We’ve been led to believe that lifting as heavy as possible is the gold standard of workouts. While heavy weightlifting does have its benefits, like muscular adaptations and building maximal strength, other styles of training require lighter loads to put your engine to the test.
This four-move kettlebell routine will help you build your cardiovascular engine. You need a set of quality kettlebells at a medium weight and nothing else. My clients often mention that they worry most about sessions with minimal equipment. When they first started training with me they would see just one set of weights & assume the workout would be easy. Now they know better & expect the opposite. The simplicity of using a single piece of equipment means the focus shifts entirely to effort and intensity. With fewer tools available the body has to work harder throughout the entire session. This approach removes any opportunity to rest between switching equipment or adjusting machines. The kettlebell becomes your only companion for the duration of the workout. Each of the four movements targets different muscle groups while keeping your heart rate elevated. The continuous nature of the routine means you transition quickly from one exercise to the next. This creates a sustained cardiovascular challenge that builds endurance over time. Your body adapts to the demands placed on it and your fitness improves as a result. Medium weight kettlebells work well because they allow you to maintain proper form throughout the session. Going too heavy compromises technique and increases injury risk. Choosing a weight that is too light fails to provide adequate stimulus for improvement. The right weight challenges you without breaking down your movement patterns.
The truth is, you don’t need a lot of gym equipment to get results, you just need consistency, enough challenge and intelligent, progressive programming. The rest can be as fun and creative as you like.
What are the kettlebell exercises?
The moves are compound exercises, meaning they target multiple muscle groups at once, which also means you are training your muscles efficiently and increasing calorie burn potential.
1. American kettlebell swings
Swings are one of my favorite ways to test endurance while working the core and hips and targeting muscles along the back of the body, like the glutes and hamstrings. It does this using a hip hinge and a hip thrust as you power through your glutes. The American swing increases the range of motion as you drive the weight overhead, testing shoulder stability.
Try not to let your arms do all the work. Instead use the strength from your core muscles along with your glutes & hips to move the weights rather than relying on your upper body. I always choose lighter weights when doing this exercise and I recommend you do the same until you have complete control of the movement.
