I’ve got a good friend of mine who for some reason that is totally unexplainable, won’t use kettlebells.  So instead of listening to me, he goes to another friend of his who is a personal trainer and gets her to come up with a workout routine that he can use.  His goal is to get “in shape” and lose a couple of pounds.

His friend designs this elaborate routine consisting of free weights, machines, body weight excises, high and low reps all performed in a circuit.   This routine looks like something Einstein would come up with if he was a personal trainer and not coming up with the theory of relativity.

After completing the first workout, my buddy goes to work barely able to walk.  The next day he goes to work unable to raise his arms over his head because he is so sore.  This kind of thing goes on for a month before he finally gives up and stops working out all together.

Sadly this is the kind of thing that happens to lots of people who begin with good intentions of starting a workout routine to finally get in shape.  The problem is, most people make the process to complicated and their workouts become marathon sessions.  Add work and taking care of the kids plus all the other responsibilities people have and it is no wonder why most people don’t stick with their exercise regimen.

I know how it is because I was one of those 2 hour a day gym rats.  Unless you are a professional athlete or a sadist, 2 hours 5 or 6 days a week is counterproductive.

My favorite are the guys who perform a set of curls, walk around and socialize for 15 minutes before performing another set.  One of the reasons I workout at home.

I’ve said it before and will continue to say it until everybody gets it, avoid overtraining like the plague.  Your workouts should last no longer then 45 minutes and your workout times should vary from workout to workout just as you would vary the exercises you perform.  Also, don’t fall into the trap of trying to perform too many different lifts.  Remember that you want to treat your workouts as a practice session.  Your goal, in addition to getting strong, is to become proficient at each one of the lifts.  Performing 50 or 60 different lifts will not afford you the ability to get good at any of them.  Don’t even get me started on machines.

My suggestion is to pick a handful of explosive type lifts and a handful of grind lifts and stick to them.  If you are doing it right and exercising your entire body and not performing isolation type lifts like curls, you can get a fantastic workout performing only a few different exercises.  Work at becoming proficient and then in a few months, change it up a bit to prevent boredom.

Working out doesn’t have to be all that complicated and we don’t have to be miserable doing it.  All of us fall into the trap of making things in our lives more complicated then they need to be and working out is no exception.

Remember, keep your workouts short and vary the times of each workout, perform full body lifts, keep the number of different exercises limited and vary the intensity.  Seems oversimplified but you can’t argue with results.

Enjoy,

Dennis

P.S. – Have a question about anything I’m doing, email me and I’ll be more then happy to answer it.  ironkettlebellfitness@gmail.com

Before entering into a fitness routine, especially one that incorporates kettlebells, be sure to consult with your physician or medical professional to be sure you are healthy enough to begin a strength and conditioning regimen.  Be sure to learn the proper way to perform each lift and complete each exercises in strict form employing a spotter when applicable.  In other words, if you hurt yourself, it’s your fault.

Tweet This Post