Corey Wesley
What is a kettlebell?
Corey Wesley describes it as a "cannon ball with a handle", a highly powerful training tool which simultaneously develops strength and cardiovascular fitness, providing twice the results in half the time.
Wesley has long been an aspiring kettlebell athlete and established trainer. He discovered the sport while training as a sprinter for the North American Indigenous Games and was hooked after just a few workouts: "I felt invincible; like no one could beat me." He went on to win 5 medals at the competition.
This experience sparked a life-long passion and Wesley currently instructs 10 kettlebell and boot camp classes during the summer months... and trains on the side.
"I enjoy teaching but I prefer to train alone. For me it's very spiritual."
Wesley also operates his own website dedicated the sport, which receives 250-400 hits a day. He continues to be contacted by many instructors and asked to review their training DVDs.
The kettlebell is by no means a new fitness innovation; in fact, it's been used by athletes in Russia since the 1700s. But the sport has enjoyed recent peak in popularity with fitness instructors raving about its effectiveness and efficiency. However, scientific evidence to back these claims is lacking.
Through his thesis, Wesley hopes to fill this void by carrying out a "maximum kettlebell stress test" and measuring the metabolic response. His supervisor is extremely excited about the project as it's largely charting new territory. "In terms of empirical data, there's nothing out there right now."
For Wesley, a major draw to Lakehead's kinesiology program was having the freedom to research his passion and essentially being asked what he wanted to study. After graduation, he hopes to continue with the kettlebell well into the future and aspires to eventually open his own training business. With his recent RKC certification, which he describes as a "master's in kettlebell", Wesley desires to offer high-calibre fitness training and is also interested in providing diabetes rehabilitation services. Through these undertakings, he endeavours to promote fitness for life:
"I recognize exercise to be essential to maintenance and longevity... Rather than exercising for superficial reasons, fitness should be a lifelong pursuit; it's about preventing disease, staying as young as you can, and essentially functioning at your best."