Kettlebell Basics

SAMPLE ARTICLE / WORKOUT: 75 “metabolic monsters” conditioning circuits

by Nick “the mad scientist of muscle” Nilsson

I will tell you right up front… this workout is awesome and it is horrible at the same time.

When you don’t have a lot of space to work in and not a lot of equipment to work with, you need to get creative.

This three-exercise “triathlon” of swings, crawls and carries is going to push your metabolic conditioning and strength-endurance to the limit.

You’ll be doing continuous training (no rest), shifting the workload around to different areas of your body as you go, strategically resting other areas of your body so that you can perform at a relatively high level all the way through.

The exercise selection is very specific. It takes advantage of different STYLES of training, in addition to different exercises, so you’re working different muscles and different types of muscle fibers as you go through it.

There is no reprieve, there is no rest.

Adjust the weights you use according to your own strength levels. You can select different time blocks or you can set a goal of a certain number of rounds through.

For example, I did 30 minutes straight, which ended up being exactly 10 rounds through. You can choose to go 10, 15, 20 minutes… or 3, 5, 8 rounds… whatever you like.

You’ll start with a kettlebell (or dumbbell) swing to work the posterior chain with a powerful, explosive exercise. Do 20 reps of swings.

I’m using the equivalent of a 105 lb kettlebell for this (it’s an 85 lb dumbbell with an attachable handle called a KettleClamp). Select a weight you could normally get at least 25-30 reps with good form.

When you’ve finished the 20 reps, set the weight down and go straight to the dumbbell crawling.

This is one of my favorite core exercises. You can get more detailed instructions on how to perform it here.

I’m using a pair of 65 lb dumbbells for this. If you’ve never done this exercise before, practice it a little first so you know how to do it and get an idea of how
much weight you can use. I’ve been doing this one a long time so I went fairly heavy.

Essentially, you’re doing a bear crawl type of exercise with dumbbells in your hands. Move with opposing limbs so that when you move your right hand forward, your left foot moves forward. This is easier to see in the video than in still pictures or text.

This gives you two points of contact on the ground at all times (opposing points of contact so all the loading goes diagonally through your core, which is what makes
this exercise so effective).

Go about 20 feet, then turn around and come back. We’re always going to have a “home base” here because of the cycling through the three exercises.

Once up, hold them steady and start walking. I went 4 times up and down my basement floor. If you have more space available to you (like in a gym), you can certainly walk longer before turning around.

When you’re done with the carry, set the dumbbells down, grab your kettlebell and start swinging again.

Then just repeat for as many rounds as you want or as long as your time block goes for… or until you collapse into a pool of sweat.

FYI, this circuit will hit the muscles of your upper back very hard…each exercise works the area in some fashion. You’ll feel a deep soreness for several days after doing it.

Bottom line, though, this an excellent and very simple circuit workout that will get your metabolism CRANKING.

Take the next step and get instant access to 75 more workouts like this one now.

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SAMPLE ARTICLE / WORKOUT: 75 “metabolic monsters” conditioning circuits

by Nick “the mad scientist of muscle” Nilsson

The Kettlebell Swing is one of the single best overall exercises you can do for yourself. It targets the posterior chain (the muscles that run down the back of the body) very effectively while teaching you how to properly perform a “hip hinge.”

Hip hinging is one of the core movements that generates maximal power in your body in a variety of lifts. If you don’t know how to hinge, you’re missing out on a lot of potential strength.

The heavy kettlebell swing is going to form the “base” of this total-body circuit… and by heavy, I mean using a weight that challenges you to get 8-10 reps or so with.

Exercise #1 (and in between the other exercises) – The Kettlebell Swing – 8-10 reps

I’m going to assume you’re already familiar with the kettlebell swing exercise here…because honestly, if you’re not, then you shouldn’t be jumping into them in a heavy circuit like this anyway.

A couple of key points with the swing…

1. The majority of the power should come from your hips (i.e.glutes and hamstrings). The knees do bend and your quads do contribute somewhat. It’s also very important to note that your arms just serve to attach the weight to your body…like the string on a pendulum. You SNAP the hips forward and that generates the power that transfers to forward momentum of the weight.

2. The first rep won’t be very high…it’s there to help you get the swing started and get a good backswing.

3. Only swing up to about chest/shoulder level. If you can swing higher, you’re not using enough weight. Definitely don’t go overhead…that’s a CrossFit-specific movement that isn’t required here and can be potentially injurious to the shoulders.

4. When you swing heavy weight up in front of you, you will need to lean back a bit to counterbalance the momentum of the load, otherwise it will pull you forward. It’s important to be aware of this the first you try and go heavy on swings.

Exercise #2 – Push-Ups – High Reps

After the first set of swings, immediately hit the floor and crank out as many pushups as you can…ideally 20+.

If you can’t do 20+ push-ups, I would suggest elevating your hands (on a bench or something) rather than doing kneeling push-ups. Kneeling push-ups aren’t wrong to do, but they don’t develop abdominal-bracing strength like an elevated-hand pushup does.

Once you’ve done the push-ups, grab the kettlebell for another 8-10 heavy swings.

Exercise #3 – Chin-Ups – 5+ reps

These are just normal chins…if not you’re strong enough to do at least 10 chins when fresh, I would recommend using Inverted Rows instead (setting a bar to about stomach height, feet on the floor, rowing your body up). Because I’ll tell you right now…it will be a challenge to even hit 5 reps after those swings.

After you’ve completed the chins, it’s another set of swings.

Exercise #4 – Kettlebell Squats

Use the same weight that you were using for swings. The form here is a similar to a deadlift, however we’re actually going to force your body into a more challenging squat position.

Squat down and grip the handle, then pull your butt down towards the floor so you get more flexion in the knees. In this way, you’re forcing more workload onto the quads, turning the exercise into a squat, rather doing more of a deadlift by allowing your hips to stay high.

Bend your elbows to get this increased range

Finish with a final set of 8-10 swings and you’re done!

This is one round through. Rest 3 minutes then repeat for 3-4 more rounds.

This combination works every single major muscle group in your entire body, taking about 3-4 minutes per circuit.

And trust me…you will be GASPING for breath at the end of it. Heavy kettlebell swings take a LOT of breath control and effort and when done in combination with the other exercises, you will get NO break the entire way through.

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Access 75 more workouts like this at the link below:

==>> 75 “metabolic monsters” conditioning circuits

I just went thru a review copy… this thing is like an encyclopedia of metabolic conditioning workouts.

Here’s a sample of what you get (this is just *one* section of the manual… it’s 700+ pages long):

Exponential Drop Set Workout
Single Barbell Rack Attack
Dueling Banjo Hell
Swing and Carry Ladders
Core Annihilator
Full-Body Lactic Non-Stop Circuit
Double Antagonistic Superset Circuits
Spiderman Circuit
Ninja Warrior Circuit
Single Dumbbell Attack
Descending Press Circuit
Heavy Kettlebell Swing Total Body Circuit
“Big” Exercise Lactic Acid Circuit
“Little” Exercise Lactic Acid Circuit
Weighted Bodyweight Exercise Circuit
Explosive Strength and Farmers Walks
Punching Power
Lung Crusher
Core Shredder
Full-Body Metabolic Circuit
Inside Out Core Crusher
Lateral Focus
Heavy-Light Sandwich
Full-Spectrum Circuit
Step Ladder
Total Body Countdown Circuit Murder
Unilateral 3-Exercise 3-Stage Circuit
NEW! 4 Exercise Non-Stop DB Circuit
NEW! 40-Minute Single Rep Cluster
NEW! Basement Triathlon – Swing, Crawl, Carry
NEW! Burn-It-To-The-Ground Barbell Complex
NEW! Cruel and Unusual…Count-Up Deadlifts
NEW! Lactate Tolerance Training – Chest
NEW! Lactate Tolerance Training – Back
NEW! Lactate Tolerance Training – Legs
NEW! Single-Rep 4-Exercise TVT
NEW! Anti-Rotational Lactic Acid Nightmare
NEW! 500 Swings
NEW! All-Movement Driveway Circuit
NEW! Bicep Crusher
NEW! Countdown Time-Volume Squats
NEW! High-Low Lactic Acid Squats
NEW! Prunges
NEW! Top-Down Lactic Acid Barbell Complex
NEW! Up-&-Down-the-Rack Squats
NEW! Up-&-Down-the-Rack Anderson Squats
NEW! Up-&-Down-the-Rack Deadlifts
NEW! Up-&-Down-the-Rack Presses and Rows\

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If you are a “workout junkie” like me, you can get this training course and use it for ideas whenever you want new finishers for your workouts.

If you are a trainer or coach, you can get this and use it for programming ideas for your clients.

The possibilities are endless.

Access now at the link below:

==>> 75 “metabolic monsters” conditioning circuits

And here’s to your continued success! -

- Forest Vance
ForestVance.com

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