Summer in the Midwest is the best. Seriously, why else do we tolerate winters that can be blistering cold and soul crushingly grey for days, weeks, and months on end? Because the summers are THAT amazing, and the contrast to the dead of winter makes you appreciate it that much more. Long days drenched in warm sun call out for your participation, beckoning you to get outside and enjoy. Here in Minnesota that means evenings in the parks, bike rides, running or hiking trails, and long weekend trips to “the lake”.
What it doesn’t mean is 3 months off from training or letting summer road trips derail your nutrition (check out Kate’s 5 Healthy Tips for Road Trips!). Sure, you may not be able to pack a barbell and bumper plates in your car and knock out a Fran or Grace WOD at the cabin, but I guarantee you can make room for 1 kettlebell. If you’ve got 1 kettlebell and your body, you have everything you need to get a great workout in anywhere.
Here are 3 of my favorite single kettlebell workouts to take on the road (do as a 20 min. AMRAP resting as much or little as needed), plus one double bell complex and a bonus kettlebell sport complex if you’re feeling frisky 😉!
The Meat & Potatoes Workout:
- 2 hand swings x 20
- shoulder press x 10 (each arm)
- goblet squats x 20
- kettlebell push ups x 10
- good mornings x 20
The Unilateral Workout:
- 1 hand swings x 10 (each arm)
- Push press x 10 (each arm)
- forward lunges x 10 (each leg)
- bent row x 10 (each arm)
- 1 leg RDL x 10(each leg)
The Sidewinder:
- Hand to hand swing x 20
- Windmills x 10 (each arm)
- Side to side lunge x 20
- Halo x 20 (switch direction halfway)
- Bent press x 10 (each side)
The Superhero Complex (aka “man makers”, a term which I hate and refuse to use):
Do one of each movement sequentially, as many as you can in 5 minutes. Rest 5 minutes. Repeat 3 times.
- Pushup
- Renegade row
- Clean
- Front squat
- Jerk
The Longcycle Warm-Up Complex (intro to kettlebell sport)
Do all reps of all 4 moves on one side without switching hands, then switch without rest and finish on other side. This is typically completed 3x with increasing weight each time as a warmup before our kettlebell sport class, but it is also a great way to introduce yourself to the fundamentals of kettlebell sport!
- Half swing x 5
- Clean x 5
- Jerk x 5
- Long cycle (clean&jerk) x 5
This only scratches the surface of the countless moves, variations and combinations you can use to make your own workouts.
Be smart, move well, and work hard; you can’t go wrong!
If you want to learn more about kettlebells; schedule a session with an Athlete Lab coach, try a class at Iron Cycle, or stop in at 7 pm on Tuesdays for kettlebell sport class with the Twin Cities Kettlebell Club.