Kettlebell Basics

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know that one kettlebell is all you need to improve your conditioning, lose fat and gain lean muscle …

However, double kettlebell training can take your workouts to a whole new level. As I mentioned in this post on Return of the Kettlebell by Pavel, double kettlebell training gives you a whole lot more ‘metabolic whallop’ for your buck. It’s also great for putting on muscle – moving more weight stimulates more muscle.

In this article, I’m going to give a quick overview of five ‘basic’ double kettlebell exercises:  The Double Swing, the Double Clean, the Double Press, the Double Squat, and the Double Snatch.  Next time, I’ll give you a couple of double kettlebell sample workouts you can try.

Hopefully this goes without saying, but mastering the basic kettlebell exercises with one kettlebell should come before trying to learn them using two.  Make sure to read through the archives of this blog for technique and workout tips if you’re still looking to get the basic exercises down.

The Double Swing

The mechanics of the Double Swing are identical to the single kettlebell Swing, with a couple of exceptions:

1. You’ll have to take a slightly wider stance than you would with a ‘normal’ Swing to get the kettlebells to clear your legs.

2. Turn the handles in slightly as you bring the kettlebells down and back to pre-load the external rotators

Here’s a video demo of the standard Swing to review:

The Double Clean

The Double Clean is, like the Double Swing, very similar to its single-kettlebell counterpart.  You’ll simply clean both kettlebells at the same time up to the shoulder.  Also, same as the Double Swing, make sure to internally rotate the kettlebell handles to pre-load the external rotators as they come down and are hike-passed between the legs.

The Double Press

Same mechanics as the single-arm Press.  Here you’ll just be working with more weight total, and actually be more balanced during the press.

Here’s a good video demonstration of the Double Kettlebell Clean and Press:

The Double Squat

The Double Squat is actually a good sub for a traditional Barbell Front Squat. It’s a lot easier on the wrists and is pretty darn challenging – a double front squat with a pair of 32k’s will challenge even a strong man.

Here’s what the Double Kettlebell Squat looks like:

The Double Snatch

This one is a little tricky, largely because of the weight of two kettlebells is going to have the tendency to pull you down.  In many instances, you’ll be snatching upwards of half your entire body weight.  So, what you want to do is snatch the kettlebells up above your head, and then bring them down to your shoulders before you snatch them back up.

Here’s a video that does a good job of explaining the Double Swing to Double Snatch progression:

There you have the basic five double kettlebell exercises: The Swing, Clean, Press, Squat and Snatch.  Next time, I’ll outline a couple of sample double kettlebell workouts for you.  Keep training hard!!

P.S.  If anything is unclear, I explain all of these double kettlebell exercises in greater detail in my KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide

P.S.S. One thing about double kettlebell training: You’ll probably need to order more kettlebells  As you know, I personally use and highly recommend Dragon Door kettlebells – check out this post if you want to know why

P.S.S.S. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on all the latest from KettlebellBasics.net (and to get first word of the next post in this series) – just drop your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page

Although I spend 95% of the time on this blog talking about kettlebell exercises and workouts, diet is a critical component of any training program that can’t be overlooked.  Like it or not, what you eat plays a huge role in your performance.

I truly believe that there is no perfect diet for everyone – and personal experience in servicing nearly 10,000 career training sessions strongly supports this fact. Different approaches work for different people.

Here are three meal plans that will compliment your kettlebell training program well – it’s ultimately up to you to pick which one fits your preferences and lifestyle best.

1. The Primal Blueprint

Author Mark Sisson (of Mark’s Daily Apple) makes an effort in this book to dispel many diet ‘myths’ that have come to be accepted as fact in popular culture. Life of our primal ancestors is put in stark contrast with the modern sedentary lifestyles most of us lead and the potential associated health issues. This book poses a solution that promises to guide us towards “effortless weight loss, vibrant health and boundless energy”.

Read more details, see a book preview and read reviews on Amazon.com by clicking below:

The Primal Blueprint

2. The Warrior Diet

The Warrior Diet has some similar themes to the Primal Blueprint as it looks to the habits of early cultures in an attempt to deliver a “radical yet surprisingly simple lifestyle overhaul”.  The diet’s premise – based on both historical evidence and scientific studies – is the cycling of undereating during the day and loading up on calories during the night.  For a more detailed description and to read about experiences others have had with the book, check out the link below:

The Warrior Diet

3. The Best Fat Loss Diet Plan

This is my very own back-to-basics fat loss meal plan.  It’s based on scientific evidence and what’s actually worked for me and countless training clients over the years.  It’s a ’super-quick-start’ sort of guide that skips all the theory, cuts right to how to set up your meal plan and gives you dozens of healthy meal and snack recipe ideas.  Click below for more info:

Forest’s Best Fat Loss Diet Plan

Although I don’t talk about diet a whole lot on this blog, it’s a critical piece of any training program.  I’ve given an overview of a few different programs in this post for those of you who need a little guideance; the most important thing is to have a scientifically backed and real-life proven meal plan and to stay consistent with it.  Keep training hard!

P.S. Only two more days left on our kettlebell gear super sale!  Click below to head over to the Kettlebell Basics apparel store:

Kettlebell Basics Training Gear

Kettlebell T’s, Hoodies, Buttons and more from KettlebellBasics.net and Forest Vance Training, Inc. are now officially available! Check out our store by clicking the link below:

Kettlebell Gear – Shirts, Hats, and More

If you’re like me, you love kettlebells.  And a shirt, hoodie, or hat shows everyone how much you like training with them.  And it’s a good converstation piece.

If you’re thinking about ordering some gear for yourself, here are three great reasons why you should do so now:

1. Show Your Kettlebell Pride

If you’re like me, you love kettlebells.  And a shirt, hoodie, or hat shows everyone how much you like training with them.  Plus, it’s a good converstation piece.

2. Quality Kettlebell-Themed Gear Is Hard To Find

It’s actually hard to find quality kettlebel-themed shirts, hats, and the like.  So you’ll have unique clothing that will be the envy of all your kettlebell enthusiast friends.

3. You Can Save 10% If You Order By This Sunday

You’ll save 10% off of every item in the store if you order by Sunday, July 25th.  On Monday the 26th prices will go up.  So if you’re thinking about picking up a shirt, hat, or hoodie, now’s a great time!

Grab your kettlebell gear at 10% off by clicking the link below:

Kettlebell Gear – Shirts, Hats, and More

Here’s smoker of a kettlebell workout for ya’ – you’ll be toast in less than 30 minutes:

• Start with a quick kettlebell warm up
• Do 10 Snatches with each arm
• Run 200 yards (about the length of a football field and back)
• Do 10 Cleans with each arm
• Run 200 yards
• Do 20 two handed Swings
• Repeat circuit two more times for a total of three rounds
• Take as little rest as possible during the workout
• Finish with a light static stretch

This video shows both the kettlebell Clean and the kettlebell Snatch:

And this post explains the kettlebell Swing:

The Kettlebell Swing

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

P.S. Kettlebell gear from KettlebellBasics.net is almost here … I’m super excited.  There will be some awesome kettlebell-themed T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and more … and we’ll be adding new designs all the time.  Make sure to sign up for the KettlebellBasics.net newsletter to get news of the kick-off sale … just drop your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page. 

A proper warm up can make all the difference in your kettlebell workout. It not only prepares your body physically for the punishment it’s about to receive, but it gets your mind right, too.

But what if you’re pressed for time? After all, I know a lot of you like kettlebell training because it’s so efficient – you can get a great workout with kettlebells in a really short amount of time. And when you’re in a hurry, often the warm up is the first thing you skip.

I recently found this YouTube video that provides a great solution: It’s a quick kettlebell warm up that takes about three minutes to do. It includes three exercises:

1. The Halo
2. The Slingshot
3. The Figure Eight

Check it out:

So next time you’re rushing to get your workout done, throw this kettlebell warm up in and get ready to go in about three minutes!

P.S. Looking for a complete warm up plan? Check out the Functional Flexibilty Secrets bonus in my comprehensive workout, diet, and lifestyle program, the Ultimate Fitness Resource Toolkit by clicking below:

The Ultimate Fitness Resource Toolkit

If you missed the first article on using kettlebells for fat loss, you can check it out here:

Kettlebells For Fat Loss Part 1

Last time, we talked about how circuit-style kettlebell workouts (like the ones you’ll find in the KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide) are great for fat loss and general conditioning.  And the truth is, if you’re training regularly with kettlebells, burning fat and gaining lean muscle is a natural consequence.

But I know many of you want to take your training to the next level; you want to strip that final layer of body fat and get flat-out ripped.  So we also covered how some small tweaks can make your circuit training even more effective with regards to losing body fat.

Today, I’m going to give you the second kettlebell workout for fat loss:

KB Fat Loss Workout B

*Just as in Workout A – do the first exercise in each pairing. Without rest, move to the next exercise. Complete the prescribed number of reps in the second exercise, rest :30 seconds, and complete the sequence two more times. Rest one minute before moving on to the next pairing.

1A. KB Renegade Row 3 x 16 each side

1B. KB Overhead Lunge 3 x 15 each side

2A. Pull Up (hang kettlebell from feet if additional resistance is needed) 3x 15

2B. Double KB Front Squat 3×15

*You can substitute Body Rows for Pull Ups if you can’t get all 15

Here’s some articles that should help you with the workout:

The Kettlebell Row – A how-to on KettlebellBasics.net
The Kettlebell Squat – How to do it and why it’s a different animal

And a nice demo of the KB Overhead Lunge:

Here’s how you put these workouts together: Perform workout A and some steady-state cardio on Monday.  Do some interval training on Tuesday (I’ll talk about the cardio specifics again in a second).  Do Workout B on Wednesday with some light cardio.  Do intervals again on Thursday.  Do workout A on Friday with some light cardio.  Do intervals again on Saturday.  Take Sunday off.

Repeat this same routine again the next week, except you’ll do workout B on Monday, workout A on Wednesday, and workout B on Friday.  Then start the whole cycle again the next week.

With regards to cardio, if you’re serious about fat loss, I believe you need to do six days per week of cardiovascular activity.  Three interval days and three steady-state, lower-intensity days is a great set up – for some ideas on interval training, check out this post: The Magic of HIIT Cardio For Burning Fat

You can do this workout for about 4-6 weeks until you’ll need to switch it up.

And one last thing: Your diet is more than 50% of the equation when it comes to fat loss.  You can have the best designed workout in the world, but if you’re not eating properly, it won’t do a thing for your fat loss efforts.  If you’re looking for a done-for-you, effective and client-tested fat loss program, check out my very own Best Fat Loss Diet here:  The Best Fat Loss Diet

So there you have a complete workout for losing fat with kettlebells.  Apply the principles we’ve covered in the last two articles about using kettlebells to lose fat and you’ll be well on your way to reaching your fat loss goals.  Keep training hard!

Now that we’ve covered how to use kettlebells to build muscle, I’m going to teach you how to use kettlebells for fat loss.

While your ‘prototypical’ circuit-style kettlebell workout is great for fat loss already, we can make some small tweaks to really optimize our fat loss results.

The main focus is going to be on burning as many calories as possible during our workouts.  We’re moving back to a total body routine; no more splitting up body parts. We want to work all of our major muscle groups over the course of a single training session to maximize calorie expenditure.  We’re also going to be focusing on exercises that work lots of muscles at once (which all of the five basic kettlebell exercises do already) and keeping our rest periods to a minimum.

If you’re truly dedicated to fat loss, I believe that you also need to be doing lots of cardio:  Six days per week of cardiovascular activity at a minimum of 30 minutes each day.  Three days of steady-state cardio and three days of interval cardio is a great set up.  Here’s a nice article on my Fitness Monster blog about HIIT cardio if you need some ideas for your interval training:  HIIT Cardio For Fat Loss

Also, keep in mind that fat loss has a lot to do with your diet. Losing fat is, at its most basic level, about burning more calories than you expend. You can have the best designed workout in the world, but if your diet isn’t in check, you’re going to have trouble losing body fat.  If you need some specific guideance with your meal planning, you can check out my own top-rated fat loss diet plan here: The Easiest, Fastest Fat Loss Meal Plan Ever

As I did with the kettlebells to build muscle article series, I’ll give you two different workouts to alternate between here – this is the first one:

Kettlebells For Fat Loss: Workout A

*Do the first exercise in each pairing.  Without rest, move to the next exercise.  Complete the prescribed number of reps in the second exercise, rest :30 seconds, and complete the sequence two more times.  Rest one minute before moving on to the next pairing.

1A: KB Thruster (Squat To Overhead Press) 3 x 15
1B: Body Row 3 x 15

2A. KB Swing 3 x 15
2B. Push Up 3 x 15

3A. KB Crush Curl 3×15
3B. Bar/Ring Dip 3×15

*If you have questions about how to perform any of these exercises, check out this page on the blog: Kettlebell Videos on KettlebellBasics.net

I’ll be back soon with a workout B for ‘ya … keep training hard!!

P.S. Kettlebell gear from KettlebellBasics.net is in the works and coming very soon … we’ll have T-Shirts, Tank Tops, Sweatshirts, Hats, and more … you’ll be able to share with the world your passion for kettlebells!  Stay tuned for more info in the near future …

If you missed the first article on using kettlebells to build muscle, you can check it out here:

Kettlebells For Building Muscle: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps Workout

As we touched on last time, kettlebells are typically used for lung burning, conditioning-style workouts …. but what most people don’t know is that they can be a great tool for building muscle, too.  For pure mass gain, utilizing a body part split is ideal. So to compliment our workout from last time, this is a back, biceps and legs workout that can be done with a single kettlebell and your own body weight:

Snatches

Do 50 total, switching hands every 5-10 reps.  Men should use a 24k ‘bell, women 16k.  Time yourself and do all 50 reps as fast as you can.  As your conditioning level improves, strive to improve your time.  You can also start with a lighter weight or less reps and work your way up if you’re out of shape.

Goblet Squat/ Pull Up Superset

Start by doing 15 Goblet Squats.  Here’s how to do the Kettlebell Squat:

The Kettlebell Squat

Follow the KB Squats with a Pull Up ladder – do 1 rep, rest :30, do 2 reps, rest :45, do 3 reps.  Check out this article for more information about the Pull Up ladder:

http://www.cbass.com/Pavel’sLadders.htm

After completing the Pull Up ladder, rest about :60 seconds and repeat this superset two more times.

Rengade Rows

Finish the workout off with 3 sets of 10 reps here.  Here’s my original post on the Kettlebell Row:

The Kettlebell Row

————————————-

So how do you put these muscle-building kettlebell workouts together into a routine that makes sense, gives you the right amount of recovery, etc.?  Simple – do the chest, shoulders and triceps workout (we’ll call it workout A) on Monday.  Rest or do some light recovery work (walk, ride your bike, swim, etc.) on Tuesday.  Do the workout detailed in this post (workout B) on Wednesday.  Again, do some light recovery work, flexibility/mobility, etc. on Thursday.  Do workout A again on Friday.  Take the weekend off.

The next week, you’ll follow the same schedule, except you’ll do workout B on Monday, workout A on Wednesday, and workout B on Friday.  Rest for the weekend and start all over again the next Monday.  You can do this routine for 4-6 weeks until you’ll need to change it up.

Now you have a basic plan for using kettlebells and your own body weight to build muscle.  If you’ve been working towards fat loss and/or conditioning for a long period of time, this routine could  be just what you need to mix your workouts up.  Give it a go and let me know what you think!

If you liked this post, you’ll love our newsletter!  You’ll also get two free gifts just for signing up – drop your name and email address into the box at the upper right of the page now to get instant access!

Kettlebell workouts that we’ve talked about on this blog have primarily been full-body in nature – they hit all of your major muscle groups in a single session. This is great for fat loss, conditioning, and improving overall athleticism – but let’s face it, if your #1 goal is to gain muscle, a body part split is the way to go. And kettlebells can be used for gaining muscle just like any other strength training implement – in fact, I think kettlebells have a place in your workouts no matter what your fitness goals are. The key is knowing how to set up your workouts for maximum effectiveness. Here’s a chest, shoulder and triceps workout you can do with kettlebells and your own body weight:

1) TGU’s

Do one ‘naked’ on each side (no added weight) and then three more on each side, switching sides each rep. Here’s how to do a Get Up in case you need a refresher:

How To Do A Turkish Get Up

2) Push Ups

Do three sets of max reps with 30 seconds of rest between sets.  Pick a Push Up variation that’s challenging for you – you shouldn’t be able to complete more than 20 reps on the first set.  Here’s a great video on how to perform different Push Up variations:

3) KB Presses

Do three ladders up to 5 reps each.  The pressing ladders will look like this:

• Clean and Press Right
• Clean and Press Left
• Clean, 2 Presses Right
• Clean, 2 Presses Left
• Clean, 3 Presses Right
• Etc.

4) Ring Dips

Do three sets of max reps just like you did with the Push Ups. These are brutal if you’ve never done them before - here’s a video explaining the exercise – it also gives a nice progression if you can’t yet perform a true Ring Dip:

There’s a chest, shoulder and triceps workout for building muscle using kettlebells and your own body weight. Enjoy!

For your free beginner’s guide to kettlebell training and free ‘Kettlebell Rx’ training video, make sure to sign up for the KettlebelBasics.net newsletter by dropping your name and email into the box at the upper right hand corner of the page!!

Have you conquered the ETK Rite Of Passage?  Can you do 100 Snatches in 5 minutes and Press the KB closest to 1/2 your body weight?

It’s time to graduate to Return of the Kettlebell.  But in his opening letter, Pavel is very clear that unless you have completed these pre-requisite requirements (unless you own the ‘black belt fundamentals of kettlebells’), you have no business doing the exercises or workouts in Return of the Kettlebell.

Return of the Kettlebell is a guide all about getting big and strong with explosive kettlebell training.  The focus of ETK is on single kettlebell training, while the focus of Return of the Kettlebell is on double kettlebell training.  You’ll learn the Double Clean, the Double Snatch, the Double Press and the Double Clean and Jerk.

Return of the Kettlebell can be found on DragonDoor.com – click the banner below to go there now

These exercises are then put together into training schedules that are based on the Russian ‘block system’ of periodization.  As is expected from Pavel, the book includes a great balance of old-schoool lifting wisdom backed by scientific research.

One of the greatest things about this book is how it breaks down each movement into detail and gives you multiple coaching points and corrective exercises to drill down your technique on each movement.

The first time I read through Return of the Kettlebell, I’ll admit that I scanned the text and got right to the end of the book where it talks about programming so I could start on the training plans it lays out.

And part of the reason for this is because this isn’t the ’exciting’ stuff – it’s not as fun to read about coaching points or corrective drills as it is to read about and plan for the actual workouts you’ll be doing.

But in hindsight, I think this was a big mistake – and one that you have to take care not to make yourself.  Much of the value of the book lies in the detail of the exercises and the corrective techniques presented.  So if you pick up a copy of the book, make sure to read it all the way through before skipping ahead to the programming section.

If you’ve completed the Rite of Passage from Enter the Kettlebell and you need a new training challenge, Return of the Kettlebell will be exactly what you’re looking for.  Learn more about the book and order a copy by clicking the banner below: