kettlebells and circuit training
ByYou know one of the great things about kettlebell training is its versatility especially when it comes to circuit training. Circuits are when you do a sequence of exercises back to back so you can get more in in less time. What makes kettlebells so effective at this is a couple reasons
1) kettlebell exercises are typically full body movements. More muscle action = more fat burning
2) kettlebells transition very smoothly from 1 exercise to the next one because they share similar positions. For example you have 4 or 5 basic positions using one kettlebell. Dead position (kettlebell on sitting on the floor) hang position (kettlebell is in your hand like a suitcase) racked (kettlebell is resting partially on your forearm partially on your bicep while your hands are up against your side like a fighter) and the overhead position (kettlebell is in the overhead position atop a locked arm)
from the dead position you can do deadlift, dead swing, dead clean, dead snatch, pushups or any other kind of calisthenic
the hang position you can do regular swings, regular cleans, jumping shrugs, snatches, sling shots, figure 8s and plenty more
the crush position = you grab the kettlebell by the bell and you have to exert inwards pressure or it will fall on your feet. it is somewhat unique to kettlebell training. crush curls, crushing presses, halos, pushups, pullups etc.
the racked position you can do cleans, lunges, squats, presses and more
over head you can do over head squats, over head lunges, presses, reverse getups, windmills etc.
there are more positions but if I started listing everything we could be here awhile.
now even then you aren’t locked into those different kinds of exercises because many exercises can be a transition unto themselves. For example a press is essentially moving the kettlebell from the racked position to an overhead position. A snatch is moving the kettlebell from the hang position to the overhead position. The clean is moving from the hang position to the racked position. You can do a high row, release the kettlebell in the air and catch it by the bell and do a halo. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Neat huh?
So get a kettlebell, experiment a little bit with it, have fun and watch the fat melt right off.
Enjoy!
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