Hi everyone,
I have little time to talk, but I did get a great wee workout done today 😀 It’s a mix of Kettlebells and bodyweight. None of the exercises are overly complicated or advanced (except maybe the divebombers), so beginners can join in for this one too. Just do what you can. The thing that makes this workout difficult is the time intervals. You will be working for a full minute, then a short recovery of 20 seconds until the next exercise starts.
The Workout
Set your Gymboss Interval Timer for 24 cycles of 20 seconds and 1 minute and complete 3 rounds of the following 8 exercises:
- KB Sumo Burpee into Vertical Swing (14, 12 1/2, 11)
- Planks Climber (25,22,19)
- KB Side Step Up (right) (25,31,28)
- KB Side Step Up (left) (26,30,29)
- DiveBomber (19,16,14)
- Static KB Figure of Eight
- Double KB Bent Over Row (23,25,23)
- KB Alternating Swing (48,45,42)
This whole workout focuses on resistance and endurance. There is no place for using heavier Kettlebells as you will only fatigue too quickly and it will turn into a fight against failure, especially as there are 3 rounds and you need to last the full minute! So be sensible with the weight. I chose the 14kg for the step ups and rows in the first round and soon realised come the second round I needed to downgrade. This was the best thing to do as that way I made sure I was active throughout the entire effort period.
Anyway, I really hope you all find this a good workout too, I hope to be back real soon with a new one. Life is mad right now, but I won’t be forgetting my workouts 😀
See ya later guys and gals
Cheers
Marianne
I stumbled across your videos on youtube trying to find a non intimidating kettle bell tutorial and I am so thrilled I found your blog. I have been struggling to get motivated to push my normal routine, and incorporate kettle bells more. I have been using combinations of your workouts and within 2 weeks I have seen better results than I have in a year of just bumming around pump and spin classes.
I lost 3 stone over a few years, and I just couldn’t push myself to drop the last 10 kilos and get the body I always wanted, but since I found your blog, I have renewed commitment to my workouts and my focus on my diet. Thank you so much! Your journey has inspired me .
Shannon, that’s great news! It doesn’t surprise me though that these workouts have helped you lose more fat than pump and spin, but I am so thrilled that you have discover this better way.
Here’s to getting stronger and losing those last 10kg! Go girl x
I did this workout this morning…OMG! This is a killer workout. I was continually adjusting my weights and tempo. I was literally dripping with sweat by the end and feeling like I gave it my all…great 30 minute workout.
Glad you like this one, it was a tough workout 😀 It’s a great feeling to put everything into a workout, then you know you will see results !
Cheers for the feedback.
Marianne
sweet
today I will be doing body weight and stretching. I am not sore or have any back pain at all from last nights workout, just a bit of tension in my thighs and bum.
I will do this workout this weekend. I think I still need to focus on just the single exercises, because I am still getting used to the swings.
take care
Mickela
greetings Marianne
I just finished a workout. feeling great, just wanted to share what I did.
I skipped for 3 minutes non stop
then I did this sequence
with 10kg kettlebell
setting interval timer to 15 sec recovery and 45 effort 3 rounds
1. squat and back lunge holding kettlebell score: 9 – 7 – 6
2. over head swings 11 – 13 – 13
3. burpee without pushup 11 – 8 – 7
4. static figure 8 26 – ? – ?
5. mountain climbers 58 – 37 – 46
This workout was really intense. I agree that when working with kettlebells at least for me, I might need 20 to 25 seconds of recovery time.
I am shaking and sweating. I was mainly focusing on my posture and breathing hence the number of reps.
I feel like this was a full body workout with resistance and also cardio.
I can’t wait to be able to do one of your tough workouts. think am falling in love with kettlebells.
Cheers
Great job Mickela, I am glad you are loving the KBs. You’re are doing the right thing by focusing in posture and breathing. No point in just throwing the Bell about aimlessly, your whole body needs to remain under tension and control when dealing with the KBs – I hope you will try one of my recent workouts – just adapt the double exercises for singles and you should be fine.
Cheers
Marianne
Hi Marianne! I did this workout today and the Leg Punisher 2 days ago. Needless to say, today was a bit tough! I’m 2 weeks into IF and had been feeling like I might be seeing some results. Today while doing this workout, a man I don’t know but always see at my gym, came up to me and said, “I better do whatever you’re doing because it really seems to be working for you, you’re really getting toned!” It made my day and I feel so motivated. Thanks for being my “go-to” for great workout variety, challenge and motivation!!
Sarah
Nice work!! It is a great boost when other people notice a change! I am so happy for you Sarah!
🙂
Hi Marianne,
Just want to add some words of my own re: staying focused. For me,working out cures all. My life is so much better when working out is a constant. It’s like if something is bothering me I’ll go for a run. That solitary time of running helps my thinking and overall feeling. It’s truly like a high. Using weights and now kettlebells just makes me feel strong. Actually I am strong. In my opnion not working out is normal,I don’t want to look like the norm. I want to be different. It’s easy to find an excuse to not work out or put it off for tomorrow. But…. as I’ve always said to my self zero effort yields ZERO results. Enough said. Thank you for all your help.
Enjoy the day.
Minnie
p.s I did the fiesty workout, messed up the cycles but I finished. Those plank climbers are a killer. These are the type of exercise I must practice on. Keep em coming. 🙂
Great words of wisdom Minnie, I know what you mean, I don’t want to be average. Here (in NI) generally people are very negative about doing exercise and I get joke at because I love it so much – people think I “must be mad”, but I don’t get that attitude! I find it hard to understand why I wouldn’t want to 🙂
Glad you made it through – 1 minute of the plank climbers are pretty tight going!
Cheers
M
Looks like another great workout! Looking forward to trying this one out after work today. I am slowly building my kettle ball collection and am loving the difference the added weight is making. I have been going back and trying some of your older workouts, let me say the evil jumps…..are EVIL but SO effictive! Thanks for letting me share in your journey, you look amazing:)
Cheers
Thanks Rashelle, good luck with your kettle “ball” LOL – cute 😀 Oh and I still dread those evil jumps !
Hi Marianne,
I just wanted to ask you a question about one legged squats (pistols). I have been practicing them because I really want to be able to do them. I am able to do it with my right leg but not my left. Why is that? And any advice on how I can get stronger on my left? I must be off balance somehow.
Thanks!
Lori
Hi Lori, Everyone has a stronger more dominant side, and you probably lead with your right leg more when you’re walking or ging up stairs. The best thing you can do is to do sinlge leg exercises such as deadlifts, variations of pistols until you can get it on both sides. DO NOT train your weaker side more, as you will run the risk of over-training those muscles and will set your progress back more. Also don’t be tempted to train the strong side less, you may knock the balance off even more and you could cause youself some compensatory unjuries such as knee, hip or back pain.
Just keep practicing.
I was the same btw, I couldn’t do them on my left side either for a while, but I just did what I could until it caught up with my stronger side.
Cheers
Marianne thanks for the words of encouragement. It is amazing how you have improved physically.
I have also been on a stay healthy journey. I really didn’t take it seriously (did some swimming and running) until last year around this time and I have seen a big change physically, but also mentally, I really have a much more positive attitude about life, that is really important to me right now.
I can’t go without my workouts. I am also very happy that I found your site right as I was getting bored with just body weight workouts. I am really enjoying the kettlebell that I got last week, some of the exercises seem a bit scary, but that is going to be my challenge for this winter.
I hope to get another kettlebell soon and some tutoring.
thanks for your amazing workouts.
Cheers
Thanks Mickela for sharing your journey too. It is amazing what a positive impact physical activity has on your outlook on life. I find that resistance and strength training has more of an impact on how I feel than cardio – must be the sense pf feeling strong and in control 😀
Nothing beats it!
Cheers
Hey Marianne
It seems forever that I have left a comment here! I have been still faithfully checking in on what you are doing! Today I did this Fiesty workout and I am still shaking!!! I think I need to go eat something too!
AnywaysThe only thing that I changed were the divebombers for regular push-ups. My plan is to get my regular push-up into perfect for (my arms are way to wide so I am trying to do them the proper way… which is much harder than what I was doing!) I also switched the double bent over row for a switching one as I only have one kettlebell of each size!
KB Sumo Burpee into Vertical Swing (10,10,10) 12kg
Planks Climber (25, 22, 23)
KB Side Step Up (right) (18,18,18) 12kg then 8 for last two rounds
KB Side Step Up (left) (18,18,18)
Push-up (14,14,14)
Static KB Figure of Eight 16kg
Double KB Bent Over Row (28,28,28) 12kg
KB Alternating Swing (36,35,36) 16kg (How did you get so many in???)
Bianca is right though your body comp. has dramatically changed! You look incredible and it is awesome that you are feeling good too!
I hate my knees too! I call them my British knees! All my ancestors were either from Ireland, Yorkshire or Scotland! I think that is were I store the most fat!
Anyways, better run…
Heather
Hey Heather, thanks for saying hello, I am glad you are still about 😀 Glad you too enjoyed this workout and it was tough – same with me! It must be a British knee thing LOL, I hate mine so much and I always have – although they are getting better, they will always be my worst body part 🙁
I has taken quite a long time to get where I am now, so I never like to say that my workouts are a quick fix, nothing is. It’s about adopting a lifestyle and staying committed to your goals no matter how far off they seem. Be determined and never let them go! You will get there ALL OF YOU!!
Marianne
Hi Marianne,
Can’t wait to try this tomorrow morning. Looks like fun,really!
Enjoy the day.
Minnie 🙂
I forgot to ask you something: when did you start working out? And when did you start working out so seriously as you are doing now?
Thanks again 🙂
Bianca
Hi Marianne, I compared the way you look in this video to the way you looked in the first video you uploaded a little less than a year ago.
Your glutes are much rounder and tighter (Bret Contreras would be proud of you) and your arms are so much more defined! You have made an incredible progress! Would you say that these are the two body areas that you have improved the most?
Thanks again for this great workout (I really wish I will eventually learn how to do “normal” push ups, so that I’d be able to do the divebombers as well).
Cheers
Bianca
Hi Bianca, I hope the glute guy is impressed 😉 To be honest I think my glutes are naturally round (my butt has always been my best feature), but I am amble to activate the glute muscles more since doing KB swings and more single leg exercises (while my arthritis was bad, I had real trouble even chenching my butt, it was so painful) – maybe because I no longer have pain the muscle weakness has balanced out. My arms are purely down to the exercises I do for shoulders and triceps and loss of bodyfat. Again I have always had good arms. My problem areas are my legs, I hate my knees and wish I had more development and shape. Exercise can do a lot to help, but I cannot ulter my genetics. I just do the best with what I have been given 🙂
As for how long I have been training for, I started back in 2007 when my doctor told me I needed to for my arthritis (to prevent my joints fusing). Back then I was just skinny as my illness had caused me to lose a lot of muscle and I was only about 53kg (I am 5’5” tall) my waist was only 23″ and Andrew says I looked like i was tied in the middle with a string LOL. About 2008 I started training more heavily with weights in the gym as before then I only really did cardio and used silly resistance machines. Andrew gave me direction and got me lifting heavy. Kettlebells came into play in 2009, and I now do a mixture of everything.
During my recent fitness instructors course we had to practice taking measurements of eachother. My stats show that my waist is now 27″, and my weight is now about 60kg. Oh and my bodyfat % is lower. So really since lare 2008 I have gained at least 7kg of muscle! But then my illness has got a lot better 🙂
My life story LOL! Hope I haven’t gone on too long 😉
Thanks for listening. If I can show this improvement from my starting point, ANYONE can improve! Just keep practicing – about 6 months ago I could only do hindu push ups, now I have the strength to reverse the movement to the divebomber!
Cheers
Marianne