This morning I was feeling less-than-motivated to hit the gym, but forced myself anyways (of course). I started with 20 minutes on the stairmaster and came across a Kettlebell workout in Women’s Health Magazine and decided to give it a try.
Check out the 8-series workout here: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/kettlebell-workout
I did the series 3 times using an 18 lbs kettlebell. This workout, followed by a 1-mile run to cool-down made for a suprisingly successful 1-hour Thursday morning workout!
More about the workout (from WomensHealthMag.com):
“If you’ve eyed the cast-iron kettlebells at your gym and couldn’t imagine a use for them beyond doorstop, keep reading. Researchers found that people who did a 20-minute kettlebell workout torched almost 300 calories—and that’s just for starters. When you factor in the muscle-sculpting impact (the calories burned after you exercise as your body repairs its muscle fibers), the total expenditure could increase by up to 50 percent.
Kettlebells also make traditional dumbbell moves more challenging. Their weight isn’t evenly distributed, so your stabilizer muscles have to work harder. Add definition to your shoulders and back; tone your butt, core, and arms; and shed a few dress sizes with this circuit from Sean Armstead, owner of Phenomenal Fitness in Chicago.”
