Table of Contents
Cameron Allen
Are you on a journey to lose more weight and want to find out ways to make it happen? No more crash diets or scammy products that promise you the world, you are ready for real change. Real change starts with your mind and you being here tells me everything I need to know! Are Kettlebell workouts good for weight loss? Let’s explore!
What the Kettlebell is – and How it Helps You Lose Weight
A kettlebell is a heavy ball with a handle on top of it. It can be used for a variety of different exercises and purposes. Kettlebells fall in the free weight category but they’re a lot more versatile than the barbells and dumbbells you probably know about.
Resistance training is recommended in the form of kettlebell workouts as they come with with a higher range of motion than other free weights. They can be gripped in more positions and more importantly, they’re harder to work with as they engage more muscles – this is what makes them a weight loss tool.
While they can be used to build up strength and conditioning, many aim to lose weight with kettlebells. This is no rocket science since they’re excellent for cardio and explosive movements. The full body movements burn many calories and so kettlebells are a must-have.
If you like to work out at home with minimal equipment instead of traditional workouts in the gym, kettlebells are also recommended for you. They are a better alternative for body weight training as there are more exercises that you can do.
Each Kettlebell Exercise Uses Hundreds of Muscles
One of the major reasons for the popularity of kettlebell exercises is their tendency to utilize many muscles at a time. Take kettlebell swings for example, they’re the highlight of any kettlebell workout. There are many versions of these available for you to do.
Regardless, kettlebell swing exercises work the entire posterior chain which includes muscle groups such as the traps, rhomboids, rear delts, hamstrings, glutes. The other muscle groups worked include the abdominals and quadriceps.
The exercise requires a lot of intensity which requires the body to work harder. This engages all of these muscles which work harder to burn more calories. So, you lose fat and build up endurance while also improving your posture.
How to Lose Weight
Generally speaking, this is a question that millions of people struggle to find an answer to. The answer is simple – you have to be in a caloric deficit. This means that you consume fewer calories (unit of energy) than your body needs.
Remember that a single pound of body fat can store thousands of calories that you have to burn off. Obviously, there are various ways to get rid of these calories and they also depend on how chonky you are and several other factors.
Kettlebell training involves dynamic, whole-body movements that enhance strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness. Its effectiveness for athlete-like conditioning stems from the combination of resistance training and functional movements. You need good equipment to get the most out of this style of training, that's why we choose Kettlebell Kings.
To be in a deficit, you could either consume less calories altogether or try to burn the calories that you’ve already taken in before they can be consumed. The following gives you a good idea of how you can lose weight by being in a caloric deficit:
Improve Food Quality
In order to lose weight, you have to make the habit of reading the labels on your food. There are many foods that allow you to eat more of them but they don’t come with as many calories as you’d expect. Eat these and you’ll feel full without worrying about gaining too much weight.
And no, you may not necessarily have to cut back on taste. One of the ways that you can do this is by choosing milder versions of your favorite foods. For example, you could pick diet versions of your favorite soft drinks or consume sharp cheddar cheese instead of mild cheddar.
A great thing that you can do here is to skip out on processed foods. This is because these contain a lot more calories as they aim to please your taste buds. Go for whole foods that have received minimal amounts of processing.
It is always recommended that you have a proper low-calorie high-nutrition meal plan for the week. This makes everything easier for you as you’ll know what meal to prepare and won’t sway to unhealthy meals. It also brings more discipline into your life.
Lift Heavy, Lift Often
While a proper diet is the key to losing weight, weightlifting (and exercise in general) is a bonus since it can quicken up the process. It burns calories and pushes your body to new limits to enhance your endurance. It also builds up muscle which gives you an aesthetic look.
The best part about lifting heavy is the strength that you build up. The nervous system forces all the body’s muscles to pull or push onto the load in front of you. Incorporating kettlebells into your workout results in the buildup of explosive and practical strength as well.
You don’t have to go all out in the gym. A simple 3-day push-pull-legs split can do wonders as it works out all the muscle groups. You just have to dedicate 3 sets of 12 reps to each exercise and have a high-protein diet with less calories. You’ll build muscle and lose fat.
Lifting or any form of exercise for that matter, has been proven to lower depression and enhance your overall mental health. It will also build up self-confidence as there’s a high chance you end up with a leaner physique than the one you started with.
Sweat and Maybe Try Jiu-Jitsu
While going to the gym and lifting heavy is great, it won’t teach you self-defense. For this, you can learn a martial art, like Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Enrolling in this won’t just give you a great workout, but it can also teach you to stretch out and submit any layman in front of you. Jiu-Jitsu is something that we speak about in depth here at Grapplers Graveyard. It is a Martial Art that has gotten us and millions of adults into the best shape of their life.
You are not too old to start. The benefits of training are remarkable for a number of reasons!
BJJ is a quick-paced sport and a little more intense because you have to push your body to its limits. While doing so, you can burn up to a thousand calories per hour. As a result, it is an excellent way to lose body fat. Many people practice BJJ for this very reason.
Others do it to compete professionally, or just bring some discipline into their lives. BJJ or other martial arts such as kickboxing have massive communities that you can become a part of and work on yourself. Once you get vested in BJJ, you might even work out separately for strength.
Get Enough Sleep
Many don’t get this but sleep is a very important part of one’s fat loss journey. Studies show that those who sleep less risk becoming obese. Put it this way, when you don’t get enough sleep you will crave more high-calorie foods.
There will be an excess production of the hormone ghrelin and a lack of the hormone leptin. You need to sleep in order to balance these hormones. More sleep also means that you have a better metabolism – so you burn more calories and store less fat in the body.
Sleep deprivation leads to unreasonable decisions which include wanting to stuff ourselves with unhealthy food. Our bodies don’t work as well as they should and they require satisfaction in the form of comfort food. Sleep more so that you make healthier food choices.
Sleep is also important for muscle growth. There are many who endlessly work out in the gym but are unable to see any gains as they’re sleep deprived. The muscles release amino acids into the bloodstream at a higher rate when you’re asleep – which is the key to growing them.
PreSleep is a non-habit-forming melatonin-free sleep supplement with clean ingredients designed to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed.
- Proven to increase Sleep Quality
- All Natural Ingredients
- Perfect Flavor Profile
Intermittent Fasting
This is one of the best ways to lose weight if you don’t like strict diets and working out. You basically reduce the number of hours a day in which you can eat. As a result, the body runs out of the calories that it got from your last meal.
This forces it to reach out to the fat stored on it for energy and it starts burning it. Intermittent fasting requires the least effort out of all the strategies here. It is also the cheapest as you cut down on the total amount of food that you eat daily.
To many, it seems like an extreme measure but it won’t when you get used to it. The method builds self-control and there are many who have been religiously doing this for decades and it has worked wonders for them. There is a large community of intermittent fasting enthusiasts.
Losing Weight with Kettlebell Workouts is Convenient
You can easily lose weight with kettlebells as the key is to burn calories. Kettlebells work the whole body – hundreds of muscles at a time – which burns calories and gets your heart racing. You can get an effective weight loss workout via High-Intensityafter-burn Interval Training (HIIT).
Kettlebells allow you to do this as they are very versatile. So, you can use them for a variety of exercises and switch between them for a high-intensity fat loss workout. The after burn effect after the workout is the icing on top as you’ll be burning calories even after the workout’s done.
Picking the Right Kettlebell
You need to consider a few things before getting the right kettlebell. The first is the weight which should be around 10-20 lbs for women and 20-45 lbs for men depending on their lifting experience. Get a weight that challenges you but isn’t too heavy.
Then you have other qualities such as the material which makes up the kettlebell. Cast iron is considered to be an acceptable standard in this regard. The distance between the handle and the base shouldn’t be too much or too less. The handle shouldn’t be too thick or narrow either.
There are many brands around that can fulfill some or all of the aforementioned characteristics. But if you’re looking for top-notch we would recommend going with anything from Kettlebell Kings. .
Kettlebell training involves dynamic, whole-body movements that enhance strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness. Its effectiveness for athlete-like conditioning stems from the combination of resistance training and functional movements. You need good equipment to get the most out of this style of training, that's why we choose Kettlebell Kings.
The kettlebells from Kettlebell Kings are the standard offering here and they’re available in 18-70 lb weights. Black, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Green, Orange, and Red are the colors offered. They are ergonomic and can be used in a variety of different exercises.
You get a great handle that has just the right cross-section and a raw finish that’ll feel really good in your hands. These kettlebells are hollow and have a nice grippy surface so that you can hold the base to perform more exercises. You can even add magnetic weights to upgrade them.
Kettlebell Training Increases Cardio as well as Muscle Mass
One of the reasons why kettlebells are the best is because they work up to 600 muscles of the body and if you eat right, their frequent usage will result in muscle growth. Because the cardiovascular system is forced to supply the energy for the workout, your cardio will improve.
Kettlebell Weight Loss and Strength Benefits
If you want to lose weight with kettlebells, try to get kettlebells that are moderately heavy. Once you start working with them, they’ll build up your explosive strength, as well as your practical strength (which you can use in daily situations and not just in competitions).
Benefits of High-Volume Exercising
High-volume exercises are when you perform a high number of sets and/or reps. The term also includes when you perform several exercises without rest in a row. Because you perform these movements over a long period of time, you tend to burn more calories.
This helps improve your cardio and stamina. High-volume weightlifting is what bodybuilders do to build muscle. It is recommended for hypertrophy, and you also end up with quite a bit of strength due to the new muscles you gain over time. This is the key to getting a lean physique.
Is a Kettlebell Workout Cardio or Strength?
The answer to this is both. Kettlebells push your cardiovascular system to the max as you breathe hard during exercises. You can perform a variety of aerobic movements with them. But once you start increasing the weight, the exercises become a lot more difficult.
And this is where kettlebells become more strength-oriented. Their exercises already use countless muscles and when you increase the weight, more is demanded from them. At the same time, the cardiovascular system is forced to provide you with the needed energy.
Kettlebell training involves dynamic, whole-body movements that enhance strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness. Its effectiveness for athlete-like conditioning stems from the combination of resistance training and functional movements. You need good equipment to get the most out of this style of training, that's why we choose Kettlebell Kings.
What are the Best Kettlebell Workouts for Beginners?
There are several beginner kettlebell workouts that can be beneficial for newbies. The important thing is that the workout should be able to work out the entire body, be explosive to burn calories, and challenge you enough to build strength and muscle.
We recommend you do the following workout 3-4 days a week; it gets all the muscles involved and allows for rest days as well. You’ll start losing weight and building more muscle mass in no time; no personal trainer is needed. It is discussed in detail here and the following are the exercises that you have to do:
-
Goblet squat to overhead press
-
Bent-over one-arm kettlebell row
-
Kettlebell swing
-
Bridge with single-arm chest press
-
Single-arm kettlebell clean.
Is It Okay To Do Kettlebells Every Day?
Some experts say that you can, while others say 3-5 days a week. The bottom line is that your intensity matters – low or medial-intensity workouts can be done every day. For high-intensity workouts daily, remember to maintain a perfect form to prevent injuries.
However, in case of any hindrances like body pain or a lack of recovery, you should definitely get some rest days. If losing weight is the goal, you can try to mix up the routine with other forms of cardio like running and cycling.
How to Maximize Calorie Burn with Kettlebells
In order to get the most out of your kettlebells, it is recommended that you go for a high-intensity workout that challenges you to move from exercise to exercise with minimal rest. Also, try to change up the exercises to benefit a variety of muscle groups instead of the same ones.
Note that ballistic and explosive movements should burn the most calories. Plus, the number of calories burnt also depends on some other factors such as your weight, age, body composition, and even your gender. So, don’t get demotivated if others are achieving results quicker.
Finding the best kettlebells for home workouts has never been easier. Make this year the year you increase muscle mass and your strength!
