Best Weight of Kettlebells for a Beginner

Excellent Kettlebell Weight Exercises for Beginners

Are you ready to get started with some kettlebell training, but you aren’t entirely sure where to even begin? That’s no problem. This article here will provide you with all the information that you need to pick the correct kettlebell weight and perform exercises with the proper form.

The Problem with Choosing a Starting Kettlebell Weight

Onnit Kettlebells
Kettlebell training is usually combined with high-intensity interval sets. Doing short stretches of hard work with little breaks in between. To maintain precise form, you need a weight that is in relationship to your skill level (which will be very low initially).

There could be a few of problems with picking a kettlebell weight all depending on how much training experience you have. If you haven’t ever trained with weights before, you may think the beginner weights I suggest are too heavy.

Conversely, if you have been weight lifting for years, you may think the weights I suggest are a little too light. I need you to throw away your current judgment of weight lifting and look at the kettlebell as something new and different. For that reason, you cannot have an opinion of the weight you think you need. Period.

You must do what every trainer in the world hopes you will do: be open, listen, and learn. While you may not think you need to, having at least one session with a trained kettlebell professional will make an enormous difference in your results.

Kettlebell training can be very different from just standard isolation type of training. You will be using multiple muscle groups at the same time through ballistic, full-body movements. You most likely have never trained like this before.

A kettlebell professional can show you the fundamentals; like the Clean, Swing, Goblet Squat, Windmill, and Turkish Get Up. There are kettlebell videos that you can watch to ensure you have the proper form, but a trainer will be able to accurately show you what you can improve upon as well as how to avoid injury.

First, always seek the instruction of a teacher, then use videos as a reference later.

When performed correctly, kettlebell movements will improve your body control, shorten your workout time, and give you useful results and physique. This will be unlike anything you’ve achieved in the past. Even better, you’ll never get bored!

The core movements that in kettlebell training have exploded into hundreds of new exercises and techniques. Once you get going, you won’t ever have to stop. Assuming you’ve been to at least one session with a kettlebell professional and are ready to get started, here is what I recommend based on gender.

The Correct Starting Kettlebell Weight for Women

How a Women should Choose a kettlebell weight
With a tiny exception, I always recommend that women start with an 18-pound kettlebell. The key with this weight is that it isn’t too heavy and not too light while exercising. A new female trainee working with kettlebells might pick up the weight, and automatically try to perform a 1-arm upright row (without one thought of lifting technique, mind you), and immediately exclaim, “I can’t lift that!”

Again, the difference with kettlebell training is the way you’ll be lifting the weight. Unlike isolation lifts–the dumbbell curl is the best example of an isolation lift–kettlebell training uses multiple muscle groups at once.

When this is done properly, the kettlebell movements will overall improve your body control, shorten your workout time, and give you useful results and physique, unlike anything you’ve been able to achieve in the past.

You won’t just be lifting with just one of your arms or just one leg; you’ll be using your entire upper body, or lower body, and especially your core for the majority of the lifts. For that reason, an 8-kg kettlebell is not that heavy.

A big mistake is selecting a weight that is too light. Again this could be just assuming that you have trained with a kettlebell professional. When you are lifting too light with ballistic movements, you can just muscle through a lift rather than using the proper form.

You’ll be throwing around a 9-pound kettlebell like nothing. If you do this, you will never perfect your form, and will never progress to heavier weights, and you will not achieve the real benefits that kettlebells have to offer. So try not to go too light!

The Correct Starting Kettlebell Weight for Men

How to Lose Your Body Fat Fast with These 5 Tips
Again, with a little exception, it is always recommended a 35lb kettlebell for most men. Unlike women, most men will look at the 16-kg kettlebell starting weight and say, “That’s way too light for me! I can bench about ‘X’ weight all day long!” The problem is not that you can’t “lift” more weight, the problem is that if you can’t lift more kettlebell weight.

No, 35 pounds might not be too excessive for your barbell curl, squat, or deadlift, but we’re not doing those lifts, are we? But even if we do, they are usually going to be done in a much different manner than you’re used to.

Most likely when you are using a kettlebell, you will be hitting some muscles that you’ve never even felt before. Some areas of your core like your back, abdominals, and upper legs will be on fire during your first session with kettlebells. Kettlebell training is usually combined with high-intensity interval sets – short stretches of intense work with little rest in between.

To maintain proper form, you will need a weight that is in proportion to your skill level, which may be small to start.

If you think that a 16-kg kettlebell is too light for you, well think again. Men who have never used a kettlebell were especially sensitive to muscling through a movement, rather than performing it with proper form.

The 16-kg kettlebell weight is just enough to force you to use proper technique. Assuming you have been taught proper technique by a professional, this will come hand in hand.

What Is a Pood?

What type of pood is your kettlebell? Most people usually seem a bit lost and think of something much worse when they hear this term. When this phrase is associated with kettlebells, there’s even more confusion.

But, a pood is simply the Russian measurement of weight, and in Russia, kettlebells are measured in poods. A pood is equal to roughly 16 kilograms or 36 pounds.

You will hear this term used more and more in Crossfit boxes and usually by most traditional kettlebell instructor.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/best-weight-of-kettlebells-for-a-beginner/

Rehabilitating with Kettlebells

Looking akin to the handbag of a Hollywood celebrity or a cannonball with a handle stuck on top, the little kettlebell is probably the earliest piece of weight training equipment apart from the rocks and logs used by early cave people of course.

Kettlebells have their origins in Russia or Scotland (depending on who you want to believe) and while they were popular ‘historical’ training tools this popularity waned with the invention of dumbbells, barbells and weight machines. Over the past decade, however, kettlebells and a particular type of ‘kettlebell training’ have been undergoing a revival, as personal trainers, and equipment producers and retailers’ embrace ‘functional’ training with free weights as opposed to machine based training.

Are Kettlebells a ‘functional’ training tool?
What is it about kettlebells that make them familiar with the advocates of technical training? Why would you, as a personal trainer use a kettlebell as opposed to an ordinary dumbbell or weight machine with your clients?

By having the handle on top of the weight, the center of mass of the Kettlebell is extended beyond the hand when it is held. This makes it much easier to complete the explosive, multi joint, swinging type movements that characterize kettlebell training and other forms of ‘functional’ training for that matter.

Now we have a series of articles discussing ‘functional’ training at ptdirect.com so we’re not going to go over this ambiguous term in detail here, suffice to say that what actually makes training ‘functional’ for a client is that it is ‘fit for the clients purpose’, namely that the training will achieve the individual clients goals in the most efficient and enjoyable way for them.

So regardless of the structural advantages, kettlebells have for particular types of training, they will only be a ‘functional’ tool for clients that want to benefit from this kind of training and can perform this type of training safely and more efficiently.

What is ‘Kettlebell Training?’
Now kettlebells can be used just like dumbbells to add weight to conventional exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges and bent over rows. In fact, any standard weight training exercise that you’d use a dumbbell for could be performed with a kettlebell.

‘Kettlebell training’ however is entirely different to only performing conventional exercises with kettlebells as opposed to dumbbells. Kettlebell training is a particular form of training that:

1. Is focused on explosive, power great oriented swinging movements. These movements utilize more fast twitch muscle fibers, and these fibers have a greater capacity for developing size, and strength.

2. Includes the Olympic lifts – the clean, the clean and jerk, and the snatch. These vast, multi joint exercises use every muscle in the body and as before-mentioned can be great for burning lots of calories and stimulating lots of muscle in a short period

Is Kettlebell Training Safe for your Training Clients?
Conclusively any resistance training has the potential to be dangerous, just like crossing the road has the potential to be dangerous. As a personal trainer, you minimize the inherent dangers for your clients by only selecting exercises that suit their capabilities, and you instruct your clients on how to perform those exercises safely. That being said, as kettlebell training exercises are compound, multi-joint, power oriented exercises then kettlebell training does carry more ‘risk’ than many other forms of resistance training.

To understand why there is a greater risk of injury with kettlebell training we need to have a brief review of biomechanics and the human energy systems…

 

Basic Biomechanics Recap
Highlighted on the adjacent diagram are the base of support (shown by the red line underneath the skeletons feet), the center of mass (the red dot at the top of the pelvis), and the line of force (the yellow line passing through the body).

The base of support is simply wherever the body touches the ground – so in any standing position, the base of support includes the feet and the area between the feet. The center of mass is simply the middle of an object where there is the same amount of mass above as there is below, and the same amount of weight in front of, as there is behind, the center point. The line of force is simply the direction that a load acts in. As this skeleton is not holding a charge the line of force reflects gravity which always pushes straight down.

As soon as a person center of mass moves outside their base of supporting their ability to balance is significantly impaired. If their center of mass moves forward of their base of support, they’ll likely fall forward, and if it moves behind their base of support, they’ll fall backward.

This is why ‘good’ biomechanics for exercises like squats as shown here, rely on having the weight placed directly over the client’s base of support, and ensuring that during the movement the client’s center of mass remains directly above their base of support. If the weight were positioned high on the clients’ neck in this image of the squat the customers center of mass would move to the front of their base of support making them vulnerable to tipping forward (as well as having far too much load on a vulnerable part of the spine!)

One of the guiding principles for safe resistance training with standing exercises is to keep the center of mass directly over the base of support. This becomes even more important as the loads that are being lifted get heavier and are performed explosively.

Kettlebells do offer a significant advantage for some of the lifts used in kettlebell training, namely the high pull, and the Olympic lifts – the snatch, the clean and the clean and jerk. The advantage is that the kettlebell can be lowered between the legs thus keeping the center of mass well positioned directly above the base of support. The disadvantage of using bars is that they have to be pulled from the ground up and over the protruding knees which do bring the center of mass slightly forward, thus requiring a very sound, well-refined technique to keep the client balanced and ensure their safety during the lift.

As loads get heavier and, exercises are performed more explosively the risk of injury increases, so it is imperative that the body is well balanced and the structures of the body that are more vulnerable to injury are not exposed to undue risk.
This is where the safety of some of the swinging kettlebell training exercises becomes questionable.

You also need to consider that ‘what goes up must come down.’ With kettlebell swings, the client is usually instructed to ‘pull’ the kettlebell back down into their body from the top position. Combined with the effects of gravity this results in a lot of momentum being created as the kettlebell returns to the starting position. The client will need to be able to resist this energy at the bottom point of the exercise to avoid an injury and loss of balance.

So when we consider the mechanics of kettlebell training like complex, explosive multi-joint exercises, it should be reasonably obvious that there is a high injury risk for clients with minimal resistance training experience. If you’re considering using kettlebell training with any of your customers then adhere to the following guidelines:

Focus initially on instructing clients how to squat. Only move into kettlebell training exercises once customers can squat safely and efficiently the squat movement is used in most kettlebell training exercises

Focus on building strength and endurance in your client’s’ core musculature and in particular their ability to hold an abdominal ‘brace.’ The abdominal brace locks the lumbar spine safely in neutral and protects it from injury during any movement.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/rehabilitating-with-kettlebells/

Choosing the Right Kettlebell

What is the Best Kettlebell Weight to Start With?

Many types of kettlebells are sold these days. Onnit Labs produces various kinds of kettlebells to accommodate the needs of everyone from beginners to expert kettlebell sports competitors.

Onnit Kettlebells are commonly made with a very high-quality, chip-resistant coating that’s robust enough to survive your most punishing workouts.

Here are some points when shopping for a quality kettlebells:

1) A chip-resistant surface, smooth enough for stamina-building work sets without irritating your hands, yet with just enough texture to take gym chalk. Quality kettlebells come with soft, bent handles that can be grasped anywhere on the handle, not only the top part.

2) Clearance from the handles to the bells allow for optimal bone stacking in a snatch and press lifts, and the obtuse shape of the handle is ideal for work gripping the horns (the sides of the kettlebell handle). The handle must be soft so that it does not tear your hands up.

3) High-contrast lettering which allows you to know the kettlebell you are using. Always make sure there’s a guarantee – to ensure your kettlebells do not rust, and you are promised for a lifetime of use.

Some other features of kettlebell intention to consider are grip diameter, grip width, ball diameter, and the distance from the top of the ball to the bottom of the handle. But as a beginner, the most significant information for you to watch for are those stated above.

15-Minute Full-Body Strength Kettlebell Workout

Who said kettlebells are only for conditioning? Don’t let this common misconception fool you. Kettlebells are more than capable of building strength and cultivating mass. In fact, due to the unique design of the grip, kettlebells can increase grip strength, unlike any other implement!

Practicing the 15-Minute Full-Body Strength Kettlebell Workout, you can grow stronger and improve conditioning simultaneously, – all while packing on slabs of muscle! This training will make you so beefy, Hollywood would be insane not to cast you in the next Marvel movie!

Workout Directions

Perform all tasks in each group before moving on to next group. Rest 1 to 2 minutes between rounds and sets. Be sure to decrease weight to avoid from degradation (if necessary).

A1: Kettlebell Anyhow Squat – 5 rounds x 5 reps (each side)
B1: Kettlebell Double Side Swing – 5 rounds x 10 reps
C1: Kettlebell Double TGU – 5 rounds x 3 reps
D1: Kettlebell Squat Curl Sots Press – 5 rounds x 5 reps (each side)
E1: Kettlebell Gladiator Get Up – 5 rounds x 3 reps (each side)

Take Your Kettlebell Training to a New Level

Onnit Academy Kettlebell Certification
Some tools are as varied and compact as the kettlebell. Whether you’re a trainer or fitness enthusiast, the kettlebell should hold a place in your training for the outcomes it can produce in less time.

Whether you choose to use your kettlebell to supplement your training or as a stand-alone device you will infer the exact method on how to do so.

The Kettlebell Specialist Course was created to give the user a simple, robust method to knowledge and teaching proper kettlebell use.

The benefits of the kettlebell are immense, and with this single tool, one can create incredible strength, power output, and stamina if used to its potential.

At the Onnit Academy we believe the kettlebell can create great athletes regardless of your chosen sport and with this system, you will have everything they need to do just that.

Kettlebell Sizes for Men
Numerous men have the unfavorable manner of beginning with a kettlebell that is far too big for them. It may appear as a confusion to many guys out there, but they are not as powerful as they believe they are. Combine the fact that if you have only used dumbbells and barbells for weight training, snatching a kettlebell for the first time may come as a bit of a shock to your system and ego! Men take our word and don’t buy an enormous bell unless you already know you can handle it. Kettlebell lifting is mechanical and demands attention to detail so choose a kettlebell size that is reasonable to start out with.

For ballistic movements like kettlebell swings, cleans and snatches an average, active man should start out with either a 16 kg- 35 lb or a 20 kg – 44 lb kettlebell. Athletic men should start with a kettlebell between 16 kg – 35 lb and 24 kg – 53 lb.

Kettlebell Sizes for Women

Unlike men, women tend to start out with a kettlebell that is too easy for them, sometimes way too light! Women I have advice for you; you are a lot stronger than you think you are! Lifting kettlebells will not get you big and bulky and rob you of your feminine curvatures. On the opposite, with proper training and commitment, it will give you the figure you’ve always desired. So don’t be scared of “heavy” kettlebells; once you learn how to open the energy of your hips and core, you will be swinging kettlebell weights you never imagined possible.

For ballistic movements like kettlebell swings, cleans and snatches an average, active women should start with a kettlebell between 8 kg – 18 lb and 12 kg – 26 lb. An active woman should begin with a kettlebell between 12 kg – 26 lb and 16 kg – 35 lb. Out of shape, lethargic women should seek a bell between 6 kg – 13 lb and 8 kg – 18 lb.

As with men, for controlled, oppressing movements like Turkish Get-ups and windmills, you should pick a kettlebell that you can just press overhead about 8-10 times. An average, active women should start with a kettlebell between 6 kg – 13 lb and 8 kg – 18 lb. An active woman should begin with a kettlebell among 8 kg – 18 lb and 12 kg – 26 lb and out of shape, inactive women should try a bell between 4 kg – 9 lb and 6 kg – 13 lb.

How Many Kettlebells Do I Need?

You can do a lot with only one kettlebell; a kettlebell is a transportable gym. When you are just beginning with kettlebells, you should make certain you first master single kettlebell exercises before progressing to duplicate kettlebell swings, clean, snatches, etc. There is no sense applying two kettlebells unless your form is flawless. Without decent kettlebell lifting technique, you will not get the full benefit of the action, and you significantly increase your chance of injury, and this defeats the purpose of training with kettlebells in the first place. We recommend that whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced lifter, that you have a few kettlebells in different weights.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/choosing-the-right-kettlebell/

The History of Kettlebells

A few things you need to understand about Russians, they are good at vodka, chess, and the kettlebell.

Way before George Washington was crossing the Delaware, or before Americans had the right to bear arms. The Russians were carrying kettlebells.

It is understood and recognized that the Russians were first located using the kettlebell, or Girya, in the early 1700s. It was mostly a tool used by farmers to help measure outcrops. But, as any man wearied on a plantation, the farmers began swinging these items and, lo and behold, they got stronger, healthier and became better people.

Not to get too far into the weeds here, but if you want to know the story you should be aware of this name. Fast forward from the farmers to the late 1800s and, Vladislav Kraevsky is recognized with adding the kettlebell and barbell to Russian training.

A kettlebell is a kind of dumbbell or free weight that is rounded with a flat base and an arched handle. It looks similar to a cannonball with a handle or a teapot without the spout, hence the name “kettlebell” in English. In Russia, it is called a “girya” Authentic kettlebells are made of either cast iron or steel.

Unlike a dumbbell, a kettlebell core of mass extends beyond the hand. Kettlebells can be whirled, launched, juggled, pressed, held, moved and managed in hundreds of ways. They are tiny and transportable and can be combined with all viewpoints of athletic and fitness training. Kettlebells are an extremely effective way to lose weight, tone your body, increase your cardiovascular strength and maintain joint health, movement, and flexibility.

The history of the kettlebell is slightly unclear. However, it seems to be that the Russian Kettlebell was first created 350 years ago. The first appearance of the word in a Russian dictionary appeared in 1704. They were originally used as counterweights to weigh out dry goods on market scales. Kettlebells USA®People started throwing them around for entertainment, and they were later put to use for weight lifting. The Russians measured items in “poods.” A pood (16.38 kg, or 36.11 pounds) can be traced back to the 12th century. Kettlebells are still weighed in poods in Russia and realms of the former Soviet Union.

Old kettlebell market weights from 1927. Kettlebells USA®

Many cultures during history have practiced some form of weight with an attached handle for strength training. Scottish tribes would throw weighted objects with handles in Highland Games. Chinese Shaolin Monks, would use a stone padlocks in a similar way that a kettlebell would be. This type of training was called Shi-SuoGuong which meant The Art of Stone Padlock and predated kettlebells by thousands of years. There is speculation that kettlebell-like weights were used by the Romans & Greeks.

Kettlebells were used a lot by old time strongmen such as Arthur Saxon, Sig Klein, Clevio Massimo and The Mighty Apollo. They were once a common staple in American gyms and training academies and were often called “Ring Weights,” although ring weights could be any square weight with a ring attached to the top so it could be held and lifted. “Block Weights” were the American equivalent of the original Russian scale weights; they looked similar to today’s “power blocks.”

The forefather of the modern fitness gym, Dr. Vladislav Krayevsky, founded the St. Petersburg Amateur Weightlifting Society on August 10, 1885, considered the birth of weightlifting in Russia. A proponent of what he called “heavy athletics,” in 1900 Krayevsky wrote “The Development of Physical Strength with Kettlebells and without Kettlebells.” He was one of the most influential pioneers in the fitness of his day. His students included the legendary strongman George Hackenscmidt, “The Russian Lion,” who credited him with teaching him everything he knew and Eugene Sandow, “The Father of Modern Day Bodybuilding.”

In 1948, modern kettlebell lifting became the Soviet Union’s national sport. In the 1970’s kettlebell lifting became part of the United All-State Sports Association of the USSR, and in 1985 federal rules, regulations & weight categories were achieved. In November 1985 the first National Championship took place in Lipetsk, Russia. The Russian Military requires its recruits to train with kettlebells. The United States Secret Service & the FBI Counter Assault Team also require their operators to teach high repetition, ballistic kettlebell moves.

KETTLEBELL LIFTING WAS THE NATIONAL SPORT OF RUSSIA

Kettlebell Sports lifting is the National Sport of Russia. Today exercising with kettlebells is making a major comeback, and kettlebell training has now become one of the most popular and best ways work out and stay fit. Proper kettlebell training can help you to live a longer, healthier life, This is done to the way the kettlebell is made it improves joint health, mobility, and flexibility can all be managed, and even improved, with the correct application of kettlebell movements. Kettlebell lifting is technical just like Olympic lifting and requires the lifter to use the proper form to evade injury and to reap the highest benefit from any of the hundreds of kettlebell exercises and variations.

The history of kettlebells begins in Russia at the start of the 18th century, where in 1704, the word ‘Girya’ (meaning kettlebell), was first introduced in the Russian Dictionary.

The early scientific principles of Kettlebell training were laid down by Dr. Vladislav Kraevsky who presented the method of kettlebells to the broader Russian public

Dr. Vladislav Kraevsky
At the beginning of the 20th century, physical culturists, healthy men and circus performers such as Arthur Saxon, Edgar Mueller, and Eugene Sandow, would travel all around the world and would be exposed to Russian kettlebell training. So, these Strongmen included kettlebells in their training and performances, introducing a wider audience outside of Russia to the cannonball-shaped weights.

Old time strongmen
However, history took its toll on the simple kettlebell, ending its rise to fame in the West as the Soviet revolution, and 2 World Wars caused Russian sports and stories, to retreat inside the Russian borders.

Nonetheless, kettlebells proceeded to thrive in the former Soviet Union. Practice with kettlebells became a favorite activity for people in rural areas, the military, and Olympic athletes. In addition to their training program, Soviet Olympic weightlifters utilized kettlebells unilaterally in order to strengthen their weaker side.

In 1981, the Soviet government acknowledged the various advantages that kettlebells could give its working citizens; and an official commission required mandatory kettlebell training for the masses, relying on the kettlebell to increase productivity and to decrease the healthcare costs of the country.

To this day, nations of the old eastern bloc rely on kettlebells for implementing the training of several of their athletes and armed forces.

Kettlebell lifting also developed into an official sport with it was first competition taking part in 1948.

The kettlebell rise in the West kick started once more in 1998 when Pavel Tsatsouline published an article about them and then began teaching his way of using them to the American public in 2002.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/the-history-of-kettlebells/

Reasons to Buy KettleBells

Here is our take on the reasons why you should be using kettlebells rather than other types of exercise equipment.

#1 – Exercise Where Ever You Are

You honestly don’t need a gym membership, much space or anything other than just a kettlebell to get all the health and fitness results that you want and need.

Kettlebells are small and compact so they can be brought anywhere you go. You can get your heart beat racing as you have just run the 100 meters without even moving your feet. In fact, you should never need a space that is larger than 6 feet for your kettlebell workout.

#2 – Excellent for Fat Loss

Kettlebell workouts when designed and executed correctly use multi-joint movements utilizing over 600 muscles of yours at a time. The more muscles you use, the more energy that is required and hence the more fat and carbs you burn.

Kettlebell workouts can also be so intense that they disrupt your homeostasis evoking an afterburn effect that can continue to burn calories for up to 24 hours after your workout. Bonus!

#3 – Very Inexpensive

For most rookies, one kettlebell is all you need to get started and that kettlebell being formed of solid metal will last you a lifetime. You don’t need any particular footwear, in fact, many people will exercise without shoes. Don’t worry you won’t drop the kettlebell on your foot!

Also due to the way kettlebells are twirled around the momentum increases the weight of the kettlebell, so a small weight can convert a larger weight when it is used correctly. One kettlebell can be used to push you to your goals with more complicated exercises or made very comfortable with more beginner based movements.

#4 – Quick workouts

Kettlebell workouts when designed correctly are intense. The exercises can be made to flow from one movement to the next without having to change weights or rearrange your grip. The movement of different workouts enables you to keep your heart rate elevated and muscles constantly engaged.

Due to the intensity of the full body exercises and the dynamic nature of kettlebells good workouts should not last more than 10 – 20 minutes.

#5 – Better for joints

When used correctly a kettlebell improves your joint stability as well as the joints mobility too. When you swing a kettlebell, the weight tries to pull the joints apart, and it is your stabilizing muscles that control the closure of the joint.

The healthy progress of stabilizing muscles ensure you have a stronger foundation for your larger muscles to operate from enabling less injury and an increase in strength. Kettlebells also can force longer ranges of movement that open up your joints and increase your mobility and thus better movement freedom.

#6 – Great for Sports

Explosive strength is necessary for sports, it drives you up to the basketball hoop, increases foot speed on the court and creates explosive pushes and pulls.

Kettlebell training is dynamic and involves absorption and regeneration of force explosively. In other words, you need to decelerate and accelerate the weight rather quickly. Mix force control with functional and a more natural movement, and you can see for yourself why kettlebells are great for strengthening athletes bodies.

#7 – Sculpts a beautiful body

Kettlebell exercise burns fat and increases muscle tone fast. Most of the exercises are multi-joint (compound) movements that link the bottom half of the body with the top half via the core muscles. Great for your abs!

The body recruits 100’s of muscles to control and maintain your balance of the kettlebell. The muscle’s time under tension is high resulting in fast muscle development throughout the body.

#8 – Hits hard to reach muscles

Unlike lots of other training tools, kettlebells focus profoundly into the back of the body and the in particular buttocks. The buttocks being the largest muscles in the body require massive amounts of energy to survive, and so are great fat burners.

Significant workouts like the kettlebell swing will also form carefully into the posterior chain (muscles from heel to neck) where lots of muscle resides but is often neglected by other workout tools.

#9 – Improves Your Posture

The desire to look beautiful even into your senior years, then kettlebell training is for you. Many of the core exercises work into your postural muscles counteracting sitting and modern day living.

Often the most important postural muscles are neglected in favor of the mirror muscles (chest, abs, etc.), but kettlebells prevent this from happening by working deep into the muscles that matter.

#10 – Quick cardio

You will be surprised at how cardiovascular kettlebell training can be. Just by performing the kettlebell swing for 30 seconds can feel like you have just sprinted 100 meters without even moving your feet.

If you suffer from bad knees then exercises like the kettlebell swing can give you an incredible cardiovascular workout without damaging your knees while at the same time strengthening your body from head to toe.

#11 – Comfortable to handle

Kettlebells just seems correct to use. If you buy the perfect kettlebell, then you will find lifting, pushing and pulling a real pleasure with a kettlebell. In fact, as you press a kettlebell the weight rests nicely on your forearm.

You will also find that when held in the racked position (more on this later) the kettlebell nestles nicely into the chest enabling weighted movements to become a real joy to perform without having to worry about the weight.

#12 – Ageing Monkey Grip

As you age your grip weakens, it’s a real sign of getting older. However, if you train with kettlebells, this doesn’t have to be the case. Want to develop a strong monkey like grip?

Waving a kettlebell increases its overall mass and takes added strength to hold on. The more you use your kettlebell, the better your grip becomes. Perhaps you won’t be able to bend nails, but you will notice a distinct change in your grip force.

Kettlebell Grip Strength

#13 – Fun and Addictive

Most of all, kettlebells are a pleasure to use. The more fun something is, the more we want to do it, and that’s a win-win for exercise. Kettlebell training will teach you impressive new skills, unseen actions and a great feeling of accomplishment as you comprehend different movements.

Your body will automatically adjust, and slowly but surely you will become addicted to these workouts. Some people who have taken their kettlebells on holiday with them had withdrawals from them shortly after only days of being without.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/reasons-to-buy-kettlebells/

6 Benefits of CLA

6 Excellent Benefits of Using CLA 

 

1. Helps with Weight Loss and Fat-Burning

People find it hard to believe, but it turns out butter is a fat-burning food. CLA has shown to help fat loss in many animals and human studies when in its concentrated form it’s one of the most popular weight loss supplements in the world. According to a 2009 report that was published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, it is believed that CLA reduces fat because of its impact on, energy metabolism, adipogenesis, inflammation, lipid metabolism, and apoptosis.

Supplementation with a CLA mixture or the isomer alone decreases body fat mass, according to a result of numerous animal studies. Within the two major isomers, 10,12 specifically seems to be responsible for the antiobesity effects of CLA.

Within human studies, the results for CLA on weight loss have been auspicious. One study found that supplementation of a CLA mixture in overweight and obese people with three to four grams a day for about 24 weeks decreased body fat mass and increased the lean body mass.

Some people believe that they experience better results than others due to the fact they include CLA isomer combination rather than individual isomers, CLA dose and duration of treatment, gender, weight, age and metabolic status of the subjects. One possible potential mechanism by which CLA reduces body fat mass might be that it will decrease energy intake or increases energy expenditure. A study that was demonstrated that mice supplemented with a CLA mixture for four weeks reduced their food intake and experienced liver function improvements, although studies are still happening in humans.

2. Regulates Blood Sugar and Helps Improve Insulin Function

There’s substantial evidence that an inverse association exists between CLA intake in someone’s diet and diabetes risk. The theory is that CLA may be involved in insulin regulation. We also know that the best food sources with CLA, include healthy fats like butter or grass-fed beef, which can stabilize blood sugar and help someone stick to a low-sugar, low-carb diet that is very beneficial for controlling diabetes.

3. Improves Immune Function and Could Potentially Help Fight Cancer

Conjugated lipoic acid has shown immune-enhancing effects and anticarcinogenic activities in several animal studies. CLA that is in saturated fatty foods could offset the adverse effects of the saturated fat content and benefit everything from blood sugar control to hormone regulation to even natural cancer prevention.

Researchers repeatedly found that the quality of fatty acids in someone’s diet is exceedingly important for reducing overall cancer risk, and conjugated linoleic acids have proved to increase the health in several ways, especially lowering inflammation. Lower inflammation is a sign of less free radical damage or oxidative stress, and that is linked to lower cancer risk.

CLA modulates immune and inflammatory responses as well as improve bone mass. Researchers found the effects of conjugated linoleic acid for preventing breast cancer is somewhat conflicting, but early research shows that higher intake of CLA from natural foods is linked with a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Other study results indicate that it can be very beneficial for fighting cancer of the digestive organs and can improve detoxification via healthier liver function too.

4. Reduces Allergies and Asthma Symptoms

Consuming CLA from food or taking CLA supplements for 12 weeks seems to improve symptoms and overall health in people with seasonal allergy symptoms. Some research shows that people with asthma could use CLA to be a natural treatment method for asthma-related symptoms. Twelve weeks of supplementation seems to improve airway sensitivity and better cardio.

5.  Improves Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Early research has been showing that CLA is beneficial for lowering inflammation and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis. Taking CLA alone or along with other supplements like vitamin E benefits those with arthritis by reducing symptoms, including pain and morning stiffness. Pain and inflammation including swelling have been improved for adults with arthritis taking CLA compared to their pre-treatment symptoms or people not taking CLA, meaning CLA can naturally treat arthritis.

6.   Improve Muscle Strength

Some researchers found that taking conjugated linoleic acid alone or along with supplements like creatine and whey protein can help increase strength and improve lean tissue mass. This is why CLA is added to some bodybuilding supplements, protein powders or weight loss formulas.

Best Sources of Conjugated Linoleic Acid

According to a report published in The Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, the top food sources of CLA include:

Butter from grass-fed cows (ideally organic)
Full-fat, preferably raw, dairy products like cream, milk, yogurt or cheese
Grass-fed beef (preferably organic)
Also found in dairy products from sheep or goats, in addition to cows
Found in smaller amounts in grass-fed lamb, veal, turkey and seafood
The proportion of CLA ranges from 0.34–1.07 percent of the total fat found in dairy products, making it the highest source which is followed by about 0.12—0.68 percent of the total fat in raw or processed beef products. Although, when it comes to animal products, the breed and the in particular quality of the animal’s diet and lifestyle affect the fat that you will obtain when you eat the animal. In other words, not all beef or dairy is created equal when it comes to supplying us with healthy fats.

What the animal was eating and the conditions it was living in highly affect how much CLA and other healthy fats or nutrients it supplies. Even the season, quality of the soil on the farms and age of the animal affect the CLA content. For example, one study found that the CLA content in beef and dairy from grass-fed cows is 300–500 percent higher compared to grain-fed cows!

Grass-fed beef contains much higher levels of CLA and even more omega-3 fats and vitamins than meat from factory farm-raised animals. The same goes for dairy products we get from cows, such as cream or butter. The best way to find high-quality grass-fed beef is to purchase it directly from small town farms, whether visiting farmer’s markets, joining a community-sponsored agriculture group or even looking online. If you can’t find the perfect product, for example, 100 percent organic and grass-fed beef, do the best you can while also focusing on limiting industrial and human-made fats from your diet.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/6-benefits-of-cla/

CLA Compounds

Abstract

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is highly found in fats from ruminants, and it appears to modify the body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors favorably. The capacity of CLA to reduce the body fat levels as well as its beneficial actions on the glycemic profile, atherosclerosis and cancer has already been proved in experimental models. Furthermore, CLA supplementation may modulate the immune function, help re-synthesize of glycogen and potentiate the bone mineralization. CLA supplements also could increase the lipolysis and decrease the accumulation of fatty acids on the adipose tissue; the punitive mechanisms involved may be its action in reducing the lipase lipoprotein activity and to increase the carnitine-palmitoil-transferase-1 activity, its interaction with PPARγ, and to raise the expression of UCP-1. Although studies made in human have shown some benefits of CLA supplementation as the weight loss, the results are still discordant. Some have shown adverse effects, such as the glucose metabolism and lipid profile. The primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate the available data and benefits of CLA on the energetic metabolism and body composition, emphasizing action mechanisms.

Introduction

Though many researchers have studied and found significant evidence about functional foods, their benefits to health have often been talked about, calling the attention of the scientific community. Even though several studies were performed claiming that functional foods are essential for health and have helped reduce the risk of developing various chronic diseases. This useful property concerns the metabolic or physiological role played by the nutrient or non-nutrient in growth, development, maturity and other standard functions of the human organism. However, studies on nutraceuticals, which are foods with a medicinal function lack further explanation, especially regarding the associated protective effects. The doses indicated generate doubts that these results will be achieved, and also regarding the possible adverse effects of their long term use.

Many different classes of substance that are naturally found in foods or produced by food technology have functional properties. One of the substances is conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, which is a fatty acid which gives a linoleic acid isomer (C18:2, n-6) and has been considered an anti-obesity agent, and can be useful in the weight reduction process. Though the initial result that was found only in an animal model, more recent research on humans suggests that CLA would act to reduce adiposity through modulating properties in the lipid metabolism. But some doubts remain as to the action mechanics of CLA in adipocytes, which leads to the reduction of body fat and, the safety of supplements of this compound.

Which means the purpose of this review is to demonstrate the effect of CLA supplementation on body composition, in particular on the reduction of adiposity, focusing on possible action mechanisms.

Conjugated linoleic acid

Conjugated linoleic acid or CLA is a term that describes a group of fatty acids with 18 atoms of carbon, and the geometric isomers consist of linoleic acid. This is a common name given to a group of position isomers with two double bonds separated by a methylene group. This conjugation of the double bond is generally in positions 9 and 11 or 10 and 12 and may be a cis or trans configuration.

Isomer structure represents CLA 10-trans and 12-cis; indicate CLA 9-cis and 11-trans; C18:2 9-cis and 12-cis
CLA is produced naturally in the digestive tract of animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, buffalo, and to a lesser degree in pigs, chickens, and turkeys. The synthesis occurs due to fermentative bacteria, like Butyrivibrio fibrinogens, which isomerizes the linoleic acid in CLA or by synthesis via α9-desaturase of 11-trans octadecanoic acid. The fat in beef contains about 1.7 to 10.8 mg CLA/g of fat with 9-cis and 11-trans isomers. It is also found in dairy products like milk and derivatives.

CLA can be obtained using enzyme α9-desaturase which promotes the desaturation of the 11-trans octadecanoic acid. Many different isomers of CLA such as 11-trans and 9-cis are the best acids that we know of because they are found in food. It is also possible to obtain CLA in a modern form, through the partial hydrogenation of linoleic acid or by thermal treatments, aiming to produce a compound with maximum biological activity and with a defined chemical composition.

CLA has a significant role in the lipid metabolism, especially as regards the oxidative cellular system, which explains many physiological properties of fatty acids. The action on the lipid metabolism is associated with the inhibition of entry of the glucose into the adipocytes and may lead to changing the insulin metabolism and cause situations of hyperinsulinemia, as well as the increase of inflammatory markers.

There are many investigations to evaluate the influences of CLA on the energetic metabolism, promoting significant changes in the lipid metabolism and body composition. As a result, some effects can be cited such as reduction of body fat, improved insulin resistance, anti-thrombogenic and anticarcinogenic effects, reduction of atherosclerosis, improved lipid profile, modulation of the immune system and stimulation of bone mineralization, and also reduced blood glucose. The most studied CLA supplement effect is the capacity to alter the body composition, promoting an increase in lean mass and reduction of the fat mass.

6 Benefits of Conjugated Linoleic Acid

 

1. Helps with Weight Loss and Fat-Burning

People find it hard to believe, but it turns out butter is a fat-burning food. CLA has shown to help fat loss in many animals and human studies when in its concentrated form it’s one of the most popular weight loss supplements in the world. According to a 2009 report that was published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, it is believed that CLA reduces fat because of its impact on, energy metabolism, adipogenesis, inflammation, lipid metabolism, and apoptosis.

Supplementation with a CLA mixture or the isomer alone decreases body fat mass, according to a result of numerous animal studies. Within the two major isomers, 10,12 specifically seems to be responsible for the antiobesity effects of CLA.

Within human studies, the results for CLA on weight loss have been auspicious. One study found that supplementation of a CLA mixture in overweight and obese people with three to four grams a day for about 24 weeks decreased body fat mass and increased the lean body mass.

Some people believe that they experience better results than others due to the fact they include CLA isomer combination rather than individual isomers, CLA dose and duration of treatment, gender, weight, age and metabolic status of the subjects. One possible potential mechanism by which CLA reduces body fat mass might be that it will decrease energy intake or increases energy expenditure. A study that was demonstrated that mice supplemented with a CLA mixture for four weeks reduced their food intake and experienced liver function improvements, although studies are still happening in humans.

2. Regulates Blood Sugar and Helps Improve Insulin Function

There’s substantial evidence that an inverse association exists between CLA intake in someone’s diet and diabetes risk. The theory is that CLA may be involved in insulin regulation. We also know that the best food sources with CLA, include healthy fats like butter or grass-fed beef, which can stabilize blood sugar and help someone stick to a low-sugar, low-carb diet that is very beneficial for controlling diabetes.

3. Improves Immune Function and Could Potentially Help Fight Cancer

Conjugated lipoic acid has shown immune-enhancing effects and anticarcinogenic activities in several animal studies. CLA that is in saturated fatty foods could offset the adverse effects of the saturated fat content and benefit everything from blood sugar control to hormone regulation to even natural cancer prevention.

Researchers repeatedly found that the quality of fatty acids in someone’s diet is exceedingly important for reducing overall cancer risk, and conjugated linoleic acids have proved to increase the health in several ways, especially lowering inflammation. Lower inflammation is a sign of less free radical damage or oxidative stress, and that is linked to lower cancer risk.

CLA modulates immune and inflammatory responses as well as improve bone mass. Researchers found the effects of conjugated linoleic acid for preventing breast cancer is somewhat conflicting, but early research shows that higher intake of CLA from natural foods is linked with a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Other study results indicate that it can be very beneficial for fighting cancer of the digestive organs and can improve detoxification via healthier liver function too.

4. Reduces Allergies and Asthma Symptoms

Consuming CLA from food or taking CLA supplements for 12 weeks seems to improve symptoms and overall health in people with seasonal allergy symptoms. Some research shows that people with asthma could use CLA to be a natural treatment method for asthma-related symptoms. Twelve weeks of supplementation seems to improve airway sensitivity and better cardio.

5. Improves Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Early research has been showing that CLA is beneficial for lowering inflammation and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis. Taking CLA alone or along with other supplements like vitamin E benefits those with arthritis by reducing symptoms, including pain and morning stiffness. Pain and inflammation including swelling have been improved for adults with arthritis taking CLA compared to their pre-treatment symptoms or people not taking CLA, meaning CLA can naturally treat arthritis.

6. Improve Muscle Strength

Some researchers found that taking conjugated linoleic acid alone or along with supplements like creatine and whey protein can help increase strength and improve lean tissue mass. This is why CLA is added to some bodybuilding supplements, protein powders or weight loss formulas.

 

Best Sources of Conjugated Linoleic Acid

According to a report published in The Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, the top food sources of CLA include:

Butter from grass-fed cows (ideally organic)
Full-fat, preferably raw, dairy products like cream, milk, yogurt or cheese
Grass-fed beef (preferably organic)
Also found in dairy products from sheep or goats, in addition to cows
Found in smaller amounts in grass-fed lamb, veal, turkey and seafood
The proportion of CLA ranges from 0.34–1.07 percent of the total fat found in dairy products, making it the highest source which is followed by about 0.12—0.68 percent of the total fat in raw or processed beef products. Although, when it comes to animal products, the breed and the in particular quality of the animal’s diet and lifestyle affect the fat that you will obtain when you eat the animal. In other words, not all beef or dairy is created equal when it comes to supplying us with healthy fats.

What the animal was eating and the conditions it was living in highly affect how much CLA and other healthy fats or nutrients it supplies. Even the season, quality of the soil on the farms and age of the animal affect the CLA content. For example, one study found that the CLA content in beef and dairy from grass-fed cows is 300–500 percent higher compared to grain-fed cows!

Grass-fed beef contains much higher levels of CLA and even more omega-3 fats and vitamins than meat from factory farm-raised animals. The same goes for dairy products we get from cows, such as cream or butter. The best way to find high-quality grass-fed beef is to purchase it directly from small town farms, whether visiting farmer’s markets, joining a community-sponsored agriculture group or even looking online. If you can’t find the perfect product, for example, 100 percent organic and grass-fed beef, do the best you can while also focusing on limiting industrial and human-made fats from your diet.

According to a study, the effect of CLA is not the same in all animal models. Rats supplemented with 0.5 % of CLA, for instance, presented a small, but fast (7 days) reduction of adipose tissue, compared to mice.

Scientists evaluated the effects of supplementation with CLA on the body composition of healthy Wistar rats supplemented for three weeks with CLA at the concentrations of 1 %, 2 % and 4 % on the daily supplement of the diet and control group which was 2 % linoleic acid. At the end of the period, the groups that were supplemented at a concentration of 2 % and 4 % with CLA had a bigger body fat reduction compared to the control group.

Other researchers evaluated that coconut oil, corn oil, and CLA. In this study, 28 rats were allocated to 4 different diets, which were supplementation with coconut oil, and CLA, corn oil and maize oil and CLA. After 28 days, total cholesterol, HDL–c and triglycerides were evaluated. It was found that the triglycerides diminished in the diet supplemented with coconut oil and CLA, and HDL-c decreased with the maize oil diet. The total cholesterol concentrations were lowest in the rats on the coconut oil and CLA diet, but not in the diet with corn oil and CLA. This study suggests that the CLA might diminish adiposity and improve the lipid profile under some conditions.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/cla-compounds/

The History of Medicine Balls

in the world of practicing strength and conditioning, it all seems like we are always looking for a whole new and very innovative piece of equipment that is not only just going to unlock your athletic potential, increase your fat burning capacity but it is going to breathe new life towards your training goals.

Having some of these thoughts and seeking out something new is all human nature, and we all do this. You can go to a gym that has a bunch of different, unique equipment that all provide alternative variations of some traditional movements.

While variety can be the spice of your life, sometimes the classic basics can usually be overlooked and almost entirely forgotten.

Medicine ball training is known to have been a form of personal conditioning and strengthing for the ancient gladiators and Persian wrestling athletes this dates as far back as 1000 BC.

If we were to fast-forward to today’s world, and we find that the medicine balls are demoted to cute little abdominal exercises that could be done in your living room or, even worse, found as a dust collector that has been untouched for months on end. Unless your child somehow finds it and attempts to pick it up and play basketball.

It is time to start to re-familiarize yourself with some medicine ball training and bring this ancient form of exercise back into your daily training programs and watch your athletic prowess grow.

In this article, we will see all of the many unique benefits of medicine ball training along with some of our favorite exercises.

Some Benefits of Medicine Ball Training

If you didn’t sleep through your junior year physics class, you might not remember anything about Ampère’s Circuital Law, but you probably remember Newton’s second law where Force=Mass x Acceleration. This rule applies in the strength and conditioning world.

However, the primary focus over the years has been to lift more weight (mass) to get stronger (produce more force); however, acceleration has become an essential part of the equation and is often overlooked in training.

If we look closely at this scientific equation we can increase force production by increasing your speed or acceleration at which we can move an object; by training with moving weights faster, this can make you stronger and more explosive, and Medicine balls are an outstanding way to train acceleration for increased force production.

Multiple Planes of Movement

There is a freedom of movement with many vigorous medicine ball exercises that almost exactly duplicate the movements that are found in many sports that aren’t always found in other strength training movements.

The foundational movement exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press are perfect for building your strength, but you become limited by their single plane of movement and ability to transfer power throughout the whole body.

Not to say you shouldn’t build strength with those foundational lifts, but when combining them with medicine ball exercises, you can enhance your force production through acceleration training and incorporate the whole body through various planes of movement.

You can project your power through a ball in a frontal, sagittal and even a transverse plane depending on how you decide to move the ball.

Safe, Versatile and Fun Benefits of Medicine Ball Training

Training force production in different ways has proved to be the best method for transferring over to sports performance. This is a huge proponent of preparing strength and conditioning programs that have lower risk exercises with higher rewards.

My goal is always to have my athletes be safe and get the most effective training available. I have found medicine ball exercises to be the easiest and safest way to train power.

For a young or new athlete, learning the kettlebell swing or even the more technically complex Olympic lifts requires a lot of technical ability.

The young and inexperienced athlete doesn’t possess a great foundation of strength, so, therefore, they are possibly setting themselves up for an injury if they are not able to perform these dynamic movements correctly.

Medicine ball training has proved to show that these athletes are still able to make force production gains safely by accelerating light medicine balls quickly.

With young athletes who are new to training, I can have them perform medicine ball training early in their training program where I usually wait a few weeks after some strength gain has been achieved, to teach a kettlebell swing.

Medicine ball training is also very versatile and can be trained for just pure power by using an appropriate weight for a particular amount of sets and repetitions, or they can be used for longer durations in a conditioning setting.

You can implement medicine ball slams for 30-second intervals which will train not only power but also train strength endurance which is a necessary energy system essential in most sports.

Lastly, it is hard pressed to find someone, young or old, who does not like tossing the medicine balls. When the athlete is having fun, they will feel good and focus more on what they are doing because it is more enjoyable to them.

All of my athletes perform some medicine ball training either to enhance force production in a particular plane or to build their strength endurance.

Generally speaking, if I want to work on power I have the athlete perform them for a specific amount of repetitions closer to the beginning of the workout, or if we want to focus on strength endurance, we throw them into a conditioning circuit for time intervals at the end of the workout.

Remember all the physics behind using a medicine ball in your training. You want the acceleration to be high to produce maximal force.

If either the weight is too heavy or proper form is not allowing the medicine ball to rush, your energy production will be small along with your movement quality carry over to your sport.

This all brings us back to the origin of the name. The word “medicine” was long synonymous with the word “health.” The use of the word “therapeutic” in this case was to highlight how the exercises could be utilized as both a way of healing injuries and preventing them in the first place through general fitness.

Although devices we would recognize as being medicine balls have been commonplace for millennia, the word itself is only a couple hundred years old, being attributed to one, Professor Roberts way back in 1889. According to a Scientific American article from the time, Roberts coined the term “medicine ball” about the fact that using the ball “invigorates the body, promotes digestion, and restores and preserves one’s health.“ As “health” and “medicine” were considered to be synonymous terms at the time, calling it a “medicine ball” was natural enough.

Today, we always refer to the medicine balls as such, and commonly enough the terms “health” and “medicine” aren’t as synonymous as they once were. Hearing the phrase “health ball” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/the-history-of-medicine-balls/

Rehabilitation with Medicine Balls

Medicine balls are for those of you who haven’t been to a gym. Or someone who never accidentally kicked the medicine ball thinking it was like a soccer ball.  They are heavily weighted balls that come in a variety of sizes and weights usually with a diverse range of fitness applications. But why are medicine balls called this when, at its core, a medicine ball is just a big heavy ball?

For starters, medicine balls are usually noted to be the most diverse pieces of exercise equipment one person can own, useful for toning almost every inch of your body, and they are also extensively used in various types of physical therapy.

While some details are very sparse on the history of medicine balls, we can reliably track their usage back to just about 3000 years. This is where the medicine balls were used mainly by the Persian wrestlers looking to become much stronger. In Ancient Greece, Hippocrates considered them to be an essential tool for helping the injured people regain their mobility. He also advised people to use them as a general, all-purpose way of remaining healthy.

A medicine ball can also be known as a fitness-weighted ball, or an exercise ball is a weighted ball-shaped exercise tool often used for strength training and rehabilitation. Medicine balls are available in different weight sizes, usually ranging from 2 to 25 pounds, medicine balls are distinct pieces of weight equipment used by children and adults for exercise or physical therapy.
The rehabilitation of sports-related injuries has changed dramatically in the past decade. Advances in surgical procedures, clinical outcome studies, and changes in third party reimbursement have resulted in a new rehabilitation environment. Today’s clinicians must efficiently and more address an athlete’s physical impairments and functional limitations. The outcome is to return to playing as quickly and safely as possible. Medicine balls have become an essential tool in achieving this goal.
The use of medicine balls in rehabilitation has always been a logical crossover from sports training. Medicine balls will provide your clinician a low-cost and portable option that is available in a wide range of different weights and sizes. This exercise tool can be incorporated early in the rehabilitation process and even in the final phases of your recovery. Clients will frequently purchase a medicine ball as part of their home program and use it to transition into a more free program.

Medicine balls are used extensively in the rehabilitation process of spinal, shoulder, and knee injuries. The ability to perform multiplanar exercises at slow to high speeds with a medicine ball has made it an essential tool for the rehabilitation specialist.

A medicine ball refers to a weighted ball that can be used for doing a broad range of exercises that will help improve your fitness, strength, and coordination, as well as help athletes, recover from injuries. This type of ball can be made from leather, nylon, vinyl, rubber, polyurethane and other materials. The medicine balls come in many different weights, ranging from 2 lb to 25 lb. The standard medicine ball has a diameter of 14 inches, but other sizes are also available.

History of the Medicine Ball

The earliest documented use of the medicine ball dates back to just about 3,000 years ago when Persian wrestlers trained with bladders that were filled with sand. Later on, in the time of ancient Greece, famous physician Hippocrates stuffed animal skins with sand to create medicine balls. As part of his injury rehabilitation therapy, his patients were ordered to throw the balls back and forth. In the late 19th century, the words “medicine” and “health” became synonymous, and the medicine ball was commonly used for promoting health. It became one of the “4 Horsemen of Fitness,” which also included the dumbbell, the wand, and the Indian club. This marked the origin of the modern medicine ball.

Uses of the Medicine Ball

Medicine balls are commonly used by athletes to help improve their core strength, especially in the chest, arms and legs. Athletes who might have sustained injuries also perform medicine ball training to recover their former strength and fitness. Medicine balls are effective exercise equipment for professional boxers, who use them to build strength in the abdominal muscles. A medicine ball is dropped onto a fighter’s abdomen from a certain height to simulate a punch from an opponent. Individual schools use medicine balls as fitness aids for students, who are required to perform a broad range of exercises to stretch their muscles and improve their strength.

Medicine Ball Exercises

Medicine ball exercises are useful for improving sport-specific as well as overall strength, fitness, flexibility and body coordination. They can be performed alone or with one or more partners. Some of the standard medicine ball exercises include; squats, lunges, lunge crossovers, slams, crunches, oblique twists, single leg V-ups, reverse curls, overhead lateral flexions, kneel to push ups, diagonal chops, figure eights, two-arm wall passes, hammer throws, sit-up passes, front lateral raises and standing Russian twists.

Medicine Ball Safety

It is imperative that just about every athlete performs some medicine ball exercises with the right techniques so that they can get better results and prevent any injuries. Athletes should always warm up thoroughly before they start exercising with medicine balls. Choosing a ball with the right weight is very important, as it will ensure that the activities will be performed smoothly. For each exercise, the person who’s is training or athletes should do 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions. When you’re doing a standing throw from behind your head, they should not overextend their spines, and standing exercises should be done with feet firmly planted on the ground. They should keep a bend in their knees and keep their backs straight when picking up the medicine ball. When lying on their backs to perform exercises, athletes have to make sure that their lower backs are touching the ground.

It might sound kind of funny that by using a medicine ball you can build your muscle power and strengthen your core muscles. But the fun fact is that when these exercises are performed correctly and precisely it will show how well a medicine ball can be added to your daily regime to develop a hardcore physique.

The medicine ball workout is a replication of your daily chores you do in your day to day life and hence why it is easy to develop your core muscles.
Instead of focusing on just one muscle power, you will be concentrating on many core muscles at the same time.
The medicine ball will give you help so you can balance out your body energy.
The medicine ball workout regime helps you to build up resistance and lift things which are heavy like grocery bags, buckets, furniture and much more.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/rehabilitation-with-medicine-balls/

How To Properly Throw a Medicine Ball

Many people will never learn to throw correctly! Movements that require shifting, bending, rotating and balance are important in athletics and life. For example, by learning to transfer your momentum from your rear to your front, a golfer reduces the risk of possible injury and improve performance. Due to poor movement skills, many have not mastered patterns to complete these tasks in a coordinated, efficient manner. Learning to throw helps establish or reestablish these movement skills. Throwing medicine balls will incorporate expressions of your speed, your strength, your flexibility, and your coordination will allow you to see measurable improvement rather quickly. Do you know what equipment is appropriate for you? A medicine ball usually weighs about 4-7 lbs. This size is suitable for most people.

When executing these standing movements that sometimes involve rotation, your backside foot should turn, allowing a bigger range of motion and a shifting of your center of mass over your front leg. By doing this, the integrity of your lower back is not compromised. Cueing these actions from day one sets up patterns that should be used in future exercises. When bending and rotating, you should remind your clients or athletes to use as many of their joints as possible. As you can see, these exercises have a balance component with each routine. Ultimately, throwing requires single leg balance.
Many movements in life and many sports involve a lot of acceleration while shifting or moving weight from one side of your body to the other to complete a task. Work towards standing on your one leg and decelerating or blocking one side of the body.
This is a big part of throwing. To properly finish the throws, takeoffs and many swinging movements, the body must fix one side to achieve greater acceleration of the free or moving side.

Next, we will look at how to do a three-step teaching progression for rotational throws. Remember that this may take a few weeks of work to get to modified hammer throws correctly. When progressing through this sequence, keep the previous exercises in the program. You can reduce the amount of sets or reps in Russian twists and side throws as you get to modified hammer throws. Using a few throws can add a skill-based component to your workouts.

Your sets and reps can usually be anywhere from 1-3 sets of 6-12 reps. These exercises will fit great into a warm up and could be used to awaken your nervous system. Throws are outstanding when you are doing a speed or strength session because they are a summation of forces activity. Let throwing medicine balls help you develop better movement skills.

Step 1:    Basic Rotation (Russian Twists)

Russian Twists: You want to start the ball close to your torso and work outwards. Note the turned backside foot with a noticeable shift in body weight. Cueing footwork to initiate movement is important. References like “turn your right foot” or “turn your belly button” are good reminders. Later you will see the connection to the hammer throw. The next step involves starting to throw the medicine ball.

Step 2:    90 Degree Medicine Ball Throw

Side Throws Starting point! The thrower is positioned 90 degrees either towards a wall or a partner. The ball should be behind the right hip and arms are slightly bent. The thrower needs to be 3-5 feet from the wall, perhaps even further from a partner.
Initiate the throw by swinging the ball to the start position by loading the right side, and putting more weight on that side as well.
The thrower should start to think about right side movement a little before the ball is completely decelerated. This will eventually get the right side ahead of the ball, teaching a whipping or elastic delivery.
When this all starts to happen, the thrower will note that the effort becomes easy, and they will be “getting to their left side.” Progression for this exercise is for a faster loading and switching. Although walls allow this to happen best, good results can also be achieved with a partner accurately delivering the medicine ball back to the thrower. By the way, the partner doesn’t need to be doing the same exercise.

Step 3:    Modified Hammer Throw

Modified Hammer Throw: The final activity in this progression involves adding 90 more degrees to the range of movement. The thrower will then be facing 180 degrees away from the wall or partner, three to five feet away. The move to initiate this is the same, with a swing of the ball into position and loading of the right side. Similar cues can be used. In this exercise, the thrower will understand where the delivery position is and be able to accelerate through the fixed left side. The ball will end up being delivered closer to shoulder height with arms on the upswing at the finish. When you receive the medicine ball from either the wall or your partner, this will set the next rep.

Below are 5 of Our Favorite Medicine Ball Exercises

(that we use these weekly in our warm-up routines)

1. Standing Chest Passes

Using a partner, a coach or a wall; set up in an athletic stance. You then want to catch the ball with two hands, dip into a quarter squat and then from here use the energy from your legs and to come back up and project through the ball with both hands evenly towards your training partner or wall.

2. Standing Rotational Throws

In the same athletic stance, you are going to receive the ball at your waist level, catch the ball and then rotate like a tennis swing. Make sure to turn your knee as well, so it all remains aligned with your foot placement. Drive back through with your hips and your core and project the ball towards your partner or wall. You can repeat on the same side or alternate sides.

3. Behind Your Head Throws

This is one of our favorite movements to teach, the explosive hip extension. You want to start by turning your back towards your training partner or the direction that you are going to project the ball towards, hold the ball underhanded, squat and scoop throw the ball over your head in an explosive manner transferring the energy through the hip and lastly through the ball. You can throw the ball for maximal height or distance depending on the trajectory you decide.

4. Medicine Ball Slammers

This exercise is one of the easiest power movements to learn, and it is enjoyable to do as well. All you will need is a light medicine ball that doesn’t bounce or bounces only slightly. Get the ball over your head and drop your hips and follow through with your arms as if you are trying yo make a hole in the ground. Make sure to get the proper timing down, so the ball will stay close to your body.

5. Lying Medicine Ball Chest Passes

This is an alternative to the standing chest pass; however, you will not have your legs to help you with the movement to generate power and force. Therefore your upper body will have to produce the power. Start this exercise by lying on your back with either your legs down on the ground or knees bent; pull your belly button into the floor and either push the medicine ball off your chest toward your partner or straight up for you to catch and repeat yourself. You want this to be like a spring with no pause in between the transitions from the bottom towards the top.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/how-to-properly-throw-a-medicine-ball/

Fun Exercises with a Medicine Ball

 Weighted Superman

Lie with your face down on the mat with your arms stretched out in front of you, holding onto a lightweight medicine ball, try starting with 4-6 lbs. Slowly raise your arms and legs up as high as you can possible, engaging your back muscles. Hold this position at the top for a few seconds, all the while pretending you have a cape around your neck. Lower your body back down to the mat and then repeat.

 Lying Chest Toss

Since two balls are better than one, this move utilizes two. You want to lie face up on a stability ball with your head and your shoulder blades resting on the ball’s center, and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. During this, your torso should be parallel to the floor. Keeping the neck in a neutral position, not straining yourself too far forward or hanging back, hold the medicine ball with both of your hands just above your chest, with your elbows bent and pointed out to the sides. Push the ball out, in line with the chest, (like a standard chest pass) and toss it straight up toward the ceiling. Be extra careful not to throw the ball too hard. (Just remember: What goes up must come down.)

 Wall Pass 

Find the nearest medicine ball-safe wall. When in doubt, you should always ask the gym’s staff which areas are fair game. Place yourself about 3 to 4 feet in front of it, holding a lightweight medicine ball with both hands. Get into an athletic type stance, with a slight bend in your knees, and your core engaged. Bring your ball to your chest, and firmly throw it at the wall and catch the ball on its return. You want to try to get that aggression out!

Shoulder Press

This move is one of the easiest for beginners, but can be amped up with a heavier type of ball. Hold the medicine ball at your chest. Try for about an inch away, right in front of the sternum. Extend your arms up to the ceiling, reaching the ball over your head, and slowly lower the ball back to the starting position. Easy-peasy, right?

 Figure 8

This is completely like ribbon dancing, just not nearly as graceful. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Hold onto the medicine ball with both of your hands to one side of your head, with arms fully extended. Slowly move the medicine ball in a fluid and controlled motion, forming the image of figure 8. Repeat reps clockwise, then you can switch directions. This one can be deceivingly tiring, so try it with a lighter ball first.

Ball Fly

This can get a little tough as far as balancing goes, but we promise you will totally look like a champ as soon as you’ve got it down. You want to start by laying face up on a stability ball with the neck and shoulder blades resting on the ball’s center, and knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Keep your torso parallel to the floor. Now it’s time to put on a show: With your abs engaged and your hips raised, extend your arms by holding a lightweight medicine ball toward the ceiling. Shift the ball to your left hand, and then slowly lower the ball until the left arm is parallel to the floor and maintain a slight bend in the elbow. Bring the ball back to your center and shift the ball to the right hand. You want to do the same thing on this side as well to complete one rep, and then repeat.

 Triceps Extension

Stand in a comfortable stance, or sit tall in a chair, with your core engaged. Hold the medicine ball in both of your hands with your arms extended over your head, your inner arms grazing your ears. Try to resist the urge to lurch the arms forward and make an elephant noise. Next, bend your elbows, lowering the ball behind your head until your arms form a 45-degree angle or as far as feels comfortable for you. Squeeze your triceps to straighten your arms, bring the ball back to your starting position.

 Biceps Curl

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding the med ball in both hands at the chest. Keeping the elbows close to the body, lower the ball toward the ground until the arms are fully extended. Then curl the ball back up to the chest. Lower the arms back to the starting position. Repeat.

V-Up

How To: Lie flat on your back, legs extended but at least try not to snooze on the mat. Reach your arms over your head. Just like you do first thing in the morning with your stretch but only with a medicine ball in both hands. Engage your core to lift your hands and feet simultaneously, so the body forms a “V” position. At the top of the “V,” pass the ball from the hands to the feet. Squeeze the ball between your sneaks, and slowly lower the arms and legs back down to the floor. Return to the “V,” and pass the ball back to the hands. That’s one rep. Wipe the sweat from your brow. Repeat.

 Overhead Slam

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and knees slightly bent. Hold a medicine ball in both hands, and lift it overhead. Then bend at the hips, slightly hinging forward, but be careful not to arch your back, and slam the ball on the ground directly in front. You can ask fellow gym-goers nicely if it’s OK to slam the ball down. But if not don’t slam too hard, control is essential. Retrieve the ball and then repeat.

 Crunch with Medicine Ball Hold

Lie on back with legs in tabletop position, bent 90 degrees. Holding ball overhead, crunch up, and place the ball on ankles, keeping feet and legs steady. We know, just try. Lie back to start position, holding the ball in place. Crunch back up, grab the ball, and return to start position, holding ball overhead. Repeat.

Straight-Leg Sit-Up

Ready to take the standard sit-ups up a notch? Lie flat, back directly on the mat, with a medicine ball in both of your hands. Extend your arms straight so the ball is directly above the hips. While keeping the legs together, raise them directly over the hips to the ceiling (so the body forms a giant “L”). With control, return to the start position and repeat.

 Hay Bailer

Kneel on your right knee, with your left foot back. Keep your toes curled under to form a 90-degree angle. Hold the medicine ball in both of your hands and close to your body while keeping your torso tight, and perpendicular to the floor. Bring the medicine ball toward your right hip, while maintaining the rest of the body forward, then transfer it diagonally up and across the body. Hold this position for at least a few seconds before returning to your start position. Repeat this movement in the opposite direction with your right foot forward. Pro tip: The more your arms are extended, the harder the move is.

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/fun-exercises-with-a-medicine-ball/

Must Try Medicine Ball Exercises

1. Rock and Roll Up

This one is a tough exercise at first to coordinate but hits all your major muscle groups in one powerful move. Lie down, back to the mat, with knees bent. Hold a medicine ball on the ground with arms fully extended overhead. Pull the knees into the chest, preparing to use the weight of the ball (and the strength of your core!) to help catapult you to a controlled squat position, then standing. Next, slowly lower back into a squat, and ease back to the floor, butt first before lying back down. Repeat

2. Lunge With Overhead Press

Stand with your feet together, holding a lightweight medicine ball in front of the chest in both hands. Lift the right foot off the floor, bending the knee, and hold this position for one count before stepping forward into a lunge. With the body weight shifting to the right leg, reach the medicine ball straight overhead. While still in the lunge, pull the ball back to the chest, and bring the front leg back to the starting position and repeat.

3. Lunge With Twist

Engage your core, standing hip width apart with your shoulders relaxed. Hold the medicine ball a few inches in front of the chest, step forward into a lunge position with the right leg. For safety, keep the knee from sliding forward past the toes. Get deep into that lunge, making sure the front thigh is parallel to the floor, then with extended arms, reach the medicine ball to the right, rotating the torso at the same time. Maintain the lunge and return to center. Come to standing, then lunge with the other leg (and turn to the left this time). Do the twist in place, or moving forward as walking lunges.

4. Squat Press and Throws

Keep your heels grounded, then come to a squat position as if you were sitting in an invisible chair. Drive through your heels to jump up, and throw the medicine ball as straight up and as high as possible. Then get the heck out of the way quickly! Let the ball drop to the ground and then repeat.

5. Reverse Swings

This move could be almost as disastrous as if you threw a bowling ball the wrong way, so read and perform carefully. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a medicine ball directly in front of your chest, with your elbows pointing down towards the floor. Then lower yourself into a squat, by keeping your back flat, and your head facing forward. Reach the medicine ball back between the legs. Ready for the fun part? Explosively swing the ball up overhead to the point that it reaches behind the head and neck. Just don’t throw it backward! Keep those abs contracted as your ankles, your knees, and your hips extend. For some bonus points, throw the ball to the ground. Repeat.

6. Single-Leg Squat

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, your knees slightly bent. Then lift your right foot off the ground and extend it forward. Hold a medicine ball in front of your belly button. Lower your body into a squat position, while sitting back into an imaginary chair with the knees safely placed over the feet. Return to your start position, and then switch legs. That’s one rep.

7. Reaching Romanian Deadlift

This exercise takes balance, and a little breathing room to fully extend your body. You want to start by standing on your right leg, with the medicine ball in both of your hands. Bend your right knee slightly, and hinge forward at the hips, extending the left leg straight back. And for an extra challenge, you can extend your arms overhead. Your body should now form a straight line that is perpendicular to your standing leg. Return your extended leg back to the floor, and then repeat, then switch legs. Single-Leg Hip Bridge

8. Single-Leg Hip Bridges

Start by laying on your back and place the sole of the right foot on your medicine ball. Thrust your hips up towards the sky. With the left leg straight in the air, with all your weight that is supported by the right foot and the shoulders. Hold this for at least one count, then slowly return yourself to the start position with the butt on the mat, and then repeat.

9. Step Jumps

Keep your medicine ball at your heart, and never let go (just kidding) but while straddling the middle of a low bench or step. Make sure to find one that is sturdy enough! Drop down into a squat until your bottom comes in contact with the bench. Stand about six inches from the low bench or platform, and jump onto it, so that your feet will land in a natural, wide stance. Carefully proceed to jump back down to the start position and repeat.

10. Circle Squats

Start by holding a medicine ball at the right hip in a standing position. Rotate the ball overhead toward the left, while stepping out the left leg to into a squat (just like a sumo wrestler). Turn the ball all the way to the right side of your body, while still standing in the squat position, then step your feet back together, and move the ball back to the right. Repeat this and then switch directions.

11. Rolling Push-Up

Add a medicine ball to your standard push-up and watch it quickly morph the upper body-blaster into an even more challenging type of move. Get into a high-plank with the medicine ball under one of your hands, and lower your chest toward the floor to perform a push-up. Return yourself to a high-plank and then roll the ball to the other side of you. You can modify this by dropping to your knees.

12. Medicine Ball Push-Up

Drop down and get real low. Start yourself in a traditional push-up position, tuck your toes under, place the palms of your hands on the medicine ball, and shift your body weight all the way forward until you’re in a plank position. Keeping your core tight, and your head aligned with your spine, slowly lower your chest toward the ball until it just about touches, keeping your elbows pinned tightly against your sides. Finish this move by pressing upward through your arms until they become fully extended. Again, if you need any adjustments, feel free to pop your knees on the mat. Weighted Superman

 

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/must-try-medicine-ball-exercises/

Conjugated Linoleic Acid

While many people will hear “butter and beef” and immediately think about heart attacks and weight gain, but the truth is that all types of natural fats are healthy and even beneficial when you eat high-quality versions of them and have them in moderation.

Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, is the name given to a group of chemicals found in the fatty acid called linoleic acid. A few of the primary sources of CLA in the diet include full-fat dairy products, beef, and butter. But many people think of these foods as being “unhealthy” sources of saturated fat, but they also provide essential CLA, which is a type of polyunsaturated fat that we must obtain from our diets.

The human body needs all three types of fats, even saturated fats, for optimum health, they all have various functions, from pregnancy to digestion to brain function. Not only is it true that eating fat doesn’t make you fat, but the certain types of healthy fats are some of the best fat-burning foods available.

Quality is very crucial to fats, especially the kinds that come from animal products. CLA is known to fight cancer, block weight gain and help build muscle, and it’s almost exclusively found in high-quality beef and butter from healthy, grass-fed cows or other animals.

 

Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA Benefits Include:

 

-Helping with weight loss
-Muscle-building and strength improvements
-Anticancer effects
-Bone-building benefits
-Growth and developmental support
-Reversing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
-Improving digestion
-Reducing food allergies and sensitivities

There isn’t a stable daily recommended dose of CLA, but studies show that the average daily intake is approximately 152–212 milligrams for non-vegetarian women and men. Because CLA is found in animal products, vegans and vegetarians usually have lower levels.

For certain benefits like reducing body fat in obese patients, a dose of 1.8 to 7 grams per day has been used successfully. But amounts on the smaller side of that range might be plenty since some research shows that greater than 3.4 grams per day don’t seem to offer any additional benefits.

 

How Does Conjugated Linoleic Acid Work?

 

All types of fats (lipids) — whether from animal products, eggs, dairy, oils, nuts, seeds or coconuts — are made up of fatty acids. Some fats are considered essential because the body cannot produce them on its own, while others are non-essential because the body can synthesize them from other nutrients. The essential fats we need to obtain from our diet include polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish, seafood, eggs and some nuts or seeds) and polyunsaturated omega-6 fats (mostly found in vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds).

These two types both have significant but somewhat opposite, effects in the body; omega-3s are known as being anti-inflammatory while omega-6s are inflammatory. We need both kinds of essential fats to balance our immune, hormone, digestive and nervous system functions, which is why so many low-fat diet risks exist when someone skips out on eating enough healthy fats.

Ideally, the food would be equal regarding omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid intakes, but the standard American diet is much higher in omega-6s, which is why it’s known for being so “inflammatory.” Unfortunately, inflammation is at the root of most chronic diseases — including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, autoimmune disorders, and dementia.

Among different types of fatty acids, there are saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are three names used to describe fats chemical structures. Each type provides different benefits and functions thanks to its particular effects on our bodies’ various systems. All fatty acids are strings of carbon atoms bonded to a hydrogen bond. When every carbon acid is bonded to hydrogen, saturated fat is formed; if one pair of carbon atoms form a bond a monounsaturated fat is formed; and when there are more than two unsaturated bonds a polyunsaturated fat is formed.

CLA is a type of polyunsaturated fat, specifically an omega-6 fatty acid. It’s believed that certain microbes that live in the gastrointestinal tract of ruminant animals convert linoleic acid into different forms of CLA through a biohydrogenation process. This process changes the position and configuration of the fat’s double bonds, resulting in a single bond between one or both of the two double bonds.

Usually, we describe a food source as being one type of fat (such as olive oil is monounsaturated or beef being saturated), but the truth is that nearly every food is made up of different kinds of fats. The primary omega-6 fat is called linoleic acid, and it’s found in foods including grains and vegetable oils (like corn, safflower, sunflower or canola oil). Omega-6 oils are now known to be overly consumed and therefore dangerous, mostly from people consuming lots of processed junk foods made with low-quality oils.

As you can see, both types of essential fats not only need to be obtained from the foods we eat, but it’s also very vital that we eat them in the right amounts. Conjugated linoleic acid is one type of omega-6 fat we can afford to eat more of because it tends to act like an omega-3 food in the body, helping lower inflammation and promote other aspects of health. It also helps turn off hunger (by controlling our hunger hormone called ghrelin) and can improve your ability to absorb nutrients. There are 28 different forms of CLA, but two seem to be the most important. These are called “c9, t11” and “t10, c12.”

 

source http://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/conjugated-linoleic-acid/