HIIT and the Kettlebell

Have you, like many other heard of HIIT but are not quite sure what it is? You are not alone; let me assure you of this. The phrase HIIT is thrown around gymnasiums and Health clubs and people nod along as if they know what this is but are simply too afraid to look silly by asking.

There is something about the Gym atmosphere which makes people feel vulnerable and self aware that doesn’t happen in the Pub, Grocery Store or in their place of work. I am not sure if it is the scantily clad clothing, muscular bodies, lack of Alcohol or just the vulnerability of everyone knowing your physical limitations but something makes us insecure.

The gym is the worst place in the World to act insecure as there is so much knowledge bouncing around and people are more than happy to share training and diet tips with total strangers. So why are we not sure what HIIT is?

To compound your knowledge of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) this article will be based around the process of HIIT, designing a HIIT routine and the results you can expect by performing this type of work out on a regular basis.

Recent research in Cambridge University (cited in AXA’s health related magazine Better Health) states how just 3 minutes of HIIT can be better than a 45 minutes workout in the Gym. The reasoning behind this is that HIIT challenges your Heart and Lungs and Muscles to the maximum for just a short period of time (very similar to an Animal in the wild such as the Cheetah). This forces the body to improve and actually increases the metabolic rate of the human Body as well as helping with mental issues. The actual process of High Intensity Interval Training is to simply challenge the body for 20 seconds to perform to its absolute maximum and then breaking or a period of 40 seconds. Most HIIT routines will repeat this process anywhere between 3 and 20 times, depending on fitness levels.

When designing a HIIT routine most would be advised to purchase an at home exercise Bike as this is not only convenient but also reduces the risk of injury as the fast intense nature of HIIT makes you more prone to muscular and tissue injuries. As your fitness levels increase it is advised that Kettlebell HIIT training should be your chosen method of Fat Shredding and Muscle sculpting. The very nature of the Kettlebell makes every repetition a gruelling activity and perfect for High Intensity Interval Training to be practiced.

To perform a Kettlebell HIIT routine I would advise choosing one basic compound exercise such as the Kettlebell Swing, Goblet Squat or Kettlebell Clean. Simply adapt the method above of all out action for 20 seconds followed by 40 seconds of rest and repeat between 3 and 20 times depending on your level of fitness.

Performing Kettlebell HIIT on a regular basis will really crank up the metabolic rate and have your engine finely tuned to shred Fat and build rippling muscle tissue. Regardless of the research coming out of Cambridge, mentioned above, I would still perform traditional low impact cardio and traditional weight training regimes and compliment them with Kettlebell HIIT as the more variance in your training, the more likely you are to keep interested and improve your overall athletic abilities.

Kettlebell Bicep Exercises

Performing a Biceps workout with free weight is simply one of the most pleasurable gym experiences an athlete can have. There doesn’t seem to be anyone, regardless of gym experience who doesn’t love training their Biceps, but all experienced trainers are more than aware that keeping things fresh on biceps routines is very difficult.

The role of the Biceps is to simply pull the lower Arms upwards, hence why all Biceps exercises involve a curling upwards of the lower arm. In a gym scenario we are all left to basically produce curling movements using dumbbells, barbells and various cable machines – even the Lat Pull Down has been adapted to become a Biceps curl towards the head from an ‘arms straight up in the air position’.

Most athletes will vary the angle they curl the arms upwards to add variety to the training and keep the muscles guessing but trainers worldwide are now starting to implement the use of Kettlebells into their clients Biceps workouts.

There are a number of Kettlebell Bicep exercises that you can perform to really drive the progress of this fantastic little muscle group. The most obvious of which is too simply swap your Alternative Dumbbell Bicep curls to the Kettlebell Curl. Anyone who has actually done this will testify to just how difficult it is in comparison to curling using Dumbbells. On average you will only be able to curl around 60% of what you normally do with a pair of Dumbbells (for instance, if you curl 20K Dumbbells for 8 reps, you will probably be able to perform 8 reps with 12K Kettlebells). The biggest plus to performing the Kettlebell Curl is that it dramatically increases the Biceps peak and is often the first remedy prescribed by a knowledgeable personal trainer for an under developed Bicep peak.

Other fantastic Kettlebell Bicep exercises that you can try include reverse curls where you hold the Kettlebell handle with palm facing down or a Kettlebell Hammer Curls in which you take the same grip and stance as a Dumbbell Hammer Curl but the location of the weight throughout each repetition is constantly shifting and really focuses on the Forearms. Athletes wanting to concentrate on the inner portion of the Biceps will often hold one heavier Kettlebell with both hands on Kettlebell handle and curl in this manner to focus the majority of the stress on the inner Biceps.

I suppose the moral of the story is to experiment with kettlebell exercises as just about every exercise can be adapted to use a Kettlebell and place the body under greater and/or a different amount of stress to help further develop the Biceps.

Increase your Biceps Peak with Kettlebell Curls

The Biceps are without a doubt the most popular muscle group for Men, Woman and even Children. Ask anyone to 'show me your muscles' and a Bicep pose is the initial pose that will occur.

Double Biceps Pose

No one is quite sure why we instantly opt for this pose but there are probably many reasons with cultural impact certainly being amongst one of them. We learn from our peers growing up and if our first encounter of the question posed above is responded to by an Adult or authority figure with a Biceps pose we have 'learned' that this is the correct response. As to whether this is the reason why the Biceps exercises are the most popular is up for debate, again many reasons will probably contribute to this such as the feelng of the 'pump', the relatively simplicity of the Biceps movements, the Biceps response to weight training and the list goes on and on.

Many problems can occur in Biceps development as they are such a fast growing muscle group due to the fact that new trainers tend to target them and the fact they are only a two headed muscle. The fact they are such a small muscle group contributes to the simplicity of the movements and the fact that they do not tend to cause an Oxygen deficit on the indivdual when training them. As mentioned many problems occur in Biceps development, not least Elbow and Wrist injuries as the Biceps grow stronger a lot faster than the wrist and elbow joints meaning as we increase the weight and Biceps continue to get stronger, the joints often suffer and become sore and tender. The other main problems are the shape of the Biceps heads themselves, two common problems are the shortening of the Biceps (this is when a gap is present between the elbow and peak of the Biceps, this can be casued by performing half reps in which the Biceps are not stretched to full capacity during curling movements) and the other is flat or lack of Biceps peak.

Alack of Biceps peak is far from impressive but far from a disaster - it has probably been caused by not concentrating and forcing extra contration of the Biceps during curling movements, you do really need to dliberately squeeze the Biceps during the top portion of a curling movement.

If you have been training a while and are not happy with your lack of peak in the Biceps, Kettlebell Curls will be the movement to save you!

Due to the nature of the Kettlebell the Biceps heads are not allowed to rest at all during the set (at the top of a Dumbbell movement th Biceps momentarily relax - this is when a forced contraction is needed) and this forces complete contraction throughout the repetition. The weight being distributed directlyunder the hand throughout the movement forces a peak to develop in the Biceps.

As this exercise is also far harder than a Dumbbell curl you will be using a far lighter Kettlebell for the movement (if you can Dumbbell curl 20Kg in each hand you will probably be using 12kg Kettlebells) which will also help with any injuries to the wrist and elbows which are caused by heavy loads when curling with Barbells and Dumbells.

The best online demonstration is found on Strength and Physique Blogspot and highlights just how simple themovement is but also shows how effective it is at placing straing on the centre of the Biceps to develop that peak we all strive for.

You do not have to be a massive fan of Kettlebell Workouts to include this movement as you can easily stick with your traditional Biceps routine (no doubt on a a Monday with your Chest routine) using Dumbbells, Barbells and Cables and simply put the Kettlebell curl in at the end to just take your development to the next level.

The Cult Of The Kettlebell

Most people reading this will dismiss any chances of them being involved in a cult without a second thought, of course they are probably justified in doing so. Or are they........

Let's take Barry Manilow, he often plays in the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and many people will go to 4 of his shows on the bounc in the same seat and watch the same show, we oftn refer to them as fanatical fans. The question is - do fanatics display anything differnet in their behaviour than those who belong to a cult? Your first answer maybe to say something on the lines of 'they don't perform suicide pacts' - and of course this is a valid observation.

Think of this - right up until the moment of the 'suicide pact' are those who are now deceased and now described as being part of a cult simply fanatics? I think they are, as fanatics the behaviour is very similar to those we percive to be in a cult. As fanatics we hang onto every word our 'leader' says, imitate, admire, research, try and get close to them etc.

Resevoir Dogs - A CULT classic. This simply means that although Resvoir Dogs was not percieved to be a mainstram Hollywood movie it was very popular with certain people who promoted it, sang it praises and tried to get everyone else to watch it - very similar to how a cult would recruit a new follower.

Now getting to the point.......... Kettlebell Workouts have had something of a cult following in the last decade to the point of now being seen as a mainstream way of exercising in a gymnasium. Long gone are the days of the Kettlebell rack gathering dust in the corner of the gym, Kettlebell are on the front of fitness magazines, advertised classes take part and oversubscribe in gyms and people ar even wearing Kettlebell related clothing to the gym. For instance the Intense Kettlebell Workouts store has items flying off the shelves as people love to wear novelty training gear in the gym such as '300lb Bench Prss Club' or 'Swing your Kettlebell'. This is not new, Next (a English clothing brand) brough out a rnage of T-Shirts displaying cult characters such as Pop Eye, Mr T, Bill Clinton a couple of years ago and they were selling crazyamounts of units.

Kettlebell workouts are one of the most popular searched terms of Google and Twitter and people who are unsure of them want to get involved as it now appears 'cool'.

Why don't you try Kettlebell Exercises too and see if you can become a faithful follower.

*Do remember that to get a lean body and the most out of your workouts that there is no better way than following dedicated workout routines*

The Importance of Cardio for Muscular Definition

Every now and again in the gym we will come across someone with awesome muscular definition, they may not be stronger than us, fitter than us or even train harder than us - so why are they ripped and we are not?

There are 3 contributing factors to an indivuals ability to shred fat, diet, training and genetics. The last of which, we can simply not escape.

Let's not beat around the bush with this one, some people simply have it easier than others and there is simply no disputing it. There is a reason why only one White European man has run the 100 metres in under 10 seconds (Christophe Lemaitre did this in 2010) and another reason why no women of any ethnic background has ever achieved this. In fact only 4 out of the 76 human beings to have achieved this have not come from West African decent. Genetics are key! We can talk about role models or cultural difference all we want with this one but the fact is that the male human being has higher testosterone than the female human being and the mal with West African decent has higher testosterone and more fast twich muscle fibres than the rest of us. Genetics contributes to everything from who is more at risk to Diabetes even down to how an individual burns fat.

As we cannot control our genetic code, as aspiring beach bodies we have to concentrate on diet and exercise. If you want to be ripped you have to work for it - at the end of the day the body will adapt to make whatever activity you do seem easier. For instance, long distance runners carry very little muscular tissue or fat for that matter - running long distances is simply easier the lighter you are. If one is to take up a long distance running training regime the body will adapt to make this easier by shedding excess weight and increasing bone density in the lower half of the body.

Taking the above into consideration if we want to burn fat we have to convince our bodies this is in our best interest, increasing cardio vascular activity will do this but what is to stop the body shedding the havier tissue which requires more Oxygen which is muscle? Take in as much Protein as possible to avoid muscular loss and convince your body this is required by performing heavy weight training sessions to tell the body that the huge pectorals you have built are still required. Even use weight training sessions as cardio session by performing High Intensity Interval Training so your body will adapt by retaining muscle and buring fat.

The final point I wish to make is one that people know deep down but shy away from as the work is hard - here goes........ performing Abs exercises without doing cardio is exactly like body building without eating Protein - there simply is no point!

I read a really interesting article on the above point recently, see for yourself - http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/importance-of-cardio-for-abs-development-6418642.html

Does Kettlebell Training Become Boring?

Does Kettlebell Training become boring? The answer….. yes! In all the years as a personal trainer I have never come across a training method that doesn’t become boring. There are certain exercises that certain people never become bored with; in general most men love Bicep Curls from the day they pick up a pair of dumbbells to the day that they stop training altogether. The Biceps curl is unique in this way that the muscle itself is the one we all love to show the most, it takes a lot to actually feel any pains or strains in the muscle group and it also doesn’t take energy out of the athlete as the muscle group is very small and doesn’t require much fresh oxygenated blood and therefore doesn’t put the cardio vascular system under too much pressure.

Looking above at all the reasons that people never fall out of love with the Biceps curls, you will be very hard pressed to find any characteristic that you could apply to Kettlebell exercises. They are difficult, they do take time to see the rewards, they do put major stress on the cardio vascular system and they challenge an athlete mentally also.

Kettlebell exercises became so popular at first as they created an awesome core without doing core specific exercises, they also tended to build dynamic power in an athlete without the need of heavy loaded barbells and massive dumbbells. With the recommendation of everyone who has ever worked with Kettlebells, celebrity endorsements and scientific papers showing just how devastating the results can be when performing Kettlebell exercises on a regular basis, why do so many people give them up?

A number of reasons can be given for this but the chances are that if you are reading this entry then you have ither cut them down, cut them out or ben tempted to in the past so probably know the answer. For me personally I find that the Kettlebell ends my training sessions, I stick to what I know with Dumbbells and barbells and then try and add Kettlebell exercises in at the end, using pre-fatigued muscles and an already under stress cardio vascular system. The fear of removing what I know already makes me perform these exercises at the end of an already gruelling session. It is as if deep down I believe the 17 inch Biceps I have developed will shrink if I give up Dumbbell curls with the 26k’s and start performing Kettlebell exercises.

So, there it is, with me it seems to be a lack of total commitment with a resulting lack of conviction when performing Kettlebell workouts. What is your reason and how can we overcome this?

Why Chose HIIT Over Traditional Cardio

Why is HIIT so popular? The answer to this is very simple in essence, it works!

Most, if not all who have tried High Intensity Interval Training have found that using this as their main Cardio sessions can reward the Athlete with an efficient, difficult and incredibily high calorie burning training session.

The obvious example of High Intensity Interval Training over recent years in gymnasiums globally is through the always popular Body Pump classes.

During these classes participants will use light fixed weight Barbells and sometimes Dumbbells and perform basic compound movements such as stiff leg dead lifting, bent over back rows, squats and overhead shoulder press. The exercises themselves are not that important during body pump classes, as it is the manner in which they are performed which creates all the benefits of HIIT.

During a standard body pump class the participants are required to mix high intensity working sets with short rest periods whilst keeping the heart and respiratory rate reasonably high during the rest periods to keep the intensity of the training session and therefore keep the athlete within the fat buring zone. Throughout the working periods of the body pump sessions the participants are encouraged to work flat out for short period of times, for instance after 40 seconds of rest (sometimes total rest, sometimes jogging on the spot) they are required to do 20 repetitions of stiff leg dead lifts before taking another 40 second rest and then required to do 20 repetitions of bent over back rows and so on.

During body pump classes or any other HIIT routines such as body combat, the exercises are mixed with various muscle groups used. This is done so the Oxygenated Blood is moved from muscle group to muscle group, this keeps the Heart and Lungs working hard and further encourages the anaerobic system to go into overdrive during the working sets. It is this combination of activity in the respiratory system and the brief rests between sets which keeps the body in a fat burning zone.

The traditional Cardio that most people use to lose weight such as slow jogging, Cycling or Swimming are not always demanding on fat stores. As they vary rarely keep you in a fat burning zone the body often chooses muscle as the major fuel so although people will lose weight as a calorie deficiency is created with low impact Cardio, the body is not always sculpting the way in which the athlete intended. The exact same thing can happen with exercise that is too intense, although logic would say that the harder you work, the more Fat you will burn, Science tells us otherwise. When energy is needed urgently, the Body quickly uses Protein stores as this is more easily accessed and Metabolised and Fat stores are overlooked.

Moving on to 2012, and it is Kettlebell exercises which personal trainers are favouring as the number one piece of equipment to supplement their HIIT routines. For use in a HIIT routine, the Kettlebell offers the athlete everything they could want - a challenging piece of equipment which has no rest bite whilst in the working period but also something that is completely adaptable and can be used to train the shoulder muscles one minute and then used for Squats the very next minute with no changes in equipment needed.

Due to design of the Kettlebell and the force of the weight and directional pull of the weight which unlike a Barbell is directly underneath the handle it forces your core to work very hard all the way through every movement. Using a Kettlebell as oppose to a Barbell or Dumbbell prevents your muscles from resting during the sets and involves each and every part of your core muscles throughout every movement. This extra involvement of the core throughout each movement instantly increases the calorie burn and increases the Heart rate and makes it harder to fall below the Fat burning freshold even during your resting periods of your HIIT session.

Sometimes referred to as HIIT training, it is essential to remember that one of the main advantages is that you don't have to pay a personal trainer to design a  programme for you as high intensity interval training isn't about the exercises you choose. HIIT exercises are not an actual thing, it is how you do the exercises that make it HIIT. That being said, the reason why Kettlebells are used now is that they are scientifically proven to be more efficient at calorie burning, not just during your Kettlebell workouts but post training in the muscular repair stage.

HIIT Cardio is becoming far more popular than the traditional slow, non impact fat burning Cardio workouts that you used to see in gymnasiums (mainly with people on rows and rows of Treadmills) and is not only decreasing the amount of time needed to be spent doing aerobic activity but is also increasing the amount of calories used up per sessions.