4 Kettlebell Moves That Give You a Total-Body Workout
Kettlebells are one of the most versatile weapons in your fat-loss, muscle-building arsenal. Due to the handle placement and centre of mass of the bell, you can do many ballistic exercises that would be cumbersome with a dumbbell. Because the handles are curved with more surface area than a typical dumbbell, you also have more grip options than you would with a dumbbell.
It's safe to say the most popular kettlebell exercise is the swing, and with good reason: It's a foundational movement from which many other kettlebell movements are built upon. But there's more to kettlebell training that swinging.
Ben Wegman, trainer at The Fhitting Room in New York City, shows you four kettlebell moves that require zero swings.
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The kettlebell clean is a total-body exercise that targets the quads, shoulders, and core. Because you rely on the power of your legs to boost the weight up, it trains for lower-body explosiveness. When executed in continuous reps, it's also a great cardiovascular exercise.
The goblet squat is a whole-body strengthener. Placing the weight in front of your chest provides counter balance, allowing you to sit back deeper into the squat while keeping a safe, upright torso position. Getting deeper allows you to open up your hips more. Your shoulders and abs will also be put to work in order to keep that weight in its position, making less weight feel harder compared to a traditional back squat.
The kettlebell thruster adds a vertical press to the squat, creating an unrelenting cardiovascular stimulus while working nearly every muscle in your body.
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The kettlebell reverse lunge incorporates shoulders and abs more than a typical lunge, with weights held at your sides. Because you're holding the weight in front of your chest, your torso and shoulder girdle must work to maintain correct posture, and as a result, you will feel the burn throughout your body that is in a whole other league compared to conventional lunging.
You can combine these moves in a circuit format, or set a timer for five minutes and perform controlled continuous reps of one exercise, pausing when needed.
This article originally appeared on Men's Health
