How to Lose Fat with Kettlebells

How would you like a workout that will burn fat, have you huffing and puffing, will challenge every muscle in your body, and will flat out kick your butt in only 15-20 minutes?

No, it’s not the latest fad infomercial on TV at 3AM. You can get all of this, and more, with kettlebell training. Kettlebells were a popular training tool for the Russians and have recently made their way to the US. Most people have seen them, you know the funny looking bell with a handle? Yeah, that thing…

 

Kettlebells work so well for a number of reasons:

1. The basic swinging and explosive nature requires the use of large muscles as both prime movers and stabilizers
2. Your body is constantly in motion, unlike using machines or supported benches where there is assistance against gravity
3. The handle and off-center weight translate to increased leverage and a tremendous amount of grip strength and endurance.
4. Swinging movements require and activate a large amount of muscular control
5. Movements such as swings, cleans, and presses require a full range of motion throughout the body

Simply put, kettlebells will give you more bang for your buck with each repetition. Your body has to work harder to complete the movement in a full range of motion, using all of your major (and some smaller) muscle groups. Recruiting such a large amount of muscles will translate to a higher caloric expenditure and metabolic workout. (AKA you will burn a ton of calories and your heart rate will be pumping through the roof)

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Kettlebell training improves all aspects of fitness: strength, endurance, stamina, power, core development, and mobility and flexibility. Training with kettlebells is certainly not the ONLY way to train, but it’s great to implement into a balanced training plan for extreme fat loss development.

All of these factors combined will translate into high levels of fat loss. Here is why you will burn fat if you correctly incorporate kettlebells into your training schedule:

1. Recruiting large muscle groups burns more calories
2. Lifting heavy and awkward weights burn more calories and challenge the body more than simple free weights and machines
3. Training in intense, powerful intervals will rev up the heart rate and metabolism
4. Developing mobility and flexibility will allow you to work out more efficiently, leading to higher levels of success
5. Combination movements and complexes will challenge your stamina and overall strength and these short bursts burn a large amount of calories
6. All of the metabolic training, lifting, and interval work that is involved in kettlebell training results in an increase in metabolism which carries over after the training session, leading to fat loss over the long term

Here are some great kettlebell workouts that are short and to the point. Give them a try and see how your body feels after just a short time. You should see noticeable differences in stamina, strength, overall mobility, and core strength. You will also see high levels of fat loss so see what you think. Enjoy!

Kettlebell Complex #1
KB Swings x20
KB Clean & Press x10 each arm
KB Push Press x10 each arm

Repeat this circuit 3-5 times depending on your fitness levels

Kettlebell Complex #2

KB 1-Arm Swings x10 each arm
KB Snatch x10 each arm
KB Turkish Get Up x5 each side

KB Complex #3

KB Swing x10
BB Thrusters x10

Complete 8-10 rounds as fast as possible with minimal rest time. Try to beat your previous score

 

Kettlebell training is one of the best ways to lose body fat, get lean and tight, and see your energy levels skyrocket. While traditional barbell, dumbbell and body weight training is amazing for these same results; KB training gives you a little something different and is MUCH more taxing on the entire body. Give these a try and leave your comments!