Double Kettlebell Exercises — How To Fix the 3 Most Common Programming Mistakes For Kettlebell Fat Loss Workouts
Losing fat with kettlebells is simple.
At least it should be easier than using other tools — after all, we have high rep Swings and Snatches at our disposal. But unfortunately, it appears that fat loss programming with kettlebells still eludes many people.
I don’t blame them though — there is just so much misinformation in the weight loss marketplace and society in general.
So let’s make it easy and get back to what really matters — results. That’s what we’re all really after anyway, right?
Fix #3 — Eat For Energy Not To Store Energy — And Fat Loss Will Be Virtually Automatic.
Hardly seems possible, let alone true.
But do you know what the unwanted fat on your body is?
Stored energy.
Do you know why it’s there?
Because you told your body that it needed to store that fat for some future use.
It’s just that simple.
Therefore in order to get rid of it, you must tell it to do the opposite.
And the only way you can do that is by switching the signals you are sending it.
And the only way to do that is turn off your fat-storing hormones and turn on your fat-burning hormones.
The single best way to do that is to eat only foods found in nature — meat, poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, legumes, and seeds and nuts. Stay away from processed (man-made) foods like breads, cereals (yes, what they feed cows), pasta, deli meats, etc.
Yes, it’s ok every once in a while to eat processed foods, but they should not make up the bulk of your diet like they do now for so many Westerners.
Fix #2 — Get Down With Movements That Build You Up (Like The Get Up)
Incorporate movements that challenge you like the Get Up. It is just a great exercise in general and has a way of making you address and correct poor movement patterns, especially if you perform it in a slow and deliberate fashion (like the Kalos Sthenos).
One of the most productive months of training I’ve had in recent memory was December 2009 where I committed to exclusively performing only the Get Up and variations along with some Swings. It fixed most of my issues.
There are a lot of other great kettlebell exercises that literally “bulletproof” you when performed correctly. Here’s a sample list –
The Swing and it’s variations
The Press
The Windmill
The Clean
The Goblet Squat
The Single Leg Deadlift
The Snatch
These movements literally pry open all the tight spots, creating flexibility (increased muscle length) and restoring lost mobility (increased joint range of motion) as well as giving you that “in-between strength” — that strength that keeps you from getting hurt doing the simple things in life like throwing a football or bending over to tie your shoe.
Look for places to incorporate these exercises in your training program. And remember, you don’t have to feel like you’re having a “workout” for them to be beneficial.
Where should you start?
Probably with the exercises you don’t normally do. Pick one or two of those and put them in the beginning of your training program. Drop one or two of your favorite exercises for a while and see where you are in 30 days.
Remember, restoring lost movement will increase your body’s need for stored energy, and will automatically start burning stored calories (read: body fat).
Fix #1 — Find a Plan And Then Stick With It.
Look, we all want to believe we are “special” or “advanced” or “different” from the next guy (or gal).
The bad news is that we’re not (physiologically speaking, not metaphysically speaking…).
The human body is relatively predictable. If it weren’t, things like modern medicine couldn’t exist.
Because this is true, you need to follow a plan — and preferably not one you designed, because, as we saw in Mistake #2, you’ll likely keep doing the same things you’ve been doing — the things you like and are “good” at doing.
You need to follow a plan designed by a professional — even if you’re one too — because it takes your ego out of the equation. It’s like the old saying “The lawyer who represents himself in court has a fool for an attorney.”
The professional can see things that you just can’t because you are too close to them. (Even as I write this article, I am using another professional’s program because I recognize that I have fooled myself way too often in the past…)
There are many fat loss programs available, and even a few great kettlebell fat loss programs. Pick one. Stick with it. See it through to the end. And measure your progress.
When you do, you will no longer feel the need to “workout” because you will know for certain that your newfound training is providing you with all you really wanted in the first place — results.
