Ideal Exercises to Get Ripped Abs

Ripped abs are available to the right people.

The number one mistake thousands of guys make when trying to get ripped abs is assuming that doing countless reps of crunches or other ab exercises is going to get them ripped. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Most of the ab exercises such as sit-ups, crunches and even leg raises tend to be isolation exercises. That means these exercises will tone and work the abs and only the abs. But that is a good thing right?

I’m afraid not. I’m assuming your body fat percentage is above 10 percent. If it was 10 percent or lower, you wouldn’t need to read this article. You would already have ripped abs.

Compound Exercises Burn Fat to Expose Ripped Abs Faster

In order to see your abs, you need a low body fat percentage. The best exercises to burn off the fat are compound exercises and NOT isolation exercises. Knowing the difference is key.

A bicep curl is an isolation exercise because it only works the bicep. A barbell deadlift is a compound exercise; you will work your legs, thighs, hamstrings, lower back and even your forearms. Your core muscles are not spared either. So, when 1 single exercise recruits so many muscle groups, you can bet that is a lot of work done.

Your body will burn more calories and that means more fat is burned. You may research online the different compound exercises that you can do. I’ll list a few that you can start on immediately.

These are some of the top exercises I’d strongly recommend learning. When doing them, you need to aim for a weight that will allow you to do about 10 to 12 reps. Combine the different exercises and do 3 sets in total.

Keep you rest time between exercises and sets minimal. I’d suggest a 15 to 20 seconds rest between exercises and a 2 minute rest between sets. Your goal is to complete the workout as fast as possible while maintaining good form for each exercise.

Intensity in Your Workout is Crucial to Reveal Ripped Abs

This will ensure intensity in your workout which is so crucial in burning fats. Keep your workout to about 20 – 45 minutes depending on the exercises you choose and the shape you are in. Record your workout and the duration in a journal. Try and improve your timing each time you work out. Once you can’t improve it further, add more weight and start all over again.

You will want to change up your routine every moth or six weeks. This will keep your body guessing and you will not hit a plateau. Mix up your resistance training with cardio and work different major muscle groups on different days.

On days where you are not working with weights, go for a run or swim. Cycling, skipping and rowing are other excellent forms of cardio. The 2 most effective ones are running and skipping. They will give your body a heart pounding workout that will elevate your metabolic rate and cause an oxygen deficit. This translates to optimum fat burning. Even 30 minutes of hard cardio can make your body burn fat for hours.

You want to get the maximum benefit from your workouts. This will speed up the duration it takes to get ripped. You will be more motivated when you start seeing results. So, follow the tips above closely and you will have won half the battle.

Learn More about Fitness Nutrition and How To Reveal Ripped Abs

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Are Six Pack Abs Determined by Food Choices?

Food choices are important for six pack abs.

There is a saying in bodybuilding, “Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.” That basically means, that you will only see your abs if you watch what you eat. Is it true? Definitely! It is gospel!

You can give your best at the gym and train till your heart feels like it’s going to explode or your muscles are about to burst but if your diet is not good, all your efforts will be in vain and you will never ever see a six pack. You will be fit but you just will not have a six pack.

Why?

Because for a guy to see his six pack abs, his body fat percentage should be around 10 percent or below. Even the genetically blessed guys will have to be around 11 to 12 percent. So, every calorie you eat counts.

Stick with Six Days for Six Pack Abs

Your diet needs to be clean and healthy. You may have one cheat day a week where you go berserk and moderately stuff yourself with your favorite foods. In fact, it is highly recommended that you have 1 cheat day a week. This will motivate you, make you happier and it will boost your metabolism so that your body does not go into starvation mode.

You will want to eat single ingredient foods on the other 6 days. That means you will want to avoid processed foods such as pizza, pasta, etc. A single ingredient food would be chicken breast, broccoli, fruits, etc. It sounds cliché but it is these foods that will give you the six pack. You need the right proportion of protein, carbs and fats and they must be derived from healthy sources.

Foods That Turn Your Six Pack Abs into One Pack Abs

There are some foods that are cardinal sins to consume. Eating these will just about guarantee that you never have six pack abs. Not only do they pile on the calories but some are not even good for your body.

Avoid white flour products. Bread, pastries, cakes, etc. Avoid white rice too. These foods have a high glycemic index. What that means is that these foods will trigger an insulin response in your body. When your insulin levels spike, that is not good for fat loss. You want to maintain a steady insulin level in your body.

Avoid sodas including the diet sodas which contain aspartame. Many people have reported on the ill effects of aspartame. Nothing is proven yet but let’s err on the side of caution and just avoid them. Drink water. It is your best friend. Your body needs water to metabolize fats.

Avoid dairy products and milk. There are 2 groups of people. One who think dairy is good and the other who think it’s bad. My suggestion, stick with the water. Always.

Ice cream, candy, popcorn, pizza, pasta, peanuts, pancakes, junk food, etc. are all foods that must be kept at bay. The fact of the matter is this. You already know the foods to avoid. Deep down you know. It’s the sacrifices that make the process so difficult.

Maintain your determination and discipline with your diet and the elusive six pack will be yours in no time at all. You are what you eat.

Learn More about Fitness Nutrition and Getting Six-Pack Abs

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Protein Supplements for Six Pack Abs?

Protein supplements or not for six pack abs.

Do I Need Protein Shakes and Supplements To Get Six Pack Abs?

The muscle magazines and supplement manufacturers will have you believing that by taking the latest supplements, you will become a fat burning machine with bulging biceps, pulsating pectorals and tree trunk thighs and fully defined six pack abs. Words like ‘breakthrough discovery’, ‘scientific formula’, ‘serum’, etc. are used to hype up their claims.

So the big question is if you need to buy these costly supplements? No. That’s it. A simple no.

Six pack abs are not defined by supplements or hype. They can only be achieved with hard work, correct nutrition, determination, discipline and patience. Yes, this sounds boring when compared to the supplements’ sales pitch. It’s so boring that you know it’s true.

If you have watched documentaries of farmers or laborers in Africa slogging it out in the heat, you will notice that many of them are ripped. They have the ‘onion skin’ look. They look ripped and have abs. They are not on supplements. So how did they get abs?

Body fat percentage. That’s how. These farmers are on a diet that is low in carbs and most of them do not eat the processed junk food that we normally do. Their manual labor burns off their calories and fat stores.

Since, they have such a low body fat percentage, their six pack abs show in all their full glory. This is what you need to aim for. To bring your body fat percentage to 10 percent or below. Once you do that, by diet and exercise you will be ripped too.

Good Diet and Workouts for Six Pack Ab Success

While on your six pack abs quest, your diet will have to be clean. All your calories will need to come from wholesome, healthy foods. Your protein sources will come from tuna, chicken breast, turkey meat, etc. Your carbs will come from vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, asparagus, etc. Your fats will come from sources such as olive oil, peanut butter, etc.

You will want to avoid sodas, junk food, white bread, white rice and other foods with a high GI index.

Protein Shakes Helpful but Not Necessary to Build Six Pack Abs

While protein shakes are not necessary, if you can afford them, they will make things convenient. For example, if you need to eat some protein and you do not have the time or energy to steam or cook a chicken breast, then making a quick protein shake will deliver the same amount of protein.

They are just a quick substitute for a normal meal. These shakes are a means to an end and not an end itself. The ads will have you believing that the shakes and serums will burn your fat off and put on slabs of muscle on your body. That is not true.

Only hard training and a proper diet can give you the abs you want. The shakes are just there to make life a little simpler. There is no shake that can give you benefits that normal food can’t. The only difference is that protein powders and other supplements are more expensive.

My advice would be to get your diet and training spot on. Once you are going with the flow, then you may take your time and consider if these supplements are really necessary. Most often, your results from good training and nutrition will be so good that you will not even think about forking out money on supplements.

Learn More about Fitness and Getting Those Six Pack Abs You Really Want

To help you create the six-pack abs that you would like to call your own, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.

 

Shortcuts to Getting Six Pack Abs?

Finding the shorcut to the six pack.

This is an excellent question and it does make me smile. There was an info product created by an excellent marketer claiming to provide shortcuts to getting a six pack. The whole fitness community online was in an uproar calling the guy a snake oil salesman, liar and other things I shall not mention here thus avoiding giving this article a PG 13 rating.

The fact of the matter is that there are no shortcuts. That being said, I can also understand what the marketer was trying to mean when he said ‘shortcuts’. He meant getting the best results in the least amount of time.

Is this possible?

Yes, but there is a price to pay. However, I’d gladly pay that price.

Let me explain. If you do a slow cardio workout such as jogging for 60 minutes, you will burn about 250 to 300 calories during those 60 minutes. However, once you stop, your metabolic rate will drop and taper off real fast. Your body will not be in fat burning mode for the rest of the day.

High Intensity Interval Training Burns Fat with Effectiveness

However, if you engage in a high intensity interval training (HIIT) for 30 minutes which involves sprinting uphill for 1 minute. Then resting for 1 minute and sprinting back downhill for 1 minute and you repeat this 15 times, you may not have burned as many calories as the 60 minute jog but, this is where it gets interesting…

The 30 minute workout will leave you gasping and panting because of the sheer intensity. You will be sweating profusely and your heart will be pumping like crazy. What you have done is create and oxygen deficit and an afterburn effect. Your body will now be burning fat for the next 8 to 10 hours. Some studies have shown that the fat burning effects last for up to 18 hours.

The point to note here is that a 30 minute workout has more benefits to your six pack quest than an hour long workout. Is this a shortcut? Definitely. You spent less time and burnt more fat. Is there a price to pay? Yup! You truly suffered during your workout. It was tiring and painful. Was it worth it? Hell yeah!

The same applies to weight training or resistance training. You can go to the gym and spend an hour doing bicep curls, tricep curls and using the calf raise machine. You may even take a 10 minute rest with every set or ogle like a fool at the girl with the hot pants on the treadmill. Will that be effective?

Nope. Instead, you may go and do a 45 minute workout that involves compound exercises such as deadlifts, snatches, renegade rows, pull-ups, etc. with minimal rest time and you would have achieved more in 45 minutes than someone who spends 90 minutes doing slow or moderate workouts.

Is that a shortcut? Yes!

Price to pay? Yes… pain and effort.

Worth it? Yes definitely.

So, in this case, shortcuts do not mean an easier way but a faster way to achieve results while working your butt off. The shortcuts are more tiring. They save you time by making you more efficient but they are tough.

I’d suggest training hard and tough for shorter periods. It’s more challenging, fun and the results that come sooner will motivate you to do more. Next thing you know, you’ll be the guy at the gym with a six pack that other guys are only dreaming of.

Learn More about Fitness and Making Six-Pack Abs Your Reality

To help you create the six-pack abs that you would like to call your own, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.

 

Are Six Pack Abs Made In the Kitchen?

Making your six pack abs inside the kitchen.

This is an excellent question because there is a common saying among those in the bodybuilding community that abs are made in the kitchen and not the gym. It’s catchy but more importantly, it’s true.

I’d say that 75 percent of your six pack success is resting on your diet choices. Your diet will ultimately determine if you ever see your abs or just keep working out but getting no closer to your dream.

Will Getting Six Pack Abs Escape You?

Many people do not realize that only 2 percent of the world’s population can claim to have six pack abs. With our current diets and food choices, obesity is on the rise and getting a lean, mean set of abs seems to be becoming more elusive.

In order for a man to see his abs in full glory, he’ll need to drop his fat percentage to 10 percent or even lower into the single digits. About 8 or 9 percent body fat will reveal shredded washboard abs. Sounds beautiful, doesn’t it?

But the sacrifices are not easy. Many guys are more than capable of giving their best and working out like crazy in the gym. They’ll pump out the sets and reps till they are dripping with sweat. These same guys will then go home, eat a pizza, wash it down with a diet soda and top it all off with a candy bar.

Their theory is that since they work out so hard, they can make these small allowances in their diet and they’ll still be able to burn off the calories. This is exactly the reason why after months of training they still can’t see their abs. For every step forward, they’ve taken two steps back.

When you put in an intense workout at the gym, you’re trying to raise your metabolic rate, create an oxygen deficit and aim for an afterburn effect where you burn calories for hours even after your workout is over. You do not train to give yourself a license to eat whatever you want later on in the day.

Every calorie that is not derived from proper food sources is an extra calorie. These calories all add up and translate to fat stores. A 60 minute run on the treadmill will burn about 400 to 500 calories.

1 slice of pizza is around 230 to 300 calories. Eat 2 slices and you have just cancelled out an entire workout! You do not want to waste your calories on junk food, to see your abs; you will need a calorie deficit till all your fat stores are burned off. That may take a while. Don’t make it longer by consuming calories that are not beneficial.

You need to be on a very clean diet. Eat proper foods like chicken breast, broccoli, eggs, fruits in moderation, green vegetables, etc. These are single ingredient foods. Avoid processed foods, dairy products and white foods such as white rice and white bread.

Once you have got your diet on track, your workouts will have double the effect since your body will not have unnecessary calories to burn. It can access the fat stores and burn off the stubborn belly fat slowly but surely. Then and only then can you ever hope to see your abs.

Learn More about Making Your Six-Pack Abs In the Kitchen

To help you create the six-pack abs that you would like to call your own, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.

 

Are Six Pack Abs An Impossible Dream?

Most people only dream of six pack abs.

This is a question that has run through many guys’ minds as they have struggled over and over to get the washboard abs that gets the girls sighing. It looks so easy on the television with all the guys walking around parading their abs like it’s so normal. So why is it so difficult to get six pack abs?

Firstly, do not believe everything you see on TV. The directors are not going to cast a fat slob as an action hero. Even the major stars go on ridiculous diets and hardcore training for months before even getting in front of the camera. Henry Cavill took 11 months to train for Man of Steel.

Building Your Six Pack Abs Takes Patience

Patience is crucial. To see your abs, your training sessions must be intense and rewarding. You will need to combine resistance training with cardio workouts on alternate days. You will need to be doing full body workouts comprising mostly of compound movements.

Your cardio sessions must be of high intensity. You will end up panting and gasping for air on most sessions. Your shirts will be soaking with sweat after every workout. You will have to raise your metabolic rate and your workouts must be tough enough to create an oxygen deficit and produce lactic acid.

When you create an oxygen deficit, your body experiences an after-burn effect. What that means is your body will be in fat burning mode for 8 to 12 hours after your workout. This after-burn effect only occurs if you work out at full intensity.

Building Your Six Pack Abs Requires Strict Fitness Nutrition.

Your diet must be spot on. You will need to watch everything that you put inside your mouth. You can’t consume empty calories such as sodas or candy or chocolates. You’ll need to be on a clean, wholesome diet comprising of the correct amounts of protein, fats and carbohydrates. Above all this, your calorie consumption must be at a deficit of about 500 calories of your daily requirement.

This is where most guys falter. They can’t handle the diet. Or rather, the sacrifices just seem too much. The body starts craving for the usual unhealthy food. The pizzas, burgers, pasta, beer and other wonderful delights just keep beckoning to them. They give in a little and eat a slice here and have a sip there and sooner or later, they’re eating whatever they want.

The workouts can’t compensate for their poor diet. The calories accumulate and instead of losing fat, in some cases they gain fat. This is even more depressing and makes them want to quit. They do not understand that they are sabotaging themselves. They fail to realize that it takes time to get a six pack and there are sacrifices.

It is not as easy as the movies make it out to be. Only about 2 percent of the world’s population has ripped abs. There is a reason for that. It’s difficult but it is NOT unattainable. It is not a dream that cannot be achieved.

Anybody who really wants a six pack bad enough and is willing to endure the sacrifices, go through the hard yards and have patience will see his six pack. That is almost a guarantee. It is a dream that can come true.

Learn More about Making Your Six-Pack Abs Dream Come True

To help you create the six-pack abs that you would like to call your own, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.

 

5 Tips to Get Six Pack Ab Results

Get five tips to forming six pack abs.

Getting a six pack is tough work. It really is. It’ll take determination, time, hard work, patience, sacrifices and motivation. There is no hiding the truth. This is one of the toughest goals to achieve.

Things may be worse if you go about it wrongly without knowing what to do. Not only would you have wasted time and effort, it may also discourage you and make you give up. We certainly do not want that.

This article has 5 pointers for you to take note of. I can safely say that if you follow these 5 tips to the letter, there is an over 90 percent probability that you will attain your six pack goal.

Five Important Six Pack Ab Necessities

1. Get your six pack diet right

Sounds obvious but so few do it. You will need to find out your calorie requirements for the day and how many calories you should be hitting to get a calorie deficit to attain a loss of 1 lb. a week.

Avoid foods such as pastries, pasta, candy, sodas, etc. You can do a quick online search with Google to see which the foods you should be avoiding or visit this page http://myfitnessnut.com/healthy-nutrition-guide for lots of great tips concerning fitness nutrition.

2. Do not starve yourself

Many people make this mistake. They cut their calories too quickly and drastically. When this happens, the body goes into starvation mode and holds on to every bit of fat that it can. Your metabolism will also drop. You do not want this.

Drop your calories sensibly using the diet tips at the page above. There are no instant results to be had, nor are there shortcuts to a chiseled six pack.

3. Workout regularly for six pack success

You must be training at least 4 to 5 times a week. Intensely. You will need to mix up cardio and resistance training. Your cardio workouts should be high intensity with little time for rest.

Your resistance training routines will involve compound movements such as squats, bench presses, dips, pull-ups, snatches, renegade rows, deadlifts, etc. Compound movements enlist the aid of major muscle groups. It’s a complete full body workout.

You will burn way more calories this way. Lactic acid will also be produced and that is good because it aids fat loss. If your workouts are intense, your body will be burning fat for hours after you have stopped. That’s what you want.

4. Drink water

Water is so essential to fat loss. Drink lots of water and your body will metabolize the fat and remove toxins faster. You should be aiming for 8 to 10 glasses a day. As with all things, don’t overdo it and drink too much water.

5. Have one cheat day a week

This is very important. A cheat day will ease the mental torture of going through a strict diet and training regimen. It gives your body a chance to indulge in its favorite food. This can be very motivating and refreshing. It’s like a reward for all the hard work.

Another benefit is the surge in metabolism your body will create due to this sudden surplus in calories. It’s fat burning mode all over again.

If you follow these five tips, you will surely get a six pack in due time. Put in the effort, stay the course and be patient. That’s the only way to make your six pack dream come true.

Learn More About Creating Six-Pack Abs of Your Very Own

To help you create the six-pack abs that you would like to call your own, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.

 

Why Is Kettlebell Training The Latest Craze Now?

Kettlebell training routines are catching on like crazy.

It may seem like kettlebell training is the latest fitness trend these days. There are DVD videos dedicated to kettlebell workouts and eBooks and hardbacks published covering all the different techniques and tips of kettlebell training. Even the actors in the movie, 300, reported that part of their daily workouts consisted of kettlebell training to build their bronze, ripped bodies.

The kettlebell itself resembles a bowling ball with a handle attached. They come in various sizes and weights. Yet, the techniques and methods of using them are the same.

Kettlebell Training is an Age-Old Practice

Kettlebells are not new exercise contraptions developed for late night infomercials. In fact, research shows that they were used by the Olympians in ancient Greece to train. The difference is that their kettlebells were carved of stone and not steel. They were probably crude pieces of equipment so unlike the cool kettlebells we have today that even come in pink for women.

Despite the appearance, one thing can’t be denied. Kettlebells are a highly effective tool for fat loss and body toning. They increase core strength and are able to target muscles that the normal dumbbells or barbells just can’t reach.

Martial artists, runners, golfers and just about all athletes can reap rewards by including a kettlebell workout in their training program. Kettlebells also require less training time due to the nature of the workouts involving these apparatus.

Kettlebell Training Lets You Do More in Less Time

The average workout time for a kettlebell routine ranges from 20 to 45 minutes depending on the individuals strength and stamina. A kettlebell workout for 30 minutes will be just as effective as a 60 minute run if done with intensity. The afterburn effect of these workouts will have your body burning calories furiously for up to 8 or 12 hours.

Kettlebell training is basically made up of a few moves such as swings, snatches, cleans and drop squats. The key to kettlebell training is the hip drive which powers all these moves. Unlike conventional training using dumbbells, kettlebell training trains the core.

A bicep curl with a dumbbell will only work the biceps and maybe 1 or 2 surrounding muscles. A snatch with a kettlebell will work your core, back, thighs, legs and shoulder muscles in just one move. So, this ensures a more thorough full body workout and you will burn more calories when more muscles are engaged.

Kettlebell Training is Resistance Training With Your Core Training All in One

The craze in kettlebell training is due to thousands of people reporting fast weight loss with kettlebell workouts. The real truth is that kettlebell training is resistance training with core training included. Many women, who are intimidated by heavy weight equipment such as dumbbells and barbells, take to kettlebells more readily. It just seems ‘cuter’ and they come in colors too!

Resistance training is very effective for fat loss. So, people who were averse to other ‘hardcore’ equipment in the gym and didn’t include resistance training in their training regime will see fast results when they give kettlebells a try. It is not so much the kettlebells that do the trick but the nature of the workouts they are used in.

Harder workouts, more muscles engaged and more calories burned resulting in faster fat loss and a more toned, fit and beautiful body. A dream come true, thanks to kettlebells.

Learn More by Watching: Get 20 of the Best Kettlebell Training Exercises on Video for Free

Some people learn better by watching and examples. If this is you then you’ll want to go to the top of the page at http://MyFitneessNut.com and subscribe to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter. When you do, you’ll get a full body workout with 20 of the best Kettlebell Exercises on video. They’re yours to enjoy, so go get them now while we’re still giving them away.

 

Top 5 Mistakes With Kettlebells

Avoid mistakes when doing kettlebell resistance training.

Kettlebells are the latest craze now and for good reason too. Thousands of people report health benefits such as increased strength, fat loss and a general sense of feeling fitter ever since they started working out with kettlebells.

What’s really happening here is that more people are involving themselves in resistance training than before. This is probably due to the fact that it is a trend and people feel that it’s fun to jump on the bandwagon and join the rest. That’s basically what kettlebell training is. It is resistance training without dumbbells, barbells, cables, etc.

For Excellent Resistance Training – Grab the Kettlebell

Only kettlebells are needed for your resistance training and nothing more.

Kettlebells also work the core muscles which are often neglected by most people. So now that more people are including resistance training into their routines, they are seeing improvements whereas in the past, all they probably did was some cardio activity.

There are many mistakes that people make when training with kettlebells. This article will enlighten you on what they are so that you can steer clear of these mistakes.

The Top 5 Mistakes Many People Make Doing Kettlebell Workouts

1. Ignoring the fundamentals

Kettlebell training is progressive. Many people do not have a strong grasp of the basic moves before progressing on to the intermediate and advanced moves. Worse is that most don’t even know that the moves are classified as beginner, intermediate and advanced. Not all moves are equal.

The 2 most important moves one should master in kettlebell training are the swings and Turkish Get Ups. All other moves are derived from these 2 moves. Master them and you will be a head above the majority of people training with kettlebells.

2. Not working progressively

People are so used to getting things fast and easy in today’s world that they expect exercise to be the same. Well, it’s not. You can just raise the weights and expect your body to handle it if it’s not accustomed to weight training.

Many guys use kettlebells that are way too heavy for their skill level.

Furthermore, when working with kettlebells, you will need to build up your static and dynamic stability. If you can’t hold a kettlebell above your head in a stable manner, you have no business pressing it.

Work from the ground up. Make sure your stabilizing muscles are strong before engaging in pressing moves.

3. Treating a kettlebell like a dumbbell

You can’t use kettlebells for bicep curls or other exercises that only dumbbells are suited for. Of course, for some exercises, kettlebells may be substituted for dumbbells. Knowing which exercises is the key to being effective and not looking foolish.

Kettlebells were made for training your core, thighs, butt and other muscles so often neglected. Use kettlebells for the exercises that were meant for kettlebells and not use them for dumbbell or barbell exercises.

4. Using kettlebells that are too light

I realize that one must train progressively but I’d recommend a minimum weight of 35lbs for men and 16lbs for women. Anything less is not optimal. Train with fewer reps in the beginning and progress on

5. Unnecessarily complicated workouts

Keep your workouts simple. Include a few different moves comprising of squatting, lunging, pulling, pushing, etc. Keep the workout at a high intensity and on a simple circuit.

Many people come up with unnecessary complex moves and ridiculous circuits just to keep the workout interesting. It just ends up confusing. You want to be focused on the training only and not a hundred other things.

These are the most common errors that people make. Avoid them like the plague and you will do just fine and the kettlebells will be your new best friend in time to come.

Learn More by Watching: Get 20 of the Best Kettlebell Exercises on Video for Free

Some people learn better by watching and examples. If this is you then you’ll want to go to the top of the page at http://MyFitneessNut.com and subscribe to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter. When you do, you’ll get a full body workout with 20 of the best Kettlebell Exercises on video. They’re yours to enjoy, so go get them now while we’re still giving them away.

 

Should You Join Kettlebell Classes?

Joining a kettlebell class is a personal decision.

This is a great question. Unfortunately, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. It’s a decision that you will have to make on your own based on your personality.

Some people love working out in groups. The group vibe and nature of a class workout really motivates them and strikes a chord with them. Other people may hat working out with others and prefer to train in solitude away from the eyes of others.

The fact of the matter is that wherever you train, the results will be the same as long as you are doing the correct exercises with the right intensity. Personally, I feel that kettlebell workouts are best done alone in the privacy of your own home.

Kettlebell Workouts Are Best Done Barefoot

The reason for this is that kettlebell workouts are best done barefoot because the load bearing force is dispersed into the ground through your feet. Most shoes have soles that are too soft for this.

Training in a class will mean that you have to wear shoes.

There is also the aspect of safety. I would never feel safe with a whole group of people swinging weights that look like bowling balls with handles. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on my workout having to constantly keep an eye on my surroundings.

On the flip side, if you are a beginner with no idea how to use a kettlebell, a few classes might be a good idea for you to grasp the basics of handling a kettlebell and you’ll learn a few moves too. So, it all depends on the individual.

Watching a Kettlebell Workout on Video

If you do not know squat about kettlebells (pun intended), and do not wish to embarrass yourself in classes, you may just purchase an eBook or a DVD dedicated to kettlebell training. These will be just as helpful as any class so no worries.

If you do decide to join a class, make sure that the instructor is certified and knows what he is doing. The kettlebell can be a dangerous apparatus to use if you do not understand the mechanics of the movements.

Unlike conventional weights, the jerking, hip thrusts and swinging movements increase the possibility of a strained ligament or muscle tear if done wrongly. Normal dumbbells and barbells have more or less rigid moves so they are in a way ‘safer’ than kettlebells.

Now the point to take away from this article is that kettlebell training has tons of benefits from fat loss to muscle toning and even your co-ordination improves. However, it does not matter if you do it in a class or at home. Your body does not care about the surroundings. It only responds to the workouts.

It’s all a matter of choice. The real effectiveness of the training lies in your ability to be consistent and stay the course. Exercise is supposed to be a habit. Try and get some daily. Even 20 minutes a day with your kettlebell or even switching between a run or swim will do wonders for your health. In the end, that’s only thing that really matters.

Learn More by Watching: Get 20 of the Best Kettlebell Exercises on Video for Free and Create Your Own Kettlebell Class at Home

Some people learn better by watching and examples. If this is you then you’ll want to go to the top of the page at http://MyFitneessNut.com and subscribe to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter. When you do, you’ll get a full body workout with 20 of the best Kettlebell Exercises on video. They’re yours to enjoy, so go get them now while we’re still giving them away.