Weight-lifting. The history of the kettlebell is interesting and beautiful, just like the history of the emergence of any healthy sport for people strong in spirit and body. Why kettlebells are a subjective opinion

Hello dear reader! Let's talk about simple exercises with one kettlebell? In this article, I'll cover five kettlebell exercises: the snatch, the squat, the clean and jerk, the throw, and the swing.

Of course, there are plenty different exercises with weights. But if you are just taking a closer look at this magnificent equipment, I advise you to start with the exercises I have listed, performed with one kettlebell. They develop the body in a very versatile way and teach how to handle the apparatus correctly.

Using just one weight is a very useful advantage, and not at all a budget disadvantage :), as some of my friends think!

Firstly, this powerful workout in an asymmetrical mode, which seriously develops not only the muscles involved in the movement. This is a powerful workout that provides balance and balance to the entire body.

Secondly, there is no overload of the whole body, which is especially important for beginners. Two weights, even 16 kg, is quite serious for an untrained man. As well as two weights of 6-8 kg for an untrained woman. But one such weight is what you need.

Thirdly, asymmetric exercises, also performed according to the rules kettlebell training, seriously speed up metabolism. For people with extra pounds This is another reason to take a closer look at the weights.

Fourthly, a weight is a projectile with a displaced center of gravity. Performing exercises with a kettlebell develops a wide variety of coordination skills. This is especially valuable in team sports and martial arts.

And let’s not forget that a kettlebell is still iron. The kettlebell perfectly develops muscles, makes you stronger, more resilient, and more defined. And with the right approach, it grows well muscle mass. It was while working with kettlebells that I realized what I was missing in bodybuilding and powerlifting to significantly strengthen my arms and shoulder girdle.

So, let's get acquainted with the exercises. And at the end I will tell you how often and in what quantity to perform them in order to get results.

An important note. Of course, in my performance, kettlebell exercises look somewhat different from those of the great masters. The technique is influenced by the weight of the projectile and, of course, training experience. Thousands of lifts of a 32-kilogram weight form a specific, very economical technique and a special body type. The main purpose of such equipment is to save effort and reduce energy costs for lifting.

The purpose of this publication is to teach you how to use kettlebells in a wider range - body development, formation of an aesthetic figure and acceleration of metabolism. Therefore, I do not urge you to immediately use Olympic weights and do not try to force you into a purely sporting achievements. This is fitness with weights, not kettlebell lifting! We have other goals: health, general training of the whole body, aesthetics and muscle definition. Therefore, the recommended exercise technique may differ from purely classical advice designed for records in lifting weights for a while.

Basic stance for kettlebell exercises

In many kettlebell exercises, the starting position is the so-called basic stance. This is a position from which it is convenient to start many exercises in training.

Overall, the stand comes down to a few simple guidelines.

1. Legs slightly wider than shoulders. The toes are slightly turned to the sides. As your training experience grows, you will feel exactly how you need to change the basic stance to suit you.

2. Back straight.

3. The kettlebell is held in the lowered hand in the groin area.

4. The free hand is ready to actively work, maintaining balance when lifting the weight.

Our task is to train muscles, not to save energy.

And don’t forget that, like before any workout, before exercising with a kettlebell, you need to...

The first exercise is the snatch.

Classic kettlebell snatch

This exercise is from the arsenal of the classic kettlebell lifting.

Take the weight in your hand and stand up straight. Legs wider than shoulders. Socks are slightly apart. We stand steady.

Having swung the weight back between your legs (men, be careful!) with a slight tilt forward, you need to pull it up outstretched arm and hold for a second. At the moment of fixation, the arm with the weight, body and legs should be straightened.

An important point is that there is no need to press the weight. That is, it must “fly out” high enough to simply fix it in the upper position.

In order to technically correctly perform a jerk, you need to take a close look at the mechanics of the movement. For details on the kettlebell snatch technique, see a separate post.

Squats with a kettlebell at the shoulder

This exercise is mainly aimed at training the leg muscles. But given the shift in the center of gravity and the not entirely comfortable position of the kettlebell, we can say that such squats develop the whole body.

You need to throw the weight to your shoulder, place your feet shoulder-width apart, and perform the required number of squats.

In this case, the free hand should help balance. Pull it forward when you squat.

Take a deep breath as you bend your legs. When extending your legs, exhale.

Perform each set of these kettlebell squats by changing the position of the kettlebell. If you held the kettlebell with your left hand in the first approach, then in the second, hold it with your right hand.

Kettlebell push

Classic kettlebell exercise. The kettlebell push develops the entire body, especially the muscles of the shoulders, arms, and back. Excellent for training coordination of movements.

Throw the weight to your shoulder. To do this, tilt your torso slightly, slightly bend your knees and swing the weight between your legs. Next, carefully throw the weight towards your shoulder. The free hand is held to the side for balance.

Pay attention to the correct holding of the weight at the shoulder. The elbow is pressed to the upper abdomen. The shoulder part of the arm is close to the body.

Before pushing, inhale and bend your knees. Then sharply straighten them and push the weight straight up. The weight does not rise through the side, but simply upward, along the shortest trajectory. At the same time, hand effort is minimal. The hand only fixes the weight. And the projectile flies up thanks to the impulse from the legs.

Hold the weight at the top for half a second. Hand close to head. The body and legs are straight. Then smoothly return the kettlebell to your chest, springing your legs slightly at the bottom of the movement. This will allow you to accept the weight smoothly, without impact.

Repeat the push again. Etc.

The exercise is first performed in full with one hand. And then immediately another. This is considered one approach.

Breathing - Take a breath before pushing. When performing a push and fixation, exhale. You can lower it by alternating a short inhalation and exhalation.

Throwing a weight to the shoulder

The exercise is an element of classic kettlebell lifting. Belongs to the group (develops shoulder instep supports, important for the health of the shoulder joints).

Starting position - basic stance. Legs wider than shoulders. Socks are slightly apart. The kettlebell is held in the lowered hand at the groin. The free arm is lowered along the body and makes short movements to help maintain balance.

Perform a slight torso tilt, slightly bend your knees. Move your free hand back. Swing the weight forward a little and then back between your legs. Vigorously, in a circular path, throw it to your shoulder and fix it.

Try to ensure that the weight rests gently on your forearm, without impact.

Fixation is a position where the hand with the weight is pressed tightly to the chest. The kettlebell is located under the chin close to the middle of the body. The elbow is pressed to the upper abdomen closer to the center of the body.

The duration of fixation is no more than 1 second.

Next, relax your arm (except for the hand and fingers) and let the weight fall freely down. At the bottom of the trajectory, tense your arm, slightly tilt your body and sit down, thus compensating for the inertia of the weight. The weight should not “fall” below knee level.

Perform a new swing and another cast. Continue in this manner until the required number of repetitions is achieved.

Then switch the weight to your other hand and perform the same number of throws.

Breathing - when moving the weight up, exhale, when lowering the weight and swinging, inhale. When fixing, you can take a short breath and exhale.

Swing - swing exercise with a kettlebell

The kettlebell swing is great. coordination exercise. Perfectly develops the back, muscles of the buttocks and thighs. Stimulates breathing well. Therefore, swinging is often recommended to be performed as part of cardio training.

Starting position - basic stance. Legs wide. Socks are slightly apart. Kettlebell in the lowered hand at the groin.

The swing is performed with a fairly strong forward tilt of the body while swinging the weight. This recommendation contradicts the basic principles of classical kettlebell lifting, in which a strong bend is generally considered unacceptable. But we have other goals - stimulation gluteal muscles and thigh muscles.

Bring the kettlebell forward, and then when it starts to move back, bend over and bend your knees, bringing the kettlebell far back between your legs. After this, quickly straighten up, straighten your legs and carry the weight in a large arc to eye level.

Perform the required number of swings with one arm, and then without resting with the other. This is considered one approach.

The main muscle group worked during swing is the buttocks. Pay attention to working with your free hand. She actively participates in rocking, bending and balancing the body.

Breathing - when moving the weight down and swinging, inhale, when lifting, exhale.

A set of exercises with a kettlebell

Perform these kettlebell exercises alternately with rest periods of 1-2 minutes or more if necessary to restore breathing.

Conduct classes every other day, three times a week. Gradually try to increase the number of repetitions in each approach. For example, one repetition each workout.

Here approximate complex exercises.

*beginners - people with minimal experience in training with iron.

**experienced - people with 2-3 months of experience working with iron.

***number of repetitions for each hand.

I wish you successful training with kettlebells!

The effectiveness of exercises with kettlebells has been proven by time - kettlebell lifting dates back to ancient times. Its popularity is still growing, because such training is simple, inexpensive and effective.

An empty wallet is not an excuse for a flabby body, the way out of this situation is quite simple and is often stored in the closet, yes, now we will talk about exercises with weights.

From time immemorial, the weight has “sculpted” Russian heroes, and it continues to do so now. Among the advantages of kettlebell training are simplicity, reliability and effectiveness.

This combat projectile has no equal in preparing a soldier for battle. In 1704, the weight was created from a real cannonball specifically for this purpose, and today it is the only army sports is precisely a kettlebell.

Sports weights or dumbbells?

Many beginners at their first lessons in the gym are sure that kettlebells are almost the same as dumbbells, so they try to do exercises mixed with one or another apparatus. However, there is a significant difference between them.

Using dumbbells you work out small isolated muscles, and the exercises are performed at a slow speed. But a set of exercises with a kettlebell is more suitable for developing muscle groups at high speed, increasing the body's endurance.

Due to weight gain, dumbbells are good for building muscle mass. And this or that exercise of training with weights, due to their stable weight, helps strengthen the body, increase coordination of movements and develop the speed of performing exercises.

This is a sport for the strong. It demands power from you, and in return it builds character and builds strong muscles. One set of kettlebell exercises is often compared to ten barbell workouts.

The peculiarity of kettlebells is that when performing exercises, the center of gravity in the apparatus shifts relative to the grip. Something similar happens when you grab the handle of a heavily loaded suitcase or backpack.

You can see this for yourself by taking any training program and trying to repeat it using a kettlebell. No matter how much you want, it’s unlikely that anything will work out. Why is it not possible to repeat these, at first glance, simple exercises standing and holding a projectile of a slightly different shape in your hand?

Please note that with kettlebells it is common to perform movements that put stress on the entire body - jerks, presses, squats. This provides a significant workout over time, as the load on the whole body quickly increases the heart rate and engages large muscle groups. Try thrusting for 10 minutes to feel the effect.

A universal projectile for the whole family

Kettlebell lifting day was marked on August 10, 1885. It was on this day that the first “Amateur Athletics Club” was created. Until this day, weight training was more of a recreational nature and was carried out at fairs and entertainment events.

Sports weights come in two types: solid and collapsible. Solid weights come in weights of 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 48, 56, 68, 80, 92 kg. In kettlebell lifting, competitions are held using kettlebells weighing 16, 24 and 32 kg, historically consisting of values of one, one and a half and two pounds (1 pood ≈ 16 kg).

Thus, both a beginner girl or child, and a physically developed man can choose the weights that are comfortable for themselves.

According to the standards of the All-Russian Kettlebell Lifting Federation, competitive kettlebells must have the following parameters:

The kettlebell is not a purely masculine apparatus. Girls should under no circumstances be afraid of him. You can purchase a not very heavy 8 kg kettlebell for the very first workouts, then perform exercises with a 16 kg kettlebell, and gradually increase the weight.

With the help of weights, girls can perform simple exercises to strengthen the hips, back, straighten posture.

How to choose a kettlebell

First, let's look at the materials and how to choose them correctly.

Choosing a kettlebell like any other sports equipment, should be determined by the power capabilities of a person. In terms of weight, there are five groups of weights that are suitable for a certain level of physical development:

Girl, beginner athlete with average muscles: 8, 12, 16 kg
Strong girl: 12, 16, 20 kg
Male, beginner athlete with average muscles 16, 20 kg
Strong man with developed muscles: 20, 24, 32 kg
Very strong man 24, 32, 40 kg

Having decided on the manufacturer, shape, material and other nuances when choosing a weight, you should move on to choosing the most important part: its weight.

If you are buying a weight for yourself at home, from choosing correct weight depends on the effectiveness of your exercise and the prevention of injury and overload. The following considerations should be followed:

Beginners can start with a standard weight. For women it is 8 kilograms, for men - 16 kilograms.
If a man bench presses more than 100 kg, you can use a higher weight kettlebell, such as 24 or 36 kg.
When working on strength, you should do no more than 5-6 repetitions in one approach. If you can lift the weight significantly more, choose a heavier one; otherwise, choose a lighter one.
It is best to have two sets of weights, 16 + 24 kg. For example, you started with 16 kilograms, after which you can increase the weight to 24 kilograms. When you can work with a heavier weight, then combined, using two types of weights, you will get 40 kilograms.

When purchasing a kettlebell, make sure that the handle fits securely in your palm. It is also important to pay attention to the surface of the handle: it should not be too smooth (it may slip out) and not too rough (it will quickly rub painful calluses).

Next simple tips will help you make the right choice:

Decide what you will do: weight lifting or fitness. The choice of equipment for these purposes is different, and if a kettlebell for kettlebell lifting is suitable for other exercises, then a kettlebell for fitness will not be useful in an argument.
Choose only metal weights. Cast iron weights, unlike plastic ones, have the correct center of gravity and glide in the hand completely differently. Don't be afraid to overpay for metal - the result will pay for itself.
Choose cast weights, without prefabricated parts. Parts may become loose and the projectile will completely lose its center of gravity and shape. From the exercises you will get a different result than you expected.
Choose standard shaped kettlebells. Only with such kettlebells can you practice according to the kettlebell lifting program. A regular metal core with a handle on top is what is considered a kettlebell, everything else is a pointless waste of money.
Sports kettlebells have a standard bar thickness, but for fitness they may vary. Choose the one that fits well in your hand. Weights that are too thick may simply fall out.

And here are some examples of exercises for general development and more prepared athletes.

Basic exercises with a kettlebell

Squats
Lunges forward and sideways
Rows and Bends
Swing forward
Biceps and overhead curls
Military press with one or two hands
Push ups

Briefly all the movements can be seen in the following video.

The best exercises with a kettlebell

Let's look at the "Three Heroes" kettlebell complex from the classic Wod CrossFit. It consists of effective exercises with a weight, known since the times of Tsarist Russia.

Let's look at each movement separately:

Kettlebell swing with one/two hands (swings)

Otherwise, this exercise is called “Russian swings” or shifts. Remember, the main thing in performing this movement is inertia, not the force of the shoulder muscles. As you lower the kettlebell, give in to the weight and allow it to pull you down, and then, springing your hips, throw it back up to shoulder level. One repetition is equal to one swing.

Swing a kettlebell with one hand

Hanging Kettlebell Chest Raise

Place the weight between your legs. Moving your pelvis back, grab the kettlebell by the handle. The gaze is directed forward. Press the weight towards your shoulder and at the same time turn your wrist with your palm facing forward. Lower the weight to the starting position.

Hanging Kettlebell Chest Raise

One-arm kettlebell snatch

The kettlebell snatch is basic exercise in kettlebell lifting, which is aimed at developing endurance and working out everything shoulder girdle. At correct technique By doing this exercise, your shoulders will become more powerful and strong.

One-arm kettlebell snatch

When performing exercises with a kettlebell for beginners, there are small concessions, for example, a beginner is allowed to hold the kettlebell with both hands, while in the professional version, only the hands change at the top point of lifting the kettlebell.

And additionally, you can suggest for working the chest and latissimus muscles:

Plyometric push-ups

To perform this exercise, start in a prone position with one hand on the floor and the other on a kettlebell. Perform a push-up and jerk yourself off the floor. Springing with both hands, smoothly touch the floor and repeat all over again.

Plyometric push-ups with kettlebell

For the last year and a half, health has been the number 1 topic for me and I managed to achieve some results. Since the issue of maintaining and improving health is very important to me personally, in this note I will share some of my observations, thoughts and results, and you decide whether this topic is important to you and what to do with it.

How it all started

Over the years of super-intensive work, my health has seriously deteriorated: stress, long working hours and a sedentary lifestyle at the computer. In general, I pushed myself to the edge in the worst possible way. Appeared excess weight, I got tired quickly and became irritable. I understood that I had to act, but it didn’t work out very well. The not-so-cheap rowing machine I bought didn’t sit idle, but at some point I just got tired of its monotony and had to force myself to work with the oars; food restrictions and diets didn’t work or gave a short-term effect. All sorts of pranks started internal systems body.

So I was faced with the fact that I urgently needed to get out of this hole. Otherwise, the prospects are completely sad.

A rather radical solution was found - my family and I moved 300 km away. from the capital, where the air and general calm helped to improve my nerves, followed by normalization of nutrition and physical activity.

results

Uncontrolled weight gain has stopped. It is clear that weight regulation occurs through nutrition. But nutrition must be based on work internal organs. It was working with weights that helped normalize such things, thanks to which, for example, I stopped waking up in the morning with swelling and gained 3 kg per night.
Having peaked at about 120 kg in the early spring of 2016, the weight first dropped to 105 and it stayed at this level for quite a long time. It’s not that I couldn’t reduce it, but I paid more attention to my overall condition and growth strength indicators. Although at the same time, T-shirts gradually became a little tighter in the shoulders and sleeves, and trousers, on the contrary, became looser in the waist. But very gradually. However, at the time of writing, my weight is 98 kg and the decline continues.

Question - is it necessary to explain the logic and explain why first strengthening, then the main work on weight loss, and not as is most often recommended - first lose weight, and then work on muscles?

Strength and endurance indicators have increased. For example, I started by pressing a 16 kg weight 5-6-7 times. When I pressed 8 times for the first time, I was happy, but it felt like I was on the verge of injury. Now, press 16 kg 15 times - a light warm-up before the main program or to combat physical inactivity in the middle of the day :) Somehow, just for fun, I looked at how many presses there would be to the point of failure - 16 kg 30-32 times, 24 kg - 17-18 times. For me this is excellent progress.
My knees stopped hurting. From the word absolutely. Those who have known me for a long time know that before I could not go outside in winter without powerful fixing neoprene knee pads. For the last 25 years, my favorite place in winter has been near the radiator, with my knees buried in it. The situation has changed radically in better side over the past year and a half.
My back stopped hurting. And the lower back, which inevitably manifested itself when sedentary life, and the back muscles were once beaten into pieces and began to ache at the slightest fatigue, illness, or the weather. Moreover, it’s a shame that the injury seemed to have healed a long time ago, but every year it made itself felt more and more. I changed that.

In general, my well-being has improved very much - from the state when all the tasks and tasks are pouring in, from the state of “tomorrow to the hospital”, when there is not enough energy for the simplest actions and fatigue and pain come literally from going for bread or clouds rolling in, I returned to a fairly energetic and active state :)

Why kettlebells are a subjective opinion

Great question. I answer:

Like.
Many, especially classic exercises, from the category of general physical fitness (general physical training) for beginners using dumbbells may even be more convenient to do. But many of the more advanced exercises simply cannot be done with dumbbells. You can do other things with dumbbells, but see point 1.

Question: is it interesting to know on the basis of what I developed the training program at the initial stage, how I selected exercises and other details for the “zero” level?

Versatility. You can do cardio, you can do strength exercises. Or dexterity and coordination.
The general strengthening effect is higher than that of other shells. Plus working with large muscle groups. For example, after one exercise I can feel how I have loaded my leg muscles, deltoids and biceps, and after another - pectoral muscles, abs and back. This effect is also facilitated by the shifted center of gravity of the weights.

Question - would you like to know about my training program, what exercises I do and learn more about their effect?

Personally, the kettlebell seems to me to be a much more physiological tool than other equipment - why - see point 4.

Not just weights

Adequate daily routine and nutrition are also important. I don’t want to ship in large quantities right now. Therefore, the question is:

Question – Should I talk about creating a daily routine so that you eat, train and still have time to work? Are you interested in learning about nutrition? If you're interested, what exactly should I talk about?

My goals and future plans regarding health, weights, weight and training

I have recovered to a quite vigorous state and plan to become more active in terms of work, but, at the same time, continue to lead a sane lifestyle and train with weights. I’ll write about the work separately. Therefore, goals for health and weights:

The global goal is general strengthening and development of endurance.
My current goal is to normalize my weight while maintaining muscle. Now my weight goal is 90 kg. I'll watch further.

Question – Goals are set based on age and general condition. I wonder on what basis I decided about this particular prioritization?

I have also matured into microperiodizing my training. Now it turns out that I have one part that is conventionally called “fitness” training, and the other part is “general physical training” (and for general physical training it makes sense to include dumbbells and all that, but that’s a little later).

To conclude the note

This is enough to get started. I don't want to burden you with unnecessary details.

Kettlebells are one of the oldest weights for strength training, created several thousand years ago. The first mentions of them date back to ancient Greece.

Sports weights come in two types: solid and collapsible. Solid weights come in weights of 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 48, 56 kg. In kettlebell lifting, competitions are held using kettlebells weighing 16, 24 and 32 kg. But there are strongmen who don’t care about competitions: they can lift 56-kilogram weights 25 times in splendid isolation.

Let us remind you that today (that is, August 10th) is Kettlebell Lifting Day. Let's take this opportunity to remember the top five traditional exercises with a projectile.

Snatch and push of a kettlebell with one hand

Take the weight by the handle. Jerk it up to your shoulder, turning your wrist with your palm facing forward. Push off the floor with your feet, standing up and throwing the projectile from your shoulder above your head. The norm is 2 sets of 5 repetitions.

Source: bodymaster.ru

Arnold Schwarzenegger Kettlebell Press

Raise the weight to your shoulder. The arm is bent at the elbow and the palm is facing towards you. Press the kettlebell overhead while turning your wrist palm forward. Then lower the kettlebell to its original position, rotating your wrist back to its original position. The norm is 2 sets of 5 repetitions.

Source: bodymaster.ru

Bent-over one-arm kettlebell row

Place the weight between your legs. Bend your knees slightly and lean your body forward. Take the kettlebell by the handle and, as you exhale, pull it towards your stomach (you should feel the shoulder blade of the involved arm moving back). As you inhale, lower it down. Repeat as many times as necessary. Change position and repeat the exercise with the other hand. The norm is 2 sets of 5 repetitions. If you can do more, take a heavier shell.

For balance, rest your knee on the bench. Nothing bad will happen if you have a heavy dumbbell in your hand instead of a kettlebell.

Source: youtube.com

Turkish Rise

This exercise engages the core and stabilizer muscles. The norm is 1 set of 10 repetitions for each hand.