The cannon ball is a piece of exercise equipment in which the weight is contained in a large sphere with a handle extending out of the top. The most popular type of cannon ball exercise equipment is the kettlebell. Exercising with kettlebells is not radically different from other free weights, though the use of kettlebells offers a number of advantages over more conventional exercise routines.
Description
Kettlebells are typically black near-spheres with a slightly flattened base for stability, with a large handle for gripping during use. The handle is on the top of the kettlebell, allowing the handle to be pointed straight up when the ball rests on its base. Like conventional free weights, kettlebells come in a wide variety of weights for a variety of workout intensities.
Advantages
Kettlebells have a number of advantages over other types of free weights. According to BodyBuilding.com, the three primary advantages of kettlebells are thicker handles, weight instability and coordination difficulty. The thicker handles on kettlebells give your grip more of a workout because your hand can't clamp as securely around the handle. Kettlebells hang to one side throughout a workout, forcing the user to fight to stabilize the weight throughout each exercise.
Sample Exercise: Kettlebell Cleans
The most basic exercise unique to the kettlebell is the clean. According to the Sports Fitness Adviser, in its basic form the kettlebell clean starts at a standing position with a kettlebell in each hand, feet at a stable distance, torso straight and the waist bent slightly at the hips. Then explosively lift the weights by extending the hips, knee and ankle in a jumping action, keep your elbows out and lift the kettlebells as high as you can. Lower the weights slowly to the starting position. This exercise works a number of muscle groups in the arms, shoulders and back. To increase the effect on the forearms, swing the weights out at the height of the exercise, balancing the bulk of the weight for as long as possible before lowering them to the starting position.
Sample Exercise: Kettlebell Press
This kettlebell exercise can be done in a number of different positions. According to BodyBuilding.com, start by holding a kettlebell in each hand at your shoulders, extend your arm to its vertical height slowly and slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. This exercise can be done lying on your back, standing, or sitting on an incline. You can also either lift both weights at once or alternate. The primary muscle group affected by this exercise is the shoulders.
Sample Exercise: Kettlebell Roll
According to BodyBuilding.com, the kettlebell roll is accomplished by standing with the legs at shoulder width, knees slightly bent, torso straight, and waist bent at the hips. Bend just enough to reach the kettlebells, which should be handle-up on the ground in front of you. Grab the kettlebells and in one fluid movement, lift the handles up to your chest, hold them there momentarily, and lower them to the floor. You can either lift both weights at once or alternate one at a time. The muscle group most affected by this exercise is the lats at the center of the back.
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