Exercise

Intense Kettlebell Circuit Workout For Fat Loss

January 7, 2010
By Parth Shah

I absolutely love training with a Kettlebell. Over the past few months, I have taken a greater interest in Kettlebell training. The following are some of my favorite movements with a Kettlebell:

Kettlebell Squat Clean

The Kettlebell Squat Clean is the next step up from the regular clean. It involves performing a clean but “catching” it in the squat position. Just 5 repetitions of the movement will be killer.
This is an especially good movement for women who wish to train their hip region. To perform this movement, assume a traditional Kettlebell clean stance. As you explode up wards, quickly drop your body down in to the squat position, and catch the Kettlebell, just as you would in a regular clean.
Stand back up and repeat. I usually like to keep the movement flowing smoothly, so I don’t stand up all the way. Instead, half way up, I drop the Kettlebell, swing it between my legs, and repeat the movement.
So, in a way my version is a combination of a swing, clean, and front squat.

Kettlebell Push Press

The Push Press is different than a regular military press because it allows you to use your entire body to put the weight up. This way, you can use more weight that in a regular military press, hence increasing your overall power output.
Simply rack the Kettlebell up to your shoulders. Bend your legs slightly, and use the momentum to push the Kettlebell towards the ceiling. Make sure to keep your body and arms relaxed.
I like to think of my body as a slingshot. When you drop your body down, you build up the energy to ricochet the Kettlebell towards the sky. You can combine this movement with a Kettlebell Squat Clean to create one hell of a hybrid movement.
After you perform the Squat Clean, instead of dropping the Kettlebell back to starting position, simply stand up explosively and drive the Kettlebell to the sky.

Kettlebell Chest Press

Many people complain that they don’t have a bench press. Who needs a bench press when you’ve got the floor? I use slightly different technique with the Kettlebell Chest Press than most people.
When laying on the ground, keep your head slightly off the ground, as if you were performing a situp. Hold a Kettlebell up to your shoulder with one hand. Now press it up towards the sky, but don’t stop the movement just because your arm can no longer extend any further.
Crunch up slightly and to the side and lift up the side of your upper back that holds the Kettlebell. Pause, and lower the Kettlebell slowly to starting position. With this technique, you are training your abdominals and your chest at the same time.
See if you can find a creative way to combine this movement with the Squat Clean or Push Press (Don’t worry, I haven’t figured it out yet. Still experimenting)

How to develop your Kettlebell Circuit Workout

There are many ways that you can combine these movements to create your own workout. The easiest way to design an intense workout is to use circuit training. Now, these three movements work close to 100% of your entire body. So, you’ve got a full body workout right here. You don’t need to do anything else! Use the following template to design your own circuit workout using 3 exercises:

Perform X rounds of:

Exercise #1
Exercise #2
Exercise #3
Rest x Seconds

With a circuit workout, you perform each workout back to back with little to no rest in between each exercise. However, at the end of the circuit, you are allowed to rest. But as you build up your strength and conditioning, try to perform the full workout with no rest.

Now, these movements are pretty tough. So the best way to develop workouts using easier exercises is to get yourself a good guide. The best guide currently out right now is the Turbulence Training Kettlebell Revolution manual. This manual, put together by Chris Lopez and Craig Ballantyne, covers numerous high intensity exercises, and includes many workout programs you can use to get started with Kettlebell training.

To learn more about this incredible program, check out my blog ShahTraining.com

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