Fat Loss Circuit Training is a unique approach to circuit training that is going supercharge your metabolism for fat loss.
You're going to do a circuit of 3 sets each of 5 kettlebell exercises, covering 5 of your major movement patterns (vertical explosive, upper body push, upper body pull, lunge and hip hinge).
Rather than cycling through the different exercises, you're going to work all 3 sets of each exercise BEFORE moving on to the next one (e.g. 3 explosive sets, then 3 upper body push, then 3 upper body pull, etc.).
Here's the fun part...instead of resting between sets, you're going to do 40 seconds of kettlebell swings using one of the bells that you're working with.
Seriously...NO rest.
All you get is however long it takes you to get into the next exercise.
All you need is a pair of kettlebells (dumbbells could also work, if you don't have kettlebells) for this circuit. I used a pair of 24 kg (53 lb) kettlebells for this circuit and that was plenty.
Again, perform all 3 of the sets for each exercise before moving to the next exercise in the sequence (this is a bit different than most circuit training approaches). It's not going to be too hard at first, but as fatigue accumulates in your posterior chain (especially towards the end), it's going to be extremely challenging.
And you'll be done with the entire workout in less than 20 minutes.
Exercise #1 - Kettlebell Snatches
The first exercise is an explosive movement.
If you're not comfortable with the snatch, you can instead do goblet push-presses with a single kettlebell (where you hold the sides of the handles with the bell in front of your chest, squat down a little, then blast upwards, pressing the bell above your head).
Otherwise, perform 4-5 reps on one arm, then immediately switch and perform another 4-5 reps on the other arm.
As soon as you're done, set the bells down briefly, then go right into...
"Between Sets" Exercise - Kettlebell Swings
Pick up one of the kettlebells and do swings for 40 seconds (I recommend using a timer). The weight should be light enough that you can pretty easily do swings with it for the entire time period.
This will change as you get deeper into the workout...fatigue in the spinal erectors will likely force you to take short 3-5 second breaks during the 40 seconds (this is totally fine).
Just come to about shoulder level with the swings. There's no need to come up any higher than that.
Remember, swings are a powerful hip hinge movement. The power comes from your hips, lower back and hamstings, not the quads. Each rep should begin with a forward snap of the hips.
You'll be doing this exercise between EVERY SET of the workout, instead of rest. And remember, you'll be performing 3 sets of each exercise.
Exercise #2 - Push-Ups on the Bells of the Kettlebells
Set the kettlebells on the floor so that they're lying on their sides. The handles should be horizontal. Set your hands on the bells so your palms are wide open then perform push-ups on top of them. The elevation allows you go a bit deeper into the range of motion.
Perform almost as many reps as you can with this...don't push to failure. Stay a few reps short.
Exercise #3 - Two Kettlebell Set-Down Rows
Now, if you want to do non-stop rows with the kettlebells here, you can.
I did start like that and found that it was more effective to set them down on the floor at the bottom of each rep (like a Pendlay Row). The reason being, after all the swings, my grip and lower back were both suffering and I would severely limiting how many reps I could get if I tried to go straight through.
The setting down (however brief) gives you some respite and allows you to get more reps total.
Try not to use your lower back as you row the kettlebells up and get a good contraction in the back muscles.
Go for as many reps as you can, staying a little short of failure.
Exercise #4 - Reverse Lunges
Start in the top standing postion, then take a big step back and come down into the lunge position. This version of the lunge is easier on the knees than a step-forward lunge.
Come back up, then immediately step back with the other leg.
And yes, it is proper form to be leaning forward slightly. This actually helps challenge the glutes on the front leg more.
At the bottom of every rep, you can set the kettlebells fully on the floor. Again, similar to the rows, this gives your lower back and your grip a slight reprieve from the continuous loading. It'll allow you to get more overall reps.
Repeat for 4-6 reps on each leg.
Exercise #5 - Kettlebell Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
This is different from the Romanian Deadlift in that you'll be setting the kettlebells fully on the ground at the bottom of each rep, allowing you to reset your lower back position and focus the loading on the hamstrings.
And truthfully, your lower back will be screaming at this point, and it won't be practical to try and do RDL's (which involve continuous tension on the lower back and hams).
Perform sets of 3-5 reps with this exercise, depending on how much fire is in your lower back at this point (it will be a lot).
Once you've finished 3 sets of this, you're done.
A 20-Minute Nightmare
This circuit seems pretty straightforward, but in practice it is BRUTAL. If you were doing just the exercises on their own, it would be tough...when you add 40 seconds of swings in between every exercise, it is incredibly hard.
When you're getting into the second half of the work (where the focus shifts to lower body), if you need to take short breaks in your swings, you can (I had to). Just set the kettlebell down for 3-5 seconds, without stopping the timer, then pick it up and keep going until your 40 seconds are up.
This is an extremely efficient fat-loss workout...it's equipment-efficient, space-efficient and time-efficient, all wrapped up into one powerful total-body-challenging package.
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