101 Kettlebell Workouts: 30 Under 30 Workout Number 30 - A New Hope

So workout # 30 from David Whitley's ebook "101 Kettlebell Workouts" wraps up with a bang and a few grunts. The best part of it was that it fulfilled it's requirements to a T. Meaning, I found myself pressed for time. I had a busy morning and really didn't have time to train that day. But I did anyway and not only did I make it to work on time (a rarity in itself) I also got smoked!

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but where there's a will, there's a way. Not having enough time to train is simply not acceptable. Especially now. In Pavel Tsatsouline's "Enter the Kettlebell" he has two workouts that are both done in under 15 minutes. Both are highly effective at getting an individual into good conditioning and preparing the body for greater things to come.

Now that I've gone and done 30 workouts that all took 29:59 or less, I'm happy to not only say it but shout it, that TIME should not ever get in the way of developing a lean and healthy body. EVER!

WARNING:  TRY THIS AT HOME!

If you're looking to pack a little extra meat on your torso and then hack some fat off your midsection, then you've come to the right place.

You will need a pair of Kettlebells that are light for you.  Preferably a pair that has you good for 8 to 10 repetitions of a given exercise.  In this case, you'll be doing 5 sets of 5 for the See-Saw Press, Alternating Rows, and Double Squat and then 3 sets of 15 and 15 Snatches.

Putting it together to make a smoker into a burner:

Do the first 3 in a circuit and DO NOT set the bells down until you're done.  Meaning, Clean the KB's to the rack position and knock off 5 Sea-Saw presses on each side.  Press Left, Press Right, 10 times total, 5 per side.  Now return to the rack and let the bells drop into your open stance.  Bend over slightly with a tight midsection and begin your Alternating Rows.  10 total, just like the press.  At the end of the Rows, swing the bells back and then Clean them back to the rack and perform 5 Front Squats.  Do this all without setting the bells down.  After this triple set, place the bell down and go for a brief walk to catch your breath.  Try to keep your rest under 90 seconds and also keep it active rest. 

Active rest?  Yeah, brisk walking, mild jogging, shadow boxing, Chi Shaking, whatever floats your boat.  You want to loosen up after all that tension.

These 5 triple sets all need to be done in 15 minutes or less.  So keep that in mind when selecting the bell size also. 

Once/If you've got your juice back, it's time to go gung-ho and experience what I call the Snatch Attack. 

3 sets of 15.  That's 15 per side.  15 left, swing switch, 15 right.  What about the Attack part?  45 seconds rest between the sets.  Meaning 15 + 15, rest 45 seconds, repeat 2 more times.

Remember the old adage too...  "Push yourself, but don't be stupid."

This workout is not only time consuming but an excellent and effective workout for conditioning.  You may even find your shirts filling out in the right places and loosening up in some even better places.

No Problem.

Use dumbbells for the Press and the Row. Set one dumbbell down and do Goblet Squats with the other.

Snatching with a dumbbell can be done, but it's more like a swing than a snatch. If you're serious about trying this workout with dumbbells, drop me a line and we can go over the dumbbell snatch.

No Dumbbells you say? Can't get to a gym? Get 3 Chairs without wheels on em and a broom stick. Do 5 Push Ups between the chairs. Meaning your feet on one chair and your hands on the other 2. After the push ups, place the broom sick between the 2 chairs your hands were one, crawl underneath and get to rowing. Pulling yourself upwards. Like a reverse push up. Then go a do some bodyweight squats and plug in Burpees for the snatch.

But, Dave, I don't have chairs or a broom stick?

Fine. Stay fat and out of shape...

Sorry it that seems harsh, but if you are overweight or out of shape or both AND you've read this far, clearly you're looking for a solution. There is no substitute for good old fashioned hard work. What ever you need to do, just be active. Whether it's Kettlebells, Weights, Biking, Hiking, something. Just get going! What exactly are you waiting for?

30 Under 30. 30 Kettlebell Workouts that took less than 30 minutes to complete. To recap, my experiment for this was to do all 30 in 5-6 weeks while restricting carbs and see what that will do for my body composition.

On 11/1: "As of November 1st at 9 pm my scale weight is 170 lbs. My body fat % came in at 14.18% using the skin fold deal and 9.8% using the Homedics Health Station. So my ego prefers the Homedics, but I will use both..."

As of 12/20 my skin fold measurements put my body fat % at 9.569, the Homedics says 9.1%. and the scale weight is 164.8. Go figure.

I'm not too sure how to specifically interpret that. I was very careful to measure in the same spots and I would like to assume that water weight has a lot to do with the difference in skin fold measurements.

What was interesting here is I intentionally did not set a specific goal. Nor did I make it a point to go nuts with my diet. I ate smart and trained hard. I kept the carbs to a minimum and made sure that when I did have them, that I earned them. Thanksgiving for example. I trained with extra vigor the day before so I could simply enjoy the meal and time with family. In fact, I sucked so much wind the day before Thanksgiving, that I'm pretty sure I hawked up a cigarette I smoked back in 87.

I didn't come out the other end looking ripped like one of those staged after pix or a competition bodybuilder. That look comes from extreme dehydration techniques, a little photoshop and more ofter than not, a rather unscrupulous pharmacist.

Seriously, I'd love to see one fitness model that under oath and without any compensation who would say, "oh yeah, this is a pure Bowflex body. That's all I train with. In fact, I started with a Soloflex back in the day and upgraded to the Bowflex. Freeweights are crap. Plus they're just too heavy!"

Give me a break!

The point here, is simple. You can have a lean and strong physique on just 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week assuming your caloric intake is at or slightly less than your output.

The 30 Under 30 Workouts are for everybody. They can help you get lean. They can help you stay lean. They can also help you get in great shape. You will come out the other end stronger and with a healthier more efficient body.

Final conclusion and myth busted: 30 minutes or less a day + Kettlebell = being in great shape.