However, as practice shows, it is quite difficult for the average person to combine going to the gym, work and family. The question arises: “What to do?”

The answer is very simple and is that you need to study at home. There is a proven method that will not take much time, and to implement it you also need minimum costs. It's about about exercises with kettlebells. It may seem to many that this type of training is quite archaic, however, before drawing any conclusions, it is necessary to consider this type of physical activity from different angles.

Pros and cons of kettlebell lifting

Every sport has its negative and positive sides. So, first of all, let’s list the negative aspects of training with this apparatus:

  • the weight of the projectile cannot be adjusted or changed;
  • you need to be minimally prepared to practice with this equipment;
  • not suitable for people with weak tendons and heart problems;
  • high probability of injury.

So now let's move on to positive aspects of this sport:

  • minimal costs for sports equipment;
  • You can exercise with weights anywhere;
  • develops strong muscles.

Having voiced the weak and strengths this sport, we can move on to the next question that arises for most people who decide to start kettlebell lifting.

What weight should I start training at?


Here it is necessary to understand that, unfortunately, there is no specific formula. Each person is individual and their exercise tolerance, physical capabilities, strength parameters, and health status are individual.

Therefore, first of all, you need to undergo examination in the hospital, sadly, but you need to start your exercises with light weight. And only then move on to the next “level”, when the heart and other organs adapt to new conditions.

In other words, if a person decides to train with weights, he needs to be patient and not chase weight. You can move on to heavier weights if you manage to perform all the exercises that will be described below.

How to choose the right kettlebell?

Choose the right one this type sports equipment is very simple. You need to take it in one hand and try to lift the weight above your head as many times as possible. If the indicators fluctuate within 10–15 times, then you can move on to the next weight without hesitation.

However, if the indicators do not exceed more than 10 repetitions, then you should work more diligently on your physical fitness. Of course, this is a universal projectile. With this “tool” you can train not only your arms, but also your legs.

Therefore, in order to understand which one is right for you, you need to do the same trial approach on your legs; the weight calculation is determined in the same way as described above.

Exercises: general characteristics

There are many different exercises that a person can do with this athletic equipment. Kettlebells are used not only in weightlifting, but also in boxing and other contact martial arts. However, even in such a modern and popular form of physical activity as kettlebells, they have found their application.

It is true that kettlebells are a unique athletic equipment that allows you to develop various parts of the body. Both beginners and professionals will be able to significantly improve their physical performance thanks to classes that can take place at home, which is important. That is, the person remains free and not tied to the gym.

A set of exercises for beginners

Kettlebells allow you to develop not only strength in the person who practices them, but also dexterity. Therefore, it is necessary for the athlete to alternate exercises that would develop his body on both sides. A beginner must strive to, first of all, develop the correct technique for working with this apparatus, try to develop dexterity and endurance, and only after that strive to increase the weight of the weight.

Exercises that develop strength are very simple:


So, by doing these exercises regularly and without being distracted by various “parties,” you can start doing exercises intended exclusively for professionals in just a couple of months.

Exercises for experienced athletes

Now let's move on to considering the basic principles of conducting classes for more experienced weightlifters. An experienced athlete knows that kettlebells are an amazing piece of equipment that allows you to work all the muscles of the body. Therefore, an experienced athlete can decide for himself what to work on in a particular training session.

Kettlebells are unique in that they allow you to experiment with each new workout. So, the number of exercises is endless. The most difficult thing in this sport is circuit training, which includes working on all muscle groups.

What to do if your arm muscles are weak?

If you want to exercise with a kettlebell, but your physical fitness does not allow you to move directly to this apparatus, then you need to strengthen your muscles. Pull-ups, push-ups and push-ups are suitable for this.

Push-ups are great for strengthening your arms.

Of course, if everything is really bad, both the horizontal bar and the parallel bars do not work, then you need to focus specifically on push-ups from the floor, which must be done with different grips, that is, placing your hands either wide or narrow.

As practice shows, after 2-3 weeks you will be able to start doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar. After the number of pull-ups exceeds 5 times, you can move directly to the apparatus.

Exercises for back muscles

It is necessary to understand that the body looks beautiful only if it is developed correctly and harmoniously. Many people, when practicing this sport, make one characteristic mistake, which is that they practically do not exercise the back muscles, which, in turn, leads to disharmony and a violation of aesthetics.

So, in order to develop your back muscles as best as possible, you can do the following exercises:


Exercises with weights 16, 24, 32 kg

So, let’s now move on to the most interesting thing: you can do absolutely any exercises with weights; in this way you can pump absolutely all muscle groups. Starting from the legs and ending, the neck can also be pumped up thanks to this projectile.

With them you can:

  • squat,
  • do lunges
  • pump up biceps,
  • triceps,
  • pectoral muscles,
  • absolutely all muscle groups.

The main thing is that the athlete feels his body and understands that all movements must be done smoothly without sudden movements or jerks. Therefore, everything depends solely on your imagination and perseverance.

Kettlebell snatch is a kettlebell lifting exercise that is performed with a certain kettlebell weight for a set period of time. Even girls can master the “strongman” movement if they choose the right load and understand the intricacies of the kettlebell snatch.

What muscles work during the kettlebell snatch?

This exercise tones all muscles, since it engages muscle fibers, both under static and dynamic loads. Basically, when jerking, the muscles of the thigh, buttocks, back and abdomen work. When the weight is lifted, the deltas are activated. Large muscle groups that perform the main task during the swing are subjected to greater load.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Snatch

  • Increases the strength of muscles and ligaments.
  • Develops speed endurance, as well as general endurance of the body.
  • Improves the cardiorespiratory system by accelerating the heart rate and absorbing large amounts of oxygen.
  • Improves grip, joint mobility, elasticity of muscles and ligaments.
  • The exercise not only develops muscle volume, but also, due to the high intensity of execution, can burn subcutaneous fat.

Important! Proper breathing plays a huge role in the snatch. Under no circumstances should you hold your breath, otherwise the body will not have enough oxygen to perform the exercise efficiently and safely.

At the fixation point, you can perform several breathing cycles (inhale-exhale) if you need to restore strength.

Weight and exercise time

  1. Snatch 16 kg kettlebell in kettlebell lifting, it is performed for the maximum number of repetitions in four minutes.
  2. Snatch 24 kg kettlebell performed for 10 minutes for the maximum number of repetitions.

Where to start for a beginner

Before starting training you need qualitatively warm up muscles and joints. Be sure to do this before and after exercise. Stretching will allow the muscles to remain flexible and elastic, which will further prevent injuries such as sprains and tears.

Need to develop grip strength, so that the hands are not injured during jerking movements or even slow down progress in the exercise due to the weakness of the ligamentous apparatus. along with the main muscle groups. Perform to develop strength not only of muscles, but also of ligaments.

To begin, practice snatches with light weights. Don't do the exercise for a while. Poor technique at high speed will not develop accuracy of movements, and in the future increasing the weight of the kettlebell will be impossible and very dangerous.

Work on your technique in the presence of . Only after honing the correct movements, start working on speed, that is, on a large number of repetitions in a short period of time.

One-handed kettlebell snatch technique

  1. Place your feet hip-width apart and turn your toes apart. Bend over and grab the handle of the weight with your hand.
  2. Keep your back straight. Bend your body by bending your knees.
  3. Swing your arm under your pelvis so that the weight passes between your thighs and under your buttocks.
  4. When swinging the weight forward, push with your pelvis and thigh so that your hands do not apply force to the swing, and the weight flies up from below by inertia on straight arms.
  5. At abdominal level (in the middle of the movement), perform a lift using the strength of the shoulder, moving the body slightly back. Undermining brings the weight back into a state of “weightlessness” to the top point - the weight is above the shoulder.
  6. At the top, straighten your elbow, but bend your knees into a squat position. The weight, describing a circle, rests on the forearm.
  7. When fixing, straighten your legs, keep your elbow and knees straight. The hand holds the arch with an underhand grip. The inner side of the palm is turned outward.
  8. Keep your arm above your shoulder joint, forming a straight line with your body.
  9. During the reverse movement, drop the weight with a straight arm, relaxing the shoulder muscles. The weight flies along the same trajectory, without a jerk; at the lowest point, bend over and pass the weight between your thighs. And again jerk up, using the pelvis and hips.
  10. Do the required number of repetitions, then in the air while swinging, change the grip of the arm to the other hand, and perform the same number of jerks.
  11. At the end of the exercise, place the kettlebell on the floor.


Conclusion

Of course, this exercise is a complex element in kettlebell lifting, but if you understand how to correctly perform the snatch technique, even a child can do it. An important feature of the jerk is that the movement is mainly performed by inertia. If you make the correct swing and practice the small details of the technique during detonation, you can develop high execution speed and strength, increasing the weight of the projectile to 32 kg. This technique is becoming increasingly popular thanks to such a direction as, which has adopted many exercises from kettlebell lifting. Therefore, in order to increase the effectiveness of training, you need to perform not only strength isolating exercises, but also functional ones.

Kettlebell snatch in video format

    When considering the basic exercises that provide the greatest benefits for CrossFit, do not forget about such equipment as kettlebells. Unlike other equipment, kettlebell complexes affect not only muscle groups, but also ligaments, tendons and bones. The best option for beginners there will be a kettlebell push. How to do it correctly? What is he developing? And does a professional athlete need it?

    General information

    The kettlebell push is a general name for a group of basic impulse-type exercises. It is rarely used in modern fitness due to the lack of suitable equipment in most gyms. Unlike others, the push is used not as a basis, but as an auxiliary exercise that helps strengthen the ligamentous apparatus. Another important feature is the powerful pumping of the heart. Since all the complexes are multi-repetitive, it perfectly works the heart muscle without increasing the peak heart rate to a critical point.

    Despite its high efficiency, the push has its drawbacks:

  1. Inability to scale. This is due to the fact that weights, unlike dumbbells, are always of a fixed size - 8, 16, 24, 32 kg.
  2. High risk of injury. Associated with the pulsed nature of the load.
  3. Complex exercise technique. Requires control not only of your hands, but also of your back.
    4. Therefore, at first, the size of the projectile is limited not by strength, but by the strength of the bones.

Benefits of Kettlebell Push

What does the kettlebell push develop? Contrary to the general misconception, this is not an isolating exercise (which is the standing dumbbell press or military press), but a basic one. Hence:

  1. It strengthens the ligamentous apparatus. This occurs due to the displaced center of gravity of the projectile.
  2. Affects the synthesis of testosterone in the body. Due to the fact that the load is divided not only into small muscle groups (triceps + deltoids), but also the muscles of the legs and back are used - the largest muscle groups in the body.
  3. Requires preheating. Like any basic exercise, it requires careful preparation, because, despite its apparent ease, lack of warming up will most likely lead to injury.
  4. Helps develop explosive strength. Due to the impulsive nature of proper technique, it works the strength of the legs and lateral triceps much more than the deltoids.
  5. Develops strength endurance. Due to the constant static load on the shoulder muscles and the multi-repetition style of pushing.
  6. Helps strengthen coordination endurance. Correct technique makes lifting easier by about 30-40%, so maintaining it is necessary to achieve high results, therefore, with constant training, the body begins to get used to the trajectory of the projectile.

Variations of the exercise

The kettlebell push is a general name for a different set of exercises:

  1. Kettlebell push with one hand in a short cycle. Perfect for beginners, because... has the simplest technique.
  2. Push weights with both hands. A sports basic variation, characterized by strict technique.
  3. Kettlebell overhead press. A non-impulse version of the classic exercise, it develops the deltoids better, and there is no strain on the legs and back.
  4. . A combination between the classic clean and jerk and kettlebell press.
  5. . Involves raising and lowering the kettlebell to the floor on each rep.

Each of these exercises has its own subtleties, is designed for athletes of different levels of training, and, most importantly, focuses on different muscle groups.

Exercise technique

How to do a classic kettlebell jerk, and how does it differ from a competitive one? Not only by changing the technique, but also by the muscles involved. So, during training, the emphasis is shifted to the deltoids and triceps, but the correct competitive version primarily uses the legs. The technique of lifting a kettlebell in the jerk style is quite simple, but requires extreme attention to detail. First you need to decide on the weight of the projectile. This can be determined in two main ways:

  1. The athlete's net muscle weight. Typically, the first weights with a total weight should be no less than a third of the athlete’s weight and no more than half. Those. For a person weighing 70 kilograms, both 16 and 24 kg weights are suitable. And for an athlete weighing over 90, you can safely start working with 32-kilogram weights.
  2. Indicators in the push-up and military press. The weight of the kettlebell should be 25-30% less than the working indicator. That is, if you work in the military press with weights of about 50 kg, then the weights should be no more than 16 (i.e., the total weight of the shells should not exceed 35 kg).

How to properly push a kettlebell so as not to injure your back and arms:

  • Pick up the projectile by throwing it onto your shoulders.

Important: the projectile should lie on the shoulders, not on the chest, and not rest on the side of the elbows.

  • Prepare for the pushing movement. To do this, you need to slightly bend your legs.
  • Sharply throw the weight up, creating maximum impulse movement through the muscles of the back and legs.
  • At the top point, fix the weight on your fully extended arm.
  • Lower the weight, lightly cushioning the knee joint.

With breathing in the exercise, everything is simple: we exhale during the push, inhale between the pushes.

Precautionary measures

The short cycle push is considered a safe exercise, however, if the technique of performing the kettlebell push is violated, you can easily get a lower back injury. There are several points to pay attention to.

Do not pick up heavier weights until you have been able to short-cycle the current apparatus at least 80 times. Why exactly 80? All due to the inability to scale loads in small steps. The difference in the weights of the equipment is half a pound (8 kg), and if you have not sufficiently prepared your body for the increase in load, you can temporarily replace the weights with dumbbells of intermediate weights (18-20 kg if you worked with pound weights).

The second danger is not correct technique squat. Very often, athletes round their back, which creates additional stress on the spine and can lead to microdislocation of the lumbar region. For the same reason, lifting the weights to the starting position is carried out with an arched back.

Program

In order to understand how to increase the number of kettlebell pushes, you need to remember that results in any exercise are achieved by combining work with an exercise according to the program and auxiliary exercises.

A classic combination is suitable as a program for developing strength endurance:

  1. Push the kettlebell into full cycle with both hands.
  2. Alternate kettlebell jerk with one hand.
  3. An attempt to lift a weight in failure mode (the weight of the weight must be greater than 1 RM).

If this does not help, you should use additional auxiliary exercises:

Most of the load is taken by the deltoids, which receive static load throughout the entire exercise. In second place are not the triceps at all, but the quadriceps, which help push the weight out, creating an impulse push. Separately, there are the abdominal muscles, which stabilize the body throughout the entire exercise.

To summarize

The two-handed kettlebell push is a basic exercise that came to CrossFit from kettlebell lifting. It perfectly develops the whole body without putting a separate load on the back muscles. At correct use and scaling the load, you can strengthen the ligamentous apparatus, increase the strength of joints, and increase the strength of lagging muscle groups, especially deltas. You should not chase the weights in this exercise, because... it is intended primarily to strengthen your ligaments and explosiveness, and violation of the technique due to its impulsive nature can lead to serious injury.

Athletes different types Sports include exercises with kettlebells in their training. Let's look at what such training gives, how to choose the right equipment for yourself, where to start training, and also offer a simple complex for beginners.

What muscles work during kettlebell training?

Exercises using kettlebells are a completely acceptable option to pump up your muscles at home, since they save time and money - you don’t need to go to the gym or fitness centers. Complexes developed by specialists allow you to train and work all muscle groups.

Did you know? When performing exercises with a kettlebell, you burn 20.2 calories within one minute. An athlete burns the same number of calories while running 1 km in 6 minutes.

  • legs;
  • back;
  • arms (biceps, triceps);
  • shoulder girdle;
  • press;
  • breast.

Pros and cons of training with kettlebells

There are positive and negative points.

The benefits of such training are as follows:

  • develop endurance and physical strength;
  • improves agility, flexibility, coordination;
  • body weight is adjusted;
  • in the process of performing exercises, almost all the muscles of the body are involved, which contributes to the formation of a good athletic figure;
  • This type of sport requires little space, so it can be practiced anywhere, including at home.

Did you know? Exercises with a kettlebell are suitable for rehabilitation programs for athletes who want to quickly restore muscle strength after injury.

There are also disadvantages:
  • not recommended for children (this may negatively affect the formation of the skeleton);
  • there is a risk of injury;
  • during such exercises, the load on the spine increases significantly;
  • due to stress, pain in the joints and hands may appear;
  • for exercises with weights you need to have strong arms (this type of physical activity is not suitable for people who have weak hands or joint problems);
  • it is impossible to reduce or increase the load when using the apparatus (that is, adjust it to the required weight, like a barbell, and set the desired load, like on a simulator).

How to choose the right kettlebell weight

After deciding to engage in kettlebell training, it is important to choose the right weight for the equipment. Thus, women are recommended to start exercising with sports equipment weighing 8 kg. When performed correctly, this weight is enough to work almost all muscles.

Lighter weight will not give the expected result. For men, a kettlebell weight of 16 kg is recommended at the beginning of training. Not worth it initial stage choose a large projectile mass.

Until you have mastered the correct technique for performing all movements, there is a high probability that you will not be able to hold this sports equipment, which can lead to injury. In addition, you should not put a strong load on your spine until you strengthen your back muscles.

Where is the best place to start?

You should start kettlebell training with a light load, gradually increasing the weight of the equipment, the number of approaches, and adding new exercises. It is best to exercise in the morning or evening.

Important! Before such strength training, you should definitely do a warm-up: jump rope, jog, or exercise with light dumbbells. It is also recommended to include stretching of the major large muscles in your warm-up.

  • First of all, familiarize yourself with the exercise, work out the technique well, and only then increase the load;
  • when lifting weights with one hand, it is best to start the exercise with the weakest limb;
  • Don’t overexert your body and chase results (the main result should be your health);
  • give yourself rest;
  • eat well while building muscle with weights;
  • stability of training (it is best to train every other day).

A set of exercises for beginners

To begin with, you can use only one kettlebell of a suitable weight. One item will not cause overload and will perfectly train not only strength, but also coordination.

The complex for beginners consists of five exercises. It not only serves strength development, but also the formation of a beautiful figure. Many exercises from it are basic for kettlebell lifting.

The first step is to get into the basic stance correctly:

  1. Place your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, and point your toes slightly outward.
  2. Straighten your back.
  3. The projectile is in a straightened arm (approximately in the groin area).
Now you can move on to doing the exercises themselves.

Video: a set of exercises with weights for beginners

Classic snatch

It works like this:

  1. Stand firmly in a basic stance, holding a kettlebell in your hand.
  2. Slightly tilt your back forward and swing the projectile between your spread legs.
  3. Straightening up, jerk, extending your arm straight, push it up. Stay in this position for a second (legs, loaded arm, body straight).
  4. Lower the projectile. Swing it between your legs, lift it again, extending your arm up (repeat as many times as necessary).

They are made like this:

  1. Stand up straight, place your feet shoulder-width apart (back straight).
  2. Throw the weight over your shoulder and do squats without lowering it ( free hand when squatting, you should pull forward).
  3. Do squats as you exhale, and when standing up, inhale.
  4. After doing a set of squats and taking the apparatus in the other hand, repeat the same thing.

Kettlebell push

To perform this classic exercise:

  1. Get into a classic pose.
  2. Swing the weight between your legs, bending slightly, then, bending your knees, place the weight on your chest. This is the starting position.
  3. Inhale, bend your knees slightly.
  4. Exhaling, push the weight up with a jerk, sharply straightening your knees, giving an impulse for the push. Hand effort should be minimal.
  5. Hold the weight at the top point for 1/2 second. The body and legs should be straightened, and the hand with the weight should be next to the head.
  6. Lower the apparatus onto your chest, bending your arm and springing your legs (this will help soften the load).
  7. Repeat the pushes as many times as necessary.
  8. Change hand, repeat the same thing.

The order of execution is as follows:

  1. Take a basic stance, lean forward slightly, bend your knees slightly.
  2. As you inhale, swing the projectile back between your legs.
  3. As you exhale, lift the projectile in an arc onto your shoulder, bending your arm at the elbow and straightening your body (it should be approximately in the chin area, closer to the midline of the body).
  4. Fix your position for a second.
  5. Relax your hand, allowing the weight to fall freely down.
  6. When the hand with the projectile reaches the lower position (not below the knees), tense your hand, bend forward a little, slightly bending your knees.
  7. Make a swing with a cast, repeat the exercise as much as necessary.
  8. Change hands and make the required number of throws on the shoulder.

The process for performing this swing exercise is as follows:

  1. Stand in a basic stance: feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, pelvis pulled back, back straight.
  2. Swing the projectile between your legs, swinging back. When rocking, they bend forward quite strongly with a slight squat (this is an inhalation).
  3. As you exhale, throw it forward with your arm outstretched (you can do it with both hands). Upon reaching the top point at shoulder level, straighten the body.
  4. Lower the projectile in the same arc and swing it between your legs again, repeating the throws the required number of times.
  5. Perform a swing on the other hand.

 Such exercises perfectly train strength and agility, help burn extra calories for both men and women. The main thing is to perform the exercises correctly with a suitable weight of equipment. They can be done at home, bypassing the gym.

Important! Between kettlebell exercises, you should rest your body for a few minutes.

The complex itself does not take much time, but a warm-up is necessary before performing it. Kettlebell training is good for people with a strong constitution, but people with weak hands or sore joints should avoid them (they are also contraindicated for children).

We've looked at the benefits of incorporating kettlebells into your workouts with all the pros and cons, and now it's time to start your first kettlebell exercises at home or in gym. To do this, we need to solve several issues. And the next question that a novice weightlifter faces is how to choose the weight of the kettlebell for training.

What kettlebell weight to choose for exercises

Let me start with the fact that the choice of weights for training at home or in the gym does not have big difference. There may be one difference. Or maybe two. The choice of equipment depends on your training experience in general and the gender of the practitioner (male or female). I hope that if you are now faced with choosing a weight for a kettlebell, most likely you have already tried your hand at strength training with dumbbells and barbells. And you expect something more from exercises with kettlebells.

But let's continue.

If you have never lifted weights in a fitness class, then you may think that the weights that I offer you are very heavy. And if you have already worked out with various weights before, then you may think that the proposed weight is too light. In this case, I advise you to discard your past impressions of strength training and perceive exercises with a kettlebell as something new and unusual. Although it actually is. For this reason, your first opinion about the weight of the proposed kettlebell may be incorrect.

Of course, it is best to conduct the first few training sessions with a person who has long mastered this instrument, but this is not always possible. Otherwise, you need to be what any fitness trainer requires of you: be open, listen and eager to learn.

As I said earlier, working with a kettlebell is very different from other activities of this kind. First of all, during the movements you will use several muscle groups along with ballistic movements of the whole body. It's more likely that you've never trained this way before.

When performed correctly, kettlebell exercises will significantly improve your ability to control your body. Will also reduce your training time and give you functional results (and physique!).

Types of existing weights

There are two main types of kettlebells: constant weight and adjustable. The constant weight projectile is typical and most common. His weight is fixed. The adjustable weight is hollow and can be filled with sand or steel balls to regulate the weight.

If you plan to exercise with kettlebells on an ongoing basis, then it is of course easier to buy a more common fixed-weight kettlebell.

The weight of a projectile is most often measured in kilograms in countries with a kilogram system of measures. In the US or UK and some other countries, the weight of a kettlebell may be measured in pounds. The weight of standard weights starts at 4 kg and then the next weight increases by 4 kg. The most widely used weights are between 4 and 24 kilograms. Majority ordinary people ready to start training with 8 and 16 kilogram weights.

Additionally, you need to know that the sizes of handles on weights vary depending on the manufacturer. If you are new to such activities or have small hands, then choose a tool with an appropriate handle.

As an additional accessory, you can purchase weight chalk, which can be useful for increasing the grip friction on the handle. Expect it to take some time to increase your grip strength.

Also, some kettlebells have a vinyl bottom to protect the floor while exercising.

Features of selecting kettlebell weights for women

With very few exceptions, women are recommended to start training with an eight-kilogram (8kg) weight. Key moment is that a projectile of this weight is neither heavy nor light. A new student can take a kettlebell of this weight and try to lift it vertically with one hand at once (and without lifting technique, of course!) and say: “It’s too heavy.”

But the methods of lifting the apparatus in training are different. Unlike, for example, dumbbell push-ups, where only one muscle group is worked, in the case of a kettlebell, several muscle groups are used simultaneously. Therefore, the initial judgment about the weight of the weight is too superficial.

You won't just lift the projectile with one hand or one foot. You will use your upper body, bottom part bodies. As well as the abdominal muscles in most lifting techniques. For this reason, an 8 kg kettlebell is not heavy.

In most exercises, you will move with a 4 kg projectile like a feather. And if you choose it, you will never be able to improve your form and technique and will not move on to heavier weights. So, don't look for easy ways!

Features of selecting kettlebell weights for men

Again, with minor exceptions, I recommend that men choose a 16 kg kettlebell to start with. Unlike many women, men say when it comes to this weight: “She’s too light!

I push a lot more weights every day.” The problem here is not that you can't lift more weight than the kettlebell, but if you can't lift more weight than the kettlebell.

In addition, as I already mentioned, working with a kettlebell is not just lifting a weight, but a whole series of techniques for working with a projectile with a displaced center of gravity.

Most likely, exercises with a kettlebell will affect muscle groups that you didn’t even know existed before. The abdominal area (including the back muscles, abdominal muscles, thigh muscles) will be under tension from the first workout. Kettlebell training typically looks like high-intensity interval training. As a result, intense periods alternate with periods of rest.

To maintain proper physical condition, you need a weight proportional to your skill level, which may be low initially.

If you still think 16kg is too light for you, think again. Men who have never used weights in their exercises try to make the goal of immediately increasing muscle mass instead of forming the correct muscle corset.

The weight of the kettlebell is 16 kg, which is sufficient for working on the technique. I note that the sets of exercises do not depend on the weight of the projectile: it can be 16 kg or 24 kg. The most important thing is the basic movements. And now it’s time to learn how to properly lift this wonderful projectile.

Basic exercises with a kettlebell for beginners, working on all muscle groups

Let's look at basic movements with kettlebells, which will immediately work the muscles of the whole body.

1. Swing

Stand up straight. Feet shoulder width apart. Arms extended. The shell is on the floor in front of you

Squat down and grab the kettlebell with both hands

Make sure you are well balanced. Then lift the weight and stand up straight. Note that we do not straighten completely - we leave our knees slightly bent

Without losing your balance, begin to swing the apparatus back and forth between your knees with your arms outstretched. At the beginning, with small oscillatory movements. Then increasing the amplitude straight from the chest

Make sure you use momentum to swing the weight from your hips in front of you

2. Pull the weights high to the chest

Stand as straight as you can. Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart

Bend over and grab the handle of the kettlebell with both hands

Squat down. Keep your chest high. Knees bent

Along with straightening your knees and lifting, lift the apparatus

As soon as you straighten up, use your hands to pull the projectile towards your chin. The handle should touch the bottom of the chin

Take a break. After this, lower the projectile to the ground to repeat.

3. Kettlebell row in plank position

Start the exercise in the plank position. Legs are slightly wider than hip level. Your arms should be fully extended. Hands hold the handles of two weights standing on the floor

Shift your body weight to your left hand. After that, pull right hand weight to chest

After a short pause, return to the starting position. Do the same movement with the other hand

4. Overhead Kettlebell Squat

Stand up straight. Feet shoulder width apart. The shell is on the floor between the legs

Bend over and grab it with your right hand. Raise it high above your head until your arm is straight

Holding it high above your head, do a squat, turning slightly towards your left leg.

Touch your left hand to the floor between your legs. Always look at the weight above your head

Stand up straight after doing five or ten squats. Change hands

5. Throwing a weight onto an outstretched arm