To escape the un-gym now and then would be nice. Keeping up the off-bike exercises can get quite tedious. Sometimes I\’m very tired and don\’t have the energy. Other times I get so absorbed in something else that I run short of time for them. Of course there are days when I simply don\’t feel like doing them!

After more than five years of doing the same exercises, a certain staleness seems to be setting in. I\’m starting to want something different. Perhaps a kettlebell?

To begin workouts using a kettlebell weighing 8-12 kg seems like a bit much to me. That\’s 17-26 pounds! I\’d rather start with 10 pounds, maybe less. Here\’s the catch: as I got stronger, I\’d want heavier weights; but there comes a time when both finances and available storage space say, Stop. Doing more reps rather than getting a heavier weight has its limits. A body has only so much time.

It also would be sensible to perform these exercises where you\’ve got plenty of space on all sides. Losing your grip while swinging that thing around could result in significant damage: smashed furniture, a dented bicycle, or even a broken window.

I don\’t have to decide whether to get a kettlebell right now, but it\’s definitely something to keep in mind. Here\’s the catch: soon the kettlebell would seem as un-gym as my other off-bike exercises — and I\’d still wish I could escape the un-gym.