Kettlebell Exercises For Strength

This is my latest video of 48kg kettlebell bottoms up press.

The bottoms up press(BUP) ensures you work the large core muscles of your trunk and stabilisers in the shoulder and back, not to mention the grip. Use this exercise to develop strength fast.

Firstly, why exercise with kettlebells?

The 2 main kettlebell exercises are the swing and snatch and are very dynamic full body movements. This is where kettlebells have the edge over many other training methods in that they promote full/triple joint extension movements.

The heart of kettlebell exercise pertains from Olympic Lifting in that the lifts are very similar to those performed in competition weightlifting.

So, I hear you ask again, why exercise with kettlebells?

Put simply, the more muscles you use simultaneously whilst training, the bigger the demand is on your cardiovascular and muscular system. This is good and what everyone should be aiming for. MAXIMUM OUTPUT.

This is precisely why people who go to the gym and do bicep curls and tricep pushdowns at every visit, also go home and wonder why they're getting no results.

That's also a little secret used by many great bodybuilders and athletes. You're whole body can be tightened up using full body exercises.

Simply put, kettlebells are a fantastic mode of training for developing usable all round strength and athletic development if done correctly.

When choosing the best kettlebell exercises you must choose compound exercises to gain the most benefit (compound exercises are ones that use multiple muscle groups)

The best exercises for developing strength with kettlebells are:

The Swing, snatch, clean and jerk and Turkish Get up.

Start off your program with high reps (10-20 per set) for 3-5 sets on each of these exercises except the turkish get up where you will need to do 3-8 reps depending on your strength levels.

The Kettlebell Swing

Here is a very interesting kettlebell swing article from Dragondoor.com which illustrates how long the kettlebell swing has been in practice and used by athletes In the know. The kettlebell swing should never be overlooked as it is the primary exercise for usable strength that should never be missed off anyones list of must do kettlebell exercises

In The Russian Kettlebell Challenge Pavel quotes David Willoughby, a 1920s weightlifting champion, stating that the 2 arm swing “brings into action and develops practically every group of muscles on the back of the body and legs, and a good many others besides…. If you have time on your schedule for only one back exercise, make it this one…”. Pavel goes on to say the swing is a great way to get prepared for the “more difficult” snatch. “More difficult” – I’m not so sure. “More complex”, maybe, but there are few things like the nonstop no place to rest burn of a long set of swings.

The kettlebell swing, in all its various permutations, 2 arm, 1 arm, D.A.R.C., 2 kettlebell etc…is the brutal distillation of everything ketttlebell training is about: power, explosiveness, flexibility and lung searing “cardio”. It’s not simply that it works a lot of muscles, and make no mistake that it does, it’s that it teaches you to generate power from the core outward to the object you’re attempting to manipulate. Instead of learning to move a weight from point A to point B, you learn to generate force from your body’s powerhouse: the hips, legs, back and core. Once you have mastered the kettlebell swing, not only will you instantly get the “feel” of more “complex” kettlebell lifts, but also your body will innately apply these lessons to your chosen sport, martial art or weight training.................... go to Kettlebel Swing to read more.

There are many kettle bell movements that can be done using the Kettlebell to help train your power.

The rating of any exercise should be valued by the amount of physical capacity that can be used up whilst doing it.

For example a simple wrist curl or concentration curl needs a lot less muscle to be activated and used in unison to perform than say a Kettlebell snatch.

However, if your desire is to single out muscles in a non-transferable fashion then carry on with your finger curls.

The Kettlebell is such a fabulous conditioning training tool as it pushes you in the direction of functin and form not latest trend, kettle bells are ancient.

For many the Kettlebell maybe a fashion but for those who are willing to learn the movements it is a very effective
method for exercising your body in a way that gets you very athletic and very strong very quickly.

Why is this?

The Kettlebell instructs your body to work as a unit rather than many body parts individually.

Super strongmen of the past and present are so because they train their bodies to work as a unit.

For example: the kettle bell snatch is the ultimate kettle bell movement and has the biggest bang for your buck if you are looking to increase raw fitness and athletic capability
.
This is due to the fact that the Kettlebell snatch requires you to move the Kettlebell from the floor to overhead in one fluid/explosive movement and forces
a triple extension movement (the same as in olympic lifting).

There are unlimited Kettlebell lifts if you use your creativity.

Anyway, here are the top ones that give the greatest 'bang for your buck'

Don't forget if you're looking for maximum results with Kettlebell, then just completing a training session is not enough.

If you desire explosive athletic quality from your training then you must work extremely hard at it when training.

If you require super strength then you must lift the heaviest Kettlebell close to your limits.

Just like everything else.... how hard you work is very closely linked to what you receive in results.

Here are my Top Kettlebell exercises for awesome

#1 The kettle bell Snatch
#2 The kettle bell swing
#3 The kettle bell clean and jerk
#4 The kettlebell trukish get up
#5 The kettle bell flip
#6 Bottoms up Kettlebell press

Definitions of these movements is out of the scope of this article so Google them to learn more and head over Kettlebell Exercisesto for more information

Check out this list of kettlebell exercises for strength on youtube. It is a great resource for developing kettlebell routines for strength training if your looking for new stuff

If you're stuck for kettlebell routines or exercises you know where to come. I also recently found a great kettlebell resource from Bodybuilding.com

Great links

Fitness Manual