Kettlebell training has a large number of different advantages and lets you train your body from different angles and in a far more functional range of motion.
But what’s really great about the kettlebell is versatile it is as a tool and how it allows you develop your fitness and health in numerous different ways.
The most obvious benefit is the conditioning that this type of training develops. Specific to the motocross athlete, one component that stands out from other forms of cardio training is that you are constantly having to balance & exert force against an external object (not too different from balancing & exerting force on the bike).
This introduces a strength-endurance component that can be neglected by traditional methods such as running, cycling, or rowing. Due to the ballistic nature of the kettlebell swing (and related KB exercises), you also develop power/speed endurance that is hard to account for with somewhat similar methods such as circuit training.
At the same time though, you can also use a kettlebell to lose weight and it happens to be particularly well suited to that goal. Let’s look at how you might do that…
The Exercises
The great thing about the kettlebell is that it allows you to perform resistance cardio. This means you are using cardiovascular training that increases your heart rate and helps you to burn fat. At the same time though, you are also lifting weight, which protects your muscle from breakdown and increases the challenge, thereby increasing the number of calories burned and the amount of effort involved.
Also useful, is that the kettlebell allows you to train in this manner on the spot and without a lot of tools. Unlike running, you can enjoy kettlebell training in any whether and in a short space of time.
And to get the very most of this, you can combine the kettlebell as a tool with the HIIT modality. HIIT is ‘high-intensity interval training’ – a form of exercise that challenges you to alternate between brief bursts of high-intensity exertion and shorter periods of relatively steady-state exercise.
This is also great training for motocross!
In this case for example, you might perform the kettlebell swing for 1 minutes and then rest for 30 seconds before going again.
The kettlebell swing is an ideal movement for resistance cardio that involves swinging the kettlebell between your legs and then straight back up in the air using a slight hip thrust movement to provide the forward momentum.
The Diet
To lose weight, this training must be combined with the right type of diet.
That diet should be one that is relatively low in calories. The objective here is to burn more calories in a day than you consume. So if you normally burn 2,000 calories and consume 2,200 calories, you can increase that burn to 2,400 using HIIT training and you can then reduce the amount you eat to 2,100 calories. Now you’re losing 300 calories every day!
Try to eat more protein and you will support more muscle growth while reducing fat storage. Combine this with 4 workouts a week, lasting about 20 minutes each and you should start to see the results you’re looking for using just this one tool and one movement.
Remember though, weight loss is only achievable if you change your entire lifestyle and habits. It is not enough to simply add in an exercise and forget about it! Walk more, spend less time in front of the TV and reduce unhealthy snacks!
This works like a HIIT workout because you’re constantly moving (with a one minute break at the end of each round) and because it’s fast and easy to implement.
We’re going to be using the most compound and technical movements here though and a whole body routine, which means you’ll build explosive performance and coordination, while also toning and honing.
The circuit is designed to alternate between upper body and legs, which will allow you to keep the heart working harder as it is forced to divert blood first upward and then downward.
Spend 30 seconds at each station, with a 1-minute break between rounds.
Kettlebell Clean and Press
Kettlebell Lunge Press
Kettlebell Overhead Press
Press Ups
Goblet Squat
Kettlebell Swing
Rest
Perform this routine 3 times for a quick workout or 5 times for an intense session. Use four times per week for best results.
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