Kettlebells and sprinting both help you create weight-loss exercises, but the similarities stop there. With kettlebells, you can also create bodybuilding and sports performance exercises. Understanding how to create four different workouts using these two exercise options will help you meet your fitness goals.
Cardio Workouts
Working at a pace that raises your metabolism to your aerobic heart rate, you can use a kettlebell to create steady-state workouts that let you continue to work without taking frequent or long rests. Kettlebell swinging and circuit-training are two examples of cardio workouts you can create with a kettlebell. Sprinting raises your metabolism to near or at your maximum heart rate. This puts you into your anaerobic energy zone. If you can reduce your speed to a jog, you can use running to create aerobic workouts.
Interval Workouts
Interval training, also known as sprint training, is a method of training in short, intense bursts of activity that last for less than two minutes, followed by a recovery period. You can sprint train with running by performing high-speed dashes, then walking back to your starting point. Recover twice as long as you run. With a kettlebell, you perform exercises with a weight that lets you perform high-intensity reps for 30 to 60 seconds, followed by a recovery period at least two times as long as your exercise. This type of training burns more calories than aerobic exercise and creates a longer calorie-burn after your workout.
Bodybuilding Workouts
To build muscle, you must damage it by causing small tears in the muscle fibers. When your muscles repair themselves from this damage, they grow larger. Sprinting does not create enough resistance to cause hypertrophy, or the process that builds muscle. Using a kettlebell, you can work your muscles until you cause the stress that results in muscle building. Use heavy weights and perform your reps slowly for maximum muscle-building benefit.
Muscular Endurance Workouts
To improve your muscular endurance, exercise similar to interval training, adding some resistance. This method of exercise helps you improve your ability to use your muscles over time, such as during a match or game. Using a kettlebell at roughly 50 percent of your maximum intensity, perform 10 repetitions of an exercise, then take a one-minute break. Continue this cycle for 30 minutes or longer, switching between lower- and upper-body muscles each time. Sprint training provides some endurance benefits, but without resistance, provides less of an overall muscular benefit.
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