After the beginner session I had last Sunday, I received a lot of questions via the web about my own personal training goals and how I train to reach such goals. Normally, I don’t like discussing my training volume because 1) my training involves a lot of advanced kettlebell work and 2) it tends to freak people out. . .A LOT! Today I am making an exception because A) I came up with a pretty awesome kettlebell routine over the weekend and B) I want to give yinz an idea of the strength you can achieve when you eat smart and train hard. Seriously, this actually may be more beneficial for you all then I once realized. So…HERE WE GO!
Before we get into a portion of my own training, I want to make something VERY CLEAR. The level of fitness I have achieved using kettlebells in addition to other body weight routines is a direct result of determination, dedication, and consistently practicing what I have learned from the experts, most notably my own trainer. I was not one of those people who was always in shape, nor was I one of those people who was the healthiest of sorts either (read my “About Me” page for more on just how sick I was back in the day). It took me years, and I mean a good THREE YEARS (going on four years actually. Dang, it’s like I went to kettlebell and calisthenic college. haha!) to get to where I am today in terms of my physical conditioning. Please bear that in mind when you see my workout below. Also, please bear in mind that I am currently training for my RKC certification in Vienna Virginia come April, 2013. Right now, I am doing a combination of strength training and cardiovascular conditioning. I am also training with significantly heavier weights at the moment because I am purposely trying to increase my own strength to handle even heavier loads in the future (in short, I have a bone to pick with the Beast Kettlebell after losing the battle with it before. I WILL be able to swing that bugger at some point. Mark my words!). So, now that you understand both those points, continue reading at your own risk and please, DO NOT TRY THIS UNLESS YOU ARE HIGHLY TRAINED IN ADVANCED KETTLEBELL TECHNIQUES!
Ok, without further adieu, here is the routine I came up with over the weekend. I am calling this workout a “blaster” because it only took me 15 minutes to complete (I call short workouts “blaster” workouts because they just blast away time, not to mention boredom. HAHA!). You will not have timed intervals in this routine, but there are sets of exercises to complete. Please note that it may take you more or less time to complete these sets based on your level of conditioning. Also, please note that the heavier the weight used, the less time you’ll need to train anyway. I had 15 minutes to kill, so this is what I ended up doing to keep myself busy.
Burgher’s Heavy Kettlebell Blaster
1. 5 sets of 10, 24 kg two arm swings.
2. 5 sets of 5, 24 kg single arm swings (alternate the sets between arms. This means you will do 1 set of 5 swings with the right arm, then 1 set of 5 swings with the left arm. Continue back and forth until you do a total of 5 sets of 5 swings with each arm).
3. 3 sets of 3, 24 kg high pulls each arm (alternate sets between arms. This means you will do 1 set of 3 high pulls with the right arm and then 1 set of 3 high pulls with the left arm. Continue back and forth until you do a total of 3 sets of 3 high pulls with each arm).
4. 5 sets of 10, 24 kg two arm swings.
As you can see, this is very demanding in terms of the cardiovascular output required, not to mention demanding in terms of the strength needed to do single arm work with a 24 kg kettlebell. Needless to say, I LOVE THIS ROUTINE! And guess what guys? Looks like Mondays strength gain took me to an even greater level of fitness. If you eat smart and train hard, you will be able to enjoy life suspended above a kettlebell. What do I mean by this? Check out my video below!
Ok, so this wasn’t the easiest thing to figure out and it definitely took a crazy amount of stamina to hold myself in midair for 30 seconds, but HEY! It was incredibly fun and who knows? You can even get there yourself with practice and persistence. Go on a get strong!
As always, remember to eat smart, train hard and enjoy your life!
Love Always,
Janelle
