Kettlebell Bodyweight Circuit Workout

On March 31, 2011January 18, 2012 By adminIn Kettlebell Workouts4 Comments

I have a new kettlebell workout for you this week … but first, a quick story:

This story is about a client I’ve trained for just over two years. Over the time she’s worked with me, she’s lost over 20 pounds … and more importantly has completely changed her body. She’s lost fat, gained lean muscle, and looks fantastic.

The interesting thing is that when we first started training, she hated kettlebells! I couldn’t talk her into doing a Swing workout if her life depended on it …

The workout from this week is a lot like the ones I’ve used with her to ‘turn her on’ to the idea of training with KB’s … it’s a fast-paced, fat loss – oriented workout that ‘sneaks in’ some kettlebell moves throughout.

So whether you’re a hard-core KB lifter or still getting ‘warmed up’ to the idea of giving ’em a try, I think you’ll enjoy this one …

Kettlebell Bodyweight Circuit Workout

Start the workout with a quick kettlebell warm up
Your first exercise pairing will be Kettlebell Goblet Squats and Push Ups. You’ll do three sets of 15 reps of each. Do your set of Goblet Squats, move to the Push Ups and complete your set without rest, then rest 30-60 seconds and complete the sequence two more times.
Your second exercise pairing will be Kettlebell Rows and Split Squats. Do three sets of 12 reps of each exercise, performed in the same fashion as the last pairing.
To finish the workout, you’ll do 15 Kettlebell Swings, 15 Mountain Climbers, 15 Body Weight Squats, and 15 Sit Ups. Repeat this sequence of exercises three times as fast as you can.

Enjoy!

Forest

P.S. Like this workout? Find more like it here —->> Kettlebell Basics Premium Workout Series

How To Instantly Boost Your Kettlebell Pressing Power By 10-20%

On March 24, 2011March 24, 2011 By adminIn Tips and Tricks4 Comments

Power breathing techniques can instantly boost your kettlebell pressing strength by 10-20%. A quick story for illustration:

I had never even seen ‘The Beast’ (the RKC’s affectionate term for the ‘big boy’ 106 pound kettlebell) let alone pressed one overhead … in fact, my previous personal best military press was 7o lbs for a single rep.

But as Pavel led attendees of the June 2009 RKC through a series of breathing and tension drills to maximize our pressing strength, no less than 50% (at the very least) of us set a personal record in the KB press … by the end of the day, I was pressing the Beast with ease!

How could this be? Pavel states in his book Power To The People:

“It is estimated that an average person can contract only 20-30% of his muscles when trying his hardest. Even a top lifter uses no more than 50% of his impressive muscles!”

He then goes on to detail his various methods of boosting neurological efficiency for instant strength increases – including power breathing.

Here’s how you would use power breathing to give your KB Press an instant boost:

*Also important to note: A disclaimer is made by Pavel in the book that this type of breathing generally will be frowned upon by medical professionals and could be pontentially dangerous – so make sure to check with your doctor before doing it!

Inhale before you load your muscles – so in a kettlebell Press, right before you clean the kettlebell off the ground.
Clean the kettlebell to your shoulder and go directly into a press without letting your breath out. Maintain tension in your abdominals and throughout your entire body. Do NOT exhale with the KB shoulder or let tension ‘escape’ in any way!
Exhale as you press through your sticking point in the press or after you finish the move
Use this technique when doing singles or very low reps only

Our muscles have a lot more contractile power than we use, and power breathing is one technique to tap into additional strength reserves and boost your kettlebell Pressing power instantly by 10-20%. This post just scratches the surface of these methods – for details of many other high tension and ‘neurological trickery’ techniques from Pavel, pick up a copy of Power to The People by clicking the image below:

Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes (part 3)

On March 17, 2011September 7, 2011 By adminIn Basic Kettlebell Drills, Tips and Tricks, VideosLeave a comment

Here’s the third and final installment of the Kettlebell Swing Mistakes and Fixes series – in this one, I’ll cover how to fix the common range of motion problem I see in the kettlebell Swing. If you missed the first two posts in this series, make sure to check those out, too – I’ll provide links to them at the end of this article.

As I discus in the video below, the Swing mistake here is not getting the ‘bell far enough back as the weight comes down between the legs and is ‘hike passed’ back:

The fix to the mistake discussed in the video is to think about getting the bottom of the ‘bell to face the wall behind you as it comes down and back. This will allow a larger range of motion and enable you further to ‘pull’ on the KB, thus the ability to generate more force – resulting in a more powerful Swing.

The second fix to this problem (that I don’t cover in the video above) is the towel drill. What you’d do is assume the bottom position of the Swing with a towel in your hands instead of a kettlebell. You need a towel about 18-24 inches long, and you should be grabbing in the middle of the towel so the ends are hanging down loose. Freeze in this bottom-of-the-Swing position, and then either have a partner grab the towel from the back, or loop the towel around something directly behind you to anchor it. Take a small step forward to put tension on the towel – and get the ‘feel’ for that ideal Swing position.

In summary, the third kettlebell Swing mistake is quite simply improper range of motion. The fix mentioned in the video above, as well as the towel drill, are two solutions to this problem. Encorporate these two drills into your kettlebell Swing practice to improve your form today – and keep training hard!

Forest Vance, Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor

P.S. If you missed the first two parts of this post series, the links below will take you to them:

Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes (part 1)

Kettlebell Swing Mistakes And Fixes (part 2)

P.S.S. Signed up for my weekly newsletter yet? You’ll get new kettlebell workouts, videos, and training tips delivered straight to your email inbox when you sign up … just enter your name and email address into the box at the upper right of the page to do so today!

Kettlebell Basics Monthly Workout Program is LIVE! 3 Day Special Starts Now!

On March 10, 2011March 10, 2011 By adminIn General1 Comment

Special announcement today:

The Kettlebell Basics Monthly Workout Program is now open for registration!

When you sign up for my Kettlebell Basics Monthly Workout Program, you’ll get access to a brand new kettlebell workout routine every month that’ll strip fat, gain lean muscle, and take your cardio conditioning to new levels.

And, when you sign up for this new program in the next three days (before 11:59 pm on Sunday, March 13th PST) you’ll get a FREE copy of my ‘Best Fat Loss Meal Plan’ – a $9.95 value – just for taking quick action and giving my new program a try! Click the link below for more info about the program (including a video preview of the first month’s workout) and to sign up:

The Kettlebell Basics Monthly Workout Program

Enjoy your weekend!

Forest

A ‘Crunchless’ Kettlebell Workout For Abs

On March 3, 2011 By adminIn Kettlebell Workouts, Videos6 Comments

Here’s a video that shows how kettlebells can work the heck out of your abs (without – gasp! – doing Crunches or Sit Ups):

The Renegade Row – the exercise shown in the video above – along with three others was featured in a post I did a while back about three great kettlebell exercises for abs. But recently looking back over this post, I realized I left out specifics of how to incorporate these exercises into a workout … so I put them all together into a short, intense, full-body ‘crunchless’ ab workout for you to try.

Here’s your ‘crunchless’ kettlebell workout for abs:

1. Start with 12-15 kettlebell Squats – if you’re just starting out, do Goblet Squats (with a single kettlebell). If you’re more advanced, do double kettlebell Front Squats.

2. Move immediately from the Squats to 6 kettlebell Renegade Rows (each side).

3. Follow the Renegade Rows with a single Turkish Get Up on each side.

Repeat this sequence 3-5 times with as little rest as possbile.

And, in case you have questions about how to perform any of these exercises, the links below will take you to full descriptions of each, including video demonstration:

The Turkish Get Up

The Renegade Row

The kettlebell Squat

You can get a great ab workout using your kettlebell with having to do a single Sit Up or Crunch. This workout is a great example of how you’d put three of the best kettlebell exercises for abs together into a short, intense, and highly productive ab routine. Give it a try and let me know what ‘ya think –

Forest

P.S. Signed up for the Kettlebell Basics newsletter yet? You’ll get a free kettlebell training video AND a copy of my ‘Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training’ when you sign up … just enter your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page to do so today!