
6 Benefits of kettlebell workouts for women
#1 Conditions muscle but won’t beef you up
One of the first questions I get asked is “Are kettlebells going to make me bulky?” and my answer is that I’ve been trying to get bulky for years! No honestly, you will enjoy being lean, toned whilst still keeping those curves.
Effective kettlebell workouts for women are very dynamic and cardiovascular in nature. Although the resistance element of kettlebell training will condition existing muscles it will not cause a huge amount of muscle hypertrophy or muscle growth.
Great news for women who wish to add muscle tone without the bulk
Plus ladies, you don’t have to worry about looking like a bodybuilder, women have 100 times less Testosterone, the male growth hormone, so it is very difficult for women to put on too much muscle.
#2 Sculpts a Glorious Goddess body
Kettlebell training burns fat and increases muscle tone fast. Most of the exercises are multijoint (compound) movements that link the bottom half of the body with the top half via the core muscles. Great for your abs!
The body recruits 100’s of muscles in order to control and maintain balance of the kettlebell. The muscles time under tension is high resulting in fast muscle development throughout the body.
#3 Answer to lower back pain and joint issues
When used correctly a kettlebell improves lower back pain and your joint stability and mobility specifically in shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. When you swing a kettlebell you learn to activate your posterior chain (the back of your body from heels to neck), often weaken by hours spent being sedentary and well, sitting on your ass! This is often overlooked by other exercise methods. You will learn to wake up this lazy and tired muscle to support your lower back plus working more in this area increases fat burn as your butt muscles require huge amounts of energy to function. What’s more, as you swing, the weight tries to pull the joints apart and it is your stabilising muscles that maintain the closure of the joint. Strong development of stabilising muscles ensure you have a stronger foundation for your larger muscles to operate from enabling less injury and an increase in strength. Kettlebells also force longer ranges of movement opening up your joints and increasing mobility and thus better movement freedom.
#4 Super quick workouts for busy mum’s and professionals
As mentioned above, kettlebell workouts target a lot of muscles in one go so you don’t waste time having to target separate areas of the body individually.
You will find that these full body workouts are hard work from the beginning, using lots of energy in one go is tiring but also very time efficient.
Be sure to use the correct kettlebell exercises, kettlebells should not be used the same as a dumbbell
If you use the correct exercises, as listed below, then you’ll only need to workout with kettlebells for less than 15 minutes per day.
#5 Kettlebells target the hips, butt, thighs and waist- the female powerhouse
Unfortunately you can’t just focus on a particular part of the body and reduce fat in that area, sorry!
However, by targeting the really important larger muscles including the hips, glutes, and quads you will increase your body’s metabolic rate. The more muscle tone you have in your body the more energy the muscles require at rest and so the more fat you burn just in daily life.
Kettlebell exercises like the swing hit all those important muscle groups in one fluid movement, ramping up your metabolic rate
#6 Kettlebell workouts for women are addictive
Not every person enjoys exercise and women are no exception. Kettlebells offer an exciting dimension to a fitness routine that can become very addictive.
Learning to train correctly with kettlebells takes skill, time and dedication. Often women get wrapped up in the intricacies of kettlebell training and forget that they are even working out.
In my personal experience I have found more women seem to stick to a kettlebell program than men. Just as an exercise like running is totally mindless (which some people do enjoy) kettlebell training takes focus and understanding.
Exercise for the deep thinking woman!
Download the Best 10 Minute Beginner Kettlebell Workouts for Women: Click to download