Kettlebell swing by Tim Ferris

I am a massive fan of Tim Ferris, He has just produced a book called the 4 hour body, which I haven’t read yet. But the 4 hour working week is a must read.

Here is a short intro into the book, in it Tim demonstrates a Kettlebell swing.

“In The 4-Hour Body, I profiled Tracy R., a mother of two who lost more than 100 pounds.

The secret wasn’t marathon aerobics sessions, nor was it severe caloric restriction. It was the Russian kettlebell swing, twice a week for an average of 15–20 minutes. Her peak session length was 35 minutes.”

Check out the following Video:

I have listed my top 6 exercises with kettlebells.  These are the best 6 to master first.

1 Kettlebells Turkish Get up

The Turkish get up is ideal for building up total core strength with kettlebells.

It is performed when the weight is held directly overhead whilst getting up from the ground.

Check out how to perform the turkish get up for a more detailed guide.

2 Kettlebell swing

The kettlebell swing is the foundation movement for the majority of kettlebell exercises, so it is important to master the kettlebell swing when you start.

The basic movement, you have the kettlebell in one or two hands. you swing the kettlebell between your legs with a slight knee bend but mainly bending at the waist. You then drive your hips forward straightening and driving the kettlebell up to shoulder height.

Check out how to perform the kettlebell swing for a detailed article explaining this.

3 Kettlebell clean

The kettlebell clean movement starts with the kettlebell on the floor  between the legs and finishes standing with the kettlebell on one shoulder.

Check out how to perform a kettlebell clean for a more detailed explanation.

4 Kettlebell press

in this movement you use the momentum from a half squat to propel the kettlebell from the shoulder until the arm is fully extended above the head. It is the final part of the clean and press movement.

For a in depth explanation check out  how to perform the kettlebell press.

5 Renegade rows

to perform a renegade row you need 2 kettlebells, you go into the press up position on the handles of the two kettlebells. You then perform a press up and then a single arm Row.

For a more detailed explanation check out how to perform a renegade row.

6 Kettlebell windmill

The kettlebell windmill is a exercise for your core. You start by keeping your arm holding the kettlebell straight above your head. You then keep your arm vertical whilst touching the floor with your free hand. Bending only at the hips. check out how to perform a ketlebell windmill for more detail.

Kettlebells challenge day 10, 23^rd of December

Time for 400 core exercises.

400 Core kettlebells challenge

This routine will really push your core strength, these kettlebell exercises require large muscle groups and so will be very challenging.

10 side plank and rows Left side

10 side plank and rows right side

10 Renegade rows

10 Turkish get ups (10 each side)

Repeat this set of 4 kettlebells exercise 10 times.

21^st of December – Kettlebells challenge

Kettlebells muscle burn challenge

This kettlebells challenge is designed to make your  large muscle groups do a really large number of exercises, this will encourage muscular growth (although rest is required for this, so skip the next two days if you want this):

Legs

10 x your max kettlebell weight – Kettlebell swing

20 x the next size down – kettlebell swing

30 x the next size down – kettlebell swing

10 x Bulgarian Squat Left leg

10 x Bulgarian squat Right leg

Chest and triceps

30 x Kettlebell press ups

30 x Tricep dips

30 x kettlebell skull crushers

Back and Biceps

20 x Pull ups

20 x left arm kettlebell bent over row

20 x Right arm Kettlebell bent over row

20 x left arm bicep curls

20 x right arm Bicep curls

Its December the 20^th – just 5 kettlebell challenges to go to Christmas

Today’s Kettlebells challenge is going to focus on explosive power. Explosive exercises really on energy from ATP. They also require a surprisingly large amount of this and so are very challenging cardio vascularly.

Kettlebells challenge Power

l 8 x double handed kettlebell swings – using a heavy kettlebell

10 x clap press ups – on knees if necessary

10 x Medicine ball slams – Maintaining high bounce

6 x kettlebell clean and press Left

6 x Kettlebell clean and press right

Stop the stop watch and Rest for 3 minutes, keep warm though so Jog walk or stretch.

Repeat this set 4 times. Start and stop the stop watch each for each set, your time is the accumulative time for each all four sets excluding the rest. The rest is there to recover your ATP levels.

It is important to select the maximum kettlebell you can use safely for each exercise in order to challenge yourself.

Its December the 17^th time for a really challenging fitness circuit with kettlebells.

This is a nonstop timed kettlebell circuit. All exercises must be completed in order.

50 Medicine ball slams

50 kettlebell clean and press (25 each side)

100 Burpees

50 two handed kettlebell swings

50 single leg kettlebell deadlift (25 each side)

50 single arm kettlebell rows (25 each side

50 kettlebell press ups

50 crunches

50 side raise on stability ball

Just finished this one, I feel great. I really struggled with the Kettlebell press ups 50 is hard.  Let me know how you get on.

Its day 3 of the christmas kettlebells challenge. Time to hit the core.

December 16^th

Core Kettlebells challenge

30 Renegade rows

20 side plank and rows Left side

20 side plank and rows right side

20 Turkish get ups (10 each side)

This is a timed kettlebell challenge, Repeat this set of kettlebell exercises 4 times.

I really enjoyed this challenge it pushed me hard in all areas, core, strength and cv. Let me know how you get on.

In the last 10 days to Christmas I will be putting up a kettlebell challenge a day.

December 15^th

Body weight and kettlebells challenge

100 Alternate leg squat thrusts

50 Kettlebell press ups

50 heavy Kettlebells swings

50 kettlebell clean and press (25 each side)

Again this is a timed kettlebell challenge, Repeat this set 3 times.

This really pushed my fitness and strength. I really enjoyed the mix.

Kettlebell Christmas challenge

In the last 10 days to Christmas I will be putting up a kettlebells challenge a day. To get you strong and fit and able to tackle the Christmas parties.

December 14^th

This is a timed kettlebells challenge.

50 kettlebell alternating swings

20 Kettlebell renegade rows (ten each side)

50 Goblet squats

30 Single arm Rows

Repeat this set of kettlebell exercises 3 times.

I tried this this morning, it was an awesome workout, Let me know how you get on.

Should you train barefoot with kettlebells?

This article discusses the benefits of exercising barefoot with kettlebells.

The disadvantage of training barefoot is you need to be careful with your feet, however even with shoes you will seriously damage your foot if you drop a kettlebell on it. So training barefoot can even help prevent foot injuries because you will (should!) take extra care.

The benefits of barefoot training – Kettlebells

By training barefoot, your foot can really function. Our feet contain:

• 26 bones (One-quarter of the bones in the human body)
• 33 joints
• Over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments

These components work together to provide the body with support, balance, and mobility. If they are locked into a shoe, they can not perform correctly.

Are feet are also incredibly sensitive, when we put them in a shoe we numb their sensitivity and so if we always wear shoes our feet will loose their strength.

This mean that by training barefoot, our foot strength and control will improve.

Over time training barefoot can help improve foot arches and un-cramp toes.

the raised heel and the arch support of most training shoes change the natural mechanics of the foot. Time spent in a raised heel unnaturally tightens the calf muscle and lengthens the shin muscle. This can result in shin splints and weak arches.

These are just a few of the benefits of training barefoot, there are many more so I recommend training barefoot.