Sarah Lurie's Pioneering Work Is as Hearty as a Russian Workout

Putting a kettle on might conjure up some warm and cozy images of bone china teacups and freshly baked scones. But there is another variety gaining popularity nationwide and a local entrepreneur is among those leading the way.

More than two years ago, Sarah Lurie, a former Wall Street stockbroker, founded Iron Core - Kettlebell Strength and Conditioning in La Jolla, billed as the first fitness studio on the West Coast to train students exclusively in the use of cast-iron kettlebells. Dating back a few centuries to Russia, where they were known as giryas, these cannon ball-shaped weights with kettlestyle handles were generally favored by strongmen and military types.

But Lurie, 36, saw the potential for the devices, and believed they could benefit all types of bodies.

"I've always been very involved in weight training and athletics," said Lurie, who earned a bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Arizona, and a master's in public administration at San Diego State University. "I got very serious about weight training in college."

Then, in 2002, she discovered kettlebells "by accident," reading some of the books authored by Pavel Tsatsouline, considered the father of modern kettlebells, and credited with bringing them to the United

States. She started incorporating them into her regular fitness regimen.

"I noticed immediately an improvement in my strength level and how I look," said Lurie.

Then she returned to her regular gym.

"I thought, 'This stuff doesn't make any sense to me anymore,' " she recalled. "People I work with report a similar feeling. Kettlebells make a lot of sense to the body, because you move in a way that you move in real life. Our bodies don't move in one dimension."

In 2004, Lurie became certified as a Russian kettlebell instructor by Pavel's organization, russiankettlebells.com. In addition to her classes, she also sells her own instructional DVDs online, and, last December, began distributing them in the United Kingdom and Australia.

The Next Craze

Lurie predicts...