How Kettlebells Help You Lose Weight

It's no secret that many of today's general population suffer from obesity, or from being overweight, and more than a few devoted fitness participants are turning to kettlebells to help ward off extra body mass. Many of those looking for weight loss solutions seem to leave no stone unturned in their struggle to find effective solutions that will help them tone up and slim down. However, too often, some very simple tools get overlooked.

Kettlebells, often called "Russian kettlebells," are used all over the world by different kinds of fitness trainers. They are simple tools, similar to dumbbells, but with contained metal handles. The one-piece design of a kettlebell is compact and portable, but these small tools provide big power for improving body responses and burning fat.

How Kettlebells Help in Losing Weight

The first principle of losing weight with kettlebells is to use them for their natural resistance. Any heavy item that interacts with your body will provide resistance. When you move things like dumbbells or kettlebells (or furniture or groceries, etc.), your body overcomes challenges and burns calories. Using the right size and weight of kettlebell can be effective in generating the resistance you need to burn a lot of calories quickly in a fitness session.

Another component of kettlebells is their ability to generate "plyometric" response. This is a fancy word for the dynamic response of the body to a position of imbalance. A lot of kettlebell activities involve putting yourself off balance, whether it's swinging the heavy kettle bell, picking it up off of the floor or extending your arm in a "shot put" motion. These kinds of activities provide specific training for different muscle groups that can contribute to a leaner look for your body.

Getting the Most Out of Kettlebells

It's important to start out with the right weight of kettlebell. Try a few sizes, and find the one most comfortable for you. By using a menu of different kettlebell exercises, many can easily put together good, quick fitness sessions that will help them burn off the pounds regularly. Deadlifts, squats, lunges, cleans, jerks and many other specific activities help target the various muscle groups all over the body. Comprehensive use leads to overall toning and good body improvement with a kettlebell regimen.

Your Fitness Schedule

A big part of conquering the weight-loss challenge with tools, like kettlebells, is to set the proper schedule. Lots of experts recommend training every other day, or several times a week. But when can you do this, and for how long? For answers on developing a specific fitness schedule that works for you, try our online diet log section, where detailed tools will help you with developing a good pattern for your exercises, as well as additional diet and nutrition details, and much, much more.

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