FITN

THE KETTLEBELL — FITNESS MADE SIMPLE

WRITER: PHILIP HALL // PHOTOGRAPHER: FRED LOPEZ

The kettlebell has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years in the fitness world. However, many people still wouldn’t be able to recognize a kettlebell if they saw one. Some very good reasons why it has gained such popularity is because it is small, inexpensive, portable, and allows you to train the entire body with very little space. These things make for a very useful piece of equipment in our increasingly fast-paced society. Here are a few exercises to help you get started with the kettlebell.

Kettlebell Swing

STEP 1: Hold one kettlebell in both hands, arms fully extended, and stand upright with feet shoulder-width apart.

STEP 2: Hinge at your hips by pushing your butt back first, and bend your knees slightly. Then swing kettlebell between your legs.

STEP 3: Fully extend knees and hips, and swing kettlebell up to shoulder height while keeping arms straight.

STEP 4: Let kettlebell drop, and swing between legs. Repeat. Perform three sets of 12–15 repetitions

MUSCLES USED: Glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and shoulders

Kettlebell Upright Row

STEP 1: Hold one kettlebell in both hands, arms fully extended, and stand upright with feet shoulder-width apart.

STEP 2: Lift kettlebell up toward your chin, and raise your elbows above your shoulders while keeping kettlebell below chin.

STEP 3: Lower kettlebell down to starting position, and repeat.

Perform three sets of 12–15 repetitions

TRAINERS TIP: Keep your core tight and the kettlebell close to body as you perform the movement.

MUSCLES USED: Shoulders, traps, biceps, and forearms

Kettlebell Walking Lunge With Pass Through

STEP 1: Hold one kettlebell in right hand on right side of body, standing upright with both feet together.

STEP 2: Lunge forward with left foot, and pass kettlebell between legs to left hand at bottom of lunge before returning to standing position.

STEP 3: Lunge forward with right foot and pass kettlebell between legs to right hand at bottom of lunge before returning to standing position. Repeat.

Perform three sets of 10–12 repetitions on each leg

TRAINERS TIP: Keep core tight throughout movement, keep body upright, and don’t let knee past front toe while lunging.

MUSCLES USED: Quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes