Get a Full-Body Workout with Kettlebell Conditioning at Eppley!

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After only 15 minutes into Kettlebell Conditioning class, I was sweating and breathing a little heavy.

I felt a nice sweat bead roll down my back as I counted out a kettlebell thrust with the other two girls who were by my side doing thrusts as well. I could feel my shoulders and abs warming up, starting that slow delicious burn. And I couldn’t stop smiling (or gritting my teeth) because I could already tell that this was going to be a hard but super worth-it workout.

I had walked into a Tuesday 5:15 p.m. Kettlebell Conditioning class at Eppley Recreation Center literally knowing nothing about what was going to go down. I mean, besides the fact that there would most likely be kettlebells involved.

When asked to explain kettlebell conditioning, Kamy Nikseresht, the fitness instructor for the class and a sophomore finance and marketing major, wrote in an email:

“Kettlebell conditioning is a full-body workout that utilizes kettlebells and other equipment to build strength and muscular endurance while also training cardiovascular endurance.”

I, for one, had never really used a kettlebell simply because I didn’t know how to use it, and to be honest, I don’t commonly see people at the gym using the awkwardly shaped weight. But from only the first class, I’m already hooked on kettlebell conditioning.

For someone who wants a little bit of everything (especially fun) in their workout but doesn’t know exactly what to do or how to do those exercises properly to achieve their goals, this class was definitely everything I wanted and more.

Using kettlebells “allows participants to perform a variety of exercises that they may not regularly perform with just dumbbells or barbells alone,” said Nikseresht.

The class was held in the newly remodeled ERC Training Studio on the second floor of the gym, where they now have those American Ninja Warrior-like monkey bars and bright red punching bags.

It ended up being a small group of 11 people in the class. Nikseresht divided us into somewhat even groups and explained to us each exercise station he had set up for the first circuit.

During the first circuit, “Wow” by Post Malone started blasting through the speakers. It was at that moment when everyone started bobbing their heads to the music that I felt the class energy kick up a thousand notches and the atmosphere became charged with fun and determination. We had found our stride.

Each small group was at their own station; no one was comparing themselves with others in the class because each had their own exercise to focus on. It was genuinely all fun camaraderie, motivating each other or groaning together in misery.

We did many exercises, like kettlebell swings, squats, burpees and planks. We hurled down medicine balls on lunges. But what was really fun was using the TRX suspension trainers to do mid-air pushups, and the agility ladder and battle rope for athletic style exercises.

“I think these are pieces of equipment that a lot of people want to use but may not feel comfortable without any guidance,” Nikseresht said. “The small group fitness classes are a bit different as many are lead by certified personal trainers and allow participants to get one-on-one guidance from trainers for free.”

Sophomore psychology major Gracie Powasnik and I each held one side of the battle rope, making perfectly synchronized waves, when Nikseresht came around and said, “No, you really got to slam that rope to the ground.”

Powasnik and I took one look at each other with determination in our eyes, and then BAM that heavy black rope was whipped down to the floor hard. As Nikseresht said, “It’s not every day you’re encouraged to slam something against the floor as hard as you can.”

While engaging my core midsection to stabilize my body as I aggressively moved my arms up and down, my upper body was definitely feeling it. By the third circuit, having done a variety of different exercises, my whole body was feeling it.

I thought to myself toward the end of the class how I was really getting a great high-intensity full body workout and I didn’t have to plan any of it.

“You can come in here and spend an hour of your time and get a fantastic full-body cardio workout all in one,” said Jacob Bueno de Mesqita, an environmental health postdoctoral student who was also in the class the first time I went. “It's great for me because I don't have a lot of time during the day. So I can just pop in here. I don't have to think about anything, I can just hop into the class.”

Powasnik was a regular attendee of kettlebell conditioning last semester and is trying to get back into it again.

“I like [strength training] in a group setting better than on my own. It's like funner to do circuits, and it makes it go by faster. And you feel good after,” Powasnik said.

After the whole class was done, my body was covered in a pretty sheen of sweat, and I knew my abs would be feeling that good type of soreness later.

The kettlebell class is a little conditioning, a little strength and a whole lot of fun. It’s definitely a great functional training class that I would recommend for everyone to try!