In order to lose weight, you need to burn calories. But merely doing physical activities is not enough. In order to maximize and efficiently burn calories you need to increase your heart rate and work up a good sweat. There are many exercises and activities you can do to achieve your goals. But one great way to lose weight is by using kettlebells.
A kettlebell is similar to a dumbbell, in that it is a small but heavy weight that you usually carry with one hand. But the difference is that, unlike dumbbells that have the weight distributed on both ends, kettlebell’s weight is placed all on one side. As its name suggests, it looks like a small kettle. There are many exercises you can do with kettlebells, but you should know how to do it properly in order to safely lift these unique weights.
Before performing any kind of activity exercise – not just kettlebell exercises – you need to do warmups first. Some of the more typical warmup exercises you can perform include body rotation, stretching, and lunges.
When doing kettlebell exercises, posture is very important. Be conscious of your posture while performing the movements of the exercise. Unlike dumbbells, you also use momentum when doing kettlebell exercises this means, a wrong bend of the extremities or the wrong posture will result in you being injured – seriously in some cases. Aside from being conscious about posture and movement you should also remember to breathe properly. Unless otherwise stated, you should exhale when exerting your muscles and inhaling when returning to your starting position.
As a beginner you should focus on basic kettlebell exercises first. One of the basic exercises you can do are squats. There are many squat variations using kettlebells. Choose one that you think works best for you and do it diligently while constantly being aware of your posture and how you move.
Another basic kettlebell exercise are kettlebell swings, which uses the momentum of the weight. Choose a weight that you’re comfortable with when you’re still learning this exercise because there’s a danger that you might lose your grip while you swing the kettlebell if the weight you use is too heavy for you. This could cause injuries not just to you but to other people as well.
Always remember not to rush your exercises. This is one of the most common mistakes of anyone who goes into fitness for the first time. They think that by rushing through the exercises and choosing weights that are too heavy for them will allow them to get fit or lose weight faster. What they’re doing is actually make them more susceptible to injuries.
Image from The Whole Way