Workouts – Kettlebell Exercise

Kettlebell Training

www.mikemahler.com

I incorporate kettle bell training for my clients because there is no better way to burn fat than doing a few high rep sets of swings, snatches, and clean and jerks. These killer ballistic exercises work your body as one unit and require a great deal of hard work. The harder you work the more calories you burn. This is why sprinters are ripped to shreds and marathon runners have a skinny-fat look.

Short time limit sprinting is highly effective for fat loss, but high rep snatches (20 reps or more per set) make sprinting look like a walk in the park. Unlike many other forms of cardio, kettlebell training is what we in the business call “brutal fun,” giving you a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

One way to take the benefits of ballistic kettlebell exercises up a big notch is to combine them with aerobic activities such as jogging or moderate jump roping, something akin to “High Octane Cardio.”

The American Council on Exercise (ACE), included kettlebells among the top ten fitness trends for 2009:

“ The reason for the surge in kettlebell training is that it gets back to basic training that requires functional, whole body fitness. . . . a great way to get a whole body workout in a relatively short period of time. ”
—– Press Release, December 9, 2008

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Lance Armstrong training with a kettlebell as part of his intense training regimen.

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Therapeutically, the off centered weight of a kettlebell will force you to use more stabilizer muscles and work the targeted muscles through a longer range of motion. This is why kettlebells help with thrashed shoulders and various back injuries. They work more muscle groups and will build muscular strength in the lower back, shoulders, and hip flexors.

So you see, there is no mistaking kettlebell training as just another passing fad. The benefits are undeniable which is precisely why I employ it as one of my weapons in getting my clients to drop weight fast and put on lots of good looking muscle.