Birth of the 'Baby'
By Dave Bellomo

Kettlebell training was the foundation of physical development around the turn of the century. Sometime during the forties and fifties it fell out of favor to barbells and eventually machines. Fortunately it’s making a comeback. As I wrote in a previous MILO article, my judo instructor, Dr. Tom Connolly, turned me on to kettlebell training to help me condition for competitive judo. Since that time I’ve been absolutely hooked. In the small gym that I own there isn’t a man or woman that doesn’t practice some form of kettlebell training.

Eventually I started experimenting with the construction of kettlebells and was able to produce a 143-lb kettlebell that came to be known as the "Baby." When the guys at the foundry called me to tell me to pick it up they were kind of laughing and I wasn’t quite sure why. As soon as I walked in the door I saw it. It was beautiful. It was also HUGE! The foundry manager walked in just then and asked, " Who’s gonna lift that thing?" I defiantly said "Someone’s gonna lift it, there are some big guys out there." Then his brother walks in and immediately said "Who’s gonna lift that thing?" Right then I knew I was in trouble.

Dr. Tom came right over to the foundry, not able to wait until later to see it. "Holy cow," he said, "that thing is huge."
"I know, I know," I replied.
Then he said "Did you clean and press it?"
"No, I thought I’d work into it."
"Let’s give it a try," he said.
I was thinking he’s totally nuts at this point. We debated on the best lifting technique for about 10 minutes and finally settled on a swing technique, as the diameter of the ball portion was too large to use a straighter pull. Then he decided to give it a ride. He started by giving a little backward swing to get it moving and then heaved it to his shoulder. It looked like he was tackled by a pro linebacker. He staggered a few feet, got his balance, and then dropped it to the floor.

Now it was my turn. I will admit that I was a bit intimidated at first. With two hands the thing is heavy, with one it feels almost impossible to move. The key, as with most things, turned out to be technique and not muscle. I got it moving the way he did and then gave my hips every bit of power I could muster. I got it, and man was it ugly. Fortunately we weren’t giving points for artistic impression. It felt like somebody drove a sledge- hammer into my shoulder. That week every time someone would come into my gym and ask if the "Baby" could be lifted I gave it a ride. So much so, that I overdid it and had to leave it alone the next week.

The "Baby" certainly added a bit of excitement to my gym and, to my amazement, guys actually wanted to buy the thing. What started out as something fun to make, turned into a staple strength-training implement in my gym and some select gyms around the country. So the next time you hear someone yell, "Hey, Baby," they might not be referring to their girlfriend.