The Highland Swing

The Highland Swing is a new program delivered by the kilted coaches. Kettlebells are one of the most effective pieces of equipment for home training, so the Highland Swing Series is going to take you through various workouts around some of the most picturesque locations in Scotland.

This first instalment of the highland swing was filmed at the Hermitage, which is a national trust for Scotland – protected site in Dunkeld. It sits on the banks of the River Braan in Craigvinean Forest. It is home to Ossian’s Hall of Mirrors and Ossian’s Cave. The Hermitage was a stone viewing pavilion which projected out over the edge of the gorge giving visitors a spectacular view of the most turbulent section of the River Braan, the Black Linn Falls.

The Hermitage itself became known as Ossian’s Hall. A group of angular stones above a steep section of valley became known as Ossian’s Seat. Later, an artificial cave was added to the walk through the valley, which, inevitably, became known as Ossian’s Cave. The dramatic stone footbridge over the River Braan near Ossian’s Hall and between the Black Linn Falls and the Black Linn pool avoided the trend and was called Hermitage Bridge. The Hermitage Bridge gives excellent views of the turbulent river below and then to Ossian’s Hall. The original building of Ossian’s Hall was blown up as a protest against tolls on the Dunkeld Bridge. The replacement you see today dates back to 1951 and is rather simpler than the original building. The interior of the recent building remains classical and is decorated in a striking red with mirrored panels. The halls main attraction remains the view from the balcony beyond the glass doors at its far end, over the spectacular Black Linn Falls.

The exercises covered the highland swing workout are:

* 10 Single arm swing into a bicep curl.
* 10 Squat and Press
* 10 Kettlebell Swing
* 10 Jump Squats
* 10 Single Arm Row

Powerful and continuously flowing is what this highland swing workout is going to be.