Archive for March, 2008
Kettlebells Explained Along With Top Kettlebell Recommendations and Tips
What is a kettlebell?
Kettlebells are once again gaining in popularity but they are nothing new. They have been around for over 100 years. They resemble a large iron cannonnball with a thick metal handle attached. Standard kettlebells are 4 kg (9 lbs), 8kg (18 lbs), 12kg (26 lbs), 16kg (35 lbs), 24kg (52 lbs), 32kg (70 lbs), 40kg (88 lbs), and 48kg (106 lbs).
Many types are available and all companies claim their kettlebells are the best. That is marketing gimmick to get you to pay more than you need to. A painted or rubber coated kettlebell works no better than one that is unpainted with a rough texture. If it helps you lose weight and get fit who cares. If you purchase one that happens to have too rough a handle buy sandpaper and smooth it down or start slowly to toughen your hands.
Kettlebell lifting recommendations and tips:
Use Chalk – Never use lifting gloves with kettlebell exercises because the idea is to build your grip strength. Gloves help you cheat by assisting in gripping. Chalk powder used on your hands prevents the kettlebell from slipping out of hands when you perspire.
Wear shoes with low soles or workout barefoot – In order to fully benefit from each exercise you need to be as flat footed as possible. This allows your body’s muscles to fully engage as designed during lifts without compensating for a large angled sole.Be careful during all kettlebell exercises and especially lowering the kettlebell to the ground if you choose to workout barefoot.
Always look up at the kettlebell while lifting it overhead – This safety tip ensures you are paying attention to your form, it is easier to keep the kettlebell balanced, and it will prevent you from dropping it on your head or foot.
Most women should start with an 8kg and men with a 16kg kettlebell – Take your time and master each lift before moving up to the next largest kettlebell or increasing your intensity. Improper form will cause injury.
Do not use a weightbelt – This is for the same reason you do not want to use gloves. They help you cheat by assisting you during exercise. Kettlebell lifting will really tighten the muscles in your midsection, core strength, to act as a “natural” weight belt. You must breathe properly and keep muscles tight to achieve this.
Learn as many kettlebell exercises as possible – Pickup a DVD or book on kettlebell workouts in order to increase variety in your kettlebell workouts. Never get too far away from the core kettlebell lifts. Core kettlebell lifts are the swing, snatch, clean, and overhead press and you should perform those regurlarly.
Core Workout Exercise Instructional Video Using a Swiss Ball and Medicine Ball
Core exercises improve the strength of your abs, back muscles, and all the supporting muscles in your midsection. Athletes generat most of their power through their core. This video demonstrates a great set of exercises using a medicine ball and a swiss ball to improve core strength. Some of these moves are advanced so just take your time and work on the ones you can do until you build up enough strength to complete them all.
The Benefits of Outdoor Workouts with Example Exercises
Who wants to workout at the gym/indoors just to watch tv, stare at the wall, or even worse, look at yourself in the mirror while performing exercises?
Lets face it, working out in the gym/indoors is BORING.
Here are just a few reasons why:
1. Equipment is sweaty
2. Gyms are crowded and equipment is taken
3. Cardiovascular machines make you feel like a rat in a wheel
4. The environment is always the same = no variety or new challenging exercises
Lose More Weight Being Outside
Exercising outdoors statistically can burn 30% more calories than the same workout indoors because you have to deal with the elements. Warm and cold weather makes your body work harder and natural resistance like the wind make exercises like running more challenging.
Outside Workouts: No Need To Purchase Any Exercise Equipment
You do not need to own any exercise equipment to workout outdoors.
Outside, you can use all types of everyday objects as training equipment for free which also provides variety in your workout regime.
Here are a few examples:
1. Parks – Many parks have outdoor fitness equipment or playgrounds such as dip stations, pullup bars, crunch boards, parallel bars, horizontal ladders, etc. Search for parks with playgrounds or outdoor exercise equipment in your area to explore your options.
2. Outdoor stairs - Stair workouts are not just for aerobic conditioning (cardio), they also can improve flexibility, body strength – especially in the lower body, and explosive power development. Some stair exercises include basic stair climbing (you go up and down unlike stairmasters at the gym), stair lunges, stair plyometrics (stair jumping or hopping), stair squats, stretching, and weighted stair climbing.
3. A park bench – Great for performing step ups, jumping on/over using one or two legs, dips, push ups, and other exercises.
4. Natural terrain like hills – You can really vary your runs outdoors unlike indoors to prevent boredom and increase the intensity = higher heart rate = more calories burned. Running varieties include running up and down hills, perform short sprint routines, shuttle runs, and run in between other exercises in a circuit.
For example, you might circuit train where you perform crunches, pushups, bodyweight squats, and then sprint 50 yards to another station. Here you do pullups and dips, sprint 50 yards back to where you started, take a short break, and do it all again for sets.
As soon as you start exercising outdoors you will find how much pleasure you get from being outdoors over being inside. Also, you will start using more everyday objects in your routine, with creativity, providing excellent fitness results and variety for free. Forget wasting time and money driving to the gym and waiting to use a machine.
Go outside, and get started on your new fitness training routine today!
Valery Fedorenko Displays Massive Muscle Endurance with Kettlebells – Video part 2
Do you only see kettlebells as weight lifting or strength building equipment? High repetition kettlebell workouts are the hardest cardiovascular workouts I have ever performed and are great for calorie burning = weight loss. I have reached 200 heart beats per minute by performing as many one arm snatches as possible in 12 minutes with a 24 kg (52 lb) kettlebell. Even uphill runs, wrestling, and martial arts do not get my heart beating that hard.
Kettlebell cardio is no joke and the muscles in my entire body feel like they are going to explode after performing one arm snatches for 100 repetitions with a 24 kg (52 lb) kettlebell. Valery Fedorenko, a professional kettlebell lifter, puts me to shame while performing 188 one arm snatches with a 32 kg (70 lb) kettlebell in this video below.