Tag Archive for: Kettlebell Swing Alternative Dumbbell

Why the Kettlebell is the Only Weight Loss Tool You’ll Ever Need

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Want to get into lean, slim, toned and sexy shape? The only tool you’re ever going to need to complete this goal is the kettlebell.

Let’s take a look at why this is the perfect solution for those particular training goals and what you need to do to make it happen.

kettlebell

Enter: Resistance Cardio

The first huge advantage that training with a kettlebell has is that it allows you to use what is known as ‘resistance cardio’. This basically means that you’re combining resistance training (this is the term used to describe training that requires muscular force to push or pull a heavy object) with cardio (any exercise that continues for an extended period and thereby gets your heartrate up and helps you burn fat).

By using a movement like the kettlebell swing for 70 repetitions for example, you’re going to be forced to lift the weight while also repeating a rapid movement that will mean you have to burn calories stored as fat.

When you combine these two different training modalities, you are building muscle and you are burning fat at the same time. This is great for getting an attractive body because you’re not going to simply become skinny (or worse, ‘skinny fat’). Rather, resistance cardio will allow you to tone and burn at the same time. The fact that you’re engaging muscle means the muscle will be protected from deterioration as you’re training.

Moreover, resistance cardio will allow you to burn more fat in a shorter space of time than you could otherwise. This is because you will be forced to apply more effort in order to complete the movement, thereby taxing your system more and burning through more calories!

The Benefits of the Kettlebell Swing

The other great thing about building muscle while performing a cardio workout, is that the more muscle you add, the more you increase your metabolism. If you have lots of muscle, you will burn more calories even while you’re sleeping! At the same time, each workout that causes muscle damage will trigger the release of anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone that actually increase the rate of fat loss.

The kettlebell swing is a particularly useful move because it targets the entire posterior chain – the muscles in the legs and back involved in jumping. These are some of the largest muscles in the body and thus this results in a massive flood of hormones and a lot of effort on your part.

And finally, for women who are looking to get toned buttocks and legs, the kettlebell swing is ideal because those are the exact muscles that it trains. This is the same combination of muscles as those used in squatting and if you do a Google search for ‘women who squat’, you’ll see that they are famous for having particularly round and firm glutes. If that’s the look you’re going for, then there are few moves better than the humble kettlebell swing!

More Items That Work Like Kettlebells

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Looking to get into incredible shape and improve your functional strength? Then there are actually few things that will be more effective than a kettlebell workout. There are many reasons for this but the biggest factor is that a kettlebell workout involves training with multiple different angles and multiple different speeds.

The weight is constantly swinging around and constantly changing position and your body needs to constantly adapt to those changes in order to train. This works the smaller supporting muscles that other workouts just can’t hit and the result is more functional power and a better physique.

kettlebell

But the kettlebell isn’t the only tool you can use to do this. If you’re looking to get a truly functional workout, then actually there are several things you can deploy to get the job done. Here are some great examples…

Indian Club Training

The Indian club is a tool that looks like a weapon, a set of skittles or perhaps juggling pins. Essentially, you hold them at one end and then swing and move them around in your hands.

The reason this works so well, is that, as with training with a kettlebell, you are holding a handle that is removed from the weight itself. This then means the angle of the resistance will change as you build up momentum and it means that you can train muscles that might otherwise be hard to reach.

Hammer Training

Another great way to train your body is to use a simple sledge hammer! Just take the hammer and hit something like a car tire. This will use all the torque motion in your body and also require a lot of cardio endurance as well as the basic strength.

Moving Bricks

Take a pile of bricks and then simply move them to a new pile. This involves twisting, picking up each brick and then turning to the side to drop it behind you. Again, you’re training your obliques through the twisting and torque motion but you’re also using your grip and biceps to lift the bricks.

Climbing

When it comes to using your body functionally and as you’re supposed to, there are few things better than rock climbing. Rock climbing allows you to train your grip as you hang onto the walls, your lats, your biceps, your legs and more. What’s more, is that the high stakes and psychological challenge ensure that you are highly engaged with what you are doing and that you are thus more likely to be mindful of your training and more likely to engage more of your body and mind in what you are doing.

Swimming

Swimming is another surprisingly powerful form of functional training that utilizes your entire body moving in synchronous motion. The great thing about swimming is that it allows you to build more strength, more size and more cardio endurance – but also that it allows you to improve your muscle control, muscle fiber recruitment and functional range of movement.