You may have heard about many people benefitting from performing kettlebell exercises and want to know more about it. When done correctly, it does offer a full body, intense workout. These exercises can help improve your shoulders, back and grip. Doing kettlebell swings jerks, clean and snatches can help burn fat effectively & quickly. Such ballistic exercises do require you to work hard and makes your body as a single unit. With more effort put in these exercises, you can burn more calories. High rep Snatches encourage your muscle groups while developing strength in your hip flexors, shoulders and lower back.
Benefits
- Enhancing muscular definition, toning up & losing weight.
- Strength and cardio training.
- Core conditioning exercises.
- Highly efficient training.
- Scalable training to suit all ages, genders and abilities.
- Training whole body with diverse kettlebell exercises.
But without proper guidance from the experts, you are likely to experience pain in your joint, shoulders and back. You are to focus on your durability or mobility. Kettlebell movements can be used to maintain your strength level without placing stress on your body. Also avoid using kettlebells to build-up one-rep heavy max. Kettlebells are preferred as they come with light load and more versatile when compared to the barbell. It is possible to train with them hard and still tax muscles with submaximal weight.
Spicing up your exercises
Add some movement to them like a lunge just after a clean or twist at top. It is termed to be an athletic way to prepare and train your body for real-life movement type that you may experience. It includes tossing your child in air or swinging the golf club. You may include kettlebells to your exercise regimen either as a warm-up or lightweight. It can also as accessory work after performing main compound movements. Several kettlebell moves can be done together to create a flow or sequence to ensure complete training session.
Five kettlebell exercises to tone up your whole body
1. Crush-Grip Bridge
Your legs are your foundation and hence should be strengthened like your shoulders and chest. It should be performed before bench presses or floor presses while keeping your abs tight and engaging your glutes, legs.
Instructions:
- First with your heels get into proper bridge position. Place your upper back onto the ground with hips in air.
- Use both hands to hold the kettlebell by its base and press directly over chest.
Tips to follow: Tucks heels close to butt. Think about driving knees forwards while extending hips.
2. Ballistic Row
It helps lighten up your upper back and lats. If indulging in plenty of pulling or deadlifts, then it reinforce powerful hinge position. This is achieved with side-to-side shifting, thus allowing you to recognize position changes easily.
Instructions
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart. Place kettlebell close to inside of any one foot.
- Then, hinge at hips by keeping back neutral. Bend over and using one hand, grab the kettlebell. Row bell upwards until elbow passes the torso region and let it go.
- Using the other hand, grab kettlebell quickly. Allow the bell to float back to the floor. Then row it up towards you.
- Repeat the process back & forth. Do not allow your torso region to twist to any particular side.
Tips to follow: Suck pelvis region as much as possible. Your hamstrings should lighten up with this process. Also avoid rounding or flexing your spine. Everything should be engaged.
3. Rotational Clean
For instance, if you want to pick your children or any object, you do not get into a straight position. Hence, the shoulders shoudl be rotated while reaching for the kettlebells. Doing so allows you to be in an athletic position. Rotating your body integrates your spine and keeps your core braced.
Instructions
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart. Place kettlebell just outside the left foot. Now, hinge at hips region with right foot pivoting inwards. Use your right hand, reach across and down.
- Then, brace core while pulling kettlebell up and across. Rotate torso outwards while using left foot to pivot inwards.
- This will tuck down your elbow, body facing to the left and in front rack position.
Tips to follow: Shoulders should rotate with spines kept as straight as possible. Lift heel of your foot far away from the bell from the floor while reaching for the bell. Drop your heel and rotate another one while cleaning the kettlebell.
4. Offset Pushup
Anti-rotation movements help work your core. Do not twist away from your elevated hand. It allows you to protract your shoulder as well as to strengthen your motion range.
Instructions
- Keep any hand on the kettlebase to get into standard pushup position and turn it onto its side.
- Lower yourself until chest is away close to the floor approximately by an inch.
- Drive back up. Then raise non-elevated hand away from your torso.
Tips to follow:
With every rep, stay in control and go slow. Remember, this particular exercise is not exactly a dynamic one. The objective here is to strengthen your entire motion range, protracting and retracting your shoulder blades, but with great control.
5. Rotational Press
It is from the floor that most of the rotation comes from. It is like you are cocking to give a punch. Load your hip and twist it off explosively and press with your leg. Basically, it is considered to be full body movement.
Instructions
- Clean kettlebell to front rack position from the floor.
- Pivot on foot just opposite the loaded arm. Rotate it slightly towards bell.
- Using your other foot, pivot outwards. Then press kettlebell overhead to make full extension.
Tips to follow:
You should generate sufficient amount of force from floor. Also focus more on the fighting rib flare while keeping straight.
The above are the five kettlebell exercises that experts recommend beginners to start with to enhance body strength. It will also tone your entire body.
