The Kettlebell Snatch is one of the trickiest basic kettlebell exercises to learn.
The Kettlebell Snatch is one of the trickiest kettlebell exercises to learn …
Check out this quick video for a technique drill that’ll help improve your form and prevent the dreaded ‘forearm slap’:
To review, you’ll do:
3 One Arm Swings
3 Low Pulls
3 High Pulls
3 Snatches
The idea is to get the kettlebell to ‘float’ for a second at the top of the High Pull movement, and then to get the hand around the ‘bell – vs. just letting the KB come over the top of your hand and smack you on the wrist. Give this drill a try and see if it improves your form in the Kettlebell Snatch – and keep training hard!!
Forest
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For one of my first kettlebell workouts ever, a local RKC put me through a short warm up of Wall Squats, ‘Pumps’, and Halos, and then what felt like 20 sets each of Swings and Turkish Get Ups – a textbook workout from Pavels’s Enter The Kettlebell. I thought I was in pretty good shape going in – but this seemingly simple workout left me totally spent.
So as I finished off my last set of Swings and got ready to retreat to the locker room to collect my thoughts (and settle my stomach), my trainer had a surprise ‘finisher’ up his sleve: Tabata Kettlebell Thrusters.
I grabbed what seemed like a pair of light kettlebells – a pair of 12k’s – and did many Thrusters as I could in 20 seconds, rested for 10, and repeated this eight times. And this four minute finisher put me over the top; every muscle in my body was toast – and my stomach was, for lack of a better term, now unsettled 🙂
While I don’t recommend doing the Tabata Protocol with Kettlebell Thrusters the very first time you try them, it’s a great total body move to add to your kettlebell exercise arsenal. The Kettlebell Thruster is simply a Kettlebell Squat combined with a Kettlebell Press (the name ‘Thruster’ was coined by the folks over at CrossFit).
To perform the Kettlebell Thruster, start by doing a Kettlebell Squat (check out the full post on how to do the Kettlebell Squat here) and go directly into a Kettlebell Press. The exercise can be done with one or two ‘bells; this video shows how to do the single KB version:
One of the keys to doing the movement efficiently is to keep the elbows tight to the body – this will help with getting the momentum generated by explosively extending the hips to be transferred to the ‘bells effectively and efficiently. Also, there should be no rotation of the kettlebell at the top. Keep the hands facing each other at all times. This makes for a much more efficient movement.
You can add this exercise as a finisher-type of move (like I did in the workout described above), as a stand-alone exercise, or as part of a circuit.
The Kettlebell Thruster combines two basic kettlebell moves – the Squat and the Press – for a killer total-body metabolic challenge. Take your time to learn the Kettlebell Thruster properly and start building it into your kettlebell workouts ASAP for improved strength, power, and conditioning!
Train hard and train smart
Forest
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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:
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
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My feeling is that, aside from in-person instruction, video is one of the best ways to learn new kettlebell exercises and perfect your form. Different people learn best through different mediums, but learning with video is great because you can actually see someone performing the movement correctly in action, vs. just relying on written description or pictures.
Here are five unique kettlebell exercise videos for ‘ya – remember, mastering the basic moves – the Swing, Get Up, Squat, Clean, Press, and Snatch – should come before you move on to more advanced exercises. But these are great to add into your routine as your training progresses to that next level:
The Cross Legged Kettlebell Press
Here’s a unique one demonstrated by Anthony Dilugio. Crossing your legs helps you keep your back flat while doing seated presses.
Anthony Dilugio shows the Alternating Kettlebell Clean. Make sure to use a lighter weight than normal. This is not the RKC Swing-style Clean – but it’s a cool variation, none the less.
Again, mastering the basics of kettlebell training should come before trying these moves – if you need a basic, comprehensive guide (that now includes video corrections for each of the basic kettlebell exercises), make sure to check out my KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide here:
Incorporate these moves into your kettlebell workouts for additional variety, to hit some different training angles and muscle groups, and just for fun. Train hard and train smart!
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I keep getting emails asking about what one of my kettlebell boot camp workouts actually looks like. So I thought that, from the standpoint of helping you put your own workouts together, I would walk you through a typical day:
2. Then we move on to a ‘strength circuit’ – this is sometimes kettlebells only, sometimes kettlebells and body weight or dumbbell exercises mixed together. It’s usually a combo of two exercises, performed for a specific amount of reps each and rotated back and forth for 5 minutes non-stop. This is a great set up that allows folks of various fitness levels to all get a great workout in a group setting. Here’s a video of one of my favorite combos (this is actually a sample video from a brand new workout program I have out – I’ll give you more details about it at the end of this post):
3. Then, we do two ‘conditioning circuits’ – this might be something like:
10 Kettlebell Squat Cleans
5 Kettlebell ‘Renegade Rows’ each side
10 Walking Overhead Kettlebell Lunges
And we’ll run through these sequences in the same fashion as many times as we can for 7-10 minutes.
4. I then take about 5 minutes to do core and/or corrective work – Planks, Hip Bridges, stuff like that.
5. To finish, we do a simple static stretch at the end.
In 45 minutes you get resistance training, conditioning work, core work, exercises for injury prevention, and flexibility – and that’s tough to beat 🙂
That’s the structure of a typical kettlebell boot camp workout at Forest Vance Training, Inc. Hope that helps you design your own boot camp workouts in the future!
Oh, and the video above is from my new 30 Day Rapid Fat Loss Challenge total transformation plan … if you’re trying to lose body fat, it’s for sure at least worth checking out. Heck, I’m giving away bonuses with it for the next few days (3 days to be exact) that are worth more than the actual product, including a free copy of the KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide … and on top of that, the package is over 50% off. Get the details here:
The Turkish Get Up is a tricky movement … but it’s one of the foundational kettlebell exercises, and it’s essential that you perfect it if you want to get the most out of your kettlebell training. In the experience I’ve had over the last several thousand kettlebell-based personal training sessions, here are three tips that will help you ‘iron out the kinks’, so to speak:
1. Don’t sit up to start the movement – roll instead
‘Punch’ up towards the ceiling while rolling on to the elbow at the same time to get yourself off the floor. This small detail makes getting up so much easier – and it’s how the exercise is supposed to be performed.
2. Learn the first half first
The best way to learn the Get Up is by learning the first half of the movement; if you try to stand all the way up from day one, you’re going to make things a lot harder on yourself. Just come up to where your down arm is locked out and is supporting your weight, and then return to the ground. You can actually get a lot of milage out of the movement by just practicing the first half; here’s how to perform the half Get Up:
3. Do a sideways Windmill to stand up
As you bring the foot through and go to your lunge position, aim to get your knee close to your hand – then do a sideways Windmill to stand up. Don’t sit back on your hand – this is a very common mistake.
These tips might be a little hard to visualize – see if you can pick out what I’m talking about as I go through the movement in this video:
Apply these Turkish Get Up tips to your kettlebell training today and I know you’ll see some fast improvements. And keep training hard!
P.S. Kettlebells From The Ground Up by Master RKC Brett Jones and world-renowned physical therapist Grey Cook is a fantastic resource if you’re looking to really master the Turkish Get Up and get everything you can out of it – you can check out a recent review I did of the product here:
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.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
Here’s a short video that didn’t make it into the final KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Video Series … the audio quality isn’t great, but I still think there’s some good info here. I cover:
The importance of a proper hip crease during the Swing
Why you should feel like you’re hike passing the KB back during the ‘bell’s decent phase
How to ‘lock in’ your upper body throughout the exercise
Enjoy!
To grab your free copy of my training video ‘Kettlebell Rx: 3 Common Training Mistakes and How To Fix Them’, sign up for the KettlebellBasics.net newsletter! Just drop your name and email into the box at the upper right of the page.
Perfect technique with the right kettlebell exercises will give you all the ab work you’ll ever need without doing a single crunch or sit up. Here are three kettlebell exercises that work the heck out of your abs (and work almost every other muscle in your body as well):
1. Renegade Rows
This exercise, while working a lot of other muscle groups at the same time, is probably one of the most challenging ab exercises you’ll ever do. Here’s a quick video with some great tips on how to perfect it:
And an entire post on the Kettlebell Row and variations of it, like the Renegade Row:
Kettlebell Front Squats are one of the best kettlebell exercises for your abs. They force you to stabilize a weight in front of you and maintain a neutral spine (if you’re doing the exercise right, that is) through a very real-world and functional movement – squatting! Here’s the full article on how to do the Kettlebell Squat:
The Turkish Get Up is another fantastic exercise for your abs that can be performed using kettlebells. It is, however, highly technical – here’s an article on this blog about how to perform it properly:
So there you have three great kettlebell exercises for the abs – the Renegade Row, the Front Squat, and the Turkish Get Up. Incorporate these exercises into your existing routine and start reaping the benefits today!!
If you’d like to learn more about the basics of kettlebell training, make sure to sign up for our newsletter and claim your free gifts! Just drop your name and email into the box at the upper right of this page.
Many times, one of the first workouts people ever do with their kettlebells is a circuit-style routine. This is actually a bad idea if you’re just getting started – you’ll get so much more out of simply focusing on perfect technique. It might not be sexy, but it’s true.
Now on the other hand, if you’ve been faithfully practicing your kettlebell moves, your technique is improving and you’re getting the basic exercises down pat …
Guess what? It’s about time to add the kettlebell circuit to your training arsenal. Here’s just a few of the benefits you can expect from incorporting kettlebell circuits into your routine:
* Burning fat without sacrificing muscle mass
* Improved conditioning
* Increased strength
* Increased athleticism
Another great thing about kettlebell circuits is that they are super efficient and usually can be completed in 20 minutes or less.
Here’s an example of a kettlebell circuit workout – it’s a video from my ‘kettlebell combo’ video series:
Don’t forget: Although it might not be that exciting, mastering the basics is essential before you start doing kettlebell circuits. You’ll get a better workout, prevent injury and enjoy your kettlebell training experience a lot more.
Kettlebell circuits are an awesome way to burn fat, improve your conditioning, increase strength, and increase athleticism. Start incorporating them into your routine today!!
If you haven’t mastered the basics of kettlebell training, the KettlebellBasics.net Quick Start Guide is a great place to start. I’ve recently added a video series to the package, and the price is going up next week, so now’s the time to grab a copy if you haven’t already at a great price!!
