When buying a kettlebell,
it is important to make sure
that you start off with the
correct weight. Too heavy
and you could risk injuring
yourself; too light and your
training will suffer. Men
who are new to the world of
fitness training should
start with a 16kg with more
experienced athletes opting
instead for a 20kg or even a
24kg kettlebell. Female
trainers should start with
an 8kg weight with more
experienced athletes picking
up a 12kg or 16kg instead.
Unlike
dumbells,
kettlebells
do not
increase
incrementally
in small
jumps.
This is
compensated
by
variation
in the
exercises
performed.
As
strength
and
conditioning
is
increased,
more
difficult
kettlebell
exercises
are
deployed
that
push the
body
harder
and
further.
The
first
exercise
any
aspiring
kettlebell
athlete
(or
girevek,
as
they're
known in
Russia)
should
learn is
the two
handed
swing.
Despite
it's
relative
simplicity,
the
swing is
an
amazing
exercise
as it
targets
the
back,
the legs
the abs
all the
while
increasing
flexibility
in the
hips and
increasing
cardio
vascular
endurance.
The
swing
epitomises
all that
is
brilliant
about
kettlebell
exercises.
To
perform
the two
handed
kettlebell
swing,
you
should
start by
placing
your
feet
shoulder
distance
apart
with
your
toes
pointly
slightly
outwards.
The next
step is
to squat
down and
pick up
the
kettlebell
gripping
the
handle
with
both
hands
while
sticking
your
bottom
out in
the air.
Next,
stand up
and
swing
the
kettlebell
in front
of you,
pushing
your
hips
forwards
at the
top of
the
swing.
Finally,
let the
kettlebell
fall
down
between
your
knees
while
you
squat
down.
Rinse
and
repeat.
It is
important
to
manage
your
breathing
while
carrying
out the
swing.
While
the
kettlebell
is
rising,
the
girevek
should
be
exhaling
gradually
with a
sharp
exhale
at the
top of
the
swing.
The
girevek
should
then
inhale
as the
kettlebell
falls
and
swings
down
between
their
legs.
A
simple
workout
that can
be
carried
out with
the two
handed
swing is
as
follows:
-
Warmup
for ten
minutes,
doing a
variety
of
bodyweight
exercises.
I
recommend
jogging
for
thirty
seconds,
then
doing
thirty
seconds
of
pushups,
thirty
seconds
of
squats
and then
thirty
seconds
of ab
crunches.
Repeated
five
times at
a
moderate
pace,
the body
should
be
warmed
up and
ready
for
action.
-
Alternate
between
one
minute
intervals
of
swings
and
active
rest for
twelve
minutes,
i.e. one
minute
of
swings
followed
by one
minutes
of
jogging
followed
by
another
minute
of
swings
followed
by one
minute
of
pushups,
and so
on and
so
forth.
Active
recovery
is not
supposed
to tax
the body
greatly
and
should
thus be
carried
out at a
moderate
to low
pace to
keep the
body
active.
The
next
morning
after
completing
the
workout,
you'll
definately
feel it!
Once
you've
masted
the two
handed
swing,
you can
move on
to other
variations
of the
swing
such as
the one
handed
swing
and the
DARC
swing
where
the
kettlebell
is
released
by one
hand in
the air
and
caught
by
other.
Beyond
the
swing,
there
are
hundreds
of
kettlebell
exercises
to
experiment
with. To
get the
most out
of your
training,
I
recommend
picking
up the
book
Enter
the
Kettlebell!
by Pavel
Tsatsouline.
Good
luck in
your
training!
Aamir is a huge kettlebell enthusiast! Check out his blog at http://www.kettlebellexercises.net
to find out more about kettlebells and how they can help you!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com |