50 Shades of Kettlebell

Elements tend to be perceived into groups if they are sharing an area with a clearly defined boundary. — Law of Common Region

Affinity Diagram is the design exercise that I enjoy the most so far. Through this process, we not only organize ideas based on commonalities and relationships for better insights, but I also get to see other people’s ideas that are similar to mine. I feel excited when I’m able to find common ground between different things, and categorize different ideas into groups. The most fascinating thing to me is how ideas can sometimes be interpreted or labeled in unexpected ways, making me curious about how things are related in our minds.

For this week’s assignment, we are going to make 50 different renderings of an object. In terms of variations, 50 sounds like a lot, and I do not recall a time in my life when I needed to come up with that many ideas. Yet there were times I was facing 50 or more different options: choosing a movie to watch; shopping for clothing; choosing a shade of color for hair dye; picking out an apple from a pile of them in grocery stores…

We are often presented with many choices, but we don’t recognize their differences, so we like to categorize and label each one with a concept we are already familiar with. That’s much easier than figuring out the differences.

“50 Shades of ___” implies that you view an object in different circumstances, and you try to visualize the differences.

The other day I bought a 25lb kettlebell to use at home as an alternative to going to the gym. Compared to other gym equipment, the design of kettlebells has always been interesting to me.

• Kettlebells have a simple look. Unlike some odd-looking machines, you do not need to read instructions to figure out how to grab a kettlebell.
• The weight and size range from 5 lbs to 50 lbs, which can be adapted to suit most people’s needs.
• Kettlebells do not need to be used in pairs like dumbbells, one works just great for full-body exercise.
• Very user-friendly appearance, the handle is clearly defined, smooth, and easy to grab. It also has a sturdy base that prevents it from rolling off the platform.

Kettlebell workouts have been proven to improve strength, mobility, and flexibility. Since its invention in Russia in the 18th century, people have created a variety of ways to use it for exercising.

After researching and gathering images, videos tutorials, I sketched 50 different kettlebell workouts on paper.

Being a regular at the gym for a couple of years, I’ve seen many people training, sweating, competing with themselves but I have never given much thought to our relationship with gym equipment. It is more important to me to use the correct form and train effectively than to understand why different forms and machines are effective in building different muscles.

We use equipment to reach the point where we can challenge ourselves. Equipment is designed to help us find an “unnatural” position that stimulates certain muscle groups. They are not just tools. We empower equipment when we work out on it just as it was designed to empower us.

A kettlebell is perhaps the most versatile exercise equipment available today, providing so many diverse human interactions. Even just “Clean” has 8 variations. The idea goes that when one method is developed, there must be an alternative for those who need more challenging ones and those who need less challenging ones, and then many workouts derive.

Even halfway through my drawing, I’m blown away by the power of the kettlebell, and I wish I could portray the beauty of human-machine interaction.

• In my observation, kettlebell movements mimic the movements you perform in life.
• No matter what technique you use, the kettlebell is so compatible with the human body that it doesn’t feel too weird to handle, but it’s hard to master.
• The variety of kettlebell exercises offers people of any fitness level the opportunity to build strength and endurance.
• Each kettlebell exercise trains different muscle groups and adds tension differently. Making you feel like you’re working with totally different objects.

At the end of my sketching, I realized that although I had drawn 50 different variations, I didn’t pay too much attention to the differences, and it’s not what I’m looking for to learn in this exercise. In fact, I gained a deeper understanding of the object as a whole, both conceptually and practically.