One of the most effective forms of exercise that I have used for weight loss has definitely got to be kettlebells. A kettlebell is a traditional Russian cast-iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle at the top. Kettlebells combine strength training, flexibility, cardio and core conditioning.  They will burn fat, get your muscles toned, increase your grip and strengthen tendons and ligaments. Also, 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.  Best of all, you will be doing all of the above every time you use kettlebells regardless of what workout you choose to do. Only difference is some workouts are more specific for certain goals.

It may seem rather expensive for being a single piece of equipment, but it is a great investment. Many people find no reason to go to the gym when on a kettlebell workout plan because of it’s effectiveness. A single kettlebell ranging from 10-50 lbs is more than enough for an effective weight loss kettlebell program.

You would choose your kettlebell based off of your strength level. This would cost from 30-80 dollars, depending on what weight you choose. 80 being the most you should pay for a 45lb kettlebell if you do your shopping right.  The benefits are well worth the price since it is only one piece of equipment for complete full body workouts.

Prior to personally trying them, I had decided to take a break from any kind of working out, sort of a personal vacation you can say. As you can imagine, my endurance and overall fitness level had greatly decreased. Before long, I couldn’t do any vigorous exercise for more than 5 minutes without beginning to feel “gassed out”.  With my final wrestling season in high school coming up, I needed to get back in shape and start losing fat to get down to my weight class as well as strengthen up and regain flexibility. That’s when I stumbled across kettle bells.

After the first two weeks I saw my stamina and muscle endurance shoot up very quickly, as well as faster weight loss than any other thing I’ve done aside from being in wrestling season itself.  Results do not come immediately, but they do tend to come much faster than traditional weight loss methods. It is pretty challenging, but it gets easier as you go.

Here is the fat loss workout for those who are already familiar with kettlebells. The workout is simple, do the following consecutively: 25 V-ups, 50 Snatches, 25 Push-ups, 50 Swings, 50 Burpees, 50 Clean & press, 50 Mountain climbers.

When you first start off, you will probably take longer than what you expect, but do not feel discouraged; this is part of the process. Make sure you go through the entire workout, regardless of how long it takes you. As days go on, your time will shorten. Your goal to work for will be to finish in 10-15 minutes. It may take several weeks of working out every other day to achieve this goal. 

There is a learning curve on kettle bells, as they feel unconventional compared to any other gym equipment because the range of motion is entirely different.  Due to this, it is also much easier to perform the exercises incorrectly without even knowing it.

If you are new to kettlebells, and are interested in learning what these workouts look like, how to do them properly, or where you can buy one; email me and I will do my best to provide this information.