Lack of time seems to be one of the most common excuses for missing workouts. But in reality, almost everyone can find a little extra time in their day to train. It’s partially a matter of priority (is watching this week’s Jersey Shore episode or getting your workout in more important?) and partially a matter of knowing exactly how to get the most efficient workout in the shortest time possible.

One of the great things about kettlebell training  is that 15-20 minutes of work is, in many cases, all you need.  You can get great results with literally less than one hour per week of kettlebell workouts.

The abbreviated kettlebell training program of choice

When it comes time to design an abbreviated kettlebell routine, I know of none better than the Program Minimum from Pavel’s Enter the Kettlebell. Without giving away too many details, it consists soley of a few mobility movements and stretches, Turkish Get Ups and Kettlebell Swings done in four to five weekly sessions of about 15 to 20 minutes each.

I’ve personally gotten amazing results with this exact program – less than one hour per week in total of training.  I’ve also put countless kettlebell clients on the program and it’s worked great for them, too – no one believes that it’s enough work to get decent results, but everyone is converted into a believer after trying the PM for a few weeks.

You can check out this post on the Kettlebell Man Maker – which is part of the Program Minimmum – on my Fitness Monster blog to get a more detailed idea of what this program is like:

The Kettlebell Man Maker

And you can order a copy of Enter the Kettlebell by clicking the banner below:

New option for abbreviated kettlebell training

If you’ve completed the Program Minimum and are looking for a new, more advanced program, the new Kettlebell Muscle book by Geoff Nupert, Master RKC is worth checking out. It’s a book all about building muscle with kettlebells – the workouts are short and efficient kettlebell complexes that are perfect for folks wanting maximum results from minimum time investment.  Click the image below to learn more about Kettlebell Muscle and to order a copy:

In short, kettlebells are the perfect tool for building muscle and losing fat with minimum time investment.  I know that when my schedule gets crazy, I rely on kettlebell training to keep me in shape.  If you’re tight on time but are looking for a very effective way to train, I highly recommend abbreviated kettlebell training.

Keep training hard!

Forest

P.S. If you haven’t signed up for my weekly newsletter, make sure to do so now – you’ll get a free Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training just for signing up! Just drop your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page.

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I just opened my new personal training studio/fitness boot camp facility/kettlebell gym here in Sacramento, CA, and I’ve had to put a lot of thought into the perfect equipment set up for the new space.  I think that when it comes down to it, you don’t need a whole lot of equipment to get into fantastic physical condition – and one of the coolest things about kettlebells is that they reduce that need even more.

So if you’re looking to set up your own kettlebell gym or training space, here are three essential items for your ‘to-buy’ list:

1. Dragon Door kettlebells

My favorite kettlebells hands-down.  Yes, I’m an RKC instructor and might be a bit biased – but I use them myself and love them, and that’s why I recommend them to others.  They’re very well built, well balanced, have smooth handles that save your hands when it comes to high-rep KB work, and just have a better ‘feel’ than other kettlebells I’ve used.  You might be able to find cheaper ‘bells out there, but you usually get what you pay for – so do so at your own risk.  FYI, my new studio is stocked exclusively with Dragon Door ‘bells.

2. A pull up bar

A few kettlebells – or even a single ‘bell – will allow you to work most all of your major muscle groups.  However, it’s tough to get a real, solid pulling movement without a bar or machine of some kind – and Pull Ups are one of the best ‘big pulls’ you can do.  If I had a super-strict budget, this is probably the only other piece of equipment I’d invest in for my kettlebell home gym.

If you’re just training by yourself at home, a door-pull up bar like the Iron Gym will work fine:

Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar

Something slightly more heavy duty would be a free-standing pull-up bar like this one:

All-in-one Stand Alone Pull up Bar

Or, if you want something super sturdy (and that can be used for a variety of other purposes as well) you might go with a Squat Cage like this one (this is the option I went with for my own training facility):

Champion Power Rack Gym Equipment

3. Enter the Kettlebell Book and DVD set

This is a kick-ass book and DVD that will teach you everything you need to know about getting started with kettlebell training.  Alternatively, if you prefer something in digital format that’s instantly downloadable, you could go with my KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide.  The idea is that you want a guide to help you learn how to train with kettlebells the right way from the start.

It’s also worth mentioning that having good in-person instruction when you’re learning how to use kettlebells is invaluable and highly recommended.  If you’re in the Sacramento, CA area, stop by and take advantage of our ‘test out a trainer’ promo and a free kettlebell training session!  Train and train smart – would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Wait!  Make sure to sign up for my newsletter to get your free Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell training while you’re here – just drop your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page.

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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

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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:

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I’ve reviewed and talked about quite a few different kettlebell-related products and services here on KettlebellBasics.net.  AndI know that quite a few of you out there are, well, just crazy about kettlebells and want to know about all the latest and coolest kettlebell stuff.  So here’s a list of all the products and services I’ve reviewed on KettlebellBasics.net:

Full disclosure on this post: Some of the links to the following products are affiliate links – meaning that I get a commission if you click on these links and end up buying the product. But these are all great products that I use myself and enjoy, and this is why I’m recommending them.

Dragon Door Kettlebells

There are a ton of different kettlebells out there at quite a few different price points – while I certainly haven’t trained with all of them, I have used quite a few, and I like Dragon Door the best, plain and simple.

These KB’s are very well balanced, they have a nice smooth handle, they’re built to a high quality standard – check out this post for more details:

Dragon Door Kettlebell Review

Enter The Kettlebell

This is a basic manual by Pavel that gives you an awesome template for getting started with kettlebells. Gives you a program for building size and strength using the kettlebell as a stand alone tool. Pavel’s writing style also keeps you entertained. Check out the full review here:

Enter The Kettlebell Review

The Gym Boss Interval Timer

This is cool because a lot of kettlebell workouts – maybe even most – are going to have some time element to them – for example, the circuit workouts we do in the KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide.

You can just use a regular stopwatch for this, but if you want to take things to the next level and make your life easier, be able to program different intervals and have the flexibility to do all kinds of stuff, the GymBoss interval timer is killer. You can read more about this on the recommended resources page or read the full review here:

The GymBoss Interval Timer

The HKC Kettlebell Certification

The Russian Kettlebell Challenge was an awesome experience for me and was one of the most memorable training experiences of my life. But it’s not for everyone – some people don’t want to go to this level of commitment financially or physically.  The new HKC certification is a great alternative.

This cert costs about five or six hundred bucks, it’s a one-day seminar and it teaches you the essential basic kettlebell moves. You can also apply the cost of this cert to the RKC in the next year which is pretty cool. Here’s the full review:

The Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification

The Kettlebell Goddess DVD

Not to say that men and women should really be training much differently, but when it comes down to it, many times a different kind of approach is going to work for men vs. women.

This video is focused on and caters towards females – check out the review here:

A Kettlebell Workout For Women

Viking Warrior Conditioning

This review actually isn’t on this blog, but I had to throw it in – it’s an awesome program. It’s a totally insane kettlebell cardio program that, if you can last through, will get you into incredible cardio condition. It worked wonders for me; check out the review here:

Kettlebell Cardio Fitness: Viking Warrior Conditioning

Kettlebells From The Ground Up

Specialty DVD and manual from Grey Cook, RKC, world-renowned Physical Therapist and creator of the CK-FMS certification, and Brett Jones, Master RKC. This is a product that breaks down the special RKC-style Turkish Get Up to great detail and teaches you how to perform it as both an assessment tool and corrective exercise. Highly recommended product if you have pain from old injuries, have movement imbalances that need fixing, or if you’re just struggling to learn the Get Up:

Kettlebells From The Ground Up Review

Return Of The Kettlebell

Pavel’s follow-up to Enter the Kettlebell. It’s 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:

Product Review: Return Of The Kettlebell

Kettlebell Diet Plans Reviewed

This article is an overview of three different ‘diet’ plans popular in the kettlebell community; I talk about the Primal Blueprint, the Warrior Diet, and my own Best Fat Loss Diet – learn more by reading the full article below:

The Perfect Kettlebell Training Diet?

Kettlebell Gym Essentials

I talk about a couple of pieces of training equipment that are staples in my own kettlebell gym in this article:

Build Your Own Kettlebell Gym: 3 Essentials

Kettlebell Muscle

Geoff Nupert’s Kettlebell Muscle

All of these kettlebell – related products and services are tools that will help you with your kettlebell training and make your life easier. I’ve used all of them personally and couldn’t recommend them more. Keep training hard!!

If you liked this post, make sure to sign up for our newsletter – you’ll get a free beginner’s guide to kettlebell training just for signing up! Just drop your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page.

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The Turkish Get Up is the foundational ‘grind’ in the Hardstyle kettlebell system. According to Master RKC Brett Jones and World-Renowned Physical Therapist and RKC Grey Cook, creators of the Kettlebells From The Ground Up product package, the Get Up also provides insight into how you move and is one of the keys to building a strong and balanced body.

One of the coolest things about the Turkish Get Up is that it’s simultaneously an assessment tool and corrective exercise. Most people have movement and strength assymetries left-to-right … which is bad news. This is a sure recipie for eventual dysfunction and injury. The Get-Up is a great tool for both diagnosing and correcting this problem.

Kettlebells From The Ground Up can be found exclusively at DragonDoor.com:

The Get-Up attacks the shoulder and hips … two areas of the body that present problems for many folks.  It promotes both stability and mobility in these two problem areas - and ties everything together for you.

This isn’t like the ‘bute force’ Get-Up you’re probably used to – compare these two ways to do the Get-Up:

‘Brute’ Style (impressive, but not what we’re going for from a corrective perspective)

The ‘RKC-style’ – Get Up that’s taught in Kettlebells From The Ground Up (this video is showing the exercise done ‘tactical-style’ or bottoms-up, but the main thing to pay attention to is body position, such as hip bridge, etc., throughout the movement):

So the focus of this DVD set and instructional manual is to teach - or re-teach, if need be – the Turkish Get Up exercise and enable you to use it as a foundational exercise and both for strength and mobility. I’ve described how to do this exercise on this blog a few times, but nothing like the detail that they go into in this product.

If you’re struggling with movement imbalances, pain from past injuries, or you’re just struggling to learn the Get Up, I highly recommend this product.  Keep training hard!

Kettlebells from the Ground Up can be found exclusively on DragonDoor.com:

Like this post? Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and grab a free copy of my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training!! Just drop your name and email address into the box at the top right of the page.

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I know I’ve talked exclusively about Dragon Door kettlebells on this blog – and that’s truly because I think they’re the best. I’m not personally biased one way or the other just because I’m an RKC – I just want the best ‘bells. And it’s funny, as kettlebell brand seems to be a kind of sensitive topic for people in the kettlebell community.  So I thought I would put together a list of major brands of kettlebells with a few of the good and bad things about each.  This list is by no means exhaustive – feel free to leave your opinion on the best kettlebell brand in the comments section. If there are any brands that you like and use that I’ve left out, feel free to point that out as well.

1st Tier Brands:  Ader + Dragon Door

It seems that the kettlebell brands most widely used are Dragon Door and Ader – this is just from personal observation and other discussions I’ve seen about this topic.

Dragon Door:

• Generally agreed upon that the ‘bell is more comfortable
• DD ‘bells have a nice, flat bottom that’s great for stuff like renegade rows
• Nicely built and well balanced ‘bell
• For a more detailed review of the Dragon Door ‘bells, click here

Ader:

• Harder to grip, which could be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it
• Generally well reviewed bell and slightly cheaper price than Dragon Door

2nd Tier Brands: Powermax + Apollo

These ‘bells aren’t as good quality and aren’t as well made – they’re also considerably cheaper.  Reviews aren’t as good across the board.  But, the lower price makes them attractive to some – and if you’re just planning on doing some occasional swings with them – maybe using them for CrossFit workouts or something – they’re probably just fine in all honesty.

• Powermax
• Apollo

Adjustables

This is a new kettlebell breed. The purists like myself would never consider something like this, but for some, it may be a good option.  Positives are that one can have only one kettlebell and adjust the weight as you get stronger, switch exercises, etc.

• Bowflex
• Kettlestack

So there you have a review of the different kettlebell brands! Which one is your favorite?

While you’re here, make sure to sign up for the KettlebellBasics.net newsletter and claim your free bonuses today if you haven’t done so yet … and have a great weekend!

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In large part, men and women have very similar fitness goals – lose fat, gain a little muscle, and improve overall fitness. So their workouts should, in theory, look very similar.

However, what people need and what they’re willing to actually do is many times very different. For example, in a gym setting, 80% of women will head straight for the cardio section when they walk through the door, and 80% of men will head for the bench press. This doesn’t mean that men need to bench press more than women, or women need to do cardio more than men .. it just means, generally, this is where people are the most comfortable.

I think this is a very important consideration – if you don’t enjoy and can’t buy into what you’re doing in a workout, you’re going to have a difficult time putting your all into it and gettting the results you should be. The trick is to balance out both what you like and what you need.

A kettlebell workout designed specifically for women should probably keep this idea in mind. If you’re a woman looking to get started with kettlebells that might be a little hesitant about some of the other resources I’ve recommended, you should definitely check out The Kettlebell Goddess DVD with Andrea DuCane.

Andrea goes over the basic kettlebell moves before she progresses you to more advanced exercises. She gives you several workouts to choose from, with several even focusing on some ‘typical female problem areas’ – like Legs & Butt, for example. She also gives you a ‘template’ to work from to design an almost infinate amount of workouts. The package even includes a bonus report: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Kettlebell Goddess Workout DVD. Click the banner below to read reviews about the Kettlebell Goddess DVD and to order one for yourself:

The bottom line is that you need to have a solidly-designed program that you actually enjoy. Meet this need and you’ve won half the battle!

P.S. Have you signed up for the Kettlebell Basics newsletter yet? Make sure to enter your name and email in the upper right hand corner of the page and get your free video on three common kettlebell training mistakes and how to fix them while you’re here!

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Quality kettlebell training advice can be hard to come by- here’s a short list of resources I’ve used to build my kettlebell knowledge over time – I hope you find it useful:

DragonDoor.com

The premier source of kettlebell training info. Pavel Tsatsouline, the man behind The Russian Kettlebell Challenge, Enter The Kettlebell, Return of The Kettlebell and lots of other books from Dragon Door, is largely responsible for popularizing kettlebell training in the U.S.

Enter The Kettlebell by Pavel

The best book, in my opinion, on getting started with kettlebell training. Keeps things basic for you, and Pavel has a both highly effective and highly entertaining way of teaching.  A must have for your KB training library.  The Enter The Kettlebell DVD is also a great tool.

YouTube

A good resource with a lot of good stuff – and a lot of bad. I might sound a little like I’m condradicting myself after this post – the rule is to use YouTube at your own risk and, after looking at all the other resources I recommend here, use your knowledge as a ‘filter’ and decide what’s good and what’s not.

The CrossFit Journal

This is, at $25 a year, one of the best investments you can make in furthering your general training knowledge.   I know the jury is out on CrossFit (I wrote a post about this recently on The Fitness Monster, in fact – you can check it out here), but I think their journal is an awesome resource. There’s not only a lot of kettlebell info here – much of it from Jeff Martone, a former RKC guy – but lots and lots more on every imaginable topic.

Viking Warrior Conditioning

This is a killer book if you’re looking to improve your conditioning.  A word of warning: the program is hard  But if you can survive, you’ll probably get into the best shape of your life.

Another cool thing is that Kenneth Jay, author of Viking Warrior Conditioning, has extensive research that he’s performed himself to back up what he’s saying.

Return of The Kettlebell

What to do once you’re done with Enter The Kettlebell.  Covers advanced kettlebell training methods, most notably double kettlebell drills in detail – again, don’t even think about it until you’ve completed the Rite of Passage!

MikeMahler.com

Another former RKC guy, has an awesome free e-book on kettlebell training you get for signing up for his newsletter. Also has a ton of training dvd’s and holds various workshops across the country. Highly recommended.

ArtofStrength.com

Great YouTube channel, Art of Strength and Punch Kettlebell Gym is headed by Anthony DiLugo, who got his start with the RKC – seeing a common theme here?

There you have it – a short list of kettlebell training resources that should keep you busy for a while! This list is by no means exhaustive – in fact, feel free to leave links to your favorite places to find kettlebell training info in the comments section.

Keep training hard!!

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Becoming a Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified Instructor was, for me, one of the more memorable events thus far in my life as a fitness professional.  It requires a big commitment for anyone interested – from a physical, mental, and financial standpoint.

The three days of training this certification requires is no joke – in fact, though most people train for months to get ready, there’s about a 30% fail rate – I know a handfull of people from my group of about 10 didn’t pass.

The cert didn’t come with a cheap price tag, either – once all is said and done, after paying for your certification fees, your hotel, meals, and airfare, you end up spending at least three grand.

Honestly, I think all of this is good – it makes the experience much more meaningful. My RKC certification is the one I’m most proud of, without a doubt – I feel like I earned it, which I can’t really say about any of my other four ‘nationally accredited’ certifications. But, not everyone wants or is even physically capable of the standards the RKC requires – which is where the new HKC, or Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification, comes in.

To give you a quick idea of what to expect from this still very new certification course, check out this YouTube video:

The best part about this certification is that it is taught with the same high standard that Dragon Door and Pavel have become famous for. At the HKC, you’ll learn, among other things:

*Knowledge and competency to perform the three most basic kettlebell drills – the swing, the get up, and the goblet squat

*Techniques and drills for core activiation, flexibility, increased power, strength, and athletic performance

*The HKC template for designing an infinate number of kettlebell workouts

And a lot more -

The RKC is a three day course, while the HKC is a one day course. The RKC requires a 100-rep snatch test, while the HKC requires a basic pull up test. The RKC comes with a nearly $2500 price tag, while the HKC can be taken for $599 – and early registration gets you another $100 off.

The last thing that’s really cool is that the immense popularity of the HKC since its launch late last year (you can see this in the video above) has led to these courses springing up all over the country! For more details, to check for availability in your area, to register early and and to get $100 off, click the banner below:

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