by Lisa Shaffer, RKC certified.
Lisa is based in Dallas, TX, USA and is the author of "A Complete Guide to Kettlebell Exercises and Kettlebell
Training" book. You can contact her at KBELLINSTRUCTOR@AOL.COM or check out Lisa's website No Fear
Fitness.
Listen up, ladies! I finally found the perfect form of exercise. Training with kettlebells! I won't be going back to
traditional weight training because kettlebells give me quicker results and more challenging exercises. The name
of the game in fitness these days is intensity. That is, everyone is trying to get the most out of their workouts for
maximum results in the shortest amount of time. Kettlebells will provide intensity. Unlike dumbbells, kettlebells
displace weight, so physics forces body awareness and requires you to work against resistance through a longer
range of motion. This increases the intensity of your workout and improves flexibility. Because the kettlebell hangs
behind your hand and rests on your forearm it makes the weight easier to balance. And the handle makes it
easier to hold on to for ballistic movements. This more intense workout will result in achieving your fitness goals
more quickly.
I know after reading about kettlebells either in ads or on the www.DragonDoor.com website, they can seem
intimidating. After all, anything proven to enhance the performance of Special Forces units, Olympians, or
professional athletes must be hard core right? Even the kettlebell itself looks a little uninviting, a round, black
cannonball looking thing with a handle? What could a woman possibly get out of this? Everything. Kettlebells will
improve your quality of life. They will increase your energy level, reshape your body, increase your strength,
relieve stress, increase your metabolism and take up less time.
No matter what stage of life you find yourself, everyone is busy these days. Usually the first thing to get cut out of
a busy schedule is your workout. However, even the busiest mom, career woman or student can spare 15 minutes
a day. And now with kettlebells that is all you need. I used to spend over an hour in the gym with weight training
and cardio exercise almost everyday. I now have two young children and I don't have time for long workouts. I still
made time to work out but my training was inconsistent and something always had to be left out. Usually it was my
cardio. I did get back in shape after having my children but my fitness level wasn't where I wanted it to be.
Kettlebells solved my workout problems by giving me a great cardio and strength training workout at the same
time. After only 6 weeks, and having hardly scratched the surface of all the kettlebell specific exercises, I looked
better and felt better than I had in years. In fact, I had reached a fitness level higher than at any time during my 20
plus years of traditional weight and cardio training! I attribute my success to the better and more intense workouts
I get with the kettlebells. I am also more consistent due to the decreased time working out with a kettlebell requires
and the different and greater variety of exercises.
Women often complain about how a slow metabolism contributes to their inability to lose weight. Increasing your
metabolism is easy. High rep ballistic exercises and circuit training with kettlebells really boost your metabolism.
You can include ballistic exercises in every workout. Swings, snatches, and cleans can be performed in numbers
from one to hundreds. Just make sure you do the ballistics at the end of your workout. You want to be fresh and
strong for all the pressing exercises for safety reasons. You can perform ballistic exercises in greater numbers
with kettlebells than with dumbbells because it is easier to keep your technique in check and easier to hold.
Here is how to perform your sets to increase your metabolism and melt fat. Make sure your sets last a minute,
then rest for only one minute, then move on to your next set. Working out this way really gets your heart rate
going. Start slowly and work your way up. You shouldn't have to worry about dieting again. I didn't diet and I have
achieved my goals, and you will too. As long as you control the quality of food you eat, and don't increase the
quantity, you should lose weight and decrease body fat.
Give these beginner exercises a try: Box Squats, Good Morning Stretches, and 2-Arm Swings. Start with a
20-pound dumbbell. These exercises will give you a good overall body workout and give you a good feel for what
training with kettlebells is all about. Perform these exercises in a circuit of 3 to 4 sets and work out three times per
week.
The Box Squat: 10-20 reps. The box squat will help you perfect your squat form, work your legs and hips, plus
improve your flexibility. Take a sturdy chair or box; stand about 12 inches in front of it, facing away from it. Your
feet should be a shoulder distance apart. Hold the weight in front of you with both hands at about chest level.
Remember to keep your weight on your heels and sit back on the box by arching your lower back and pushing
your butt back as you descend. Lightly touch your butt to the box and then plant your feet and stand up
squeezing your glutes the whole way up or, you can sit lightly on the box and rock back only on your butt then
instantly rock forward and stand up. This will also work your mid-section.
The 2-Arm Swing: 15-20 reps. Swings work your hips, inner thighs, glutes, shoulders, back, and help flatten your
stomach. You also get a great cardio workout. Place a 20-pound dumbbell on the floor between your feet. Your
feet should be shoulder width apart and your knees should track them. Squat down and pick up the weight with
both hands. You should feel the weight loading your hamstrings. Then stand up explosively and at the top push
your hips forward tucking your tail in. At the same time your arms will project the weight up about waist level. Your
arms act as chains holding the weight. You do not use your arms or shoulders to lift the weight. The ballistic
movement of your legs and hips is what swings the weight up. When you get to the top with your hips forward,
immediately squat back down with the weight descending and swinging through your legs and behind your knees.
Continuously repeat the move for 10-20 explosive reps.
Once you have tried this with a dumbbell imagine a three-fold increase in intensity! That is what working out with
kettlebells is all about and results come quickly. In as little as a week you can decrease body fat and see more
muscle tone and definition. Kettlebells deliver on the promises. When you get the proper form down for the
exercises your strength and flexibility will increase rapidly. You will be moving into new and more advanced drills in
no time. Adding even more variety and intensity to your workouts. After almost a year I'm still making progress.
Plus my workouts are so varied that I no longer get bored. I look forward to working out with my kettlebells every
day. Challenge yourself and experience exercise at the maximum level with kettlebells!
