A Traveling Kettlebell Workout with Variety!

Typically for a Friday we had a couple people missing from class – and since I am not one to mope, I saw this as a fun opportunity to do something a little different. Around the neighborhood I’ve found some fun places to do things like fingertip hangs, pull ups, clutch flags, etc. and what I personally like to do sometimes is to tote a moderate to light kettlebell around for a few blocks for swings, and sift in some powerful bodyweight drills ( hurrah Convict Conditioning ) too. This is also a fun thing to do at a park that has a parcourse or if it doesn’t you’ll need to stretch your imagination. Imagination is a great thing, and as adults, we need to be sure NOT to lose touch with it! A topic that sometimes comes up with my friends and I is the importance of play – especially in terms of exploring movement, coordination, balance, etc. Anyway – here’s what happened today – think of this as an example of how you could put together a workout that’s effective, but a lot of fun too. You may want to have a small (hands free) tote bag or backpack with you for water, Gymboss timer, phone, small towel, first aid, etc. That’s the other thing – safety should be of the utmost concern. Just because we’re mixing in a little fun doesn’t mean that form and safety get thrown out!

As always, we began with joint mobility – then we grabbed one moderate kettlebell each (use your judgement – but 12kg and 16kg were the popular choices, it was best to err on the side of light though!)   Switching hands as necessary, we lugged one kettlebell each down a few blocks, switching hands when necessary.  The goal is to make it to the destination without having to stop – and we did it! If you need to stop and rest though – please do. Once at my secret favorite I-beam of pull up and leg raise goodness, we put the kettlebells down and checked the overhead iron beam for rough spots or jaggy edges. Then we began this circuit:

3-4 rounds of:

• 20 kettlebell swings (2 hand or 10 each hand)
• 5 strict military presses per side
• 10 1 leg deadlifts per side
• 5-10 hanging leg or knee raises
• 2-3 pump stretches

Then, after a little rest and water, we picked up the kettlebells and trucked them back to our training area – and out came the battling rope!  Next circuit:

3 rounds of 30 seconds per exercise, 30 seconds rest/transition/extracredit

• Leg raises from the ground (always press your back into the ground!)
• Bridging practice (hip bridges or full bridges – at your safe ability)
• Battling Rope throws – your choice of up-downs or alternating up-downs

For fun, we found a great little spot to practice the neat “walk up the wall” drill that Frank DiMeo taught us at the Super Human Training Workshop last weekend – get in a push up position, but have your feet pressed FIRMLY into the wall. Carefully walk your feet up the wall, as you slowly walk your hands back towards the wall – you’ll end up in an almost handstand position. Then carefully walk back down. This is a GREAT drill – it helps people to overcome their fear of being upside down (it’s strange when you’re not used to it!), and if it gets to be too much, or a little freaky – then just calmly put your feet back on the ground. At first, don’t walk up too high on the wall – get a feel for it and always always be safe. We took several minutes to practice those then ended with 1 hand swings – 5r-5l-5r-5l straight through for fun. If you have extra time and energy, see how long you can go without sacrificing form.

Then it was joint mobility time – with some extra wrist drills (bridging and handstands…. you know how it is!).   I hope these ideas might inspire you to come up with a blended workout – let me know if you do!