Do less, reap more.
Minimalism is the vein that runs through the whole of everything I do, with the chief and principle object being to do more with significantly less, and to not let “doing more” become an object unto itself.
The intention of this workout, and some of the others that follow, is to burn the most amount of calories, leading to rapid fat loss, all while doing the least amount of work through the use of kettlebell complexes.
Exercise Less, Get More: The Importance Of Minimalism
A good workout is vigorous and concise, uses sharp and athletic movements, and should not last any longer than it would take for a young, but not very smart, boy to recite the alphabet in reverse.
But distractions are all about us, and nuisances are abounding. And it’s hard to keep our focus, because everyday there’s a new a new piece of equipment to test out, a new supplement to buy, another exercise that is bright, shiny, and worthless.
Related: The Minimalist’s Guide To Working Out: How To Exercise The RIGHT Way
I call this portentous phenomenon clutter “the disease of fitness,” and the death of efficiency in any workout.
It’s clutter that slows us down, disrupts the flow of things, stick us with a pin, and turns out the light. Clutter is the obscene menace, the ultimate nuisance, the most notorious and villainous reason as to why your workout just isn’t working.
Clutter is any exercise in a workout that shouldn’t be there, any workout in an exercise program standing around with its hand on its hip, slacking off.
In a good exercise program, all the workouts are doing work, and, like all the words in a sentence, are actively pushing things forward–leading to rapid fat loss.
Related: 10 Strategies For Healthy Eating And Fast Fat Loss Anywhere
Any exercise program, we must remember, will improve in direct ratio to the number of things you can leave out of it that shouldn’t be there. This includes treadmills, soy protein shakes, and any contraption that promises tighter abdominals. It also includes texting and television.
The remedy to all of this, however, is not hard to find. A couple days a week, you should lift heavy and be mean to the weights, every once in a while, you should bust your ass, sprint, and sweat in sheets, and daily you should go for a sixty minute brisk walk.
Fat-Blasting, Muscle-Boosting Kettlebell Complexes
What follows is a selection, in no particular order, of some of my more minimalistic metabolic conditioning workouts using kettlebell complexes.
Metabolic conditioning is any form of exercise that stresses multiple muscle groups simultaneously so to generate an oxygen debt and, in turn, produce the caloric “after-burn” effect.
Related: 14 Food And Diet Tips That Help Boost Metabolism
And a complex, if you are unfamiliar, is any series of movements performed back to back with little to no rest in between.
Through complexes, the metabolic conditioning effect is achieved. This ensures a massive calorie burn and rapid fat loss even after exercise has been concluded and you are back at home helping mother take out the empty bottles.
You might think of these as “cardio” workouts that build muscle. You might also think of them as vile and obnoxious.
But they are strength, mobility, and endurance training fit neatly and succinctly into one short-lived and minimalistic bout of exercise.
1. Armor building
2 x double kettlebell clean
1 x double kettlebell military press
3 x double kettlebell front squat
Prescription: As many quality rounds as you can get in 15 minutes. Men use 20-32kg kettlebells; women use 12-20kg kettlebells.
2. High voltage
5 x single arm kettlebell swing
5 x single arm kettlebell clean and press
5 x single arm kettlebell snatch
5 x single arm kettlebell front squat
Perform entirely on your right without setting the bell down, and then immediately on your left
Prescription: As many quality rounds as you can get in 15 minutes. Men use a 20-24kg kettlebell; women use a 12-16kg kettlebell.
3. A Micro-Workout of Swings, Squats, and Push Ups
10 x two hand kettlebell swing
5 x kettlebell goblet squat
5 x push up
Prescription: As many quality rounds as you can get in 5 minutes. Perform this 3-5 times throughout the day, preferably before any major meal. Men use 24kg; women use 16kg.
4. The Vermin
1 x double kettlebell front squat to left arm overhead press
1 x double kettlebell front squat to right arm overhead press
1 x double kettlebell front squat to double arm overhead press
1 x double kettlebell front squat to left arm overhead press
1 x double kettlebell front squat to right arm overhead press
1 x double kettlebell front squat to double arm overhead press
Prescription: As many quality rounds as you can get in 15 minutes. Men use 2x24kg; women use 2×12-16kg.
5. The “Cardio” Workout That Builds Muscles
2 x double kettlebell clean
1 x double kettlebell military press
3 x double kettlebell front squat
10 x two hand kettlebell swing
Prescription: As many quality rounds as you can get in 15 minutes. Men use 2x24kg; women use 2×12-16kg.
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Pat Flynn is a fitness expert and author of Paleo Workouts for Dummies (Wiley, 2013) and Fast Diets for Dummies (Wiley, 2013). You can follow Pat at ChroniclesOfStrength.com, a blog on fitness minimalism.
Photo by dhansak79