Posts Tagged ‘Kettlebells’
Kettlebell Exercises and training is a great way to workout. As you know, I boast about using kettlebells for cardio training and abdominal training. Today I’m going to combine kettlebell exercises with abdominal exercises known as reactive abdominal training. This is a method of training your abdominals to stabilize your torso during athletic movement.
For this particular kettlebell exercise find a partner. They will stand in front of you as you swing the kettlebell forward. As you lift the kettlebell to shoulder height, your partner will try and push the kettlebell away from you during the swing. The whole idea is to keep the kettlebell at your midline or above your belly button. As you do this exercise , you will have to engage the abdominals for stabilization. Don’t forget to have your partner stand on both sides. You can do this exercise as a number of reps or amount of time, 30 seconds on one side, 30 seconds on the other.
Kettlebell exercises constantly prove unique ways to train and certainly add to muscle confusion. This is just one of the many reactive type abdominal training that can be done.
I am always talking about the positive effects of kettlebell training. As you know, I am a big fan of using kettlebells for strength training, core enhancing and the cardio benefits. The following exercise that I will discuss is a more advanced move of the basic Clean exercise called Guerrilla Cleans. This is an excellent exercise, for strength and cardio depending on the weight of your kettlebells. You will build shoulder strength. You will use your core for stability. The legs and glutes will be working hard as well as the arms and back.
The Guerrilla Clean:
- Get 2 kettlbells of equal weight.
- Clean 1 kettlebell while holding the other with a straight arm.
- Bend your knees and switch, cleaning the the 2nd kettlebell and lowering the first.
- Do this move quickly, simultaneously, and as smoothly as possible.
- Work the move for 30 seconds.
- Rest, repeat and get into a rhythmic movement.
Keep your core tight and your back straight. Start off slowly, then move more quickly as you get a rhythm going. You’ll feel this move all over. It is a kettlebell exercise to use as a warm up or a cool down with your kettlebell training.
Kettlebell exercises combined together can produce comprehensive fat burning workouts! Here is a Weekend Workout you can try with 3 kettlebell exercises, that will increase your heart rate, tone your muscles and produce a fat burning workout.
The combination in this fat burning workout includes:
- 10 Snatches on 5 with each arm
- 10 Kettlebell Burpees
- 10 Swings
You would do each of these exercises:
- 30 seconds
- 15 seconds of rest between exercises
- 3-5 rounds of the combo
There are ways to make the Burpees more intense, by using 2 kettlebells and doing a pushup between jumping back and forth. Then, when you jump forward, pick up the kettlebells and jump up holding them.
There also options with the Swing. You can do single hand swings, hand to hand swings, 2 hand
swings, or flips. The intensity gradually increases.
I’ve called this the “Weekend Workout”, but obviously, it can be done during the week, in addition to other fat burning workouts.
Kettlebell workouts can be challenging. If you are looking to continue working with kettlebells and want to kick it up a notch, use 2 kettlebells at the same time. First understand , that you must maintain proper form using 1 kettlebell first before graduating on to more advanced kettlebell workouts.
One of the advanced kettlebell workouts you can try is the snatch:clean combo. Clean one kettlebell while you execute a snatch with the other kettlebell. When you first start practicing this, stay with the one side snatching and the other arm doing a clean, before you move onto alternating arms.
Repeat the same exercise on one side first so you can get the timing down. Then switch, doing the same number of reps of a clean and snatching with the opposite arms. Once your coordination gets better, then try alternating each exercise simultaneously with both arms. Do this and other kettlebell exercises for 30 seconds each as part of your advanced kettlebell workouts!
Kettlebell Burpees, how fun!! Here are some add on kettlebell exercises to add to the basic kettlebell burpee. First of all, the kettlebell burpee is a good warm up exercise, because it gets the blood flowing, the heart pumping and the muscles ready to work.
The basic Burpee:
- Get 2 of the same weight kettlebells and place them on the floor next to your legs.
- Stand up tall then squat down to pick up the kettlebells.
- Stand back up with the kettlebells.
- Squat and place the kettlebells on the floor.
- Still holding on to the kettlebells, jump your feet back.
- Jump the feet forward and stand tall without the kettlebells.
- Start all over again.
You can add-on to this kettlebell exercise, by adding in a push up, when your legs are back. There is another add-on which intensifies this exercise, and that is after your push up, still holding on to the kettlebells jump the feet forward and jump up with the kettlebells!
There, you have 3 different kettlebell exercises to warm up your muscles and burn some fat as an added bonus!
One of the kettlebell exercises I will discuss is call the Turkish Get Up. This exercise can be done with a barbell, dumbbell and kettlebell. The Turkish Get Up has been around for years and is becoming fashionable these days in the gym with kettlebells. It is one of the most excellent full body kettlebell exercises you can do to build body strength. This exercise uses the core, all the major muscles, and your back extensors. It improves power, flexibility and shoulder stability as you “getup” off the floor.
- Lay down on the floor with the kettlebell (KB) on your right side.
- Roll over to your side and grab the KB with your right and left hands.
- Hug the KB to your chest, and lift the KB directly above the right shoulder.
- Arm is fully extended and the wrist stays straight and does not bend.
- Bend your right knee.
- Extend left arm out to the side on a 45 degree angle.
- Push up on the left elbow, pushing through the right heel.
- The right butt cheek is lifted off the floor as you push all the way up on your left arm.
- Lift the hips up, placing left knee on the floor into a lunge position, pushing into a full stand.
- All the while you are looking up at the KB.
- Lower the left knee on the floor back into a reverse lunge.
- Bringing the left leg through and extend, place left hand on the floor and slowly lower your body back into a reclining position.
- Repeat 10-12 times on one side and switch sides.
This may be difficult at first, so take it slow and easy. This is one of the classic kettlebell exercises that works the entire body!
As we have discussed early on, kettlebell exercises are multi-functional. By that I mean, kettlebell exercises work multiple muscle groups with any given exercise. Today’s kettlebell exercise that we will discuss is The 2 Hand Swing.
- Pick an appropriately weighted kettlebell.
- Grab both sides of the handle.
- Squat down holding the kettlebell (KB) in front you and almost tap the floor with the KB.
- Hips are pushed back, knees do not go passed the toes.
- Exhale and push up from the squat, and swing the KB above your head.
- Keep the swing controlled as you lift over head.
- Squat back down lowering the KB in front of you (inhaling).
- Exhale and stand up and swing KB above your head.
- Repeat 12-15 times.
This is one of the kettlebell exercises that works your quads, butt, abs, biceps, and your upper back, plus it will increase your heart rate. Remember to always keep your workout fresh with knew exercises!
Kettlebell exercises are always good. They can work your muscles in a different way and always works your core. There are many kettlebell exercises that can be rotated into your workout routine. Here is a lower body kettlebell exercise called the Tactical Lunge.
- Stand tall with abs in tight and shoulders back holding 1 kettlebell.
- Step back with 1 leg into a lunge. Watch that the front knee is directly above the ankle.
- Once in a lunge, bring the kettlebell under the front thigh and switch hands.
- Bring the legs together.
- Step back with the other leg into a lunge.
- Bring the kettlebell under the front thigh and switch hands.
- Keep alternating legs, and switch the kettlebell from hand to hand.
- Always maintain proper form and keep the abdominal muscle engaged.
If you are looking for a great leg and butt exercise this is for you! There are many different kettlebell exercises for you to try, so keep coming back!
Kettlebells can give you great big FAT BURNING workouts! Kettlebells are very versatile and offer great full body conditioning. The best part about kettlebells is you can use them and get fat burning workouts in less than an hour! You are getting strength conditioning and muscle endurance with these short brief intense workouts.
The secret is to select about 8 kettlebell exercises like, The Swing, High Pulls, The Snatch, Reverse Lunges with an Upright Row, Windmill, Circular Clean, Squat and Press, and the Kettlebell Crunch. Do an exercise for 2 minutes, including switching right and left arms when needed and rest for 1 minute. Then move on to the next exercise till you have completed them. These quick moves will keep the heart rate up while you lift and tone your muscles.
Kettlebells are the power house tool for good ‘ol Fat Burning Workouts!
I was thinking today about kettlebell exercises compared to dumbbell exercises and which I liked better. I do like warming up with the swing using a kettelbell. It works the whole body, because you squat and swing the kettlebell to shoulder height. An exercise you can’t really do to well with a dumbbell.
The clean and press exercise is usually done with a barbell instead of dumbbells. I think I like the fact you can lift heavier weight with a barbell. However, I like the ability to do a clean and press unilaterally (one arm) with the kettlebells. You can even out your right/left side dominance.
The squat and press can be done with dumbbells, barbell, and kettlebells. You can definitely hit
heavier weight with the barbell. The dumbbells and kettlebells are about equal. Except, I like the fact that when you push up into the overhead press the kettlebells will have more movement, throwing your balance off causing you to hold in the abs.
There are kettlebell exercises that can’t be substituted by dumbbells, like around the world. It is too cumbersome to use dumbbells and you wouldn’t get the speed required. I prefer to use dumbbells when doing a chest fly.
So I think it’s a 50/50 split between kettlebell exercises and dumbbell exercises. It’s always good to use both during a workout.