How to lift a kettlebell correctly: how to start, the correct snatch technique, at what age can you try 16 and 24 kg

Hello guys everyone

Strength exercises using kettlebells can be used for almost all muscle groups. Kettlebell exercises to strengthen the muscles of the upper body - arms, shoulders, back - are more common. However, there are a number of exercises for the legs and abs using weights. Let's look at the main ones.

In addition to allowing you to perform exercises with both hands at the same time, the shape of the kettlebell also allows you to train your grip, muscles and ligaments in a new way.

With this sports equipment, you can change the grip and hold not only the handle, but also the iron core itself. This will improve your grip and forearm muscles. The kettlebell can also change your center of gravity, which is a common occurrence when training with other devices, and this allows you to train more effectively.

Benefits and harms

Kettlebell lifting develops such useful qualities as:

Strength – your grip strength will noticeably increase, your arms and shoulders will be stronger, and you will be able to work more effectively on the mass.
Speed – exercises with kettlebells are dynamic and require sharp muscle contractions, which allows you to increase speed characteristics.
Coordination – when lifting this projectile, the whole body works, and a person learns to control it more effectively.
Development of the core muscles - in order to lift and hold a kettlebell above your head, you work your abs, back and many small stabilizer muscles.
Endurance – due to the fact that almost the entire body works at the same time, the load on the cardiovascular system and breathing increases.
High energy consumption - when working with weights, a lot of calories are burned, which means that such exercises, together with proper nutrition, are effective for losing weight.
Strengthening ligaments and joints - kettlebell lifting has a beneficial effect on the elbows, wrists, shoulder joints and strengthens the spine.

Harm from exercise is possible if an athlete chooses too heavy weights for training or begins to perform complex exercises without prior preparation and practicing the correct technique. Injuries very often occur in unprepared people with underdeveloped muscles.

Why is kettlebell lifting so popular?

The projectile is compact and practical, you can put it on a balcony or under a bed, it won’t take up much space. Plus, it doesn't break yet.
Physical strength will begin to grow quite quickly.
You can exercise with kettlebells anywhere and anytime. True, if you drop it on the floor too often, it’s better to lay something on it, otherwise the neighbors will come to swear.
Initial exercises with a kettlebell will not take much time; at first, even 10 minutes will be enough to get tired.
A surge of hormones is guaranteed both during and after training, as well as fat burning.
You don't need to know a bunch of techniques. The body will do everything itself, since the cornerstone of kettlebell exercises is human physiology.
There will be an improvement in muscles, the functioning of the central nervous system and, naturally, muscles. A person becomes stronger, more agile and dexterous.
The load is provided to the body, as a result of which its organs and systems improve their functioning.
There is no need to spend either time or money on a gym and a trainer. Kettlebell + 10 exercises a day - and you are guaranteed a sporty figure.
Women can perform exercises on an equal basis with men, and their figures will not be harmed by either an extra portion of Olivier or an extra cutlet.
Although it seems that this is a very dangerous and traumatic sport, according to statistics, it is safer than many others.

Contraindications

When performing exercises with weights, high loads are placed on the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and the spine, knees, and hip joints; if pain occurs in one of these joints, you should stop exercising. Be sure to consult your doctor before starting training if you have chronic joint diseases or spinal problems.

Don't exercise while sick. Approach exercise with caution if you have hypertension. Avoid activities if you have heart disease.

Approach exercises with caution if you experience pain in your muscles and ligaments. Do not use this type of training if you have shoulder, elbow, or wrist instability.

Postpone training if the temperature is high or if you feel weak. Complete the course of treatment and fully recover, and then you can start exercising.

What muscles work

The exercise works many muscles, including:

Adductor muscles of the thigh, quadriceps, gluteal muscles.
Deltoid muscles with an emphasis on their front part, triceps.
To a lesser extent, the work involves the hamstrings, spinal extensors, biceps and forearms.
The abdominal muscles are used as stabilizers.

Exercises and technique

Kettlebell Squats

A basic exercise that replaces the barbell squat. There are two ways to squat with this apparatus:

Hold the weight with both hands at chest level. This exercise not only works your legs and back, but also your abdominal muscles and shoulders. This option is suitable for women and girls, beginners and anyone who wants to lose weight and at the same time strengthen their arms, legs and abs. To perform squats correctly you need:

Keep your back straight and arch your lower back.
Look forward, never at the floor.
Keep your weight on your heels while moving, making sure your shoulders don’t lean forward.

A more complex version of this movement, squats with two kettlebells on the chest, is suitable for men. We lift both weights to chest level, and, bending our elbows, hold them in our hands and squat. Due to the fact that the center of gravity is moved forward and the weight lies on the hands, squatting in this position is more difficult than with a barbell. To support the weight, rest your elbows on your stomach. It is correct when the handles of the projectiles are close to each other and can touch each other.

Squats with a kettlebell between your legs. To perform it, you need to place your feet on the platforms so that the projectile does not touch the floor at the lowest point. Deep squats with wide legs use the gluteal muscles well, so this is a favorite exercise for girls.

Kettlebell swings

Place your feet slightly wider than your shoulders and lift the weight with both hands. In the starting position, the weight is between the legs. Arch your back, bend your knees and, sharply straightening your knees, swing the weight back and send it up. The arms remain straight during the movement. Make swings to eye level; at the lowest point, the weight should fly behind your feet.

Keep your back straight throughout the entire exercise. At the top point, fully straighten your pelvis and knees. At the bottom point, spring your legs. The main impulse here comes from the thigh muscles. As with squats, keep an arch in your lower back and look forward. Inhale as you lower and exhale as you rise. Swings can be performed with both hands or with each one separately. Watch how to do this movement correctly in the video presented in this article.

Swings will strengthen your back, shoulders, forearms and prepare you for more complex movements. More experienced athletes lift the kettlebell overhead at the top, but should proceed with this option with caution. The weight above can fly backwards and fall on your head, or cause you to lose your balance and then fall backwards.

Kettlebell press

A good strength exercise. Performed in the same way as a standing dumbbell press. The task is to learn how to hold the apparatus correctly and strengthen the shoulders and arm muscles. We throw the weight over the shoulder and press it up, completely straightening the elbow joint. The handle rests freely on the palm between the index finger and thumb. Do not bend your wrist back under any circumstances; your palm and forearm should form a straight line.

Kettlebell row to the chin

The starting position of the legs is shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. The weight is on the floor between the legs. We take it with both hands and lift it from the floor to chin level. We lower it and touch the projectile to the floor. At the top point, the back and knees are straight. Lifting weights is carried out by simultaneously extending the legs and back. The movement involves the legs, trapezius and deltoid muscles.

Chest clean

Intermediate exercise before performing a push. Lift the projectile with one hand and swing it between your legs. Extend your knees and pelvis, pushing the weight up. Bend your elbow and lock your hand at chest level. At the moment of casting onto the chest, you need to do a slight squat - slightly bend your knees. After casting, you need to fully straighten your legs and stand up straight. During the lift, the weight at the bottom of the trajectory moves in an arc, and above the waist flies vertically upward; for this you need to slightly bend your arm.

To lower the weight, smoothly straighten your elbow and drop the weight to the starting position. At this moment, the shoulders, back and legs rest, and the weight moves quickly and controllably at arm's length.

Kettlebell push from the chest

At the lowest point, the weight lies on the chest, on the bent arm. We bend our knees, thereby doing a slight squat. Then we immediately straighten our knees and push with our feet. Push the weight up and do a second squat to make it easier to lift the weight above your head. We fix the weight on a straight arm and straighten our legs. During the lift, the forearms move vertically. Through squatting and pushing, the weight is lifted using the strength of the legs.

From the top point, smoothly drop the weight onto your bent arm. At the moment the projectile touches the shoulder, we do a slight squat to soften the blow. Once you are confident in performing a one-arm chest push, you can try pushing two implements at the same time.

Kettlebell push exercise

This is a sequence of performing a clean and then a jerk. All elements are performed as described above, the sequence and technique are completely the same.

Kettlebell Snatch

Place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. We take the weight with one hand and make a swing. The swing must be such a force that there is enough inertia to throw the projectile above your head. Push the weight up. At the top point, we do a small squat and fix the weight on a straight arm. We smoothly lower the weight down, at this moment our muscles rest. This movement is described and shown in more detail in the video that you will find in this article.

Kettlebell jump squat

Jump squats with added weight are a powerful exercise for strengthening the legs, but they are contraindicated for people with weak knees or injuries. Try doing these movements with your own weight first, and then you can add loads. Explosive strength is just one of the many benefits this exercise provides. Over time, you will also gain strong glutes and a strong core.

Performance:

1) lift the weight to chest level and hold it by the handle; 2) lower yourself into a deep squat and then jump out, stretching to your full height (the weight is always in your hands in front of your chest); 3) Land softly back into a squat.

Advice. Try to land as softly as possible so as not to put excessive stress on your knees; Stress your core all the time.

Example workout

Kettlebells are convenient because they take up very little space, so you can exercise with them both in the gym and at home.

We start each workout with a warm-up; this is necessary to prepare the muscles, avoid injuries, and warm up the ligaments and joints.

We stretch the neck by tilting the head back and forth and left and right. We swing our arms, rotate our forearms and hands. We squat two sets of 10-15 repetitions, do hyperextension two sets of 10 times. We lean forward, backward and left and right.

Beginners need to start training with exercises:

Squats with kettlebells.
Mahi.
Pulls to the chin.
Kettlebell press.

This will strengthen the muscles of the arms and back and prepare the body for correct movements during the snatch and push. Experienced athletes can use the listed exercises as warm-ups.

Example workout for beginners:

Warm up.
Squats with a kettlebell in front of you, 3 sets, 20 reps each. Girls just need to take 16 kilograms with both hands in front of them. For men, squats with two 16 kg weights on the chest are suitable.
Kettlebell swings – 3 sets of 20 reps
Rows to the chin – 3 times 20 repetitions
Press – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Example training for experienced athletes:

Warm up.
Squats holding a weight above your head for 30 seconds on each arm.
Swings with changing hands – 2 minutes.
Snatch – 2 minutes with each arm.
Hold 2 weights on the chest – 2 sets of 1 minute.
Chest push – 2 minutes per arm.
Chest cleans – two minutes with each arm.

This workout can be done both in the gym and at home.

In the gym, exercises with kettlebells can be combined and included in bodybuilders’ training complexes to develop endurance, speed and coordination. For example, after leg training, perform kettlebell swings 3 sets 15-20 times.

If these workouts seem easy to you, simply increase the intensity of the lifts or add a minute to each set.

Approaches and repetitions algorithm for compiling a training complex

Determine your maximum - perform the exercise to the limit, and remember the number of repetitions.
Build your workouts based on this maximum, performing 60-80% of the previously established maximum repetitions in each working approach.
Rest between working approaches from 2 to 5 minutes. During this time, you need to completely restore your breathing.
Gradually increase the number of repetitions each workout. Watch your health, don't overdo it.

The number of working approaches when working out with weights ranges from 2 to 5. The number of repetitions will depend on your fitness, but should not be less than 15. Before starting each new exercise, do 2 warm-up approaches of 6-10 repetitions each.

What weight to take: 4, 8, 16, 24 or 32 kg

Choose the weight based on the number of repetitions; if you can’t do 15 repetitions, then the weight of the projectile needs to be reduced.

For young people, it would be wise to start with 16 kilograms for two-arm movements and 8 kilograms for one-arm movements. If the young man is well physically developed, you can start with 16 kilogram weights.

It is better for beginner girls to try with a 4 or 8 kilogram weight, depending on their preparedness.

First of all, hone the correct technique and only then increase the load. When training with kettlebells, it is not necessary to increase the weight of the apparatus each time. It is enough to increase the intensity of movements.

Warm-up before classes

Warm up from top to bottom (neck, shoulders, arms, chest, back, pelvis, legs). However, this is more of a classic warm-up principle; the order of the exercises is not mandatory.
Warm-up takes place at a lively but relaxed pace. Your goal is to warm up gently and prepare for more intense activities. You should feel the warmth throughout your body from exercising, but don't overdo it.
Warm-up should occur at a calm pace and with small ranges of motion, gradually increasing the pace and amplitude.
If you work out at the gym, you can use a treadmill or elliptical to warm up your heart area. Always start at a leisurely pace, allowing your heart rate to increase evenly.
Beware of prolonged static positions; the recommended warm-up before the lesson includes dynamic exercises. Don't confuse this with a post-exercise stretch, which is designed to hold your muscles in one position for 30 to 60 seconds.
Be careful not to make sudden movements while warming up at home or in the gym. Try to prevent pain or discomfort in your joints (if your joints crack, it’s not a big deal).
If you exercise in a cold room (or outside), dress warmer to warm up faster or increase the warm-up time to 15-20 minutes.
If you know that you will be training a particular part of your body particularly actively, pay special attention to this during your warm-up. For example, on a lower body workout day, warm up your hips and knees hard, and stretch your legs and glutes.

Recommendations and common mistakes

For any exercise with weights, you need to keep your back straight and your lower back arched.

The gaze is directed strictly in front of you. There is no need to look at your hands and lean over the apparatus when performing swings, during jerks and cleans.

Do not bend your wrist backwards under any circumstances, as this may cause injury to your wrist. The hand and forearm always form a straight line. The handle of the projectile should lie freely in the palm of your hand.

Don’t rush things, first master simple exercises: presses and swings. Then start pushing. After that, master the jerk. Practice each movement many times before increasing the weight and speed.

Kettlebell Chest Raise

Lifting kettlebells should be an important part of your workout, no matter your goals. This exercise will build a strong core and shoulders, and develop a strong grip.

Performance:

1) lift the weight, allowing it to swing between your legs; 2) extend one arm forward and raise it to shoulder level, the second holds the weight below; 3) start the exercise at the bottom point with a sweeping movement, while moving the second (outstretched) arm back; 4) with a movement similar to an uppercut, pull the weight to your chest; it should end up between the biceps and forearm; 5) return the kettlebell back to the position between your legs, without impeding its movement.

Advice. Make sure that the weight does not turn upside down; it only changes its position during the uppercut.

Conclusion

Training with kettlebells will harmoniously develop all the muscles of the body, improve coordination, and make you strong and resilient. Such exercises are very energy-intensive, and by doing them every day, you will lose excess weight and become slimmer and more graceful. But before you rush into battle, carefully study the correct technique and do not make gross mistakes.

If you liked the article, share it on social networks and subscribe to our VKontakte and Telegram groups. There you will learn how to quickly get your body in shape and lose weight.

Inclusion in the program

The exercise is included as the first if we have a beginner in front of us who is just learning the technique. It is believed that women should start learning it from 8 kg, and men from 16, but this is not a hard rule, but just a recommendation.

The exercise is not done in a multi-repetition mode at first, starting with 5-6 sets of 10-12 repetitions. Then you can switch to a more “aerobic” high-repetition mode and move more.

Often kettlebell exercises are performed not for repetitions, but according to a timer, this allows you to concentrate on technique, and not on counting the number of swings.

Is there any literature?

For self-study, you can recommend books that well describe the best exercises with kettlebells.

The first book is “Basics of Kettlebell Lifting.” It not only describes the exercises, but also outlines their effect on the human body, and also writes about proper breathing and rest.

The second is called “Kettlebells.” Sport of the strong and healthy.” This book contains descriptions of exercises, talks about mistakes made by beginners, and provides advice from experienced weightlifters. The author himself has been training athletes for many years and put all his long experience into the book, talking about how to build a training program correctly, taking into account age and physical fitness.

We can only hope that your view of kettlebell lifting has changed, and you will not waste money and time on what sports “experts” are imposing. What is fashionable does not always bring health benefits; it is much better to read books, watch master classes by experienced athletes and make your choice.