When you’re stripping fat you want to look good. You want that body you’ve been working on all year to be shown off and sculpted out in its full glory so everyone can see exactly how much work you’ve put into yourself.
And the first step most people make is to start hitting the cardio. Hard.
This is an option, especially if you don’t have access to the right equipment, but there’s an easier, more fun way; Kettlebell Workouts.
Kettlebell Workouts is essentially weight training, but done in the right way, it can firm up muscles and lead to great fat loss. Alexia Clark has the scoop on which exercises work best for getting the job done.
Alexia Clark’s Kettlebell Circuit for Fat Loss
For Alexia’s workout, you will need 2 medium-weight Kettlebells, Alexia uses 20lb ones for this workout. Feel free to go heavier or lighter depending on what you’re comfortable with.
The beauty of this workout is that no gym is required, there’s no dependency on complicated equipment or a gym membership, all you need is a pair of Kettlebells and some open space.
This workout consists of the following four exercises:
The Squat, Curl and Press
Kettlebell Swings
Push Ups
Kettlebell Deadlifts to Rows
Combined they give you that full body development that results both in firm muscle and effective fat loss.
#1 The Kettlebell Squat, Curl and Press
This exercise from Alexia is great for both lower body and upper body. This is ideal for anyone looking to ‘feel the burn’ while training and to give their metabolism that extra lift.
Here’s how it’s done:
Start out by standing with your feet past shoulder-width apart
With bent arms, hold the kettlebell up to your chest
Bend your knees outward and over 3 seconds, slowly descend into a squat
Pause at the deepest part of the squat
Lower your arms and curl the kettlebell
Raise back up into the standing position over 3 seconds
Shoulder press the kettlebell over your head
Repeat
Alexia recommends you perform this exercise for 12 reps in this circuit. This should put your lower body under enough constant tension to start building some thick muscle.
#2 Kettlebell Swings
Kettlebell Swings work more of your upper body than your legs and glutes, but you’ll definitely still feel some benefit.
If you’re looking to tighten up those arms and shape out your shoulders, this is what you need to do:
Start in the standing position with your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart
Hold the Kettlebell in one hand
Slightly bend your knees and swing your arm through it
Swap the kettlebell to the other hand as it comes out of your legs
Keep the swing going until your arm is stretched out in front of you
Repeat the swing, changing arm each time
For this exercise in the circuit, its recommended that you perform 10 reps with each hand for a total of 20 reps.
#3 Push Ups
This is a classic upper body exercise which is great for building up a stronger upper body and keeping your core area tight. It’s also the only exercise in this circuit that you don’t even need Kettlebells to perform.
Note: Not everyone can do a push up at first, if you’re struggling to manage it, feel free to balance your weight between your hands and your knees, rather than your feet.
Here’s how you perform it:
Position yourself in the standard push up position, balancing your weight between your hands and your feet
Make sure your hands are just past shoulder-width apart
Bend your arms outward and lower yourself towards the floor
Get your body as low as you can to the ground without touching it
Press off the ground back up to the original position
This is one of the best upper body exercises there is that is entirely dependent on bodyweight. Alexia recommends 12 reps, which, combined with the other exercises, is more than enough to burn some serious calories.
#4 Kettlebell Row to Deadlift
The final exercise in Alexia’s routine and it’s also one of the most effective: the Kettlebell Row to Deadlift. Using a combination of lower body and back strength, this exercise takes advantage of major muscle groups in the body which promotes faster metabolism and fat loss.
The Row to Deadlift is a more complicated exercise, but it incredibly effective. This is how Alexia explains it:
Stand up, holding a Kettlebell in either hand
Slightly bend your knees and lower your torso so it’s almost parallel to the floor
Let your hands dangle in front of you and pull your shoulder blades back
Pull the Kettlebells to your sides (like a bent over row) and hold the tension for a second
Let your arms dangle towards the ground again
Straighten up like at the end of the deadlift
Repeat
Keeping your shoulders together during the rowing part of this exercise is crucial as that will have a great effect on your overall back development.
Home Kettlebell Circuit Summary
On the whole this is a great balanced weight-lifting workout for anyone who’s looking to lose fat, without having to go crazy on the cardio.
This 4 exercise circuit uses a range of intense exercises that work many of the major muscle groups in the body which helps to burn calories, increase metabolism and reduce fat.
If you’ve got a pair of Kettlebells (or dumbbells if you think you can manage it), and some open space, this is a fat loss routine you definitely have to try.
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