebells. These funny little weights were popularized a few years ago by a Russian Kettle Bell expert and ever since then they have taken off and positioned themselves as a fitness force not to be messed with.

What are Kettlebells?

Kettlebells are round weights with a handle on the top. The idea is to use these weights in a more fluid and moving style than normal weights and as such it is said to help you develop strength and power without impacting on your speed.

Who can use Kettlebells?

Kettle Bells are best for:

• Sports people
• Martial artists
• Gymnasts
• Boxers
• Strength trainers

They are good for anyone who wants to supplement their normal weights routine with a workout that is hard, fast and very good for your body.

What exercises can you do with Kettlebells?

Kettle Bells can be used for almost every bodybuilding and strength training exercise as well as many more. Most of the exercises you see people doing on kettle bells have been specifically designed to be done with a kettle bell.

However, you can still do exercises such as: bicep curls, squats, military presses, lateral side raises, abdominal crunches, tricep extensions, etc. All of the regulars are still easily done.

Where to buy a kettlebell?

If you want to buy a kettle bell you can look to your local martial arts supplier or take a look at the Amazon store here. They have lots of kettle bells at much better prices than retail.

This was hard.

So I took the rest and my ankle seemed better. However, after a few slips on the martial arts floor the ankle was right back where it was weeks ago. Sore, swollen and very stiff. I needed a brace.

The Ankle Brace that works

A lot of other braces I have used aren’t that good. They don’t really stabilize anything and it seems as though they just cut off the blood flow. This Futuro Ankle Stabilizer, however, is magic. It sweats really well and it keeps the ankle tucked in tight without feeling uncomfortable and painful. It does what it is supposed to do.

The ankle is one of those things that need to be taken care of. If you push through ankle pain you will end up with a chronic ankle that ever heals and is always painful – much like a tennis elbow.

Do yourself a favor and buy yourself an ankle brace now.

When I started adding some additional weight to my wrists and ankles for my martial arts training I really noticed some fast improvements. These Valeo Ankle and Wrist Weights are the perfect thing you need to take your growth to the next level.

What can you do with ankle / wrist weights?

These type of weights can be used for almost anything.

Abs
Put them on your ankles while you do your abs workout. They provide extra resistance for your reverse leg raises and they make it harder to hold your legs up when you are doing your abs crunches.

Punches
A lot of old school boxers used weights to make it harder to punch during training. They claimed that when the weights came off they could punch faster after a few weeks of training. This is a principle that originated in the Shaolin Temple when monks used to punch whilst holding bricks.

Legs
Try whacking the weights on your ankles and doing some jumping squats. This really makes the jump a lot harder and you will start to see a lot faster muscle growth.

Valeo Wrist and Ankle Weights

The thing I really like about these weights is that they are sturdy and comfortable. The material is not rough like a lot of weights so you will not get chaffing when you are using them. As far as I am concerned they are the best brand by far.

Get a price or order the Valeo Wrist Weights.

As far as medicine balls go this is just about the heaviest you’ll need. 12kg is a really good weight to use for an advanced abs workout or a really good martial arts strength training session.

PVC heavy 12kg medicine ball

This ball is tough. It is made for smashing against the floor or the wall in your hardcore abs or martial arts workouts. It is designed to be thrown across the room to your partner to workout your back and abs. This really is a medicine ball that will challenge you in your workout.

I use the medicine ball all the time to add extra resistance to my abs workouts by placing it on my chest and doing crunches or by getting a partner to throw it at me while I do sit ups. After a workout like that your abs hurt like never before.

Every martial artist, boxer and abdominal athlete should own one of these bad boys. It will really take your core training to a new level.

Get a price on the 12kg medicine ball.

When it comes to working out Bruce Lee was one of the best. I often wonder what his favorite gym equipment item was. While we will never know for sure we can take a good guess by looking at his workouts and listening to the experiences of the people around him.

The Decline Abs Bench

We know for sure that Bruce Lee loved to workout his abs on the decline abs bench. He wrote about it himself in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do (I think it was this one). The decline abs bench certainly suited Lee. Decline abs crunches are an amazing way to build the abdominal muscles and develop core power. This is what Lee was after for his martial arts – strength and power. As an offshoot he developed some really amazing abs.

The Heavy Bag

I don’t reckon a day would have gone by where Lee didn’t pound the heavy bag for a good hour or so. He was said to have been lethal on the heavy bag, kicking it and punching it with amazing fury. His wife even spoke of how he would kick them so hard they would split down the middle and he would have to go off and buy a new one! Obviously it was important to his training routine.

Gym Cables

It was well known that Bruce Lee had a massive, custom built cable machine in his house. I think it is now used by a university near his town in America. However, Lee was said to be a fan of the cables as it kept a constant strain on the muscles. I agree. I think this was probably his favorite piece of gym equipment. He would do all sorts of exercises on it from tricep pulldowns to chest extentions. This probably really helped with his close range martial arts power.

I wonder what else he liked?

The SlamMan has flashing light targets

The most impressive feature of the SlamMan, however, is the flashing lights that are placed at different points on the body. These light up in sequence and force you to build your reaction times by hitting the target as soon as you see it light up.

Why every martial artist should own one

The SlamMan is not like an ordinary boxing bag. This teaches you what it feels like to hit a real target and the flashing lights build up your reflexes. This is a skill so hard to develop. This product takes your heavy bag workout to all new levels.

The SlamMan is endorsed by boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard so you know it must be good!

Get a price on the SlamMan now!