Chris Freytag: Hi, I am Chris Freytag, a Certified Personal Trainer and Creator of Prevention's Kettlebell Workout. These cannonball-shaped weights with a handle on top can help firm you up faster than traditional strength training and you'll have more fun doing it. In addition, you get a heart pumping cardio workout in as little as 20 minutes and you'll have lost about 300 calories.
So let's get started. Every good workout begins with a warm-up. It's like the dress rehearsal to get your blood pumping to get your muscles warmed up. Our workout will begin with the Half Squat, feet are a little wider than hip-width apart and you're going to hold the Kettlebell in close to your chest. Sit back into imaginary chair just about halfway down, nice and easy keeping your knees tracking over the tops of your shoelaces and back up and down and up and get a rhythm going. Inhale and exhale chest and hard lifted. Head out, halfway down, halfway up about 40 seconds.
Next let's move onto the Halo. You're going to grab again the horns of the Kettlebell and turn it upside down bringing it in close to your chest. Feet are a little wider than hip-width apart, bend your knees just slightly to lower your center of gravity and keep your abdominal nice and tight. You're going to rotate the mere torso going in the small circles and it's slowly lift that kettlebell up overhead if it feels okay. Hold this arm steady to about 6 circles small one direction and then rotate and go the other direction about 6 circles or 40 seconds total.
Next let's try Around the World. So here is what you going to do. Turn that kettlebell over hold on to the handle of the kettlebell with one hand, bend your knees feet about hip-width apart, absorb nice and tight, stabilize yourself. You're going to bring it around your body, reach forward with the other hand and swing it around, now get a little momentum going. So you're going to bring it around. Good. Give it a little toss. Make sure you're breathing, or warming up. Go one direction about 20 seconds and then go the other direction and we're ready began our workout.
Our first exercise in the workout is called the Swing. Now to take off the old Russian Swing, but we've modified a little bit to be safe and effective for our bodies. Feet are a little wider than hip-width apart, toes straight on. Grab the kettlebell by the handle up top and you're going to sit back into that imaginary chair. Here is the most important thing, you're going to drive through your glutes and drive through your hips power in the pelvis. Don't use your low back and don't use your shoulder to hoist the weight up it's all through momentum. Down here between your legs along spine, abs tight swinging up you're going to use momentum when you get it going just to about eye level and back down.
So here we go down up, get a rhythm going and you're going to need to breath oxygen is friend. Heart rate will go up and imagine where that power is coming from glutes and pelvis, inhale/exhale. Two hands for the first minute and then we're going to alternate for the second minute one hand at a time. As you get better at this exercise you may choose to increase the size of the kettlebell. Notice your weight is coming up based on momentum not just your shoulder. Power through the glutes and the pelvis and if it's too much in the beginning then try without the kettlebell just to get used to the swinging squatting motion.
Our next exercise is called Pivot and Point. Grab hold at the kettlebell and hook your thumbs underneath facing in. Hands are in prayer position and it's just pressed on your thumbs, feet are about hip-width apart slightly soften your knees, take this on your gravity down and keep your abdominal tight. Raise that kettlebell up overhead. Abs are tight, bring those elbows in close to your ears and keep those hands together. Pivot by lifting both your toes turn to the side and point the kettlebell. It will rest on top of your wrists bring it about bring it about parallel to the floor. Pivot back point the other direction. Pivot and point find a rhythm, breath. The key is to keep going for one minute. To make it a little easier you can pull the kettlebell in if your shoulders get tired. Pivot and point.
Our next exercise is Lunge and Loop. So you're going to come into lunge position front leg in front back leg your own your back toe. You want your front knee tracking over the top of your shoelaces. Take the kettlebell and hold onto the handle in the same hand with the front leg. You're going to come down low into a nice deep lunge and loop it underneath your legs. Try not to just or come forward with your back, but lower your body down to catch that kettlebell underneath. Loop it around the top get a little arm action going on here and find a rhythm. Get a little toss, just not on your hardwood floor. Breath lunge and loop. You're going to go 30 seconds in one direction, reverse 30 seconds the other direction. That's one minute and then switch legs one minute on the other leg.
The next exercise is called the Windmill. Grab hold at the kettlebell in one hand, hold onto the handles feet are about 3 feet apart and your to keep one foot facing front pivot the other foot out to the side. Nice long spine, abs tight reach one arm overhead. Go ahead and tip it over keeping your body against the sheet of glass. Try not to let your buns tip off the back. Keep it nice and steady. a really gripping through abdominal, you're going to feel it through your side body. Pull back up, breath each time. Inhale and exhale just grace near your chin come back up. Keeping this hand up here good focus. Breath one minute on this side switch hands, one minute on the other side.
The next exercise is called Squat Catch Press. This is my favorite. Grab hold at the kettlebell at the handle squat back feet are a little wider than hip-width apart sit into that imaginary chair and keep your knees tracking over the tops of your toes or shoelaces and push your buns back. Keep your chest and heart lifted, super important, abs tight, chin up, squat down come up catch. Catch at the bell, press overhead bring it down squat catch press. Get your rhythm going. Breath, oxygen heals the muscles, squat catch press. Again, as you get stronger you might want to reach for a heavier kettlebell with this exercise your choice. Two minutes.
Now, repeat all five of these exercises one more time through to complete your 20 minute workout. And every workout should end with the good cool down it's important to stretch. You want to return that heart rate back to a comfortable spot and you also want to lengthen those muscles to prevent injury and to reduce soreness. So let's go with a shoulder stretch. Relax your shoulders and bring one arm across your chest go ahead and grab hold just below your elbow and pull it in and breath into the stretch.
You up through your shoulder and you want to hold each stretch for about 20 seconds. So 20 seconds on this arm 20 seconds on the other arm and then let's move into the pigeon pose. a great overall stretch really to follow any workout. So you're going to come down to the floor on a fours. Go ahead and take one foot forward on an angle bring your ankle towards the palm of your opposite hand and press into your hips. Take your other foot and flip it over to face the floor and then just slowly inch-inch your pelvis. You're opening up through your hip flexor through your meaty of glutes. It's a great overall stretch for the lower half. Hands down here if you need a little extra balance, lift your chest and heart and breath about 20 seconds on this side and then switch to the other legs 20 seconds of pigeon pose and then let's do a stretch for our hamstrings.
This stretch will get the back of your legs. So you're going to come down to the floor carefully lay down and bend one leg, relax your head onto the ground carefully and pull your abs in tight. Lift one leg up grab hold at the back of your thigh this is your hamstring flex your toe to intensify the stretch straighten out and pull it in. So you're going to feel that stretch all the way up to back of the leg. If you shake a little bit that's okay. Breath, 20 seconds on this leg, 20 seconds on the other leg and you are good to go.
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