Tag fitness

We’ve been mentioning form and technique from the beginning of this Burn Body Fat Kettlebell Training Guide so it’s about time that we discuss both, and what makes them important as far as doing a Kettlebell workout is concerned.

When using Kettlebells as a fitness tool, form and technique go together. Mastering one is useless, if you don’t have the other.

Kettlebell Exercise Form

The actions listed below should be done immediately before doing Kettlebell exercises.

Note the position of your legs. Some Kettlebell exercises require that they be positioned about 5 inches more than your shoulder width. Some don’t. Observe the proper position so that you can always maintain your balance.

• Let your body weight be supported by your heels.
• Keep your chest up. This helps you in maintaining proper breathing.
• Retract your shoulders, or keep them squared back.
• Loosen your arm muscles, but be ready to have the muscles contract and expand when you pick up the Kettlebell.
• Make sure you have a steady grip.
• Avoid slouching.
• Relax your neck muscles. Let them support your head, which shouldn’t be positioned stiffly downwards or upwards.

For certain Kettlebell exercises, your head position should allow your eyes to naturally focus on the ground, about 5 to 6 feet ahead. For other exercises, your eyes would need to follow the movements of the Kettlebell. Do check the demonstration videos that accompany this training guide for more specific directions.

Finally, tighten your butt, abs, and thighs as you do each of your Kettlebell exercises.

Kettlebell Exercise Technique

Your techniques will depend on what Kettlebell exercises you are doing during your Kettlebell workout. The 22 demonstration videos that accompany this guide will be very helpful to you in using the proper techniques, as each video provides clear and easy to follow audio and visual steps.

Still, it’s useful and always a source of comfort to keep these general pointers about technique in mind, particularly when you are just starting with Kettlebell exercises.

Don’t be intimidated by the skill of others doing a Kettlebell workout. Remember that everyone was a beginner before. Just focus on your own performance and keep steadily at it, until you notice improvements happening.

Consider the condition of your own body. Kettlebell exercises can be very engaging, to the point that you will be tempted to repeat them beyond what is recommended. You may also be inclined to speed up the movements. Doing such things is counterproductive to your fitness and wellness goals.

Remember that steady progress is more important than speed.

A Kettlebell workout should be fun, not physically taxing to the point of sheer exhaustion and frustration. So, enjoy doing all your Kettlebell exercises by focusing on the way your body feels and how it’s improving as weeks go by. Remind yourself always that all your exertions will be worth it once you accomplish what you set out to achieve: a leaner, stronger physique.

For readers of the MyFitnessNut.com website, you can get the entire “Burn Body Fat Kettlebell Training Guide” and Kettlebell training videos at no cost by subscribing to our newsletter to get the videos, then go to the beginning of this series and start on the first Kettlebell training article and follow along as you work toward your goals.

It’s funny how Kettlebell squats also go by the alias of the “Killer Exercises.” But Kettlebell squats are a different breed of “killers.” Instead of doing away with us, they actually help in making us enjoy life longer by making us fit and by making us healthier and stronger.

Kettlebell Squats – Weird but Healthy

To be very frank about it, a squat is a weird or unnatural position to take. Humans weren’t meant to squat. But in Kettlebell workouts, squats are a routine part of exercising. And, surprise, surprise! When you do Kettlebell squats, you’ll notice that the benefits will outweigh any sort of inconvenience you might feel for a short time.

In a nutshell, a squatting position is really unusual, but it’s healthy, so go on and do it if you are in good enough shape to be able to do so! Start slow and build up while being mindful to avoid injury from pushing yourself into something you are not ready for.

How Healthy is Healthy?

The question of just how healthy is healthy will arise among non-believers. That’s a good attitude to take, so don’t let snake oil slither into your life. Anyway, here’s proof that Kettlebell squats are great for you:

They improve mobility, which is perfect for those with creaky bones and tight muscles

They make your lower back, legs, core, and hips stronger, more powerful for running, walking, cycling, bending, and kicking (be careful of what you kick!)

They burn calories and melt your fat

And, if you continue with your Kettlebell workouts, you can be sure that if ever they make a sequel of the movie 300, you’ll be able to audition for one of the roles reserved for one of the beefy warriors!

Hey, why not?

It’s what Gerard Butler did. He had to undergo 4 months of training, of which Kettlebells were a featured performer. 4 months of training to get a warrior’s physique! Well, of course, he also did other exercises, but without the Kettlebell routines, he probably wouldn’t have made a convincing King Leonidas.

Here’s a Demonstration of a Kettlebell Goblet Squat:

Remember what we talked about in the “Inside Kettlebell Heaven” section of this guide…

You’ll understand this well when you first get hold of a Kettlebell. When you are new to it, you’ll most likely be caught off-guard when you try to swing it for the first time: What the heck, does this funny looking iron thing have a mind of its own? Is it trying to make me turn left even if I’m trying to swing right?

So, how about it? Are you ready to pick up a Kettlebell and add Kettlebell squats to your exercise routine? Review the videos that go along with this article then pick up the whole set by subscribing to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at MyFitnessNut.com. Last thing, before you start exercising the Kettlebell way, check out the “Form and Technique are Crucial in Kettlebell Exercises” segment of this guide for some final but important information.

No matter what you may have heard from other people, more is not necessarily always better. If you’re still doubtful about that, just think of people who have had one too many to drink.

Acting like a Bozo the Clown wannabe because of having had too much alcohol sure doesn’t make the grade for “better”.

That point also applies to exercise, because when you push your body to keep on going with a certain routine, you will eventually plateau, which means you won’t be getting anymore benefits from the activity no matter if it’s cardiovascular or strength building.

The only way you can remove yourself from that plateau is by raising the speed and incline levels, if you’re using a treadmill, for example; or by challenging your body by adding more weights when you’re using a home gym or lifting barbells or dumbbells.

The Huge Kettlebell Cardio Difference

Those things are not concerns that arise when you’re doing Kettlebell cardio, because there’s a huge difference in the nature of typical cardio exercises and endurance building exercises and Kettlebell exercises; Kettlebell workouts do both (cardio and endurance building) at the same time.

This is because:

Kettlebells don’t have evenly distributed weights, unlike that of other weightlifting equipment used to build strength such as barbells and dumbbells. This uneven weight distribution makes you strive harder for balance, and gives Kettlebells explosive power with each rising and swinging movement.

Kettlebell cardio benefits include the improvement of aerobic capacity (the maximum capacity of your body to use oxygen while exercising), THEN improving your anaerobic capacity which is the ability of your body to keep on functioning at high performance levels, without too much reliance on oxygen.

In short, when you do Kettlebell cardio exercises, it’s not just your cardiovascular system that’s being showered with your love; your muscles are also rejoicing because they also get the strength building workout they need to be in tip-top shape.

Can’t get any cooler than that!

You have several Kettlebell cardio exercises to choose from in the videos that come with this guide. You’ll want a mix of different exercises like the ones on the Kettlebell Videos that come with your subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at MyFitnessNut.com. Next on the agenda is “Kettlebell Squats: Killer Exercises for a Longer, Fuller Life”. Remember, when you do a variety of different exercises you get the benefits of doing Kettlebell cardio as well as full body endurance building.

Kettlebell Ab Exercises: Belying the Myth of the Unbeatable Belly

Are Kettlebell ab exercises really effective? Can they really make the belly fat go away, and bring out a beautifully ripped abdomen from what used to be flabby midsection?

Too often, people grouse about the condition of their bodies, reserving their most reproachful words for their poor belly, conveniently forgetting that their abdomen didn’t balloon on its own.

Too much indulgence in the wrong kinds of food and a lack of fat-burning physical movement are the main causes for having a huge, flabby belly. Sometimes, other reasons can be pinpointed such as hormonal problems, slow metabolism, certain types of illness; but the situations they cause are few and far in between.

The Culprit – Calories and Couch Potatoes

It’s mostly excess calories and/or being sedentary that can cause fat to build up in the abdomen. Those affected have tried to go on diets and increase their cardio, hoping to achieve those fat-burning promises made by promoters of running, climbing, and other activities that are supposed to increase cardiovascular rate, and eventually burn fat.

While there have been instances of success reported, efforts to reduce abdominal fat have been futile for the most part. That’s because diets are hard to sustain. And exercise that is wrongly done is nearly the same as not exercising at all.

Other parts of the body may become leaner, but the flabby belly just stays there, making you look like Santa without the happy, welcoming smile.

When people saw that no positive changes happened despite their best efforts, they just gave up on trying to remove the fat from their midsection. And thus, the Legend of the Unbeatable Belly was born.

Interval Training with Kettlebell Ab Exercises

But, myths and legends are not reality. The reality is, Kettlebell ab exercises can beat that fat bullying belly and make it go away. The secret lies in the fact that Kettlebell ab exercises feature the use of Interval Training. This kind of exercise utilizes fluctuating levels of exertion that give most people no choice but to burn fat.

Interval training is important because it suppresses the production of cortisol, the stress hormone that has been identified as one of the reasons for the retention of fat in your midsection. Exercising for an hour using a constant rate doesn’t make the grade. It’s got to be interval training if you want to remove that stubborn fat on your abdomen.

And that’s where Kettlebell ab exercises would do just perfect, effectively belying the myth of the unbeatable belly. So, follow along to the Kettlebell Deadlift section and rise above your limitations.

Reach Your Impossible Dream with a Kettlebell Windmill

Aside from being a very well-known symbol of Holland, windmills also represent a strong force to contend with, a very formidable opponent, in fact. Blame that last one on Don Quixote de la Mancha. He’s the guy popularized in many works of art that include a novel, plays, films, and even a song (“The Impossible Dream”). Delusional dude, Don Quixote was, although he had the most noble of intentions. He fought windmills, thinking that they were ferocious giants.

So, what does all that have to do with a Kettlebell windmill, aside from the name?

Plenty. For one thing, many people think that their fat-loss and strength building goals are impossible to achieve. That’s probably because most of these people have already tried numerous diets and an assortment of exercises ranging from cardio to endurance building moves, such as weight lifting.

Yet, for all that, they still remain in the same unfit condition as when they started.

The Kettlebell Windmill to the Rescue

In such a situation, a Kettlebell windmill can come to the rescue. Although in the works of art mentioned earlier, windmills were the bad guys, in Kettlebell workouts, a windmill is an exercise that can turn your fitness, health and wellness goals into reality.

The main muscles that are “attacked” (in keeping with our Don Quixote theme for this chapter) by the Kettlebell windmill exercise are the:

• Abdominals (core, stomach muscles)
• Hamstrings (back of the thighs)
• Glutes (the butt)
• Lower back muscles
• Triceps
• Shoulder muscles
• Upper back muscles

A Kettlebell windmill is not recommended for building muscles, but it sure builds up endurance and it sure burns the fat.

A Warm-Up Exercise that Can Stand on its Own

What makes a Kettlebell windmill unique is that it is primarily designed to be a warm-up exercise. However, because it is challenging, many Kettlebell workout enthusiasts perform this exercise as a stand-alone endurance move on its own.

Due to the fact that a Kettlebell windmill has been proven to increase mobility in both the hips and the shoulders, it is one of the exercises that have become a favorite among those who need to have strong shoulders and hips that do not “lock,” or are capable of executing fluid, graceful motions.

Athletes, fashion models, and gymnasts have been known to incorporate a Kettlebell windmill into their workouts to gain the best of benefits, which include:

• Increased coordination
• More strength
• Fat reduction
• A resilient core
• Better sense of balance
• Heightened stability of the shoulders
• Key Precautions Doing the Kettlebell Windmill

Owing to the challenging nature of the Kettlebell windmill (which could motivate enthusiasts to push themselves harder while doing it) the following precautions need to be observed to avoid injuries:

Do not ever attempt to do this exercise if you feel that your back is “off” – this means that if you suspect that you have a pulled muscle in your back or even a pinched nerve in the area of your shoulders with pain that radiates to any part of your back, you should not do a Kettlebell windmill.

Do not exercise to the point of muscle failure – the release of endorphins or pain killers during consistent and continued physical activity can make the Kettlebell handler ignore the burn that is building up in his or her muscles.

Be sensitive to your body’s condition in order to avoid any kind damage to your muscles or to your spine and never do any exercise that you are not totally confident that you are doing correctly.

Okay, that wraps up the Kettlebell windmill section so be sure to check out the video that comes with this guide and follow me on over to the Kettlebell ab exercises section and we’ll look at why Kettlebells are a great tool for getting rid of that horrendous belly fat.

Do the Kettlebell Clean – But Don’t Let it Burn Baby

In the course of time, there are many unusual beliefs that have been promoted in the name of physical fitness, body sculpting, and health and wellness. Among these is the belief that you have to feel a “burn” with each of the exercises that you do, because if you don’t, then it means you didn’t do your workout well.

Baloney.

The truth is, when you do your workouts, what you should do when you experience a burn, is to ease back a bit on your exertions, because a burn is an alert coming from your body that a possible injury is inching its way to happening, and making a mess of your muscles.

Fortunately, with Kettlebell workouts, there are exercises that are good for keeping muscles tidily toned. One of the more prominent ones for doing so is the Kettlebell clean. To understand more fully, let’s discuss muscle burns first.

Lactic Acid Sends a Burning Message

Have you ever tried exercising regularly? If yes, there’s a good chance that gym instructors, fitness trainers, health and wellness gurus, and even your couch potato friend that you dragged like a wet bag of fertilizer to the gym to be your spotter, have probably screamed at you to “feel the burn!” – inspired no doubt by your sweaty, wide-eyed, panting look of pained desperation for more oxygen and rest.

The truth is, instead of thinking that a burn should motivate you to go harder and faster and to do more, you should start feeling concerned when you start feeling a muscle burn. That’s because a burn is a reliable sign of muscle fatigue starting to make its ugly head seen.

In response to this fatigue, your body produces lactic acid. No, it’s not the same thing that lactating mothers feed their babies with.

Lactic acid is what your body uses to inform you through a burning, heavy feeling in your legs or whatever part of your body has been receiving the most pressure during your exercise, that your muscles are already tired, and could you just give everyone a short break?

Ignore this plaintive plea from your muscles and they’ll hit back with a vengeance: how about a week of being sidelined with sore muscles and even a high fever?

Demonstration of the Kettlebell One Arm Clean:

The Kettlebell Clean and Your Muscles

It’s a good thing that Kettlebell exercises such as a Kettlebell clean are not recommended to be done until you feel that pesky burn. In fact, if anyone tells you that you should, you could hand over one of your Kettlebells to them and tell them to go knock their head with it.

Seriously, do not do a Kettlebell clean to the point of muscle fatigue. Your forearms and your shoulders, which are the primary movers involved in a Kettlebell clean, should not hurt.

Don’t listen to anyone who insists that a Kettlebell clean is meant to make your forearms harder and more sinewy. While it is true that a Kettlebell clean can be fat burning and endurance building, as is the case with other Kettlebell exercises, it doesn’t have to be so rough and tough in execution that you start thinking of Boris and his comrades and wishing they had never thought of converting a crop weighing tool into a piece of fitness equipment.

Remember, when in doubt about how to do a Kettlebell exercise properly, just refer to the Kettlebell workout videos that you get when subscribing to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter found at the top of MyFitnessNut.com. Simply open the page with the Kettlebell Videos on it and scroll down until you see “Kettlebell Clean”. Next, we’ll cover doing the Kettlebell Windmill which you will also find on the videos.

What comes to mind when you hear the word “snatch?” If you say you think of a rough, fast move that takes away something from where it originally was, then you’ve got a good grasp of the typical definition held by many people.

Kettlebell fitness enthusiasts however, would most likely think of something else when they hear the phrase “Kettlebell snatch” and that is: totally powerful, full-body exercise.

You can get rid of approximately 300 calories during a 20-minute snatching session; maybe more depending on your body type. That is equivalent to the calories you expend running for 20-25 minutes at a speed of 6 minutes per mile.

What Happens During a Kettlebell Snatch?

Falling in love then getting engaged is nothing new. In fact, it’s considered as the normal turn of events. But it’s the reverse with doing a Kettlebell snatch because what happens is that, first, you engage yourself in the activity, and then, you fall in love with doing the snatches.

This will happen when you realize all the benefits that you get from such an engagement, you’ll want to do it over and over again.

A Kettlebell snatch features some advanced movements…

When you assume the partial squat position, and you swing the Kettlebell in-between your open legs, you are using your:

• Biceps – the front muscles of your upper arms
• Erector spinae – the lower back muscles
• Gastrocnemius and soleus – the back of your lower legs
• Abdominals – the stomach or core
• Gluteus maximus – the butt
• Hamstrings – the muscles in the back of the thighs
• Quadriceps – the muscles in the front of the thighs
• Latissimus dorsi – the large, triangular muscle in the middle of your back
• Rhomboids – the muscles between your shoulder blades

When you stand up, bringing the Kettlebell with you, you are primarily using your hips.

Your hamstrings, back muscles, and shoulders are still involved, of course, but it is your thrusting hips that provide the power or momentum when you raise the Kettlebell.

If you don’t thrust your hips forward, you risk losing balance and falling down because of the weight of the Kettlebell that’s being raised in an arc by your arm.

Secondary to your hip movements is the support of your gluteus maximus. Your butt muscles tighten up when you thrust your hips, and that’s why when you do a Kettlebell snatch, you end up looking sexy from the shoulders and all the way down.

Demonstration of the Kettlebell Snatch:

Safety Tips When Doing Kettlebell Snatches

If you’re not careful, it’s not that hard to get injured while doing a snatch. To help to avoid injuries, always observe these fundamental tips:

1. Make sure your hands are dry, not sweaty, because a good, firm grip is essential to do proper Kettlebell snatch.
2. Make sure that the size or weight of the Kettlebell you are using is appropriate to your fitness level and gender (see “The Kettlebell Saga: From Farmers to Fitness Nuts” for details).
3. Do not hurry in jerking the Kettlebell from the ground, especially if you are new to exercising with Kettlebells. Follow the “easy does it” rule. You can increase the speed of your movements after you get used to handling the weight and movement you are doing.
4. Maintain the straightness of your wrists during the “catch” part of the snatch, and make sure that your arm is extended.

A Kettlebell snatch makes use of both speed and full body coordination. You can be tempted into going faster and faster, but, again, do your best to do the snatch with moderation until you master it. Your body will thank you for it.

Remember that you can always get the full set of Kettlebell Workout Videos, the ones that go along with the information we’re sharing with you here, when you subscribe to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at MyFitnessNut.com. In the next article, “Keep Your Muscles Toned with the Kettlebell Clean” (also included in the videos) will give you the next step in developing your own personal Kettlebell workout routine.

The Kettlebell swing is the Elvis Presley of the fitness world. This is because in the same way that Elvis is known as the King of Rock ‘n Roll, the Kettlebell swing is known for being the King of Exercises.

How’s that for cool?

Anyway, doesn’t that phrase just make you smile? “Kettlebell Swing” – sounds like a hot, retro kind of dance, doesn’t it? (Can’t stop thinking about Elvis shaking his pelvis, huh?)

A Special Victory Dance

But enough of the King of Rock ‘n Roll for a moment, and let’s focus on the King of Exercises. If you’re the creative, imaginative type, and you were to think that Kettlebell swings are like a special kind of victory dance, you’d sort of have a good point going.

Only, instead of you and your legs going backwards and forwards, or even sideways like some crazy crab on the dance floor, what you do when swinging a Kettlebell is mostly stay in place, and do your moves energetically while in that same place.

You let your arm or arms (depending on what kind of swing exercise you’re doing) do the energetic movements, but there’s no real pressure on your arms, just like in dancing (unless, of course, you were to do hip-hop-type handstands).

Your feet, especially your heels, would support your weight. Your hamstrings or the backs of your thighs would feel the pressure, contracting and expanding as you squatted or stood. And, you’d also let your hips move forward and backward.

Kettlebell Swings From the Feet Up

Anyway, moving in those ways makes it possible for the engagement of numerous muscles in your body from your feet up to your shoulders. The reason that a basic Kettlebell swing resembles a victory gesture is that the raising of your arm much like what is done by a person who just won a competition is a main feature of the exercise.

There is no leaping or fast leg movements involved, but the effect on your cardiovascular system with all the squatting, standing, arm raising, and hip thrusting is such that after a few repetitions, you could feel that you had just finished a grueling one hour run.

Clearly, Elvis had the right idea when he kept gyrating his hips and raising his arms while performing.

Firm and Strong Butts From Kettlebell Swings

Kettlebell swings are popular because the movements are very simple, and you always have a choice about how much weight you want to swing. More than those considerations, however, are the facts that Kettlebell swings that are correctly performed can really increase the definition of your butt.

Now, why is this important? The butt is at the back, and that being the case, people you approach won’t see it right off, anyway. In other words, you don’t need a well toned butt to make a good impression. Wrong or right?

Wrong.

The fact is, you need a shapely behind to make people think that you know how to take care of yourself, that you value your body, and that you most likely spend time working out, which is good, because you clearly live a healthy lifestyle.

Why would they think all of that just from looking at your butt? It’s because the buttocks are one of the hardest parts of the body to sculpt, and the reason for that is, there is too much fat surrounding the muscles of your buttocks.

So, does this mean that doing a Kettlebell swing can make your butt look leaner and firmer? Yes! That’s exactly one of the great things that Kettlebell swings can do for you – give you a beautiful butt!

Remember, each Kettlebell exercise is a fat blaster. The fat on your butt isn’t immune to such blasting. How many other forms of exercise can deliver on that promise? Bet you’ll have a hard time coming up with an answer, and that’s because Kettlebell swings are the best butt-developing exercises ever, bar none.

Bodybuilding Hip Thrusting Power

It’s the hip thrusting that does it. When you thrust your hip forward while doing the exercise, your buttocks also tighten, firming up your precious gluteus maximus. And while you do that, your posture is also improved, because you cannot afford to slouch or have a rounded back while you’re doing a swing.

Otherwise, your back will hurt, and you run the risk of having an injury. As for your abs, they also tighten when you squat, which helps greatly in sculpting them.

So – great butt, great posture, great abs… aren’t Kettlebells just great?

Kinds of Kettlebell Swings

At this point, we need to clear up an important misconception. See, there are numerous kinds or variations of Kettlebell swings. These are the most popular:

• One-arm or one-hand swing
• Two-arms or two-hands swing
• Alternating arms swing – this involves transferring the Kettlebell from one hand/arm to the other while the Kettlebell is in motion or swinging through the air
• Stalling or pausing-at-the-top swing
• Sideways swing
• Pivoting swing

Now, online, the available information could confuse you, because there are some exercise sites that mistakenly identify and show a Kettlebell snatch as being the same as a Kettlebell swing.

That’s probably because aside from the original swing, also known as the Russian swing, which raises the Kettlebell only up to the shoulders, there’s another version known as the American swing, which raises the Kettlebell over the head.

The American swing can look a lot like a Kettlebell snatch, especially to those who are new to using Kettlebells, so, it’s understandable if some confusion ensues. Still, you shouldn’t let such misleading information take away your interest and enthusiasm about working out with Kettlebells.

What’s important to know is that you don’t have to worry about being misled, because you’re in good hands. More detailed instructions about doing a Kettlebell swing and other Kettlebell exercises can be found in the 22 Kettlebell videos you get (like the demo above) when subscribing to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at the top of MyFitnessNut.com.

Just keep in mind that Kettlebell swings are basic exercises. On the other hand, Kettlebell snatches are more advanced. Let’s move on to the next section that we’ve titled “The Kettlebell Snatch: Explosive Power in One Go” and find out what snatches are all about.

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.

A Quick History of the Russian Kettlebell

For something that looks very unremarkable, Kettlebells have a very interesting history behind them. One of their very first uses was as a measuring or weighing device in Russia, way back in the 1700s.

Girya is the Russian word for Kettlebells. A Russian Kettlebell, or girya, weighed 35 pounds and this weight was called a pood. Since there were no modern weighing scales at the time with which to find out how much certain kinds of produce weighed, what farmers did was to put their produce on the primitive scales which were then in use, and weigh their crops or produce against the girya’s pood.

Get in Shape by Goofing Off with a Kettlebell Weight

The unusual shape of the girya could have proved too interesting to Russians who were living in those times, and they probably started goofing around in-between crop weigh-ins and began to play with the giryas, passing them around like the strangely shaped balls that they were, or simply swinging them this way and that to pass the time.

As they did those fun-filled goofing-off moves with the Russian Kettlebell, they probably started to notice after a couple of weeks or so, that their bodies were becoming more and more developed, meaning they had gained more muscle and lost a great deal of fat.

Now, it’s likely that those guys were not fit to begin with, because they didn’t dance the Russian squat dance that much. You know, that dance where the dancers would cross their arms, squat, and kick out one leg and then another, alternately throwing their arms open and crossing them again as they kicked, faster and faster, on and on and on.

Pardon me; I got dizzy there for a second.

Okay, that squat dance is one excessively frenzied dance which could probably melt off all the last ounce of fat even from a grizzly bear that’s fresh from hibernating… if the bear had been so inclined to dance like that after it woke up.

But, anyway… when word got out that the giryas were making everyone who swung them look really sexy, even without Russian squat dancing… well… what do you expect happened next?

Word Spread about Russian Kettlebell Weights

Of course, every Boris, Ivan, Semyon, and Vasily who needed to become toned and healthy soon wanted to get into the act and swing a Russian Kettlebell to Kingdom come, or at least until they got fit, whichever came first (since we’re all still here on earth, it’s obvious that they got fit first).

Kettlebell Weights for a Balanced Physique

So, there they were, those Russians oozing with sex appeal, lean and muscled in all the right places. They were not walking around with oversized biceps and very narrow waists and hips; the kind that only look good to judges of Mr. Universe competitions. The ones that are otherwise undesirable for doing the routine heavy chores of life such as moving boxes and heavy furniture around.

They also didn’t have thin, nearly birdlike legs that didn’t go well (and never will) with a highly muscled torso. What they had was a balanced physique. Using a Russian Kettlebell gave them the kind of lean and strong body that they desired, and which you also do.

So, it’s true, we really shouldn’t judge a Kettlebell by how weird it looks. The beauty of the Kettlebell lies within it, and its beauty is equivalent to its ability to bring out the best in every Kettlebell user by the sheer power inherent in its design.

Russian Kettlebells and the World

One other advantage of using Kettlebell weights for fitness workouts is the fact that Kettlebell sets can be used by people of varying body types, ages, and physical conditions. For example, there are some exercises or workout routines which are not advisable for pregnant women. But there are pregnant women who have done their fitness regimens using Kettlebell weights, and experienced no untoward risks to their babies, or to themselves.

In fact, Sarah Lurie, owner and founder of Iron Core Kettlebell Strength and Conditioning has gone on record that she used Kettlebells during her first pregnancy, and continued to use them too, to eliminate the excess pounds she gained while pregnant.

She did the same thing during her second pregnancy, and according to her, the rewards of exercising with Kettlebells have been numerous. For one thing, she didn’t experience the kind of back pains which were ordinarily felt by most pregnant women. What’s more, she was energetic, she felt strong, and she had her mobility and flexibility enhanced, as well.

So, Kettlebells are not just for Boris and his comrades. It’s clear that Tom, Dick, Harry, Jane, Ashley, Maria, Rolando, Inga, Siegfried, Hachiro, Keiko, and just about whoever, wherever, who needs to become fit and energetic can make use of Kettlebells for those purposes.

But of course, to be doubly sure that you won’t experience any undue effects, it’s always safest to get medical clearance first, most of all when you have a special physical condition that could prohibit any kind of strenuous activity on your part.

The Sheer Power in Kettlebell Weights

Let’s move on to Kettlebell weights and Kettlebell sets. Determining just how heavy the Kettlebell that you will use should be, can be an intimidating experience, if you have no idea about the differences between what Kettlebell weights and Kettlebell sets are recommended for the use of men and women.

Now, before anyone becomes upset – no one is being sexist here. It’s just that the anatomy of women and men are really different from each other. That’s one major reason right there that men and women would truly be better off using weights that are more in sync with whom they are.

Kettlebell Weights for Men

For example, male Kettlebell beginners would do well to start off with anywhere from 10 kgs to 20 kgs. This may not sound like much, but remember that Kettlebells are unlike other weightlifting equipment such as barbells and dumbbells, or even a home gym that features the use of weights for bench presses and other muscle building exercises.

Kettlebell Weights for Women

For female Kettlebell beginners, anywhere between 5 kgs to 10 kgs would do, initially. Kettlebells are relatively cheap, compared to other exercise equipment, so it won’t hurt to be prudent at the start. You can always up the ante, so to speak, when the time is right.

The key is to try out the Kettlebell weights first, to see what feels “right” to you. Remember that you need to ease into using Kettlebell weights. Don’t overtax yourself. At the same time, if you can clearly lift more than the minimum weight recommended, then you should so that you won’t be wasting your exercise opportunities.

As for the type to use, you basically have three types to choose from:

The standard Russian Kettlebell, which increases in size as its weight increases. This type is made of cast iron.

The pro-grade Kettlebell, which is made out of hollow steel, makes no difference in size because the weight of this type is all that changes, the size doesn’t change. This is more expensive than a Russian Kettlebell.

There are also adjustable Kettlebells, which is a relatively new type of Kettlebell. Think of X-men when you think of an adjustable Kettlebell. It’s a mutant. Of course, it’s a matter of opinion but if you search online, you’ll see that the adjustable Kettlebell isn’t really that highly desired among enthusiasts.

An adjustable Kettlebell features weight plates that can be added to or deducted from, depending on how much Kettlebell weights you intend to use. The plates can be noisy, and the handles can get smashed when they are dropped accidentally.

Before Buying a Kettlebell Set

Before buying, ask yourself what’s your primary consideration; price or quality? If you say both, then get a Kettlebell set to have more freedom in mixing-and-matching your Kettlebells. When you start out, stay within the same brand, model or look because, well, neat and uniform is just nicer.

If you’re simply starting out on a tight budget, get a standard Kettlebell first, and practice with it. As you become adept at handling Kettlebells and know it’s something you want to make a lifetime habit out of then you’ll be in a better position to consider upgrading to a Kettlebell set that has more choices.

In the next article, “Getting into the Swing of Your Kettlebell”, I’ll work on giving you some good information on doing Kettlebell workout routines. After that we’ll get on with doing the actual exercises using Kettlebell weights you decided was right for you. And if you haven’t done so already, go to the top of MyFitnessNut.com and get the 22 Kettlebell videos that come with the My Fitness Nut Newsletter.