6 Kettlebells Moves That Work Your Core

I wrote a post a little while back about the usefulness of kettlebell training when used with good form and technique coupled with intelligent programming. (To read it click here.) In light of how well that post did, ( thank you) I decided to continue with the same premise and break down a bit more how kettlebell and its movements can and will train your core.

Before we begin the practical part of this post, I think it is important to realize exactly what the core is. One simple way to understand exactly what our core is as humans is the saying, “that if I cut off my arms, head and lower leg, there is my core.” So you see our middle as humans is more than just the abs and obliques. (To learn more about this subject, click here.)

Now that we have that out-of-the-way let’s get to the topic at hand: 6 Ways kettlebells can work your core.

The swing works the core:
It is a well-known and accepted fact that the kettlebell swing works the glutes and hamstrings. However, it does even more than that in its proper execution, those two other aspects as I stated earlier are part of your middle. Yet, the swing when done in the hard-style format will also train your abs. In order to make this happen one must brace the abs as if they were going to get punched on the top of the swing. This also serves as a veritable brake to stop the low back from hyper extending at the lockout of the swing.

The Overhead Press works the core:
The body has a highway of sorts on which we transfer energy from the floor into a movement. The overhead press is a perfect example of the concept, in which we wedge ourselves between the floor and the kettlebell that you desire to press. The glutes, abs, lats, diaphragm and so on are activated in order to achieve the overhead move in a way that is safe and strong.

The Kettlebell front squat trains the core:
The kettlebell racked squat is both an anti-rotational drill when done with one bell and a heck of an abs exercise when done with two. It once again hits the glutes as we hip extend, trains the pelvic floor, (more on that in the future) diaphragm when we use proper breathing patterns and so much more. This move is also a great one to teach a lifter good technique to begin to train the squat with barbells.

The Turkish Get-up works the core:
The Get-up is an awesome exercise. It teaches the practitioner to stabilize their shoulder and to move at the same time. It also works hip mobility, and shoulder mobility. But for the sake of this post it has been shown by E.M.G. to work all of the muscles of the core throughout the movement. It has built into a rolling pattern, spinal stability/shoulder stability and so-on. It is safe to say that the Get-up is an awesome exercise that saves time and trains multiple movements at the same time!

The Single leg deadlift works the core:
This move is both a stability and strength exercise. It is also anti-rotational exercise depending on where you place the bell in correlation to the move. This exercise when coupled with the right loading will lead to you having to use an abs brace to produce the force needed to lift the loading that you are using off the floor. Give it a shot and see!

Carries work your core:
Loaded carries can be like magic to those who never do them. These moves when used appropriately can bring balance to your muscles in patterns. Train shoulder stability, anti-rotation, build strength and just make you feel plain great! Click on the link above to learn more about them and to learn how to do most of the variations.

When most people think of the core they think abs and having a “six-pack.” I hope that after you read this post that there is much more than that to it than just a muscle and a look. Your core being balanced and things working well can lead to less pain in your low back and many other issues; it is also important for your performance as a fit person and or if you are an athlete.

So if you aren’t begin to train these moves and if you don’t know how, learn from a qualified, certified instructor in order to get all of the benefits that come training with kettlebells with good form and intelligent programming

Weekly Kettlebell Workout: A Super Intense Kettlebell Complex

 Warning

 

This week’s workout is an intense one that involves advanced movements. So make sure that you have spent adequate time on the basics of these exercises before you dive in full on and get busy blasting fat with this intense complex.

For those who have been following this blog for awhile know that I enjoy kettlebell complexes and advanced kb moves.

This week’s workout is an advanced kettlebell complex involving: Gorilla Cleans, Renegade rows and pushups.

The rep ranges for these moves are: 10, 5, 5 and rest a while after because this particular complex should be done with pretty heavy weight for you!

 

 

ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE YOUR GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESS.

• Do all of your sets and reps with quality form. Crap only produces crap!
• Breathe by matching your breathing with each pattern
• Rest as much as you need to and no more.
• Tough it out while working out ( keep in mind the results)
• Enjoy the fat blasting effect  and raised metabolism.
  

My Online coaching program is back, Click here to see if you are candidate for it.

Weekly Kettlebell workout: Some Stupendous Swing Workouts

Sometimes simple is better. Don’t get me wrong, I love complexes, difficult moves that I need to learn to master and so-on. However, there are days that it just isn’t there and I need something that is challenging, helps me burn calories and is fun to do. That is where the kettlebell swing comes into play. It is probably the easiest to perform but an extremely effective move that gets the job done on those days.

 

 

 

This week’s workout is a few different ones all based on that move, so enjoy and get workin’!

The Walker Swing workout:

 

 

Choose your level and have fun with this awesome workout.

 

 

The I walk the line workout:

 

If you have 2 kettlebells this will  turn you into a torch of calorie crushing goodness!

The undertaker Kettlebell swing workout:

This one is still one of my favorites, enjoy it !

ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE YOUR GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESS.

• Do all of your sets and reps with quality form. Crap only produces crap!
• Breathe by matching your breathing with each pattern
• Rest as much as you need to and no more.
• Tough it out while working out ( keep in mind the results)
• Enjoy the fat blasting effect  and raised metabolism.
  

My Online coaching program is back, Click here to see if you are candidate for it.

Weekly Kettlebell Workout: A Complex, Complex Part 2

Kettlebells are a very useful fitness tool to help someone achieve higher levels of fitness, movement quality and many other fitness related qualities. Now there are some drawbacks to using kettlebells.

 

 

One of them is if you are a person that doesn’t have the discipline to pay attention to your technique as you workout, they will end up possibly exposing your issues with movement by pulling you around.

 

Lately I have been using moves and complexes that demand good movement with those who can do so as well as my own training and the results have been phenomenal!

 

 

 

This week’s complex is one of those ones that I put together and now it is your turn to try it out, if you dare!

 

 

 

Weekly Kettlebell Workout: A Complex, Complex Part 2

 

 

 

Check out the video below for and explanation and demonstration:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE YOUR GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESS.

 

 

• Do all of your sets and reps with quality form. Crap only produces crap!
• Breathe by matching your breathing with each pattern
• Rest as much as you need to and no more.
• Tough it out while working out ( keep in mind the results)
• Enjoy the fat blasting effect  and raised metabolism.
  

My Online coaching program is back, Click here to see if you are candidate for it.

 

Intense Weekly Kettlebell workout : The Back in Action.

 

 

 

 

It has been awhile since I have done one of these posts and I hope that our separation did not cause too severe of an anxiety for you. However,  as AC/DC once sung, I am “back in the saddle again” and I am bringing with me an intense kettlebell complex!

 

 

 

 

 

Learn how to do this workout and see an example by yours truly in the video below:

ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE YOUR GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESS.

 

 

 

• Do all of your sets and reps with quality form. Crap only produces crap!
• Breathe by matching your breathing with each pattern
• Rest as much as you need to and no more.
• Tough it out while working out ( keep in mind the results)
• Enjoy the fat blasting effect  and raised metabolism.
  

My Online coaching program is back, Click here to see if you are candidate for it.

 

The Coach’s desk Part 2: Building Muscle

 

Muscle, glorious muscle. This goal seems to be an important one to many who have been bit by the iron bug. Yet, it seems as though a multitude of those “afflicted” with this desirable problem don’t ever make much progress in their developmental goals.

Thankfully. the answer is simple and is given to you in the video below in the second part of my  vlog series, The Coach’s desk.

 

 

So take a second to listen and pass it on!

 

Weekly Workout: The Kettlebell Movement

In the last 15 years ago or so kettlebell as an effective have grown in popularity. I have been fortunate to have found them in that time period and my life and my client’s lives are much better a result of adding this implement to our workouts and programs.

As a means to give back and to help, I have endeavored over the last three years by this blog to bring simple but not easy workouts that they can do and enjoy. This series is my utter joy and I am thankful for every view, comment, Facebook message and follower that has come through this blog. Thank you each and every one of you for your continued support and for making this series a success!

Now enough with the mushy stuff let’s workout!

 

This week’s movement based flow or complex is one that you all will enjoy and is down by doing:

A lateral lunge to snatch for 10 reps each round per side.
Followed by 5 overhead squats
Lastly, three overhead presses

Do it for about 10 to 20 minutes, pick a challenging weight and go to town.

This workout will have you moving better, burning fat , working your heart and building strength.

Check out the video below to learn how to do it:

 

 

 

 

ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE YOUR GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESS.

• Do all of your sets and reps with quality form. Crap only produces crap!
• Breathe by matching your breathing with each pattern
• Rest as much as you need to and no more.
• Tough it out while working out ( keep in mind the results)
• Enjoy the fat blasting effect  and raised metabolism.
  

My Online coaching program is back, Click here to see if you are candidate for it.

 

Weekly Kettlebell Workout: The Leg Smasher

I have a friend that trains with me at my house and he was pressed for time two sessions ago; however there are some drills that he needs to before each session to prepare for the upcoming onslaught of fitness progress.

So being the nice fellow that I am I decided to put together a workout that is all low body and will develop an anaerobic work capacity for him. As a result of those circumstances and my kind side, I decided to develop this workout worthy of the hulk that ends in about 20 minutes and is and was extremely effective to produce results.

This Workout is done by doing:

8 full pistols a side or wherever you are at in it’s progression (a box etc.)

Then you grab a moderate size bell and do 20 swings.

Try to get in as many as possible in 20 minutes but rest anywhere from a minute to 3 depending on how hard both drills are for you.|

That is it, it is a very simple workout, I will concede. But don’t let its simplicity fool you. After all it is the leg smasher!

Check out the video below to see it done.

 

 

ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE YOUR GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESS.

• Do all of your sets and reps with quality form. Crap only produces crap!
• Breathe by matching your breathing with each pattern
• Rest as much as you need to and no more.
• Tough it out while working out ( keep in mind the results)
• Enjoy the fat blasting effect  and raised metabolism.
  

My Online coaching program is back, Click here to see if you are candidate for it.

A simple way to avoid lousy workouts

 

 

Lousy/crappy workouts, we have all been plagued by them at one point or another. In fact, sometimes we go to the gym or our workout area feeling good and come out greatly disappointed by our performance in that session. If you have ever had this happen to you, I want you to know that you aren’t the only one and you don’t have to take it personal. I would even dare say that if you workout you have three things guaranteed to you: taxes , death and an occasional sucky training session.

 

However, there is a way to better prevent this phenomena that leaves questioning your gains and worth as fitness buff, as if all of your awesome previous gains were delusion.

One you have to make sure that you are following some sort of periodized program. Due to our bodies ability to adapt and to prevent overuse of joints, etc. Failure to do so will often lead to the bottom falling out on your results. (More to come on how you can do that soon.)

This post is not about that specific topic but a way to get a glance at your physiology and to know whether or not it is time to kill it, lighten up the load or rest . You may be thinking that you couldn’t afford because it sounds expensive. But thankfully that is not the case, it can cost up to $50 for the accessory and the app can be free. The wonderful thing that I am talking about is heart rate variability or HRV.

 

As you know, I am a big believer that if you aren’t assessing you are guessing. So before this we used to go back how we feel as to whether we should train or not and it would end up being most of the time because our human physiology is a lot more complex than that. With HRV daily scans, scan get a look a that part of us and see how we ready we are to train and handle stress for each day.

It also can help us better lean our responses to certain foods, our rest needs , issues that are stressful and so-on. This of course will help you improve your health and fitness, due to your eliminating the things that are hindering you without your awareness of them.

 

Now, just be aware that this is not magic and requires a consistent daily scan and the willingness if necessary to not train hard or at all on a certain day due to what is going on in your autonomic nervous and immune systems.

 

 

Let me explain further the readings and what they mean.

It is a well known fact that stress affects us, but what is not a well known fact is that the overload of training is stress also. Which can also affect our health negatively, if we don’t manage  and recover from it.

HRV offers us an objective chance to view how well we are doing in terms of this need. It can show how the stresses of our life can affect our workout performance as well as our food choices (what and how much.) ,sleep quality/ needs  and so-on.

 

 

Now in terms of practical application, you take about two minutes in the morning and then you get a read out of green, which will be something like this:

This simply means that you are ok to train and will most likely not have a crappy workout.

There is also yellow:

Yellow as you could imagine can mean that you need to get in some breathing and other activities to balance out your system. Then a not so intense workout.

 

 

Finally there is red:

Which simply means that the day in which that reading was given is a day for mobility, breathing and a nice walk maybe a pooch will go with you.
So as you can see, if you tried to train hard on the last two days with not optimal readings you would have had what you would have called a lousy workout. That is why this post is called a simple way to avoid lousy workouts. So get the strap and spend a few bucks to do so, download an HRV app and get scanning each day to get going and to make serious progress in your fitness.

Weekly Kettlebell Workout: A Challenging Swing Workout

After spending a little time on developing its technique the kettlebell swing quickly becomes one of the simplest moves that one can do for both strength and conditioning.This week;s workout utilizes this movement plus a carry to build some core strength for you and to develop your work capacity as you do it. Plus this one can be improved upon each week by adding in quality reps and rounds.

This workout is done by doing:

One arm swings with a moderate bell (16 to 24 kg)
Immediately followed by  a bottom’s up carry  ( You can learn more about it here.)

Keep this going for 20 minutes alternating each side  and getting in as many quality rounds as you can each time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again we have your guidelines for success

• Do all of your sets and reps with quality form. Crap only produces crap!
• Breathe by matching your breathing with each pattern
• Rest as much as you need to and no more.
• Tough it out while working out ( keep in mind the results)
• Enjoy the fat blasting effect  and raised metabolism.
  

My Online coaching program is back, Click here to see if you are candidate for it.