Kettlebell Workouts

The Kettlebell is taking the weight loss and bodybuilding industry by storm. If you’re interested in burning fat, building muscle and increasing strength, then the kettlebell workouts are exactly what you need. A kettlebell is an iron ball with a handle on it that ranges from 10-106lbs. If you are overweight, you will lean out. If you are skinny, you will get built up. Kettlebell training is the solution to trying to squeeze cardiovascular, resistance, functional AND flexibility training in an already overbooked schedule. Kettlebell movements will develop strength, endurance and flexibility at the same time; faster than any other method.

Although kettlebells have been around since the 1700s in Russia, they have recently made their impact in the United States, thanks to Pavel Tsatsouline, founder of the Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC). Kettlebells are not a fad: they have been proven to work for years. The off-centered nature of the weight makes training with it singularly difficult if you lack the proper form.

If you are a man that wants to increase size and strength, try doing some of my favorite kettlebell exercises: Double Clean and Press, Double Front Squat, Renegade Row, Double Swing, and the Double Clean. If you are a woman that wants to lose weight and tighten up your glutes, quads, abs, and arms, apply a steady diet of kettlebell training ballistic work with some low rep kettlebell training strength work and you are all set.

In addition to being lean and strong, your body will learn how to work as one unit. Your muscular endurance and mental toughness will show improvement tremendously. Best of all, you do not have to go to the gym to get an incredible workout. Give kettlebells a shot for three months and I sincerely doubt that you will ever want to go back to barbell curls and leg raises. Kettlebell workouts utilize the whole body; the legs, hips, abdomen, back, arms and shoulders work in coordinated movement. Unlike bodybuilding style workouts that focus all the stress on a single muscle group through isolation, kettlebell style training recruits as many different muscle groups as possible at the same time. This trains the user to use his or her body synergistically, moving as a coordinated whole. Thus, a kettlebell, when used properly, develops strength, flexibility, AND cardio all at the same time!

As handle size increases with the weight of the kettlebell, the heavier the bell the harder your grip will have to work, which is great if you’re after forearms of steel. Many women prefer to start with a smaller, less intimidating bell so prefer the Classic 8kg and find it more comfortable to use.