Kettlebell exercises, unlike dumbbell or barbell exercises, focus on functional training for the whole body. The movements in kettlebell exercises are designed to work every muscle group in your body in conjunction, rather than individual muscles. This is functional training at its finest, priming your body for everyday tasks, decreasing the risk of injury and developing coordination.
Kettlebell benefits include superb training for the cardiovascular and muscular systems. Kettlebell exercises develop your aerobic system, utilised in traditional cardio and your anaerobic system, utilised in weightlifting.
Kettlebell exercises are mainly performed in a HIIT (High-Intensity Training) style workout. Short bursts of intense activity followed by short rest periods burn a lot of calories during exercise periods. Because of the high intensity, your body will keep burning calories even during rest periods and for some time after the activity.
Kettlebell exercises keep your core muscles engaged and strong. Because kettlebells have an off-centre of gravity, your body needs to work to counterbalance. This strengthens the stabiliser muscles in your body, developing excellent stability.
The most common reason for lower back pain is weak, or underdeveloped glute muscles. The glute muscles are one of the biggest muscles in the body and are active in almost all of our daily movements. When they are weak, the lower back muscles overwork themselves to compensate. Nearly all kettlebell exercises work the glutes and develop hip movement and power, taking the strain off the lower back.
Bad posture is often caused by sitting for extended periods of time, with a hunched over posture. Some of the side effects of bad posture include a painful neck and shoulders. Kettlebell exercises develop strength, stability and mobility within the neck and shoulders. They also develop spinal strength and seriously help to fix your posture and painful shoulders.
REPS- Reps is short for repetitions. It refers to how many of the same exercise you do at any one time.
SETS- Sets are how many times you will repeat your reps. For example, you might do ten squats, three times with a 30-second rest between each set. In other words, you'll do 3 sets of 10 reps.
Weight training is split up into reps and sets because it's important to allow the muscles to rest in between dynamic exercises. By resting in between your sets, you can continue to work the muscle to exhaustion. Working the muscle to exhaustion may sound painful, and it might be when you first start training, but it's how you can strengthen the muscle. By exhausting the muscle, the tissues become torn and must repair itself, becoming stronger and more resilient.
How many reps and sets you'll want to do depends on the results you want. To build muscle you'll want to go for a heavier weight and fewer reps. For muscle endurance, you'll want a lighter weight for more reps.
The best kettlebell size for you is one that feels manageable enough to lift but heavy enough that your muscles feel exhausted during the last few reps of each set.
Our kettlebells come in the standard sizes. You'll get a good idea of what weight works for you by doing 3 sets of 10 reps for a few different exercises. Note down which weights you're capable of doing. We recommend the JTX 6KG Kettlebell if you haven't done any weight training before. Start small, then work your way up in weight. As you progress in weight, you'll find that the heavier kettlebells and the lighter kettlebells suit different exercises. For instance you may use a lighter kettlebell to perform a kettlebell halo, but for a kettlebell squat you'll want a heavier variant. Generally, the larger the muscle group you are working, the heavier the kettlebell you'll want to use.
If you're looking to buy kettlebells to strengthen and build your muscles, we recommend investing in a set. With only one kettlebell you'll be able to strengthen and build your muscles to an extent that will be enough for most people. You can do this by increasing the number of reps, or sets, you perform over time. However, there will come a time where your kettlebell doesn't exhaust your muscles anymore. At this point, your exercises will be toning, but not building muscle. With multiple kettlebells you'll be able to move up a weight when you're ready or swap to lower weights for weight training weaker areas of your body.
This exercise primarily targets your trapezius, rhomboid and deltoid muscles. By working upper back muscles like the rhomboids and trapezius, you will improve your posture. It also works every head of the deltoids, making it a great one for toning your shoulders evenly. You'll also find that it engages your biceps due to the pulling nature of the movement. Beyond that you will need to keep your core and glutes engaged, so there should also be growth in those muscles too.
To begin this exercise stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, push your posterior back whilst hinging your hips and lean down to grab the handle of the kettlebell. Stand up straight and maintain that posture throughout the entirety of the exercise. Hold the kettlebell in front of your waist and keep your legs straight. Pull back your shoulders and lead with your elbows as you pull the kettlebell upwards, it should be sitting in between your chin and the top of your chest. As you do this, ensure that you squeeze your abdominals and glutes to keep yourself stable - especially if you're lifting at your limit. You must now pause and then lower the kettlebell in a controlled manner. You have now completed a rep. Try doing 3 sets of 10 for this exercise to ensure its beneficial effects occur.
This exercise is renowned for being a quick and easy full body workout, engaging both your upper body, lower body and core. It also doubles up as a functional exercise. By doing 20 minutes of kettlebell swings you can burn around 400 calories. You will also gain a high degree of explosive power by engaging in this exercise, a great advantage for gymnasts, cyclists and swimmers.
Start off by standing up straight with your feet placed shoulder-width apart. Pick up the kettlebell with both hands and hold it in front of you, make sure your palms are facing your body. Hinge your hips by pushing them back and bend your knees slightly whilst positioning the kettlebell between your legs. At this point you must make sure your core is engaged and your back is straight. Then, as you straighten your legs, do so with some explosive force. This should come from your heels and the kettlebell should swing upwards to chest height. When you swing downwards, return to that position where your knees are slightly bent and you'll have done one rep. 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 reps should be sufficient for a proper workout.
This exercise mainly works your core and your shoulders, along with your hamstrings and glutes - making it a full body exercise. It's also a great mobility exercise. Mobility training is great for improving posture and getting rid of knots in your back - both of which are common for office workers sitting at a desk all day. It can also prevent injuries by increasing your range of motion - which dictates how far your muscles can stretch when under pressure.
Start off by kneeling on one knee, holding the kettlebell in your right hand. Ensure you are holding it above your head and keep your arm fully extended and elbow locked out. Keep your left hand free and rotate your shoulder outwardly as well as your head. Once you've rotated enough to be looking directly up at your kettlebell, place your hand on the floor (your arm should still be fully extended). Now rotate your shoulder and your head inwards until you return to the starting position. If it's your first time doing this, consider doing this exercise against a wall with your back foot pressed against it. This helps you really control your hamstring and glutes - leading to better control of your pelvis during this movement. It essentially helps you get a feel for it. Do at least 2 - 3 sets of 6 - 8 reps to get a proper workout in.
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