A HardStyle Kettlebell Workout For Beginners
A guest post from Forest Vance, MS, RKC, CPT of kettlebellbasics.net
Kettlebells are the best training implement in existence for building elite levels of conditioning in the shortest time possible.
Over the last several years, I've moved from incorporating kettlebells into my own personal workouts, to getting Russian Kettlebell Challenge certified, to mixing the implements into workouts with personal training clients, to opening a personal training studio/kettlebell training gym of my own.
There are actually several different main kettlebell training 'styles'; the RKC method is HardStyle and is the one I practice with myself and training clients.
In this article, I'm going to briefly explain exactly what HardStyle kettlebell training is, and then I'll and outline a HardStyle kettlebell workout for you designed with the beginner trainee in mind.
According to the RKC, HardStyle strength is exemplified by power lifting and Okinawan karate. The common theme is compression. One compresses the muscles and maximizes force by tensing in this
type of training. You also compress the joints, the breath, the ground, and your focus.
In comparison to, for example, the competition style Kettlebell Swing, the RKC/HardStyle version of the Swing employs much higher levels of muscle tension throughout the body. If you're looking to conserve energy and Swing continuously for ten minutes, competition style Swings may be the way to go. If you're looking for strength, endurance and fitness benefits, you probably will want to practice the HardStyle Swing.
Personal experience with this method, after having tried literally every training method under the sun over the last 15 years I've been heavily involved in sports and physical training, is very positive. I'm a total convert. In many ways, I've seen more improvements in the last two years since I've been training with this strength training method than I did in the previous 13.
Now, I'd like to give you a sample HardStyle kettlebell workout that's geared towards the beginner kettlebell trainee
1. Start with a 3-5 minute dynamic warm up. Pick three or four body weight exercises like push ups, squats, sit ups, etc. and put them together into a circuit – do 10 reps of each about two or three times through.
2. Next, you'll do five sets of 15-20 HardStyle kettlebell Swings. Take 30 seconds of rest between each set.
3. Finish the workout with three Turkish Get Ups on each side, switching sides after each rep.
In conclusion, HardStyle kettlebell training is ideal for you if you're training for strength, endurance, and general fitness. The above workout is a great example of a HardStyle kettlebell workout that's designed with the beginner kettlebell trainee in mind. Train hard and train smart!
Forest Vance, author of this guest blog post, is a Master of Science in Human Movement and a Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified Instructor. He is the owner and head trainer at his Sacramento, CA based personal training studio/ kettlebell gym. You can download a free copy of his 'Beginner's Guide to Kettlebell Training' AND his 'Kettlebell Rx' video by visiting his kettlebell basics blog today at http://kettlebellbasics.net/ 
A guest post from Forest Vance, MS, RKC, CPT of kettlebellbasics.net
Kettlebells are the best training implement in existence for building elite levels of conditioning in the shortest time possible.
Over the last several years, I've moved from incorporating kettlebells into my own personal workouts, to getting Russian Kettlebell Challenge certified, to mixing the implements into workouts with personal training clients, to opening a personal training studio/kettlebell training gym of my own.
There are actually several different main kettlebell training 'styles'; the RKC method is HardStyle and is the one I practice with myself and training clients. In this article, I'm going to briefly explain exactly what HardStyle kettlebell training is, and then I'll and outline a HardStyle kettlebell workout for you designed with the beginner trainee in mind.
According to the RKC, HardStyle strength is exemplified by power lifting and Okinawan karate. The common theme is compression. One compresses the muscles and maximizes force by tensing in this
type of training. You also compress the joints, the breath, the ground, and your focus.
In comparison to, for example, the competition style Kettlebell Swing, the RKC/HardStyle version of the Swing employs much higher levels of muscle tension throughout the body. If you're looking to conserve energy and Swing continuously for ten minutes, competition style Swings may be the way to go. If you're looking for strength, endurance and fitness benefits, you probably will want to practice the HardStyle Swing.
Personal experience with this method, after having tried literally every training method under the sun over the last 15 years I've been heavily involved in sports and physical training, is very positive. I'm a total convert. In many ways, I've seen more improvements in the last two years since I've been training with this strength training method than I did in the previous 13.
Now, I'd like to give you a sample HardStyle kettlebell workout that's geared towards the beginner kettlebell trainee
1. Start with a 3-5 minute dynamic warm up. Pick three or four body weight exercises like push ups, squats, sit ups, etc. and put them together into a circuit – do 10 reps of each about two or three times through.
2. Next, you'll do five sets of 15-20 HardStyle kettlebell Swings. Take 30 seconds of rest between each set.
3. Finish the workout with three Turkish Get Ups on each side, switching sides after each rep.
In conclusion, HardStyle kettlebell training is ideal for you if you're training for strength, endurance, and general fitness. The above workout is a great example of a HardStyle kettlebell workout that's designed with the beginner kettlebell trainee in mind. Train hard and train smart!
Forest Vance, author of this guest blog post, is a Master of Science in Human Movement and a Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified Instructor. He is the owner and head trainer at his Sacramento, CA based personal training studio/ kettlebell gym. You can download a free copy of his 'Beginner's Guide to Kettlebell Training' AND his 'Kettlebell Rx' video by visiting his kettlebell basics blog today at http://kettlebellbasics.net/