Neller developed his muscles using a tool he guarantees will get you fit better than any other workout item — the Russian kettlebell.

And at 50 years old, it’s working for him. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and former submarine officer, Neller’s 28 years of military experience has exposed him to various forms of exercise. After discovering the Russian kettlebell, however, he left many of those behind.

“I’ve never been a big equipment guy, so I’m kind of old school in that way,” Neller said. “So when I started using the kettlebell a couple years ago, I really liked the workout, and it’s pretty basic. You use every muscle in your body.”

The kettlebell is a metal ball topped by a metal handle and can vary from 15-100 pounds. You swing the kettlebell overhead or press them in repetitions.

“The big thing about kettebells is that unlike traditional weight lifting, it creates this dynamic situation where your muscles have to balance and contract,” Neller said.

Neller’s former workout regiment included a lot of jogging, but now that he uses the kettlebell, he said he doesn’t notice if he takes a day off from running.

“I don’t lose anything if I don’t run,” he said. “If you do a kettlebell workout, you get it all-in-one workout — strength, aerobics, flexibility.”

At the Trainers Studio, 3480 Dunckel Road, in Lansing, Neller is a personal trainer with the kettlebell.

He doesn’t typically help bodybuilder types, but people looking to gain flexibility and strength.

“If you want to be really huge, that’s not what you’re going to get,” he said. “I’ll have guys that are big weight lifters, and because you need flexibility to do the kettlebell, they’ll struggle. I’ll be like, ‘What’s going on with the big shoulders? You can’t even lift that weight over your head!’”

The Russian kettlebell isn’t limited to the workout crowd. Neller said he has used the tool with teenagers, athletes and overweight individuals.

“I’ve had clients which are morbidly obese, and something as simple as walking is difficult for them,” he said. “But the kettlebell doesn’t do that, so I can get you moving, get your heart rate elevated, without doing stressful things to your joints.”

Although injuries might result from dropping the ball, Neller compares it to any other sport requiring professional training.

“If you hurt yourself using a kettlebell, it’s your fault because you’re using improper form, or you don’t understand what you’re doing,” he said.

For more information on the Russian kettlebell, or training with Mike Neller, visit his Web site at www.mikenellerpt.com.