20 MINUTE KETTLEBELL SWING WORKOUT

One reason many people don’t exercise is because it’s such a drag. It’s not fun at all. They must not have tried a kettlebell swing workout.

Kettlebell swing workouts are so much fun. You’re swinging around this big ol’ bell. What’s not fun about it? You’ll look forward to a workout like this.

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Lifting weights is not fun. Swinging is fun. Weeeeeee! But don’t drop it.

Ok. Really. We can’t just be goofing around having a ton of fun. This kettlebell swing workout better be worth it? Right. I don’t have time to waste here.

Well, in just twenty minutes it’s been said that you can burn an average of 272 calories with a kettlebell workout. That’s the same as running a six-minute mile! Something I never could do.

Kettlebells can be used in ballistic motions. Sounds serious. Ballistic motions have a higher intensity than standard weight-lifting motions. They also produce the same cardiorespiratory effect on the body as sprinting, running and jumping but with much less impact on the body.

Plus, anything you can do with a dumbbell you can do with a kettlebell. But the same can’t be said in reverse. You can’t use a dumbbell for everything you use the kettlebell for.

Kettlebell training is both a cardio and strength training workout. Which is great. Because you get the fat burning benefits of cardio (aerobic) work and the muscle building benefits of strength training (anaerobic).

Don’t worry about bulking up. That’s not what will happen. You’ll build lean muscle. You want this because lean muscle burns more fat and calories throughout the whole day, not just during the workout.

Knowing all this, I’d say a kettlebell swing workout sounds just about wonderful. Well, maybe not quite wonderful since it IS still a workout. But I bet after you’ve done the workout, you’ll be mighty proud.

Workout Instructions:

Do each exercise for one minute. Use a timer to keep pace.
Do as many as you can but it’s not a speed race. You always want proper form.
Try not to rest in between exercises. Continuously move through the 10 exercises.
Take a one minute rest between circuits.
Repeat the circuit two times.
With a warmup and cool down the workout should take 20-30 minutes.

The kettlebell swing workout exercises:

Around the Body: This is a nice move to warm up with and get you comfortable with the kettlebell and transferring it from hand to hand. With four circuit rounds you will do each direction twice. Swing the kettlebell back and around your body to transfer to the other hand. You are literally swinging the bell around your body in a complete 360. Your body does not twist but stays strong and centered with your feet hip width apart.
Swings: In this classic kettlebell swing, stand with feet hip width apart and swing the kettlebell with both hands between your legs to out in front of you. The kettlebell doesn’t go higher than shoulder height. Don’t drop your head or bring your upper body forward or down as the kettlebell comes between your legs. This isn’t a squat and lift. It’s a hinge at the hips. You do not drop low into a squat. You are pushing with your hips and butt to swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height.
Figure 8s: Standing with feet slightly wider than hip width, squat and swing the kettlebell with one hand through your legs to pass through to your other hand. As you stand up continue to swing the bell up around to squat down again and pass the bell through to the other hand – creating a figure eight motion through your legs. The deeper the squat the harder the exercise. The longer the swing lag time at the top of squat (standing up) the easier it is. Find a good middle ground. Not too deep of a squat but not too much lag time. Simply don’t come up completely out of the squat – maintain a slight knee bend.
Halos: Hold the kettlebell with both hands on the handle sides in front of your chest. Keeping your arms bent, rotate the bell tightly around your head. With four circuits, you will complete two rotations in both directions.
Swing Throughs: These are like the classic kettlebell swing. Except that as you swing the bell through your legs, your upper body follows so that you are trying to reach the bell as far back behind your legs as possible. This is still a hinge at the hips and not a squat.
Wood Chop: Standing with feet slightly wider than hip width, drop into a squat with the kettlebell at your left side. Stand up to swing the kettlebell up to higher than the opposite shoulder. You rotate through your core, hips, legs and feet. You are creating a diagonal swing with your bell from your left knee to your right shoulder.
Punch Out: The punch out is a one-handed swing. Hold one arm out to the side for balance and perform a classic swing. As the bell comes up, bend your arm to bring the kettlebell to your body. Quickly punch the kettlebell back out in front of you to continue the downward swinging motion. The key is to keep the bell stable and not wobbling all over the place when it comes to your body and back out.
Twists: With feet hip width apart or closer, hold the bell by the horns with each hand in front of your body. Simply twist from side to side to work your core.
Swing Up & Turn: Again, like the swing. With the up and turn, you will swing the bell all the way up over your head. Just before the bell is directly above your head turn 45 degrees to the right. Continue the swing and on the way up again, turn back 45 degrees to your starting position. On the second circuit, you will turn 45 degrees to the left and back again.
Snatch: The snatch is a one arm swing to over your head. Using the swing hinge motion, swing the bell with your hips and butt until it is directly over your head. At the top, directly overhead, you rotate the bell so that it comes to rest on the back of your wrist. Then slightly throw the bell back down into the swing. This is where I highly recommend wearing kettlebell wrist guards. Snatching that heavy bell to the back of my wrists doesn’t feel that good. The wrist guards are a must.

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Here’s a video to quickly show you the moves.

Do not forget to warm up and cool down. This is important to prevent injury and muscle soreness. In your cool down you’ll want to stretch all your major muscle groups while you are warm – quads, hamstrings, back, shoulders, chest, hips. Hold (don’t bounce) your stretches for at least 15 seconds and keep your head above your heart.

If you like this workout, check out my other kettlebell workouts.

TRACK AND MARK THIS WORKOUT COMPLETE!

Are you keeping a fitness journal? Research shows that by keeping a food and fitness journal, writing down your workouts and what you eat, you lose more weight and reach your goals quicker. Fitbook is an awesome journal that provides tips, motivation and plenty of space to reflect and document things that inspire you. I use this to help plan my workouts and my meals. I love the extra tips it offers. Oftentimes, I’m left thinking – That’s a good one. I’ll have to try that. There are actually a few journal options to choose from.

DO YOU WORK WITH KETTLEBELLS? DO YOU KEEP A FITNESS JOURNAL?

As always, please remember that I am not a medical professional, personal trainer or certified instructor… I’m just a hard hitting girl who loves kettlebell workouts and wants to be healthy and strong! Before you begin any fitness or nutrition program, please consult your physician!

KETTLEBELL / ГИРЯ

среда, 15 февраля 2017 г.