Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning

7 Fat Buring Kettlebell Workouts Forest Vance, MS Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor http://kettlebellbasics.net/

Disclaimer
Strenuous physical exercise can be a dangerous activity. There are inherent risks in any physical activity, intense fitness training is no exception. The use of professional instruction is recommended before entering into any type of sport or physical exercise. You should become knowledgeable about the risks involved and assume personal responsibility for your actions. The information contained within this manual may or may not be accurate and is open to interpretation.

About Forest Vance & The Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning Program
Forest Vance has a Master of Science in Human Movement and is a Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified Instructor. He is also a Personal Trainer, Gym Owner, Blogger, Author and Fitness Entrepreneur based out of Sacramento, CA. From the author: This short report will show you how to use kettlebells my favorite training tool for extreme cardio conditioning and rapid fat loss. If you like these workouts, and for some reason you missed signing up for my email newsletter, you'll want to make sure to do so I send out tons of free kettlebell workouts, videos, and more on a weekly basis you can sign up at my main kettlebell training site, KettlebellBasics.net. Forest Vance, Master of Science, Level II Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified Instructor

Cardio - Defined
Before we get into all of the Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning program details, a quick question: how do you define cardio? It might conjure up images of folks pedaling away on recumbent stationary bikes at the health club, catching up on the latest E! channel celeb gossip Or you might think of running or biking outdoors But odds are you probably DONT think of cardio and lifting weights of any kind as one in the same. So my goal with this kettlebell cardio program is to PERMANENTLY change the way you think about cardio Lets start with some defining facts about cardio from healthstatus.com: Cardio exercise is any exercise that raises your heart rate Cardio exercise uses large muscle movement over a sustained period of time, keeping your heart rate to at least 50% of its maximum level You need a minimum of 20 minutes of continued elevated pulse to get the best results So if we elevate the heart rate, utilize large muscles of the body, work at a reasonable and sustained intensity, and do it for a continuous period of time, were good to go no matter our implements/training tools of choice. Kettlebells happen to be a great tool to elevate the heart rate quickly. And if we work at a high but sustainable intensity with them for a continuous period, we get a killer kettlebell cardio workout ...

Why Interval Cardio Is A Better Solution For Fat Loss

Now that we've defined what cardio is and established that kettlebells are a viable and useful tool for doing it we're going to talk about the best way to set up your cardio workouts interval-style! Here are three quick reasons why I hate traditional, long/slow cardio, and why intervals are superior for fat loss and super-human conditioning: 1) LSD cardio is mind-numbing Doing 45 minutes of low-to-medium intensity cardio on a stationary bike or treadmill is seriously boring. Thats why I was excited when I found out that LSD (long-slow-distance cardio) is not the best way to lose fat 2) Its unfavorable for positive changes in body composition

Perfectly evidenced by the pic above high-intensity, interval-based cardio is the type of training the individual on the right does on a regular basis low-intensity, sustained effort training is the type the individual on the left does for his sport. Which physique would you rather have? I rest my case. 3) Humans arent designed to work this way

To quote Mark Sission of the Primal Blueprint: Humans were just not designed to work for extended periods of time at 80-90% VO2max. Our evolutionary blueprint, the last draft of which was completed well over 10,000 years ago, set us up as great slow-movers and occasional fast sprinters.

Interval Cardio Programming

According to an article from Craig Ballentyne (fat loss expert and author of the famous Turbulence Training program on ArticleClick.com, variety is one of the main keys in your interval program that prevents you from hitting a fat loss plateau. Three ways you can switch up your cardio interval workouts include: Increasing or decreasing the length of the interval (while decreasing or increasing the intensity, respectively) Increasing or decreasing the number of intervals per workout Increasing or decreasing the rest time between intervals

And so, through some unique and fun programming strategies, we're going to incorporate all of these methods into the Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning program for maximum results in minimum time ...

7 Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning Workouts

Notes

Do all workouts circuit-style perform the first exercise, rest the allotted time, move on to the next, repeat for sequence, start over. Set your timer for sixty second intervals. Perform prescribed reps of exercise. Rest period is from the time the set is finished until timer goes off for the next 60 second period. Complete entire workout in this fashion. Do three (beginner) to five (advanced) rounds total of each day's exercise sequence. (Meaning you'll end up doing three to five sets total of each exercise) Make sure to perform a SMR/joint mobility/dynamic stretching/etc. warm-up and static stretch cool down.

Other Tips/Guidelines These workouts all about intensity. They're very low volume, especially at the beginning so if they're too easy for you, you need to pick harder exercise variations and/or heavier weights. For example, five sets of 15 handstand push ups and 25 swings with the beast with minimal rest is tough no matter who you are :) On the other hand, if you want to make the workout easier, just regress the exercises (ex. Knee push ups) and use lighter weights. If you can't do regular pull ups yet, do body rows (see exercise description section) and double the prescribed reps. Windmills are a tricky exercise. Take your time to follow the recommended progression and learn them properly.

7 Fat Burning Kettlebell Cardio Workouts (beginner level workouts)

1 12 push ups 20 swings 2 6 rack squats/side 6 pull ups

(intermediate level workouts)

3 10 push ups 15 swings 4 windmills/side 4 4 rack squats/side 4 pull ups 1 TGU/side

(advanced level workouts)

5 10 push ups 15 swings 4 windmills/side 6 lunges/side 6 6 6 2 6 rack squats/side pull ups TGU's/side burpees

(extreme level workout)

7 2 TGU's/side 20 swings 4 windmills/side 6 rack squats/side 6 burpees

Exercise Descriptions The Swing

1. Start by performing a simple sumo deadlift with the kettlebell between the feet. This is the movement you need to get down before you move on to a full blown swing. Focus on pulling your butt back behind you with your hip flexors and moving through the hips instead of squatting. The deadlift and the squat are two very distinct and different movements. Your back should stay completely flat and you should feel a stretch in the back of the legs if you're doing the movement properly. 2. Once you have the deadlift down, you can try a swing. Two things to think about: make sure you're 'hike passing' the weight back between the legs on the downswing; again, this movement is like a deadlift, not a squat. Try to get the bottom of the kettlebell to face the wall behind you as you hike pass it back. Then, snap the hips and swing the weight up. If you're doing it right, the arms are loose and the legs are doing the job of lifting the weight. It's not a squat and front raise, it's a hip snap. The knees lock out and the hips come all the way through the force is then efficiently transferred to the upper body. 3. When you feel comfortable with the swing, you can progress to the full swing. The mechanics of this movement are the same as the half swing, the hip snap is just more powerful and the 'bell should swing up to about shoulder height.

Turkish Get Up
In contrast to the swing, the get-up is a slow and controlled movement it's considered a 'grind'. As a frame of reference, fast, explosive movements like the swing, clean, and snatch are considered 'ballistics'. We worked the back of the body with the swing the hams, glutes, and back now we're hitting most of the muscle groups in the front. This is a highly complex movement, so I'll break it down into steps for you: 1. Start by lying on the ground with the kettlebell at your side. Grab the 'bell, pull it into your body, and roll to your back.

2. Press the single kettlebell straight up to the sky. Make sure your wrist is straight and you have a firm grip on the kettlebell handle.

3. 'Punch' up towards the ceiling while rolling on to the elbow at the same time. Your shoulder blades are pinched together and the chest is 'high'.

This is the first 'half' of the movement. You'll want to learn the movement by getting this part down first, with no weight to start, and then with weight added as you get better at it. This is not only something to practice,

but a viable exercise; I use the get-up in personal training sessions and group classes all of the time. Once you have the get-up down, it's time to progress to doing the complete movement, which involves standing all the way up. Next, bring the knee 'through' your hips and to about six inches away from the same hand.

Squeeze the glute and come up to a lunge position; take a deep breath, hold it, and stand up. 4. Slowly reverse the motion and return to the ground.

Pull-Up/Body Row
The pull-up is your basic upper body pull. You can perform this exercise with your palms facing away or palms facing towards you. Start with arms fully extended; drive the elbows towards the ground, lead with the chest, and keep the shoulders down and back through the top of the movement.

To perform the Beginner Pull-up, start by finding a bar about chest high. A railing outside would work I found a perfect bar at a playground for our photo shoot. Shift your body underneath the bar so that the exercise is challenging for you but not impossible. Youll have to play with your body position a little to get it just right.

The movement is just like a Pull-Up, but your feet stay on the ground. Drive the elbows down towards the ground, the hips and shoulders should stay down and back.

Rack Squat

To perform the squat, start with your feet between hip and shoulder width apart, and your toes pointed straight ahead or slightly out. Weight is back through the heels, chest is tall, and shoulder blades are pushed down and back. Sit back as if youre sitting on a chair. The lower legs should stay completely vertical. Imagine that you are stuck in cement up to your knees. In the rack squat, the kettlebell is simply racked on one side; this adds a unique core and stabilization challenge to the exercise.

Push Up
The basic version of the push-up is performed from the toes. Starting from the ground, the body is nice and straight, your chest, hip, and thighs should all be in the same plane. Your shoulders are pushed down and back, abs are engaged, and your glutes are squeezed.

Burpee

The burpee is one of the greatest total-body conditioning exercises of all time; it can be performed with nothing, but your own body weight, it works nearly every muscle in your body and requires very little space. Start the burpee in a standing position. Jump your feet back and land in a push-up position. Do a push-up, jump your feet forward and jump in the air. Repeat for reps!

Lunge
To perform the lunge, take a giant step out, your weight should still be through the heel, and your knee should be tracking over the toe. Make sure the knee doesnt come out over the toe. The lower leg position is very similar to that of a squat.

Windmill
The windmill is an awesome exercise for building core strength, shoulder stability and mobility, for unlocking the hips, and a whole lot more however, it's a bit tricky to master. Follow this progression to learn the exercise: Weightless Windmill Start with a ketttlebell at the instep of your foot. Your feet should be pointed to the side at approximately 45 degrees. Poke your hip out to the side. The movement in this exercise is coming from the hip and not the torso. Let the hand slide down the leg; tap the 'bell and stand up. (You're imagining you have a kettlebell in your top hand throughout the movement here.)

Bottom-Hand Windmill Same exact movement; now you're simply picking up the 'bell with your bottom hand.

Standard Windmill Same movement only now the KB is overhead. Arm is locked, shoulder is packed - same principles as the TGU. Make sure you tense the glute and engage the core to stand up.

Bonus Section Three - FV's Top 10 Kettlebell Videos

Here are my top ten kettlebell videos these are the most popular videos and ones I've gotten the most positive feedback on. I thought they would be of help to you in your kettlebell fat loss journey. How to fix your kettlebell swing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfyH74XK-fI&feature=plcp How to do a kettlebell swing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3AM0w4bN7c&feature=plcp Best kettlebell Tabata exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fk9ogwfJpc&feature=plcp How to do a Turkish Get Up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbTQiAcoOvY&feature=plcp Turkish Get Up Progression- The Half Get Up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvcS5lrW8x8&feature=plcp Kettlebell Basics Combo #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7335soWe8w&feature=plcp Body weight and kettlebell 300 workout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v3nJWp2x7c&feature=plcp 10 minute kettlebell swing + snatch cardio workout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhSUfds0z3w&feature=plcp Body weight and kettlebell circuit workout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMQfULpYr3k&feature=plcp Kettlebell basics combo #2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy5KPMfe5io&feature=plcp

Additional Resources
http://kettlebellbasics.net Forest's KB blog with weekly updated workouts, videos, training tips, and much more. http://30daykettlebellfatloss.com Learn how to lose as much fat as humanly possible in 30 days with kettlebells! http://10x10kettlebells.com 10 exercises, 10 workouts, and 10 weeks to transform your body. http://kettlebell-circuits.com The FULL Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning program that this report is based on. http://kettlebellswingsforfatloss.net/ - Learn the basics of kettlebell training and become a HardStyle kettlebell swing master. http://kettlebellswingsforfatloss.net/premiumworkouts/ - The KettlebellBasics.net Premium Workouts mega-bundle. http://fvtcoachingclub.com/ - Get ALL of Forest's kettlebell workout programs, videos, body weight training resources, meal planning guides, and more for one low price.