Workouts that burn fat and tone muscle

Welcome back!

Our friend Craig Ballantyne is always coming up with some great workouts.  He’s sent me some interesting kettlebell workouts that I wanted to share with my readers.  So you know, Craig is a certified trainer with a Masters in Science.  He publishes tons of workouts on his top-ranked website www.TurbulenceTraining.com

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In this workout you will learn powerful kettlebell exercises for your lower body.  Perform these exercises to not only build muscle, but also to burn fat.  If you’ve never used kettlebells, try them at your gym and see how many different exercises you can complete to strengthen your entire body.  Once you try Kettlebells and see the results, you may want to purchase a set for your home use.

The following exercices will focus on your lower body.

1. Double Kettlebell Front Squat. Start by holding the KBs (Kettlebells) shoulder height, next push your hips back (don’t bend at the knees first), break parallel, and squat as low as you can while you keep your abs braced. Lastly, drive back up.

2. Pistol Squat is performed by starting with KB at chest height and balance on one leg with your other leg out in front. Squat down as low as you can go, and then while staying in control, drive back up. Do all 8-10 reps for one side and then switch sides.

3. Tactical Lunge or a regular lunge with a twist. First, lunge backward and as you are lunging take the KB underneath your front thigh and switch hands. Next alternate sides and be sure to keep your torso upright throughout.  Proper form on exercises like lunges ensures you actually strengthen your legs and don’t enjure your back.

4. The 1-Leg Rear Deadlift is another great exercise to do using kettlebells. The previous exercises work the front of the thighs, whereas this will focus a lot on your hamstrings. So, hold the KB with both hands in front of you, balance on one leg and push your hips back. Now, to come back up, you will squeeze your glutes and hamstrings for a powerful contraction.

5. Turkish Get-up. A great total body exercise. While in laying down position, hold the KB overhead with arm extended (do not let your elbow bend) and bend the leg on the same side as the arm holding the KB. Next, lift your torso up and get into the lunge position and drive up. Next, return back to your lying down position, by droping your opposite knee to the ground, then your opposite hand, followed by bringing your leg through to the front and then drop your torso down and slowly lower back down to the ground.  Do all this while maintaining that pushed out position with the arm.

The above exercises are very effective for your lower body and they can be done in only a small space with just one or two kettlebells.  Complete these exercises regularly and you’ll see that they’re not only Simple and fast, but also very powerful.

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Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

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