Before becoming a member of Seacoast Kettlebell, Karen struggled to maintain a consistent workout routine and often felt unmotivated. Since joining, she has embraced the group atmosphere and has found some new friendships. Karen has not only gained strength, but has also successfully lowered her cholesterol, lost weight, and feels fantastic!
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Rachel used to work out by herself, at home. When she joined Seacoast Kettlebell she found a
supportive community and made some great friends. She’s also stronger than ever and down 25 lbs!
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As we age, it becomes increasingly important to maintain our strength, power, flexibility, and overall fitness. Kettlebell exercises are an excellent way to achieve these goals, as they engage multiple muscle groups and promote functional movement patterns. Our top five favorite exercises for people over 40 are the Goblet Squat, Swings, Turkish Get Ups, One Arm Rows and Deadlifts. Keep reading to
learn about the benefits of these movements and how they can contribute to a healthy and active lifestyle.
Description: Goblet squats are a compound exercise that targets the lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core muscles.
Benefits:
– Builds lower body strength and stability.
– Enhances mobility and flexibility in the hips, knees, and ankles.
– Improves core strength and posture.
Description: Kettlebell swings involve a dynamic hip-hinging motion that engages the entire posterior chain, including the glutes, hamstrings, and back muscles.
Benefits:
– Increases explosive power and overall strength.
– Enhances cardiovascular fitness.
Description: Turkish get-ups are a full-body exercise that involves transitioning from lying down to standing while holding a kettlebell overhead.
Benefits:
– Develops core stability and balance.
– Increases shoulder and hip mobility.
– Enhances functional strength for daily activities.
Description: One arm rows are a challenging exercise that targets the back and biceps.
Benefits:
– Improves upper body strength and stability.
– Enhances posture and shoulder mobility.
Description: Kettlebell deadlifts are a variation of the traditional deadlift exercise that targets the posterior chain, including the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
Benefits:
– Builds lower body strength and power.
– Improves hip and spinal stability.
– Enhances overall functional fitness.
Incorporating kettlebell exercises into your fitness routine can be highly beneficial, particularly for individuals over 40. The five exercises mentioned above target multiple muscle groups, enhance strength, power, stability, and flexibility, and contribute to an active and healthy lifestyle. Remember to start with lighter weights and gradually increase the intensity as you become more comfortable and confident. Always consult with a fitness professional before starting any new exercise program to ensure proper form and technique. Stay active, stay strong, and enjoy the benefits of kettlebell training!
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Sam had tried other gyms in the past and barre, but didn’t get the results she was looking for. Since joining Seacoast Kettlebell, she has gained muscle, strength and feels confident! Check out her story!
The kettlebell snatch is an awesome, full body exercise that offers benefits to strength, power and conditioning. Some kettlebell experts believe the snatch is the king of kettlebell exercises and unlike the barbell Olympic squat style snatch you are far less likely to injury yourself. Read on to explore the advantages of the kettlebell snatch, the muscle groups involved, how to perform the exercise correctly, and a sample workout to incorporate it into your fitness routine.
The kettlebell snatch engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, making it an excellent exercise for athleticism, overall strength and conditioning. It targets the shoulders, back, hips, glutes, hamstrings, and core, providing a comprehensive full-body workout.
The explosive nature of the kettlebell snatch helps improve power and explosiveness. As you generate force from the hips and transfer it through your body to propel the kettlebell overhead, you develop strength and speed, which can be beneficial in various sports and activities.
Performing the kettlebell snatch at a high intensity can elevate your heart rate and challenge your cardiovascular system. This exercise can be a time-efficient way to improve cardiovascular fitness while also building strength and endurance.
The kettlebell snatch requires a strong grip to control and stabilize the kettlebell throughout the movement. Regular practice of this exercise can help develop grip strength, which is essential for many daily activities and sports.
The kettlebell snatch primarily targets the following muscle groups:
1. Shoulders: The deltoids and rotator cuff muscles are heavily engaged during the upward phase of the snatch when you raise the kettlebell overhead.
2. Back: The snatch recruits the muscles of the upper and lower back, including the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and erector spinae, to maintain a stable and upright posture throughout the movement.
3. Hips and Glutes: The hip extension is a key component of the kettlebell snatch. The gluteus maximus and hamstrings are responsible for generating power and driving the kettlebell upward.
4. Core: To perform the snatch efficiently, you need to engage your core muscles, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis, to maintain stability and prevent excessive movement of the spine.
1. Start with the kettlebell approximately 12 inches in front of you with your feet in a hip-width stance.
2. Hinge at the hips and grab the kettlebell handle with one hand, keeping your back flat and core engaged.
3. Hike the kettlebell back between your legs like a football.
4. Drive through your heels and extend your hips explosively, swinging the kettlebell upward. Guide the kettlebell up close to your body.
4. As the kettlebell reaches shoulder level, retract your arm slightly, pulling your elbow back and then punch your hand through the handle.
5. Lock out your arm and stabilize the kettlebell overhead.
6. We recommend beginners lower the kettlebell to their shoulder and then and then guiding it down and back towards their hips into a powerful back swing.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps!
Here is a sample workout involving the kettlebell snatch:
1. Warm-up: Perform some dynamic stretches and mobility exercises for the shoulders, hips, and core.
2. Circuit: Perform 3-4 rounds of the following exercises with minimal rest between each exercise and a short rest between rounds:
– Kettlebell Snatch: 10-12 reps per arm
– Goblet Squat: 10-12 reps
– Push Up: 10-12 reps
3. Finisher: Complete a Tabata-style finisher by performing kettlebell snatches for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for a total of 4 minutes.
Remember to start with a weight that allows you to perform the exercise with proper form and gradually increase the intensity as you become more proficient. It is also crucial to consult with a qualified fitness professional before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have any underlying health concerns or injuries.
Kettlebell swings are one of our favorite lower body exercises! They work the glutes, hips, hamstrings, core, lower back and grip like crazy. Not to mention other muscles too. It basically is a full body exercise. Kettlebell swings are accessible to people of all ability levels so long as they are performed correctly.
Kettlebell swings can be used to build strength and power with heavy weights and lower reps. In fact, for many people the swing is one of the best power exercises out there because it is low impact. Most plyometric movements are high impact and not always appropriate for everyone.
Or you can lighten the load, up the repetitions, or chop the rest periods to build killer cardiovascular conditioning. Some of the hardest HIIT and Endurance workouts we do involve a big dosage of kettlebell swings. So, if you want to be stronger, more powerful and fitter definitely incorporate kettlebell swings into your workout!
By Colin McGarty
Kettlebell Sport is a power endurance competition that involves lifting sub maximal weights for a given amount of time. Competitors compete in five minute, ten minute and even longer 30 or 60 minute sets. Kettlebell Sport is also known as Girevoy Sport(GS) and originated in eastern Europe. As the popularity of kettlebells has increased globally, competitions have gained traction around the United States.
Kettlebell Sport lifters develop incredible strength, endurance, conditioning, and impeccable technique on their lift. Not only that but completing these long sets without placing the kettlebell down is a challenge and forges mental toughness and grit.
The standard events are Snatch, Long Cycle Clean and Jerk, Jerk only and Biathlon which is a set of Jerks followed by a set of Snatches. Long Cycle and Jerk can only be performed with double or single kettlebells. Males typically perform double kettlebells while woman can choose double or single. Snatches are performed with a single kettlebell. Woman can use the 8kg, 12kg, 15kg, 20kg, or 24kg kettlebells. Men perform their sets with 16kg, 20kg, 24kg, 28kg or 32kg kettlebells.
There are multiple weight classes in each event and for each kettlebell size. So, competitors compete against other lifters in the same event and same weight class as themselves. The competitor with the most repetitions in the given amount of time wins the event. On single kettlebell events one hand switch is allowed. With the double kettlebell the competitor lifts for the whole event without putting the kettlebells down.
So, you’re walking down the sports equipment aisle of your local Walmart or Target (or your favorite sports retail store), and you stumble upon these funny-looking weights with a handle on top.
You may be wondering, “What are these strange weights?” and, “How are they different from traditional dumbbells?”
They’re called kettlebells, and while you can use them for many of the same exercises as dumbbells, the way they impact our bodies is slightly different.
Whether this is your very first encounter with a kettlebell, or you’re curious about the benefits they offer (and what the heck you’re supposed to do with them?), you’re in the right place! At Seacoast Kettlebell, we love everything about kettlebells — especially introducing these unique weights (and their incredible benefits!) to newbies like you.
Ready to give kettlebell training a try? Here’s everything you need to know to get started.
The first thing you may notice about kettlebells is their unique shape and design compared to traditional dumbbells, which feature round rubber weights in the shape of a hexagon on each side of a cylindrical bar. Kettlebells are designed this way for a reason. While dumbbells distribute the weight evenly on each side of a bar, a kettlebell’s weight sits primarily in the centralized, round-shaped part, with a handle on top.
Kettlebell exercises are typically compound movements that train multiple muscle groups simultaneously, vs. dumbbell exercises, which are typically used to target a specific muscle group. Therefore, when talking about kettlebell exercises, we categorize them according to the movement patterns they involve rather than by individual muscle groups. The five basic movement patterns are hinging, squatting, pushing, pulling, and core.
There are many great reasons to exercise with kettlebells over traditional dumbbells; here are a few of the top benefits:
If you’re looking to create a solid kettlebell workout that won’t feel impossible but will push your limits, we’ve put together some of the simpler kettlebell moves to create the ultimate kettlebell workout for beginners.
Some exercises may be more complex and therefore may require more practice than others. We recommend starting with a lighter weight while you’re learning a new movement. When a move is more complex or challenging, you may want to try doing it without any weight until you achieve proper form to avoid injuring yourself.
Ready to dive in? Let’s learn the moves.
Our kettlebell beginner workout is split into two full-body workouts, alternating between “Workout A” and “Workout B” for a total of three workouts each week for four weeks.
Here’s how to do each move listed in “Workout A” and “Workout B” above. Read and watch below, and then give it a shot. These are some of the most basic moves, so we’re confident you’ll get the hang of them in no time.
It’s so important to warm up properly before doing any type of exercise–especially one that uses multiple muscle groups. When you warm up your body, it helps to lubricate your joints, which makes moving your muscles easier and ultimately helps prevent injury.
Unfortunately, many people opt to skip the warmup for one reason or another, but we strongly advise against it!
Before you start swinging kettlebells around, you’ll want to get your body warm and flexible so it’s easier to do the moves – and so you don’t pull a muscle in your first set of reps! Here’s our recommended warm-up routine for the beginner kettlebell workout.
We suggest starting your warmup with five or ten minutes of easy, steady-state cardio, such as walking, running, or biking. This will bring your body temperature up a bit, so it’s ready for some dynamic stretching.
You’ll use a lot of different muscles and joints during kettlebell workouts, so it’s best to ensure your body is ready to move accordingly. Complete the following stretching exercises before you jump into the workout:
Stand with your feet slightly less than shoulder-width apart. Take both arms and swing them in a big, circular motion. Do ten forward circles and ten back circles.
Stand with your feet less than shoulder-width apart and swing your arms up to the sky. Hinge at the hips and swing your arms down toward the ground. Repeat ten times.
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and twist your torso left and right, swinging your arms loosely from side to side. Repeat ten times on each side.
Place your hands on your hips and rotate your hips in a wide, circular motion. Make ten circles in each direction.
Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips. Squat down, keeping your knees wide and your chest up. Push your hands together to stretch your forearms and wrist simultaneously. Repeat slowly ten times.
Stand up tall. Then lower your body and place your hands on the ground, with your legs straight. Walk your hands out into a plank position and perform a pushup. Keep your core tight and be careful not to let your hips sag. Drop to your knees for the pushup if needed. Push yourself back up into a plank position and walk your feet back to your hands. Repeat ten times.
Get down in plank position. Step your right foot forward and place it on the outside of your right hand. Keeping your foot planted, push your front knee outward to stretch out your hip. Sink your hips a little lower and twist your body to the left, reaching your left arm up to the sky while keeping your feet on the ground. Alternate legs for a total of ten on each side.
Lie on your back and pull your knees into your chest. Stretch your arms out wide on each side, and roll your knees to one side, keeping your shoulder blades touching the floor. Do ten twists per side.
Now that your muscles are warm — and hopefully you’re sweating a little? — it’s time to start your workout. Remember to start with a light to moderate weight for each exercise, which will allow you to perform multiple repetitions of each exercise in the workout.
Monday: Workout A (8 reps)
Tuesday: REST DAY
Wednesday: Workout B (8 reps)
Thursday: REST DAY
Friday: Workout A (8 reps)
Saturday: REST DAY
Now that the warmup and workout are complete, it may be tempting to call it a day. But there’s one more step you shouldn’t skip — the final stretch and cool down. Take a few minutes to stretch out the areas of your body you used in the workout, so they aren’t stiff the next time you go to use them.
Simple Stretch and Cooldown Routine
Here are some simple stretches you can do to end your workout:
This move is excellent for stretching out your lower back and slowing your heart rate down in the process. It’s a versatile move that you can do in both the warmup and cooldown.
This move is great for removing tension in your hips, glutes, and thighs.
This move helps to open your hips and stretch your glutes and back. It’s also great for your abdominals, shoulders, and neck.
This move looks a little funny but is great for stretching your shoulders, neck, and chest and releasing tension in your spine.
This is a popular yoga pose, but it feels amazing and is great for stretching your glutes, things, and spine.
Now that you know how to do each move, all that’s left for you to do now is grab a (light) kettlebell and give kettlebell training a try. Remember to focus on form first. There’s no need to rush through the moves, especially when you are first learning them. That’s how injuries happen.
By the end of the four weeks, you’ll be ready for an intermediate kettlebell workout. But let’s get these moves down first, deal?
Want to join a fun gym with coaches who know your name and fellow gym members who clap for your accomplishments? We’ve created a welcoming community of coaches and members who are just out to have a good time while working out—with no judgments. Sound like a sweet deal?
Still not ready to come back to the gym? We got your covered! Here’s this week’s zoom schedule! We will also be posting the replay for everyone.
Click here to get access to our live zoom workouts! Or email Sara at skbintro@gmail.com
Still not ready to come back to the gym? We got your covered! Here’s this week’s zoom schedule! We will also be posting the replay for everyone.
Click here to get access to our live zoom workouts! Or email Sara at skbintro@gmail.com