Although kettlebell is a relatively new sport, it is quickly becoming one of the most popular workout routines around. Those who have never heard of kettlebell, or those who have heard of it but have never seen a kettlebell routine in action, may wonder “What’s all the fuss?” But, those who have tried it will tell you that once you try kettlebell, it’s easy to see why it’s such a powerful, effective method.

So what is it about kettlebell routines that makes them so great?

1. Shorter workouts – The old school belief about how to get truly fit was that you needed to do about 45 minutes or more of cardiovascular exercise five times per week, in addition to lifting weights a few times each week. But, who has that kind of time? And even if you do have the time, unless you truly love the exercise, it is going to be hard to keep motivation high to continue on at that pace. Researchers are now finding that prolonged exercise (more than 30 minutes at a time) can encourage your body to hold on to fat as an insurance policy that your body will have enough fat to keep going, since it knows you’re going to put it through more of those long sessions.

The beauty of a kettlebell circuit is that you get a full body workout in only 20 minutes. While using your muscles to lift and swing the kettlebells, your heart rate remains elevated, so you are getting a good cardio workout at the same time. The combination of increased muscle mass, improved cardiovascular fitness, and shorter workout times (so your body doesn’t think it needs to store fat), results in quick fat loss.

2. Full body workout – Each time you perform a kettlebell routine, your entire body is involved. You are not only working the larger muscles of your legs, arms, back, and chest, but also the smaller muscles in your feet, ankles, wrists, and hands (and all muscles in between). No other sport engages all of the muscles in such a complete and balanced way.

3. Doesn’t require going to a gym – All you need to start is a couple of kettlebells. You can do your kettlebell workout outside, in your house, in a hotel room, or at the office. You can create your routine to fit the space you have.

4. Develops quick reactions – Many kettlebell exercises, especially kettlebell swings, work the abs and the back of the body (the back, glutes, and hamstrings), which result in the explosive athletic power necessary to excel in sports.

5. Fast results – Because kettlebell exercises involve so many muscles of the body and give a cardio workout at the same time, you’ll see changes in your body quickly. Even after the first workout most people notice a change in their posture, as they walk taller and feel stronger. If you do 20 minutes of kettlebell three or four times per week, you’ll be amazed at the changes in your body.

Since kettlebell exercises are so powerful, it is important that they be performed correctly. It’s a good idea to receive training from a kettlebell instructor, or follow an established program before doing them on your own, as correct form is essential to a safe workout. Once you learn the basics you will be able to continually expand your routine to include new exercises, as there are many to choose from.

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Ideally if you are healthy and able to do it the dead lift should be included in your back workouts. The dead lift is commonly referred to as the king of back exercises. It will back muscle mass onto just about every part of your body, from your calves to your traps not just your back.

When should you perform the dead lift? There are two schools of thought concerning this. Some say you should do it first in your workout when you have the most energy. Others tell you to do it last as it the most exhausting. I personally prefer to dead lift first in my back workouts. The important thing is that you do it. To insure proper recovery make you never dead lift too soon before or after your leg workouts in which you should be squatting. These are both technical lifts and need to be done properly to insure your safety. Make sure you have your doctors permission as well.

If you have a legitimate reason you cannot do these two lifts don’t worry there are many others that you can choose from. But if you aren’t injured don’t make up excuses. The true beginner should start out light with there dead lifts. 3 sets of 5 or 5 sets of 5 not going to failure is a good place to start. It’s very important that you start out light and gradually work up in weight. If you start out too heavy you will stall your gains very quickly. So what should you do to complete your back workouts after you have finished your dead lifts. I would suggest you do about 20-30 pull ups, a couple of sets abdominal exercises and go home to rest. I don’t care how many sets or how long it takes you to complete your pull ups and I don’t care about your grip either. Pick a number and complete that many pull ups then next time it comes around to your back workout try to get a few more pull ups when you can get 30 easily in only 3 sets you can start adding weight. Do whatever you want for your abs. Some of my favorites are hanging leg raises, and incline crunches.

You can add more work later on but you may never need. Many very strong large guys do routines similar to this.

For beginners I usually recommend a very simple push, pull, leg split with one or two days off in between workouts. An example of this would be your chest workout on Monday, back workout on Wednesday, and your leg workout on Friday. There are many other variations and splits out there that work. The important thing for a beginner is to focus on the big lifts bench press, squat, and dead lift, and to not do too much work. Follow these steps and you are well on your way to having great back workouts and gaining muscle.

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