Here's a great video showing how you can get a quick workout with simple but effective exercise using kettlebells. Just goes to show you don't have to get to the gym for a great workout>.
Wednesday 11 March 2009
Wednesday 25 February 2009
Lean and Strong with Kettlebell Training
Women are always afraid that when they start working out with weights they will "blow up" like bodybuilders. Sorry ladies, it's not gonna happen. If you take a look round the gym there aren't that many HUGE guys. It's difficult to bulk up muscle to that level, especially if you're a woman (AND you're NOT chemically assisted). However, you can get toned and strong using heavy weights, such as kettlebells, like in this video. The girl here is, by no stretch of the imagination, big. BUT she is able to deadlift 212lbs, which is not far off 100kgs. Lean and strong.
Wednesday 11 February 2009
Great Tips to Maximise Your Kettlebell Swing Technique
The kettlebell swing is the foundation movement for a large proportion of kettlebell exercises.
The swing utilises a hip thrust that is fundamental to other kettlebell exercises such as the kettlebell clean and the kettlebell one arm snatch.
The swing maximizes muscular endurance in the back and waist, is a great lower body strength builder and is a highly effective conditioning exercise.
Before attempting a kettlebell swing you should ensure you can correctly perform the kettlebell deadlift. The kettlebell deadlift will focus attention on achieving a correct starting and ending position for the kettlebell swing.
The Kettlebell Deadlift
1) Start with the kettlebell placed between your feet.
2) Sit back and bend at the knees whilst keeping you back flat (not vertical).
3) Your weight should be centered and slightly towards your heels and your knees should track in line with your feet.
4) Grab hold of the kettlebell and stand erect using your legs to do all the lifting.
5) At the top of the movement your quads and glutes should be contracted to protect the lower back and to stop you leaning back
The Two Arm Kettlebell Swing
If you can correctly perform the kettlebell deadlift you can now start learning the kettlebell swing.
1) The starting position of the Two Arm Kettlebell Swing is with the kettlebell on the ground in front of you, knees bent, your weight centered towards your heels and your back flat
2) Start the movement by hiking the kettlebell behind you and then drive your hips forward to propel the kettlebell through its arc. The movement is similar to performing a standing broad jump, but of course you stay in the same spot
3) Your arms are just hooks and the power comes from the movement of the hips and the muscles of the posterior chain ie, hamstrings, glutes, lower back.
4) Swing the kettlebell to about chest height. At the top of the movement breathe out whilst contracting your quads, glutes and your abs (by tilting your pelvis up).
5) Breathe in and hold your breath as you let the kettlebell free fall back between your legs so that it passes through your legs as high as possible (to keep the arc tight and to stop unnecessary pulling on your back). Aim for your groin and then get your groin out of the way by taking you hips back
6) Although different trainees will have varying amount of knee bend the important thing is that the hips go back and thrust forward and that the quads do not take over the exercise. You should feel the movement in your hamstrings. If your quads are instead fatiguing then you are not taking the hips back at the bottom of the movement.
Kettlebell swings are a fantastic exercise for fitness and conditioning and to develop strength and power in the posterior chain. If you require any further information I suggest you check out this kettlebell website
Mike Capper is a qualified RKC kettlebell instructor from New Zealand. His website http://www.kettlebellsnz.com is packed with articles and tips to maximise your kettlebell training and get most out of your training.
The swing utilises a hip thrust that is fundamental to other kettlebell exercises such as the kettlebell clean and the kettlebell one arm snatch.
The swing maximizes muscular endurance in the back and waist, is a great lower body strength builder and is a highly effective conditioning exercise.
Before attempting a kettlebell swing you should ensure you can correctly perform the kettlebell deadlift. The kettlebell deadlift will focus attention on achieving a correct starting and ending position for the kettlebell swing.
The Kettlebell Deadlift
1) Start with the kettlebell placed between your feet.
2) Sit back and bend at the knees whilst keeping you back flat (not vertical).
3) Your weight should be centered and slightly towards your heels and your knees should track in line with your feet.
4) Grab hold of the kettlebell and stand erect using your legs to do all the lifting.
5) At the top of the movement your quads and glutes should be contracted to protect the lower back and to stop you leaning back
The Two Arm Kettlebell Swing
If you can correctly perform the kettlebell deadlift you can now start learning the kettlebell swing.
1) The starting position of the Two Arm Kettlebell Swing is with the kettlebell on the ground in front of you, knees bent, your weight centered towards your heels and your back flat
2) Start the movement by hiking the kettlebell behind you and then drive your hips forward to propel the kettlebell through its arc. The movement is similar to performing a standing broad jump, but of course you stay in the same spot
3) Your arms are just hooks and the power comes from the movement of the hips and the muscles of the posterior chain ie, hamstrings, glutes, lower back.
4) Swing the kettlebell to about chest height. At the top of the movement breathe out whilst contracting your quads, glutes and your abs (by tilting your pelvis up).
5) Breathe in and hold your breath as you let the kettlebell free fall back between your legs so that it passes through your legs as high as possible (to keep the arc tight and to stop unnecessary pulling on your back). Aim for your groin and then get your groin out of the way by taking you hips back
6) Although different trainees will have varying amount of knee bend the important thing is that the hips go back and thrust forward and that the quads do not take over the exercise. You should feel the movement in your hamstrings. If your quads are instead fatiguing then you are not taking the hips back at the bottom of the movement.
Kettlebell swings are a fantastic exercise for fitness and conditioning and to develop strength and power in the posterior chain. If you require any further information I suggest you check out this kettlebell website
Mike Capper is a qualified RKC kettlebell instructor from New Zealand. His website http://www.kettlebellsnz.com is packed with articles and tips to maximise your kettlebell training and get most out of your training.
Anyone For Kettlebells?
Having recently torn my bicep tendon, I’ve had to implement new forms of torture to my training. Actually it’s not new forms, but stuff I’ve neglected for a while. I’d got kind of bored with it, but not having much else I can do with a gammy arm, I’m back swinging kettlebells, doing pistols, sprints and just about anything you can do with one arm!
This shift of focus has prompted some questions about kettlebells and how they can help lose weight or tone up. So is there something magical bout this metal ball with a handle?
No.
It’s still just a lump of metal, just a different shape to what most people are used to with dumbells and barbells. However, the unique shape allows for a variety of exercises that can’t be done with a dumbell (or barbell) and also gives a different slant to those exercises that can be done with either of those things. Doesn’t mean it’s better, just different.
The basic foundation exercise with a kettlebell is the swing. Excellent for developing the back, glutes and hamstrings. Using these large muscles for a consistent, repeated effort really gets the heart and lungs going (otherwise known as “cardio”). You’ll probably notice your abs working too, especially on heavy swings (similar to a Bums, Tums and Thighs class).
Snatches, Clean & Press, Turkish Get Ups, Figure 8’s and Windmills are all basic exericses that work the whole body, including the mid-section, or “core”. Again, nothing magical about these exercises but kettlebells lend themselves to them and the set/rep/time schemes can easily be manipulated to produce the effect that you want.
Let’s say you want to lose fat. High rep, sustained efforts using big muscle groups (swings and running on the spot) for 10 mins will provide a great workout for a beginner. You don’t need any specialist knowledge and can do it just about anywhere. Using pairs of kettlebells you can do thrusters (front squat into overhead press) and bent over rows for a full body workout.
Combining resistance training with your cardio produces a much more potent effect on your metabolism, keeping it raised long after you’ve stopped working out. And by doing this and building muscle you’ll use more calories when you’re NOT in the gym or working out. If you search on Google Images for “kettlebells women” you’ll see some, erm, “demonstrative” physiques of what can be achieved with these types of workouts (I did do a check of “kettlebells men” but the results weren’t nearly as interesting believe it or not!) Rest assured though guys they work the same for you too!
If the weather’s bad, you can even use them indoors, although if you worry about breaking something (it won’t be your kettlebell) and want to get the most out of them, I suggest you use them outdoors. It gives you an option if the weather’s bad
So, what’s good about kettlebell workouts? Well if you want a simple effective workout, that melts away fat, tones and defines your muscles, boosts your fitness, builds your strength and can be done in less than an hour a week, then buy a metal ball with a handle.
This shift of focus has prompted some questions about kettlebells and how they can help lose weight or tone up. So is there something magical bout this metal ball with a handle?
No.
It’s still just a lump of metal, just a different shape to what most people are used to with dumbells and barbells. However, the unique shape allows for a variety of exercises that can’t be done with a dumbell (or barbell) and also gives a different slant to those exercises that can be done with either of those things. Doesn’t mean it’s better, just different.
The basic foundation exercise with a kettlebell is the swing. Excellent for developing the back, glutes and hamstrings. Using these large muscles for a consistent, repeated effort really gets the heart and lungs going (otherwise known as “cardio”). You’ll probably notice your abs working too, especially on heavy swings (similar to a Bums, Tums and Thighs class).
Snatches, Clean & Press, Turkish Get Ups, Figure 8’s and Windmills are all basic exericses that work the whole body, including the mid-section, or “core”. Again, nothing magical about these exercises but kettlebells lend themselves to them and the set/rep/time schemes can easily be manipulated to produce the effect that you want.
Let’s say you want to lose fat. High rep, sustained efforts using big muscle groups (swings and running on the spot) for 10 mins will provide a great workout for a beginner. You don’t need any specialist knowledge and can do it just about anywhere. Using pairs of kettlebells you can do thrusters (front squat into overhead press) and bent over rows for a full body workout.
Combining resistance training with your cardio produces a much more potent effect on your metabolism, keeping it raised long after you’ve stopped working out. And by doing this and building muscle you’ll use more calories when you’re NOT in the gym or working out. If you search on Google Images for “kettlebells women” you’ll see some, erm, “demonstrative” physiques of what can be achieved with these types of workouts (I did do a check of “kettlebells men” but the results weren’t nearly as interesting believe it or not!) Rest assured though guys they work the same for you too!
If the weather’s bad, you can even use them indoors, although if you worry about breaking something (it won’t be your kettlebell) and want to get the most out of them, I suggest you use them outdoors. It gives you an option if the weather’s bad
So, what’s good about kettlebell workouts? Well if you want a simple effective workout, that melts away fat, tones and defines your muscles, boosts your fitness, builds your strength and can be done in less than an hour a week, then buy a metal ball with a handle.
Welcome!
Welcome to Kettlebells For Women, where you can get free exercise tips on how best to use your kettlebells to improve your fitness, as well as what to look for and where to buy kettlebells, nd much, much more!!!
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