Project Description

INKTOBER 52 2023 Day #24: KETTLE (BELL).

In addition to drawing a monkey with a plunger on his head (and occasionally other things), I’m a martial artist and all around workout nerd. I began working out when I was around 12 years old by doing pushups and sit-ups in secret in my bedroom (those were really the only two exercises I knew at the time). I was a skinny, weird kid. I got bullied a lot. I had low self-esteem and poor self-confidence. Somehow, I got the notion that if I were huge and muscled like my favorite superheroes, people would leave me alone. My father was lifting weights at the time, and after my classmates and bullies saw him in a short sleeve shirt at a school function, the next day all they wanted to do was ask me about how much he could lift and how he trained. It was a brief respite from the harassment, and it further cemented the idea that if I had muscles, the bullying would stop.
On top of that, I discovered I liked how I felt when working out. I liked challenging myself, pushing my limits, overcoming challenges, doing things that I didn’t think I could. Between freshman and sophomore year of high school, I began lifting weights with some friends. Soon, I no longer worked out to stop the bullying, I worked out because I enjoyed it…and maybe became a little obsessive about it. I like finding new ways to move, new challenges to overcome. I’ve lifted weights, done odd object lifting, calisthenics, basic gymnastics, run, sprinted, climbed, punched, kicked, and yes, tossed kettlebells around. They are fun tools for developing explosive power, among other things. The kettlebell “swing”-performed either with two hands or one-is one of the most classic movements with this implement. I don’t know how much PMD’s kettlebell weighs, but I don’t think I could swing a bell the size of my head around so easily. Maybe someday I’ll achieve monkey strength…