Bristol Kettlebell club member profile – Dave Thompson
When did you get into kettlebell training?
Just over a year ago
What attracted you to kettlebell training?
My wife introduced me to it. I had troublesome ankles so running was no good for me. I used to go to the gym instead but I found it really boring so I was looking for something new. As soon as I got going with kettlebells, I was hooked!
Some say it’s really tough, is it?
It’s as tough as you want it to be. That’s the great thing about it. The groups are a mix of people of all shapes and sizes but you can use whichever size kettlebells you feel comfortable with. No-one ever gets left behind – everyone works at their own pace. Pete’s got a great knack for encouraging you to make progress, but without feeling like a military PE instructor.
What other types of fitness have/do you enjoy?
I like mountain biking.
There is a lot of hype surrounding kettlebell training, what kind of results have you seen?
I’ve dropped from a 36 inch waist to a 32. I feel much stronger and I’ve seen a huge improvement in my stamina and performance when mountain biking. I also find it fantastic for stress management. It helps to keep me sane!
What size kettlebells do you work with?
I started out with 12 and 14 kilos, then progressed up to 16s. I’ve recently started snatching and pressing with 20 kilos, which I couldn’t have dreamed of doing a few months ago.
What are your future goals within kettlebell training?
I’d like to keep getting fitter and stronger. We have regular fitness tests and I want to be able to see my results improve every time. But mainly I just want to keep enjoying myself. It’s really sociable as well as being fantastic exercise. I’ve met some really great people and we often have kettlebell group nights out which are always great fun.
Words from Pete – Dave started out with some one to one training with me before coming to the classes. Within a couple of months he had made very noticeable changes to his body, his waist came in and his shoulders got wide! This was very pleasing to me as I knew this was one of his goals from the start. Dave is flat footed which makes this type of training a bit harder but through consistent effort and perseverance he continues to get fitter and stronger, I am looking forward to seeing what he can do in the fitness test that is coming up in a week or two. Nice work Dave!!
