Ok, in case you didn’t get it the first time, gluteal muscles are your BUNS. Who doesn’t want a tight set of buns when you are showing off at the beach? Well, if you don’t have a tight set, chances are, you won’t be showing off anyways. Heck, a whole industry was built around the concept of buns of steel so you know it is a subject worth delving into.

One of the more recent entries into the world of exercise equipment (in the US anyways) is the kettlebell and it makes a perfect tool for sculpting and toning your glutes. The kettlebell resembles a cannonball except that it has a large oval handle coming out of the top. While it has been used in Russia for hundreds of years, it has just recently been introduced into the US within the last 10 years or so. The principles of physiques are employed while using the kettlebell perhaps more efficiently than with any other exercise in existence. Your whole body works together to move the kettlebell through space in a dynamic compound movement that is designed to exercise your whole body at once. Your core muscles, and of course your gtuteal muscles, get an amazing workout in the process.

So, go grab a kettlebell (15-20 pounder for women and 36-40 pounder for men if you are just beginning) and let’s check out 3 simple movements you can do with a kettlebell to help you build a tight set of gluteal muscles.

Kettlebell Deadlift-Perhaps no other exercise is credited for creating as many perfect buns as the deadlift. A staple lift in powerlifting, the deadlift is an effective move that targets the core and particularly the glutes. The kettlebell deadlift is not much different. Simply squat down and grab the handle with both hands and then stand straight up letting the bell hang down freely in front of you. Then, squat down and put it back on the ground. Work to increase both your weight and your reps as you progress with this exercise.

Kettlebell Swing-This is the foundational movement for the kettlebell and a fantastic total body workout. Start out by squatting down to pick up the bell using both hands. Then, thrust your hips forward while standing up and allowing the bell to swing forward and up to your eye level. Then, allow the bell to swing down again and through your legs. This exercise, while it looks simple, will give your glutes a KILLER workout. Keep this one as the basis of your routine and you will have bulletproof buns in no time.

Kettlebell Clean-Again, because this move require full muscular recruitment and you will start from the squat position, it is an excellent workout that features the glutes as the foundation. This exercise is done by grasping the kettlebell with one hand and powering it up in one motion and bringing the kettlebell to rest on your forearm with your hand tucked under your chin like you are about to throw a punch with your arm tight to your side.

When beginning with any of these exercises, it is wise to seek the advice of a trained kettlebell instructor. While these exercises will make your butt the envy of the beach, no one will see it if you hurt yourself and are laid up. Get the hang of these exercises though and you will have billboard worthy buns in no time at all!

By: Emile A. Jarreau

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Do you find that you get bored doing cardio at the gym?

When doing traditional forms of cardio such as running on a treadmill or on the x-trainer are about as exciting as watching paint dry. Lets face it one of the main reasons why people give up on cardio is because they do not know what else to do and it is easy to jump on some contraption like a mouse does when it goes on a wheel. Moreover, with regular cardio you only burn calories post workout upto about 1-2 hours afterwards and you can save more time when doing Kettlebells as you only need to workout 20-30 minutes with them to get results.

When training with Kettlebells you will not only stay challenged and motivated –you will also burn off more calories (about 800 of ‘em in fact) and also keep burning calories up to 3-4 hours post workout. So why do you persevere through the boredom of the gym doing the same old routine and spending your quality time pounding away at the treadmill watching last weeks football match?. Do not believe me? Take a trip down to your local gym and look at the people the gym. Now go back in a month and see if you notice any differences in their physiques. See what I mean? Fortunately there are several alternatives that offer more variety, are more challenging, and produce faster results-including Kettlebells! I am going to cover the benefits of kettlebell training in this article.

Lets start off with PHA.

PHA stands for Peripheral Heart Action. P.H.A is basically a high intensity form of circuit training in which you work the whole body as a unit instead of working on isolation exercises like bicep curls or leg press. Instead of focusing on one area at a time, the goal when kettlebell training is to work as many muscles as you can together to help increase your blood volume and circulation enormously without over fatiguing your muscles. You need to pump blood through your muscles rather than just into them. P.H.A training is similar to circuit training where you move from one exercise to the next as quickly as possible without any rest and work the bigger compound muscles. So when training with Kettlebells you can train the entire body with very few exercises…

For example do this workout back to back like a circuit without any rest…

Turkish Get Ups x 3 each

2 Arm Swings x 10

Windmills x 3 each

Front Squats x 10

Military Press x 5 each

Feel free to take a one to two minute rest after the circuit. Repeat 4-5 times for a fat burning workout! Don’t forget to cooldown properly and stretch afterwards!

For more on kettlebell training, kettlebell courses, kettlebell classes and kettlebells contact Jamie Lloyd BSc RKC

He is based in Wimbledon London and regularly coaches kettlebell training to personal traners and fitness enthusiasts.

Check out:-

http://www.russiankettlebellsuk.com

http://www.russiankettlebellsuk.ning.com

http://www.jlpersonaltraining.com

 

By: JAMIE LLOYD

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