Health & Fitness

Training with Kettle Bells

By iZine | 09 February 2010

For most, Kettlebells are a new edition to the world of fitness but in actual fact they have been used to great advantage for years within the industry and for centuries in training athletes.

Most kettlebell exercises use large compound movements and therefore demand greater muscle fibre recruitment whilst heavily challenging the cardio-vascular system. Being that you centre of gravity is offset during most kettlebell exercises this forces the body into using a host of other muscles for stabilisation and your core constantly engaged. This leads to fat loss, increased metabolic rate, and an improvement strength, power, agility and muscular development.

Being such a versatile training tool, there are hundreds of possible exercises one can perform with a kettlebell. I have chosen a few ‘staple’ exercises to get you started which will work the muscles that a majority of you will have as target areas to strengthen and tone.

1. Kettlebell Front Squat

Hold the kettelebell at chest height with elbows pointing down (pictured), engage the core muscles and squat down till thighs are parallel to the ground. From this position push up through the feet, keeping chest up in order to maintain a neutral spine throughout.

2. Kettlebell Swings

With feet slightly wider than shoulder width, grip the kettlebell by its handle with both hands. Begin by lowering the kettlebell between the legs by flexing at the knees and hips and by pushing the hips back. Now drive through the heels powerfully and snap the hips forward, this will generate the force to drive the kettlebell upward.

3. Kettlebell Renegade Row

If you want something to really challenge you why not try this exercise.
Place two kettlebells of same size and weight slightly narrow of shoulder width and get into the highest position in a push up griping the kettlebell handles. Lower your bodyweight as you would in a traditional push up and then press back to the highest point. At this point press one arm into the floor whilst rowing the kettlebell in the other hand in toward you, then lower and repeat, alternating sides as you go.

Program design

To begin with why not integrate one or two kettlebell exercises into your regular workout, look at starting off with 2-3 sets per exercise each of 12-15 reps. As some of the exercises are highly dynamic be sure to warm up sufficiently prior to performing them.
Hope you enjoy these exercises and they help kick start your training in 2010...