Last week I decided to step out of my workout comfort zone and try Kettlebell, Miami’s newest group fitness class offered at the Rec Center.
I went to Johnny’s class from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday. I was running a tad late and was the last one to arrive, bringing the class to a grand total of four. I was feeling a bit nervous, but Johnny was friendly and helped me pick out kettlebells appropriate for the level of intensity I was looking for from my workout. For those of you who aren’t familiar with kettlebell lingo; a kettlebell is a cast-iron weight, resembling a cannonball with a handle, which is traditionally measured in kilograms and come in a variety of sizes. I opted for the 16kg kettlebell and also had an 8kg one by my side as backup in case the 16kg became too much, seeing as I’m not the strongest person!
We began with some weightless squats and lunges to warm up as Johnny turned on some workout tunes. Once I could feel my heart begin to pump, Johnny got straight into the demonstrations for our first set, which consisted of three parts: The Two Hand Kettlebell Swing, The One-Arm Kettlebell Swing, and The One-Arm Clean and Press. He picked his kettlebell up off the ground and began doing this weird hip-swinging motion; I had to try not to laugh when I first watched him do it.
I soon came to learn that this move is called the Two Hand Kettlebell Swing (pictured below) and is one of the main kettlebell exercises. To perform this excercise, you stand with your feet a little further than hip distance apart, bend the knees, drive the hips back, and then in one fluid motion explosively drive the hips forward, raising the kettlebell to chest height. This move may look funny, but it’s seriously no joke. I could feel it working my shoulders, back, hips, glutes, and legs the entire time!
We then moved into the kettlebell deadlift. This move was simple enough, but really targeted my glutes and hamstrings. To do this move, stand over your kettlebell with your feet positioned slightly wider than hips distance apart while holding the kettlebell with both hands. Then, bend at the knees while placing the kettlebell between your ankles, keeping your back flat. Engage the core and lift the kettlebell straight back into a standing position.
For the last part of the set we did some basic squats while holding the kettlebell upright, so the handles gave us all kettlebell mustaches. I always have a hard time motivating myself to do squats on my own, so I was glad these were included in the circuit. We repeated this set five times, decreasing from 5 reps, to 4 reps, and so on until completed.
Next, we did a set with a One-Arm Kettlebell Swing and a One-Arm Clean and Press (steps pictured below). The Clean and Press is a full body movement in which you begin with the kettlebell on the ground and then lift it to chest level. Once at chest level, you rotate your elbow under the bell and explosively lift it up over your head. For these one-armed sets, I had to switch to the 8kg kettlebell, as did the other women in the class.
The entire class was based upon doing reps from these two sets. I thoroughly enjoyed the instruction in this class because we could go at our own pace, taking breaks between sets as needed or switching out weights. It was motivating to do it alongside more advanced people because it made me push myself more, resulting in a significant sweat. We did several sets of each and just when I thought I wasn’t going to last much longer, the class was basically over!
The 30 minute workout session was the perfect amount of time–just long enough to get sweaty and feel the burn, but not so long that I was about to die of exhaustion. We rounded out the class with a few cool down laps and stretches to ease our muscles.
I left feeling challenged and proud of myself for trying something new, and I would definitely recommend Johnny’s Kettlebell class to any collegiette! The Rec Center’s description of kettlebell calls it, “challenging but accessible to all levels of fitness” and I 100% agree. The class is truly what you make of it; and if I can do it, so can you!