Although swinging around big metal spheres may seem like a challenging form of exercise to those who have never worked with kettlebells, using these swingable weights as a part of your workout routine is highly beneficial to women. But what are the Best Kettlebell Exercises for Women?
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Why Kettlebells?
Women especially can benefit from using kettlebells because, as anyone who has experience with them can tell you, they are awesome for making your stabilizing muscles work extra hard to give you an all over toned look.
As more and more women are discovering the benefits of kettlebell workouts, it is becoming clearer that adding some kettlebell strength and resistance training to your aerobic routines not only helps tone your muscles more quickly, but it burns a ton of calories. In fact, according to the American Council on Exercise, the amount of calories that using kettlebells burns is amazingly high. In fact the average person burns 400 calories in just 20 minutes!
A toned body and a quick calorie burner – who wouldn’t want to add more kettlebells into their workout? Remember, all bodies are different, so to get you started read below to find some of the best kettlebell exercises to target your personal problem zones.
Tone Your Arms
“You don’t need fancy equipment to get strong, sculpted arms and shoulders,” says trainer Todd Durkin, “You just need the right moves.”
Yes, women do not naturally have the upper body strength of men, but that does not mean that they cannot use weights to work out. In fact, many coaches, including Todd Durkin, encourage opting for heavier weights since not only should you be challenging yourself as women do not produce nearly enough testosterone to have to worry about bulking up quickly. Lifting more weight in your workouts will just give you immaculately toned arms, and as you know, well-defined arms are the perfect summer accessories to those sleeveless dresses. So, try some of the exercises below to get started!
One Arm Row
The one arm kettlebell row is one of the easiest exercises to get started with. It also does a fantastic job toning your biceps and stabilising your core.
Two Arm Swing
This is one of the classic kettlebell moves, it not only engages your arms and shoulders but your glutes and hamstrings too and should become a staple of any your kettlebell workout.
High Pull
Another kettlebell exercise that blitzes your body and tones your back up beautifully.
Blitz Those Abs
Do you want a flat stomach? You’re not alone. For many women the stomach is a major problem area where they focus the majority of their workout efforts. However, many women don’t realize that to achieve this goal they need to focus on strengthening the core and not just their stomach.
Flattening your core involves you targeting the three major groups of abdominals: the mid, upper, and lower sections. These muscles stabilize your body and allow you to properly perform body movements, so keeping them in shape goes beyond just a flat stomach. Those with strong cores are strong humans.
Thankfully, using kettlebells to work your torso naturally incorporates all these muscle groups making them popular with many women and their trainers.
Ready to try? Below are a few exercises to get you started with a core-strengthening routine.
Figure-8
This is a classic asymmetric exercise that really works your core and balance and tightens your midriff.
Russian Twist
This is the kettlebell twist on the classic Russian Twist
Slingshot
The kettlebell slingshot is sometimes called the around-the-body pass, for obvious reasons! Make sure that you spin both ways.
Once you have got that, try mixing the figure 8 with the slingshot…
Tighten Your Glutes and Legs
Women naturally have strong legs and should use this to their advantage when working with kettlebells. By targeting large, important muscles like your glutes and quads, you will increase the energy that these muscles require, which will in turn cause them to consume more calories by burning fat and increasing your body’s metabolic rate.
So if you want that perky bum, tight thighs, and burn lots of calories start with some of the moves below and see what happens.
Kettlebell Lunge
This one adds a bit more to the standard lunge and engages your core to keep you balanced making it a very effective exercise
Russian Swing
The classic kettlebell exercise is the Russian swing, working all those muscles you want to be tight and toned
Goblet Squat
Now the ever-present squat variant, does all the good stuff a squat does but from a few different angles to keep those muscles on their toes.
Why Not Give Kettlebells a Go?
Once you have mastered these basic moves, you can start branching out and trying more difficult workouts. A great way to do that is by starting with a list of exercises or finding yourself a good personal trainer who can show you the ropes and make sure you are keeping yourself in good form.
This routine is a great way to put it all together in a workout, so why not give it a go?
By incorporating kettlebells into your workouts will make your exercise routines very dynamic by simultaneously requiring cardiovascular endurance and muscular fortitude. Don’t worry though, the beauty of kettlebells is that it is specifically geared for those wishing to add muscle tone and not bulk.
With a correctly designed kettlebell workout and some consistency, your exercise routine will go from a workout to full-body toning training. Plus, because these workouts are quick, you will be finished and off to take on the rest of your day feeling strong, energized, and focused.
Ladies, you are stronger than you think and using kettlebells will prove this!
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