Iron Man Suit or a Kettlebell Workout Routine?
Robert Downey, Jr. sure makes it look easy. And no, this is not about the way he hopped back into the limelight and resumed being a much admired Hollywood actor after nearly wrecking his career and personal life. Some guys have all the luck, as Rod Stewart sang, but that’s neither here or there, as far as this article is concerned.
Actually, what we’re talking about is part of the way that Robert Downey, Jr. portrays Iron Man, especially the way he makes wearing that suit or armor look like he’s wearing air, meaning, it just looks so light to wear… even if it isn’t.
Sure, it’s not really a technologically-advanced suit of ultra high carbon iron and steel hybrid alloy that he wore in the Iron Man movies; it’s just a movie costume, after all. But suspend your disbelief for a while and imagine a real guy with the same height and build of RDJ moving around in a real cumbersome suit of armor. Never mind if it’s got high technology powering it, it’s still an iron and steel hybrid alloy suit, just the same.
Now, imagine yourself geared up in Iron Man’s suit. And, imagine yourself wearing that same armor for a few hours. Would you enjoy it? Or would you end up complaining that it’s just too much of an imposition, it’s dang heavy, and you’re not some superhero?
Yeah, we thought so too.
So, when you start your Kettlebell workout routines, and you find the going challenging, just think of Iron Man and his suit of armor and be glad that you’ve got your Kettlebell routines instead of that costume.
Swinging Kettlebells, doing a Kettlebell squat, a Kettlebell press, or just about anything connected with exercising using that fitness equipment made out of iron or steel has got to be way more manageable and enjoyable than clanking your way through life wearing a suit of armor.
In other words, while you need to condition your mind so that you’ll be prepared to be challenged by Kettlebell routines, you also need to remember that those workout routines can be fun and totally engaging!
Tips to Have a Fulfilling Kettlebell Workout
Are you the sedentary type who just got it into your head that Kettlebell workout routines would be nice to do because your friends are all talking about it, and you’d best try it out too so that you won’t feel out of place when they swap stories about how they’re “kettlebelling” their way to being mean and lean?
Are you a weekend warrior who knows something about exercise, and why it’s good for you, and why you should exercise more aside from the weekend jogs you do, if you could only find more time or motivation to do so?
Are you a total newbie to working out? Does the mere mention of the words and phrases “metabolism,” “muscles,” “moving properly,” and “minding your technique and form” make you gulp out of nervousness?
Wherever you may be on the fitness scale right now, you can have a fulfilling time doing Kettlebell routines. Just make sure that 1) you have a clean bill of health before exercising with Kettlebells, and 2) you keep the following tips in mind:
Kettlebell workout routines require your full attention. When you exercise with Kettlebells, you cannot just rely on movements done by rote.
When you use a treadmill, you can continue moving even as your attention is on what’s showing on your TV. There are even some people who are able to read a newspaper or magazine while on the treadmill (depending on the speed and incline being used, of course).
On the other hand, if your attention is diverted when you are using Kettlebells during a workout, you run the risk of getting injured.
Kettlebell routines are not only for cardiovascular strengthening and for developing endurance through building muscles; they are also meant to improve balance, flexibility, and mobility.
As such, you always need to make sure that your form and technique do not place you at a disadvantage while training. This means you must pay attention to positioning your hip properly, as well as maintaining your balance.
Be Clear on Your Reasons for Doing Kettlebell Workouts
Get it clear in your mind what your goal is for using a Kettlebell. Sure, the general goals are fitness, and health and wellness. But what about your own specific and primary reasons?
Review some of the possible reasons, as given below. Keep in mind that these may not be the only reasons for you wanting to go on a Kettlebell workout. The thing is, when you know what your specific or primary reason is, then it is easier to determine which routines would be best to use, in order of your goals.
- Do you want to lose fat?
- Do you want to develop cardio endurance?
- Do you want to improve your balance?
- Do you want to work on your flexibility and mobility?
- Do you want to build lean muscle mass?
- Do you want to improve your focus or concentration?
- Do you want to lessen your susceptibility to getting stressed?
Make sure that you use the correct size of Kettlebell, depending on the exercise(s) that you will do.
Check your planned workout area and see to it that it is clean, with enough room for your maneuvers while doing your Kettlebell routines and that it is free of clutter or any kind of objects that are not relevant to your workout.
Don’t forget to get your instructional videos ready. These videos are the ones that come with your free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter found at the top of MyFitnessNut.com.
Ensure that the videos you want to use are in queue so that you can clearly watch them. Remove any obstacles that can obscure or block your view because you might miss an important part of the instructions.
Warm-up properly before you start doing the exercises. In the same way, you should also cool down after you are done with your Kettlebell workout routines.
Other Kettlebell Workout Routine Considerations:
- Familiarize yourself with the language used with reference to Kettlebell workouts, so that you’ll be able to do the exercises competently:
- Intensity – this refers to how much weight you will be targeting, or what is the heaviest weight that you want to use during the workout.
- Reps – this means repetitions, or how often you repeat certain moves or exercises
- Sets – this refers to the number of reps that you will do within the workout, with no rest-time factored in.
- Intervals – these are when you do as many reps as you can under a specific time limit. Intervals are good for pushing the importance of cardiovascular endurance to the forefront of your workout.
- Gear – these are materials that are necessary for the Kettlebell routines that you will do. These include:
- Appropriate workout attire
- An exercise mat (as needed by any particular exercise)
- A stopwatch or timer (as needed by any particular exercise)
- Kettlebells of the correct size and number
- Kettlebell demonstration videos
We’re now getting deeper into our Kettlebell exercises, so make sure that your workout area is already prepared before you precede with your Kettlebell workout routines. In the next article “Kettlebell Swings: Doing It Like Elvis”, we’ll work on one of the more popular exercises called the Kettlebell swing.
