OK, here’s another sample of my “___ Made Easy” series featured in Generalist University. The final iteration (available only to members) will feature three additional beginner programs. I hope you benefit from this and, if so, consider joining GU!
You might also enjoy Aristotle’s Ethics Made Easy, here.
Kettlebells Made Easy!
The purpose of this article is to provide a crash course introduction to kettlebells for “busy people.” Essentially, I’ve curated a series of videos/podcasts to run you through the basic exercises and philosophy, so you can begin training with kettlebells in a safe, effective fashion. I’ve tried to feature videos which (I believe) offer the best tutorial in the least number of minutes. I’ve also included resources for getting started with kettlebell programming, including a sample 4-week program.
Quick overview: Kettlebells are cast-iron pieces of exercise equipment that look like handled cannonballs. They can be used for resistance training, metabolic conditioning, and mobility-flexibility exercises. The author of this article (who is very handsome) refers to kettlebells as “The Swiss Army Knife of functional fitness,” because they are capable of filling a variety of roles in the pursuit of general physical preparedness.
Most men begin training with a 16kg – 20kg kettlebell, whereas most women begin with an 8-12kg kettlebell. The author of this article (remember him? intelligent, etc…) would, if possible, recommend starting with a set of three kettlebells: 16kg, 24kg, 32kg for men; 8kg, 16kg, 24kg for women. Having a range of weights at the outset will allow one to train more efficiently.
Start Here – Overview of Training with kettlebells
Here’s an interview I gave on Mike Matthew’s Muscle for Life Podcast on getting started with kettlebells. We discuss the benefits of kettlebell training, establish realistic expectations, and talk through the basic exercises.
Fundamental Kettlebell Exercises
What follows are the fundamental kettlebells lifts with embedded tutorials for each.
Swing
Goblet Squat
Turkish Get Up
Press
Clean
Snatch
Beginner 4-Week Kettlebell Program
What follows is a minimalist, 4-week kettlebell program for general physical preparedness, featuring a mix of strength, conditioning, and mobility.
A Day –
Warm up: 5 minutes of light Turkish get ups.
Workout Part 1: 10 reps of kettlebell swings, on the minute, every minute for (x) number of minutes (Monday: 10 minutes; Wednesday: 20 minutes; Saturday: 15 minutes). So, start your set of swings at the top of every minute, complete your set, rest the remainder of the minute, and repeat for the prescribed number of sets.
Weight recommendation: 24 – 32kg (men); 16 – 24kg (women).
Workout Part 2: 10 minuets of heavier Turkish get ups. One rep at a time, working progressively heavier. Collect as many HIGH QUALITY reps as possible in the time allotted.
B Day –
Warm up: 5 minutes of light Turkish get ups.
Workout Part 1: Press ladder: 1 – 5 – 1 (one press each arm, then two, three, up to five, and back down.)
Weight recommendation: use a weight that is around your 7rm, meaning a weight you could press no more than 7 reps total.
Workout Part 2: 8 reps of goblet squats, on the minute, every minute, for 8 minutes.
Weight recommendation: 24 – 32kg men; 16 – 24kg women.
Weekly Spread
Monday – A Day
Tuesday – B Day
Weds – A Day
Thurs – Off
Fri – B Day
Sat – A Day
Sun – Off
Going Deeper
For anybody who wants to study kettlebells more, I’d recommend the following:
My $1 eBook called Introduction to Kettlebells
Enter the Kettlebell by Pavel Tsatsouline
Also, you can nab 101 FREE kettlebell workouts here.