Over the past few months, my workout partner, Michael, and I have integrated kettlebell exercises into out morning workouts. We turn to the kettlebells at least three times a week – usually on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Both Michael and I play in an over 30 basketball league that schedules games on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. I generally skip the morning workout on Wednesdays and our Thursday routine tends to be more focused on stretching and cardio as opposed to heavy lifting.
Our routine has been to run through three sets of five exercises. Most of the exercises involve 20 repetitions of the exercise. Each set takes about 20 minutes so our routine totals about an hour. We also include a 20 minute pre-workout stretch and sometimes a 30 minute interval training on the eliptical. There is still probably too much talking going on, but I always work up a good sweat and the routine is a great start to the day.
Recently we changed things up a bit. Instead of performing three sets of five exercises, with each a break between each set, we are performing two sets of 10 different exercises with increased reps and increased weight. I like the new approach as it breaks up the routine and involves more muscle groups. We tend to alternate between upper body and ab work which enhances the whole body benefit of the kettlebells. As we get used to the increased weights, I expect that we will move to three sets of the ten exercises.
Technorati Tags: workout routines, kettlebell exercises, kettlebells and abdominal exercises
Filed under General information by 
Over the past few weeks, Michael, Michele and I have been following the kettlebell workout routine developed by kettlebell fitness expert Jeff Hopeck. Jeff invited me to one of his classes at the Main Event Fitness Center in northwest Atlanta and I have incorporated one of Jeff's routines into our morning routine.
Currently Michael, Michele and I are undertaking a kettlebell workout at least two times a week – right now, both Michael and I play in a recreactional basketball league and we have not summoned the willpower or energy to pump kettlebells the day after a basketball game.
I will go into each exercise more specifically in blog posts to come, but for now, here are the six exercises that we have learned from Jeff Hopeck:
- squat/raise with a single kettlebell
- bicep raise and balance with two kettlebells
- kettlebell squat and swing with one kettlebell
- swing, toss and raise with one kettlebell
- core leg lift on the mat with two kettlebells
- reverse lunge with two kettlebells
Our routine is to start with ten repetitions of each exercise, then nine, then eight. Rest for five minutes, then do seven reps, six reps and five reps. Take another five minute rest. Finish with four, three, two and one rep.
We finished up with interval sprints for 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, although there was probably more talking than what would be optimal.
The entire kettlebell portion of the workout takes about an hour and it is exhausting. I feel that we easily are packing in 2 to 2 1/2 hours of workout into sixty minutes.
Stay tuned for more variations of these exercises and videos.
Technorati Tags: kettlebells, kettlebell exercises, core exercise, bicep curl, Jeff Hopeck
Filed under Blog, Sample exercises by
This afternoon, Michael Siegel and I met with Atlanta based kettlebell trainer Jeff Hopeck to discuss our training program and Jeff's forthcoming kettlebell training DVDs.
Jeff will be making regular contributions to this blog in weeks to come and he mentioned a less well known component of kettlebell workouts – proper breathing techniques.
Kettlebell exercises have the advantage of compressing several hours worth of traditional exercise into one-half to one-third of the time, but you must incorporate the right breathing into the exercises to maximize your exertion and to avoid injury. Proper breathing also underlies the aerobic component of kettlebell exercises.
Jeff will be demonstrating some of these breathing techniques in future posts and we are glad to tap into his expertise.
Technorati Tags: kettlebell exercises, exercise breathing techniques, Jeff Hopeck
Filed under Blog by
Michael demonstrates kettlebell exercises on the Swiss ball.
Filed under Blog, Sample exercises by
