Kettlebell Exercises
Kettlebells are here and taking over, and with them, athletes all over the world are discovering new, exciting kettlebell exercises. Why should you care? Read on and find out!
I was talking to my friend Ian on the phone the other day. He’d fallen off the wagon recently when it came to working out and generally keeping in shape. He used to be a marathon runner, but somewhere along the line, running didn’t feel fun anymore. It was boring!
“I need more excitement in my life! Not less!”, he said.
It was at this point that I told him about a discovery I had made not too long ago – kettlebells.
“Are they fun?” he asked. “Hell yes!”, I replied.
Kettlebells are cannonballs with a handle and a flat surface at bottom. They’re funny looking little things.
Originally from Russia, the kettlebell was used by Russian athletes (or girevik’s, as they’re called in Russia) to create resistance and train with. What initially started off as a simple tool to increase a mans (or womans!) strength was found to be something more. Not only was strength increasing, so was endurance, agility and balance too. The effect of the kettlebell’s weight distribution combined with specialized kettlebell exercises yielded greater results than expected!
It wasn’t until recently that the scientists confirmed what girevik’s have known for a long time – kettlebell exercises are devastatingly effective. A recent study found that a ten minute kettlebell workout burned more calories than fourty five minutes spent on the treadmill. The large compound movements used in kettlebell exercises both increased muscle development and taxed the cardio-vascular system, leading to greatly increased athletic ability and fat loss.
All the while being fun to use!
Women who are new to fitness world would be best off starting with an 8kg kettlebell, with experienced female athletes starting with a 12kg or, if they’re brave enough, 16kg kettlebell. Men who are new to working out would be best off starting with a 16kg kettlebell, with more experienced athletes starting with a 20kg or even a 24kg kettlebell.
While this may not seem like a lot of weight, once you start throwing it around and start tackling those special kettlebell exercises, they’ll feel much, much heavier!
Kettlebell prices vary from site to site, as does the quality of the kettlebells. You might initially gawk at the price of a kettlebell compared to it’s dumbell counterpart, but it’s important to remember that a kettlebell is intended to be kept for life, not replaced within a matter of days. A 16kg kettlebell will be useful for a long, long time. As such, it’s important to get a high quality kettlebell that’ll take any and all punishment you throw at it, with a good guarentee to support it in case it does break.
I’ve bought kettlebells from ‘Art of Strength’ and ‘Dragon Door’ in the past. Their kettlebells are built to last and are very reasonably priced - highly recommended.
Side note - keep on reading if you want to find out about an awesome deal Dragon Door at the moment that’ll give you a kettlebell along with all the resources you’ll need to start training at a reduced price with a one year money back return policy. Interested? I thought you would be. 
So, how do you use your kettlebell? A quick search on the internet will throw up instructions and videos for thousands of kettlebell exercises.. Where are you supposed to start?!
It is critical that kettlebell exercises are carried out properly firstly to ensure your safety and secondly to make your workouts as effective as possible.
This might sound daunting, but thankfully, a trainer by the name of Pavel Tsatouline, the man who introduced America to the kettlebell, has written an essential must have book that I feel any kettlebell enthusiast should have sitting on his or her shelf; “Enter the Kettlebell!: Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen”.
Starting with the kettlebell swing, Pavel’s book provides a training plan that effectively builds up your skills, strength and conditioning. Over a short period of time your athletic skills will intensify as you learn how to incorporate advanced kettlebell exercises such as the clean and the snatch into your workouts. Click here for more info on the book!
The Enter The Kettlebell DVD is also a very useful resource. It’s the perfect companion to the ETK book with Pavel giving step-by-step instructions teaching the basics of kettlebell training while demonstrating the proper form to carry out the exercises effectively and safely. Click here for more info on the DVD!
Whether you’re a novice athlete, a trained boxer or an experienced BJJ grappler, kettlebells will improve your fitness and help you achieve your goals. Give them a go! You won’t regret it.
Oh..
Nearly forgot.
Dragondoor’s one year guarentee means that you can try out kettlebells risk free for a year. Not happy with your kettlebells? Send them back. Their starter packs are perfect for trying out kettlebells containing everything you need to get started including a kettlebell, a dvd and a book with instructions. Also, because you’re buying in a bundle too, you’ll save some cash as well. You’d be mad to miss this one, folks!
The mens starter kit can be found here and the womens starter kit can be found here.
Good luck!
Kettlebell basics
Basic kettlebell drills that can be done anywhere.
Kettlebell Bodybuilding: Exercises to Build Your Body
Filed under: kettlebell, kettlebell exercises, kettlebell training, kettlebells
The Kettlebells
Seek no more! You can achieve a body if you stick yourself to kettlebell bodybuilding. This is a secret weapon, tonic, tip and all things which make a perfect body full of stamina and strength. There are various forms of exercises which tend to build you body. But as you do such exercises please take care of the following few tips on kettlebell bodybuilding.
*Always maintain a routine of kettlebell workouts. You cannot afford to miss your workouts simply due to laziness or other reasons. It won’t show good results.
*Exercise in rhythm. There should be a flow of intensity and volume of your kettlebell exercises. If you always do it rigorously you may not achieve your goal. It is important to give rest to your body.
*Never do kettlebell bodybuilding exercises without proper training or in absence of a trainer if you are new comer.
*try to perform kettlebell exercises with the weights you are advised. Don’t think that overweight or heavy weight exercise can build you muscles.
Once you keep the above said tips in mind you can carry on with your kettlebell bodybuilding exercises without any doubt. Here are few forms of kettlebell exercises perfect to build your body and shapes of muscles.
Kettlebell Crush Curl: This is a very popular form of kettlebell exercise but very few people perform this. Because most people don’t have the aim of bodybuilding. They do kettlebell exercises to keep themselves overall fit. Crush Curl exercise targets your biceps, forearms, pectoral, triceps, chest muscles and others. You must do this exercise very carefully in a slow and controlled manner to reap maximum benefits. Remember this is not a dynamic movement exercise like other kettlebell exercises.
To perform this exercise simply grasp the kettlebell on each side with a palm facing grip. Squeeze as hard as you can so that kettlebell hold tight gripped. You can keep the handle on top to make the session more easier. From bottom position your elbows should be extended and the kettlebell should be in front of your thighs. Now keeping your back straight slowly curl your kettlebell up. Do this simple exercise three times a week and see the developments of you muscles.
Kettlebell Swing: This is an exercise which golfers too perform to get maximum power and distance in the swing. Enter kettlebell swing exercise routine and set the foundations of maximum power and agility. You need to have power along with good body too. Kettlebell swing is a good kettlebell bodybuilding exercise. It is the foundation of most kettlebell lifts.
In this exercise you have to hold a kettlebell of desired weight and swing it between your legs up to your above chest level. The arms must be kept straight and relatively loose. The power is for this workout is generated by your hips. It is necessary to maintain a total body sequencing to perform kettle swing exercise.
Kettlebell Exercises - Safety first.
Filed under: kettlebell exercises, kettlebell safety, kettlebell training
There’s nothing more exciting than swinging a huge weight around your body. It’s a strangely exhilarating feel as you feel it flying through the air with momentum and thrust.
But, getting wrapped up in the moment while losing concentration isn’t a good thing. While kettlebells are perfectly safe to use in a kettlebell training program, they need to be treated with diligence and respect. Here’s a few tips to make sure your kettlebell training is both safe and productive.
First of all, stay in the moment. This is a very zen concept, but it’s crucial. Focus on your form, technique and breathing instead of thinking about things that don’t matter in that moment, like the bills that came through the letterbox that morning or what you’re going to have for dinner tonight. When working out, you should be thinking about kettlebell exercises and nothing else.
Secondly, never try recover a bad rep. It’ll only lead to disaster. If the kettlebell starts to go of on its own path, let it! Move out of the way and leave it to its own devices. Then, once it’s come to a rest, start the exercise again. Make sure to train in areas with loads of space. You never know when you’ll need it.
Thirdly, don’t get cocky. Even light kettlebells need to be used carefully. If you find yourself training with a 12kg kettlebell having used a 16kg for a long time, you should focus more than ever on the technique. “Light” kettlebells are still a force to be reckoned with. Don’t learn this the hard way.
Fourthly, push yourself, but do it sensibly. If you’re new to kettlebell training, starting with a 24kg kettlebell and performing 500 swings is not a good idea. Build up gradually, listen to your body and exercise good judgement when it comes to progressing to more difficult kettlebell exercises and heavier kettlebells.
And, finally, focus on technique rather than number of reps. If you find yourself tired, exhausted and physically unable to do another rep, then switch temporarily to another less strenuous exercise or take a breather. There’s no shame in performing a few sumo deadlifts to catch your breath because you can’t physically do another swing. Performing an additional rep while being physically unable to do so is simply asking for trouble.
Kettlebells are really, really fun to train with. They’re also very effective at building strength and conditioning. When you’re injured, you don’t improve your strength or your conditioning. It worsens.
Train hard. Train well. But don’t train stupid. It works out better in the long run.
The first step. Goal setting.
Everyone’s in a rush. Do this. Do that. We act first and think later. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing, of course. If you don’t take action, nothing ever gets accomplished. The problem occurs when it comes to results – we want results now and sometimes don’t have the patience to see things through. I’ve been guilty of this many times, as I’m sure you have too – its human nature! By setting goals, you can overcome this problem.
Before starting training, it’s important to define goals and decide what course of action is to be taken. It’s important to know what you want so that you can decide how you’re going to get it. By doing this, you can define what results mean to you specifically thereby giving yourself the motivation and the drive to keep on pushing when the going gets tough.
When it comes to goal setting, it is equally important to focus on both the short term and the long term. There are entire books focused on setting goals, but I’m going keep it simple and describe the two most effective techniques I use to make sure I’m on track and headed in the direction I want to be.
First of all, I write down my short term goals and leave them in a place that’s easily visible. I write down a few different types of goals; daily goals, weekly goals, a monthly goal and an over arching three month goal. By breaking your goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, it means that you won’t get overwhelmed. Every step forwards, no matter how small, gives a feeling of accomplishment and keeps the momentum going.
To keep my long term goals in check, I created what is called a vision board. In my vision board, I have pictures of the people I admire when it comes to athletic ability and also body type. For example, my vision board currently has pictures of Pavel Tsatsouline and Mike Mahler, both kettlebell athletes, as well as Daniel Craig and Ryan Reynolds, two celebrities whose physiques I admire. Whenever my motivation lapses, taking one look at that board reminds me why I’m doing what I’m doing.
When you reach a goal, there are a few important things you should do. Firstly, celebrate! Give yourself a pat on the back! Secondly, make a note of your success. Whenever you’re feeling a little down in the dumps, it’s a great feeling to look back and take in what you’ve already accomplished. And, finally, make new goals! Push the boundaries – don’t get complacent. Keep pushing yourself.
The importance of goal setting cannot be understated. This simple exercise can be the difference between failure and success.
So, open a notepad document, grab a piece of paper, whatever – you decide – and spend a few minutes writing down some goals. They don’t have to be perfect - just start writing.
Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
(A bonus technique here for those of you who might be experiencing an especially rough patch. About a year ago, I was having a bit of difficult sticking to my regime. About a year ago, I’d been injured sparring while boxing and I couldn’t find the motivation to get back into training. I decided I needed to take drastic action. I wrote out a check for $250 and gave it to my best friend.
“If I miss a single training session and I don’t have a good excuse, I want you to cash the check and spend it on something as soon as you possible can”, I told him.
Funnily enough, I haven’t missed a session since! Not for the faint of heart, but definately effective.)