Kettlebell Training for Beginners - Part 2
Last time we went over the basic mechanics of the good morning stretch. Our purpose for that drill (in addition to being a stretch) is to show you proper swing technique. If you’ve read it and are comfortable with it, go ahead and pick up your kettlebell. You can do it with a dumbbell or some other appropriate object, but a kettlebell works best.
Pick up the kettlebell with both hands. Use the same action as described in the previous article to pass the kettlebell down and back between the legs, then back up in the same path. Keep these tips in mind: Read more
Tags: beginners, KettlebellsPopularity: 21% [?]
Kettlebell Training for Beginners…
If you’ve just gotten your first kettlebell (or are about to), the kettlebell swing is the first drill you need to learn. It is the foundation of many other kettlebell exercises, and will teach/enforce proper body mechanics.
Before you even pick up a kettlebell, the first step to learning the swing is to learn the good morning stretch. Stand comfortably with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Keeping your back straight, hinge forward at the hips, placing the knife-edge of your hands in the creases at the tops of your thighs - right at the hip joint. Remember - the hips move first!
Keep your weight on your heels, and you should look like you’re sticking your butt out. Your knees should only bend slightly, and make sure your back is straight to slightly arched - not rounded. Also, keep in mind Read more
Tags: beginners, KettlebellsPopularity: 21% [?]
Kettlebell Drills With a Dumbbell?
One of the questions most frequently asked by someone new to kettlebells is, “Can’t I just use a dumbbell instead?” The answer is yes and no, but mostly, no. The kettlebell is far more flexible, offering much more than a dumbbell. When I first became interested in kettlebell training, I just went out and bought a 25-pound dumbbell and went to work.
Here’s what I found out. Swings, the most foundational of the kettlebell exercises, don’t work well with a dumbbell. With a kettlebell, the weight hangs below the handle, so it swings easily between the legs. A dumbbell doesn’t work nearly as well. Because the handle is in the center of the weights, a dumbbell is much wider than a kettlebell.
This makes for an awkward swing between the legs. There is a very real possibility of smacking yourself Read more
Tags: Barbells & Dumbells, beginners, KettlebellsPopularity: 24% [?]
Designing a Weight Lifting Routine Part II
In Part I of designing a weight lifting routine, we talked about the cornerstone; a large, multi-joint movement. Training at home, I recommended the deadlift. The next step is to choose another multi-joint movement; a press.
There are a few choices for the press. There’s the classic bench press, the overhead press, the side press, and the bent press, to name a few options. Out of these, I recommend the overhead press or the side press, and I’ll tell you why.
The bent press is a great exercise, but Read more
Tags: Barbells & Dumbells, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 26% [?]
Designing a Weight Lifting Routine Part I
Designing a weight lifting routine can be made very simple, or very complicated depending on your goals. Here at NSG, I like to focus on simplicity. My goal is to make exercise simple enough for anyone to meet his or her goals. I’m not talking about designing a training program for elite professional athletes, I’m talking about giving you the information to design your own routine. One that you’ll enjoy doing, stick with, and get results.
The cornerstone of a good weight lifting routine should be a large, multi-joint movement such as the deadlift or squat (yes, even for women). Working out at home, the deadlift makes more sense, unless you have a squat rack. Even then, the deadlift is safer - especially when training alone, as you can just Read more
Tags: Barbells & Dumbells, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 16% [?]
