THE BEST EXERCISE TO LOSE WEIGHT

The kettlebell swing is by far the best exercise to lose weight, FINALLY. There have been many inspirational stories, such as that of Tracy Riefkind, who lost 100 lbs. through kettlebell swings alone.

When discussing weight loss we actually have a twofold goal. The first is to use stored body fat as fuel, aka to “lose weight.” Metabolizing body fat makes us leaner when we use more energy than we bring into our body. This is why calorie counting works for those who create that discipline of meal tracking, they learn to eat less. Less energy in plus same energy needed each day results in the body beginning to use it’s stored body fat (stored energy).
A second way to use more energy is to increase our daily energy needs, this is why exercise works. I move and do more each day to create that greater energy demand and my body begins using body fat for that extra needed energy. Easy right?

Here’s where things go awry though. Most people come to the conclusion to eat less and move more. Seems to be obvious, in fact most fitness companies use this line of thinking in their advertisements. However, there’s another wrinkle that most miss. Simply put, not all exercise nor calories have the same effect on the body. When one believes that all calories and exercise have the same effect they continue the cycle of weight loss followed by weight gain with no noticeable progress over the course of a year or longer.

WHY IS THE KETTLEBELL SWING THE BEST EXERCISE TO LOSE WEIGHT?

When looking at exercise options the kettlebell swing is the best exercise to lose weight due to it’s overall effect on the body. Different forms of exercise create different metabolic effects on the body. Look at the physique of a distance runner compared to someone that strength trains exclusively:

Now if you prefer the endurance look, AND want to train 3-6x more hours per week than our approach by all means go for it! Serious physique changes, the results looking like those above, through running will require 5 hours or longer per week. Within the distance trainee paradigm exists the belief that more will always be needed to get to the next level. The other problem is that the body actually contains several different types of muscle fibers, those used in endurance work stop elevating metabolic energy needs about 30 minutes after training.

If on the other hand you haven’t exercised consistently in years or longer, AND you’re busy all day everyday with work, kids, family, priorities that MUST be done like me, AND you want the leanest, strongest, healthiest body possible while committing only 3 hours a week TOTAL or even less! To do this we have to do as much as possible with the time we do have. Resistance training builds up muscle fibers that increase our resting metabolic rate (RMR) all day, everyday!

Here is why strength training is superior to distance based training such as running, cycling, etc. Even a minimum commitment of 15 minutes 3-5 days a week can continue creating results indefinitely, one simply continues to increase resistance (whether by more weight or changing the angle if using body weight) within the same 15 minute timeframe. Rest can also be decreased. You’ll be amazed how much work can be done in 15 minutes using such an approach!

Resistance training, lifting if using weights, or calisthenics (a fancy way to say using your own body weight), uses the optimal muscle fiber (Type IIB if you want to really geek out right now). Building these creates the curves both men and women want the most. The lean and strong woman and the broader shoulder man are achieved using the SAME exercises.

So Why The Swing Then?

The swing gives you the best overall outcome as it develops the most qualities at once!  You get the benefits seen above by training strength as the focus.  Power output is also increased along with a WTH?? effect that carries over into all physical activities and movement.  The reps, sets and workout duration can be altered to develop amazing aerobic capacity, giving you all the benefits of traditional “cardio” exercise in much less time!  Read on our blog tomorrow to learn how to safely and quickly develop the best results from kettlebell swings…