If you don't have time to hit up the gym regularly or perhaps you simply don't enjoy exercising in a gym environment, this simple kettlebell workout has your name written all over it. All you need is one of the best kettlebells to hand, space to freely lift the weight without any obstacles, and these five exercises.
The workout comes from Brett Lundeen and is designed to be low-impact. So, while the exercises will be challenging muscles across your entire body, the workout aims to be gentle on your joints making this suitable for all levels.
The moves in this routine are varied to ensure you target muscles in your upper and lower body. With that being said, one thing to consider before beginning this workout is what size weight to work with.
You will feel more challenged by some exercises and less so by others while lifting the kettlebell so opt for a size that you feel confident maintaining control of for each exercise. If you're looking to expand your kettlebell collection but are limited by space, it might be an idea to consider investing in an adjustable kettlebell.
As mentioned before, some exercises will be more demanding than others and therefore the outlined rep ranges for each move differs. To make sure you are sticking to Lundeen's formula we have noted the structure of the workout below.
- Split Squat: 12 per side
- Clean squat to press: 6 per side
- Farmer carry marches: 20 per side
- Cossack Rows: 12 per side
The aim is to complete four to five rounds of the entire circuit, taking 30 seconds rest between each move and 60-90 seconds between rounds. Lundeen says he did five rounds and it took him around 40 minutes in total. Demonstrations of each move can be found over on his Instagram page.
Just a quick note for anyone who wears one of the best fitness trackers and might be worried about the kettlebell hitting your watch screen as you perform moves like kettlebell snatches, you can simply adjust the strap so that the watch face sits on the inside of your wrist.
Now let's chat about what's to gain from this kettlebell workout. Firstly, full-body workouts are great if you don't have time in your week to break all of your muscle groups up into separate sessions and thanks to Lundeen's kettlebell routine you target multiple muscle groups in one workout.
The Split Squats and Clean Squat to Presses engage the legs, glutes, and shoulders, helping you stimulate muscle growth and improve strength in these areas. Meanwhile, the Farmer Carry Marches and Cossack Rows activate the core, which can enhance stability and balance while also helping to tone the muscles in your arms and back.
All five moves from the workout are unilateral exercises, meaning they are single-limb movements. The main advantage of unilateral strength-building moves is that they allow you to work both sides of your body equally. This is a good way to correct muscle imbalances across the body, improve balance, engage your core and is beneficial during injury rehabilitation.
This routine will benefit anyone looking to develop strength and increase muscle definition but unilateral exercises are a definite must for any runners reading this as running is a unilateral movement. You'll notice that you don't ever have two feet on the ground at the same time while you pound the pavement in your best running shoes. Therefore focusing on single-leg exercises will help increase power and reduce imbalances in important muscles like the glutes and quads.
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