Kettlebell Training For Sport

Yesterday saw my first ever p90x workout, I did the core synergistics session and was pleasantly suprised by what I found. Check out my write up at p90x kettlebell and let me know your thoughts on which is better - p90x or kettlebells

If you would like to teach yourself about how kettlebells can be best used for body building, then you'll want to read this short article. Specifically we'll talk about why kettle bells can be adapted for putting on serious amounts of muscle all over your body and not just your arms, what kettlebell exercises to use to reap the biggest and most superior end result and why kettlebells can be used with other bodybuilding routines for even greater results.

After reading this article, you will also have enough knowledge to train your body in a functional manner which can be transferred to sports and other physical abilities.

kettlebells are a very understated and under used way for seriously packing muscle on to your frame. The kettlebells was the staple of many Strong men and bodybuilders of years gone by and has been used for ages to build big functional muscle. The reason behind this is because kettle bells teach your body to move as a system (how it should be trained) and most exercises are compound in nature(full body).

Never forget, body builders get big because they train the biggest areas of the body first. Think about targeting your whole body initially and training the smaller ones later. Muscle packed on your legs and back will make you look much bigger than a little bit on your arms.

The top kettlebell movements for bodybuilding are the ones that use the most muscles and here they are:

The kettlebell swing – will grow and strengthen the large area of the back and legs

The kettlebell snatch – will hit the back and legs but will add more involvement of the shoulder muscles

The kettle bell clean and press – is a full body exercise also targeting the triceps and shoulders

The kettle bell squat – enough said here. The staple of bodybuilding champions, squat and grow.

Try a month and a half change in your current bodybuilding routine and use these 4 lifts 3-4 times each week for sets of around 20 reps as heavy as you can, building into 4-5 sets and see how you pack on some serious beef.

But don’t forget that HARD WORK = BIGGER RESULTS. Some of these exercises will make you puke but this intensity of tough work will push you through plateaus. If you’re not prepared to swap your current bodybuilding regimen for sole kettle bel training then superset the exercises here with bar bells and dumbbells for great gains.

This will push your physique to new limits and greater muscle growth. Use your imagination for supersetting, but an excellent combo is barbell squat and the kettlebell swing.

So having discussed the top kettlebell exercises for growing muscle you must also understand that the lifts also lend themselves to sports prowess and functional strength. Why? The kettle bell movements listed here force your body to work as a system in a very functional fashion, making them very adaptable to many sports. All of them are triple extension exercises (3 joints extending simultaneously), in other words ‘the most valuable to strength sports and bodybuilding’ With no doubt there not enough enough bodybuilders using the secrets of kettlebells.

Try them out for new horizons in your physical appearance. Everything you need is here so go away and learn how to be strong and muscular and come back BIGGER, FASTER AND STRONGER.

Kettlebells For Bodybuilding

Kettlebell Exercises For Super Strength

There are lots of Kettlebell movements that can be done using the kettle bell. Many good ones. The value of any exercise should be determined by the level of physical capacity that can be used up whilst performing it.

For example a simple wrist curl or concentration curl requires a lot less muscle to be activated and used in unison to perform than say a kettle bell snatch. However, if your goal is to isolate muscles in a non-functional way then go ahead on with your finger curls. The kettle bell is such a fabulous conditioning exercises tool as it pushes you in the direction of functin and form not latest trend, Kettlebells are ancient.

For many the Kettlebell maybe a trend but for those who are willing to learn the basics it is a very desirable method for training your body in a way that gets you very fit and very strong very quickly. Why is this? The kettle bell instructs your body to work as a system rather than lots of body parts seperately.

Mega strength athletes of the past and present are so due to the fact they train their body to work as a unit. For example: the Kettlebell snatch is the number one Kettlebell movement and has the biggest bang for your buck if you are looking to increase hardcore conditioning and athletic capability .

This is because the kettle bell snatch requires you to accelerate the kettle bell from the floor to overhead in one fluid/explosive movement and forces a triple extension movement (the same as in olympic weightlifting). There are unlimited kettle bell exercises if you use your mind.

Anyway, here are the best ones that give the greatest 'bang for your buck' Remember if you're wanting results with Kettlebell, then only getting through a training session is not enough. If you desire explosive athletic quality from your training then you must work extremely hard at it when training. If you require strength then you must lift the heaviest kettle bell near to your limits. Just like everything else.... how hard you work is very closely linked to what you receive in results.

Here are my Top Kettlebell exercises for mega strength

#1 The kettle bell Snatch

#2 The kettle bell swing

#3 The kettle bell clean and jerk

#4 The TGU

#5 The kettle bell flip

#6 Bottoms up kettle bell press

Definitions of these movements is out of the scope of this article so google them to find out more and head over to Kettlebell Exercises for more information

Kettlebells are my passion. I discovered them over 5 years ago before they became extremely popular as they are today.

I compete in Athletics in the disciplines of shot putt, discus and hammer. More recently some of my attention has been directed towards Highland Games.

I train with kettlebells along with regular weight training. I have find a great passover with kettlebell training to sport training.

Why is this?

Well Kettlebells require you to use all your large muscle groups whilst using them (snatch and swing) and therefore train your body's muscle groups to co-ordinate with each other as they do when you are learning movements in a sport. They also train the posterior chain and if slowly built up to use heavier kettlebells it will protect this region of your body from injury.

Why else use kettlebells?

Kettlebells are easy to store, they are in fact a mini multi gym and probably more beneficial. You can train strength and fitness with only a small amount of them. They mimick the olympic lifts from weight lifting and can add extra tension and difficulty to standard exercises to make them more useful for training for your specific sport.

Kettlebells are great for aiding weight loss and fat loss and improving general fitness as well as strength and explosive power qualities if done correctly.

Check out my previous article relating to Kettlebell training for fat loss

When training for fat loss with kettlebells the general emphasis should be on high reps, medium weight for extended duration.

Tip:

If you have access to more than one kettlebell. Instead of swinging the kettlebell between your legs swing them outside your legs for a change of routine. This will add more difficulty but increase yor core power. In fact it will turn your posterior chain into a fortress. If you don't have multiple KB's, try swinging only one on the outside of your thigh's instead.

Kettlebell and Bodyweight Workout

Kettlebell Split sessions are fantastic for busy folks who need to train and melt fat but can't afford to spend time in the gym. I would recommend a split style session with kettlebells to maximize time and fat burning potential. Here's a split kettlebell and bodyweight workout: 1 kettlebell as heavy as yoiu can manage. Go for height with each swing. 30 second rest between sets. Super set with press-ups. KB swing x 15 reps press-ups x 15 KB swing x 15 reps narrow press-ups KB swing x 15 reps alternating push-ups KB swing x 15 reps low press-ups swing x 15 reps high press-ups This workout works chest and back/legs and can be alternated with snatches instead of the swing or double handed kettlebell swings. Obviously the body weight exercise could be alternated with dips or an exercise of your choice.

Secret Kettlebell Program

Is there a secret kettlebell program?

Check out my article to find out here Secret Kettlebell Program

Change4Life

If you haven't discovered Chage4life yet and you're in the UK then check out Change4life 

Watch this space for up and coming articles for increasing your fitness in accordance with change for life

There are so many kettlebell exercises to choose from, some good and some not so good. Some of the best ones have been picked out for reference at Kettlebell Exercises

Use this page to form kettlebell exercises routines for yourself. 

Although not kettlebell related I think Laine Snook from the UK requires a mention.

He has just deadlifted 2 millenium dumbbells together.

The millenium dumbbells weight in at 238lbs each with a 2 3/8" Diameter handle.

Incredible.

Check out the video here at Laine Snook Millenium Dumbbells 

Check out this video of uphill kettlebell swinging.

The kettlebell swing is a very basic conditioning exercise that can be used to great effect to train the posterior chain and GPP simultaneously.

What I like about this idea is the creativity being used, swinging a kettlebell up hill is a superb way to add extra difficulty to an already difficult challenging exercise.

I can see this exercise being very beneficial to all sports especially skiing as it mimics striding out. 

Related article on Heavy Kettlebell Swings 

Check out my article regarding the video above by clicking the link below

Mike Mahler Kettlebell

Looks like Lance Armstrong has been using kettlebells to aid his GPP in preparation for next years Tour De France.

Lance Armstrong has will be featured in Mens Health magazine with his killer workout routine for cycling although the workout will be applicable as a general fitness session.

Although I really love kettlebells, every once in a while it makes sense to give your body a change and do something different.

In the past I have used macebells to train for Highland Games and as part of my GPP training. Being inspired by Bud Jeffries ebook 'Twisted Conditioning'

Check out this article on Macebell Training

There's nothing like the feeling of a tough kettlebell workout with heavy kettlebells.

Here I attack the 60kg kettlebell with10 swings and 18 snatches. Currently I'm working on 20 constant snatch reps with the 60kg kettlebell and also 20 flips. Read more about Heavy Kettlebell Snatches

Check out more about this video here at Kettlebell Sport

This is what kettlebell as a sport is all about.

 Great video 

Every now and then I come across some interesting stuff

Check out this article about an awesome source for Strongman/strength training gear in the UK 

Strongman Training Equipment