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Kettlebell Exercises

Kettlebells are a great way to add core strength and muscle to your body and you can perform a complete full body workout using only a set of kettlebells.

What is a kettlebell?

A kettlebell is a russian traditional looking cast iron weight which looks similar to a cannonball with a handle. Kettlebells are used mainly for strength and agility training and offer the user a full body strength and endurance workout with only once piece of equipment. Kettlebells come in various shapes and sizes and come with various price tags.

There are literally hundreds of different exercises which can be performed with kettlebells. New ones are being invented all the time and most of then are compound movements which use more then one muscle group at a time. In fact most of the kettlebell movements use the whole body and this is what makes them good for all round fitness and core strength building.

Example - Kettlebell swing

Starting Position: Hold one kettlebell between your legs and your body is in a bentover stance with your back flat.

Swing the kettlebell backwards and then forcefully swing the kettlebell forward to a chest level. Keep your arm straight and forcefully extend your hips, knees, and ankles.

In this example kettlebell exercises this one movement uses the legs, back, shoulders and arms to perform making it a true compound movement.

Kettlebell exercises are great when combined into a circuit and this will really test your strength and endurance. Circuit training is excellent for fat burning and great for people with little time to train.

A set of kettlebells can be an expensive purchase especially if you opt for all different weights and sizes. You can get a great workout from just buying one to begin with and doing alternate arm movements as shown below.

Kettlebells come in a variety of sizes ranging from around 6kgs each to 60kg and more. A beginner should only at first need a set of 8kg ones or so to get started with for a great full body workout.

Most sporting goods stores and the internet is a great place for purchasing kettlebells.

Below are some kettlebell exercises which are most popular with lifters, these are just examples and there are many more.

One Arm Kettlebell Exercises

Kettlebell Swing

Two Arm Kettlebell Movements

Alternating Floor Press
Russian Jerk
See Saw Press
Push Press
Double Snatch

How to perform some of the above kettlebell exercises

One Arm Kettlebell Clean

Keep torso straight but bent forward at the hips slightly.
Explosively raise the kettlebell by extending the hips, knee and ankle in a jumping action.

Keep your elbows out and shoulders directly above the kettlebell as long as possible.
Keep the kettleball close to the body.

Once you have extended the lower leg shrug your shoulders and at maximum elevation of the shoulders start pulling with the arms.

Keep the elbows high during the pull until the highest point.

Rotate elbow around and underneath the kettleball.

Rack your hand across the front of the shoulder.

Slightly flex the hips and knees to absorb the weight.

This should be a fluid motion where all the steps flow together.

See Saw Press

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent.
Start position: Position DB's or kettleballs to ear level with an overhand grip (palms facing forward).

Press one hand up above head keeping the wrist over the elbow and arms moving parallel to the body at all times.

Return to start position and repeat with other arm.

Remember to keep back and head straight in a neutral position - hyperextension or excessive flexion may cause injury.

Kettlebell Training Videos

These videos are worth watching if you are thinking about using kettlebells as part of your workout. They give you some idea of how each exercise should be performed.

How to Choose a Kettlebell Right For You

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