Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings: Just 12 Minutes a Day to Lose Weight, Prevent Sitting Disease, Hone Your Body and Tone Your Booty! by Don Fitch

Update: I personally choose my cast iron kettlebells from Dragon Door and my competition kettlebells from Kettlebell Kings.

I am very sedentary. They tell me that sitting kills. So, I took to kettlebells. I work from home so I can workout during the day. At first I would do one 45-60-minute kettlebell workout but then I discovered Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings: Just 12 Minutes a Day to Lose Weight, Prevent Sitting Disease, Hone Your Body and Tone Your Booty! and feel like I won the lottery.

I could get off my butt every hour (I am using a GymBoss interval timer to keep track of it) and swing my kettlebell for 90-second every 60-minutes. They say that the two-handed kettlebell swing is all you need to get oneself into phenomenal shape, both fitness and strength.

I don't even really break a sweat, though I am only running a 12kg kettlebell until I can slowly build to my 16kg, my 20kg, and ultimately my 24kg bells. Even though the workouts are for only 90-seconds every hour, maybe 6-12-times-a-day, they really build up and I can feel it in my glutes and hamstrings almost immediately.

The only thing that one must do is to be sure to stretch and not to just sit down on the couch right afterwards. As kettlebell god Pavel likes to say, after you do kettlebell swings, you need to make sure you don't hunch forwards, that you should sit or stand proudly upright.

So, if you decide to add Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings into your workout routine, be sure not to underestimate their effects on your entire body. Warm-up, cool down, stretch, and be sure not to allow your body to seize up.

If you give maybe 90-seconds to stretching and cooling down after every 90-second workout, you've still only "wasted" a total of 3-minutes every hour on exercise, a combined 18-36-minutes/day, max! More like 9 minutes if you don't stretch and 18 if you do.

About Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings

This ebook shows you how to benefit from kettlebell swings as a key to achieving your fitness and weight loss goals. Called the “most perfect single exercise,” kettlebell swings offer not only cardiovascular conditioning but also serve as strength training for losing fat and building great body composition.

The book acquaints readers with kettlebells, round weights with handles, and the kettlebell swing, a quick exercise that takes about a second and a half per repetition. With this simple weight and this single exercise, the basic requirements to gaining outstanding conditioning and weight loss are yours.

The book encourages you and makes it easy to take on the goal of 12 minutes per day of kettlebell swings. This is roughly the cardiovascular equivalent of a mile and a half run, but spread out across the day. Ideally, your swings are accomplished in one to 2 minute segments of 36 to 72 repetitions.
You will learn the basics of both the kettlebell weight and the key exercise, the two-handed swing. The book aids you in determining good kettlebell weights and helps you find them.

Although this wellness book does advocate other aerobic exercise, e.g. walking 10,000 steps per day and does present nutritional guidelines for weight loss and maintenance, the 12 minutes of kettlebell swings are the revolutionary element that can deliver exceptional fat loss and body toning. Weight loss and body composition goals that have long been elusive can quickly be achieved with your kettlebell swing sessions.

Your one-minute to two-minute kettlebell swing sessions are uniquely and powerfully timed to avoid and fix “sitting disease” maladies. Simply sitting has been found to be a cardiovascular and metabolic risk factor. Sitting too long confuses your metabolism. A quick kettlebell swing session is the postural and metabolic opposite of sitting and a perfect 90 second antidote to sitting diseases.

This book promotes and guides other wellness lifestyle changes to complement improvement from the kettlebell workouts. Choices of food and drink are critical to helping new muscles build while carving away fat. A chapter leads you through the what, why and how of eating choices that inoculate you from obesity and help develop and maintain a healthy, muscular and lean body.

On a personal note, I am not a certified kettlebell trainer and I do not attempt to instruct in kettlebell workouts. The kettlebell swing, one simple exercise, is all we work on in this book. We just do a lot of swings, more than you would do in a certified course. I have completed the 10,000 Swings monthly challenge. At 63, I find the exercise a great source of vitality. Swings are foundational to all kettlebell training, but just one of a dozen kettlebell exercises. For cardiovascular and strength training the swing is perhaps the most useful of all exercises.

You need only this ebook and a few kettlebells (the book helps you shop for them) to begin to gain the strength and weight loss that a few daily minutes of kettlebell swings will provide you. Get fit! Get fierce! Get swinging kettlebells.

FAQ

Q1: What is "Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings" about? A1: It's a book by Don Fitch that introduces a simple, effective kettlebell swing workout aimed at improving fitness, losing weight, and combating the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, all with just 12 minutes of exercise a day.

Q2: Who is the book for? A2: This book is ideal for anyone looking to enhance their physical fitness, lose weight, and tone their body, especially those with busy schedules or sedentary lifestyles.

Q3: Do I need any special equipment? A3: Yes, you will need one or more kettlebells. The book helps you choose the right weights to start with and progress.

Q4: Can beginners do this workout? A4: Absolutely! The book is designed to be accessible to beginners, providing guidance on proper kettlebell swing technique and progression.

Q5: What are the main benefits of kettlebell swings? A5: Kettlebell swings work your entire body, particularly the posterior chain muscles. They offer cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, fat loss, and can help prevent the health risks associated with prolonged sitting.

Q6: How long does the workout take? A6: The core workout is just 12 minutes per day, broken into 90-second sessions every hour, making it highly manageable alongside daily activities.

Q7: Is there a nutritional guide included in the book? A7: While the focus is on kettlebell swings, the book also touches on nutritional guidelines to support weight loss and muscle building.

Glossary

• Kettlebell: A round weight with a flat bottom and a handle at the top used for exercise that combines cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility training.
• Kettlebell Swing: A basic kettlebell exercise where the weight is swung from between the legs up to chest level or higher in a smooth motion.
• Posterior Chain: The group of muscles on the backside of the body, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
• Sedentary Lifestyle: A type of lifestyle with little to no physical activity, often associated with sitting for prolonged periods.
• Sitting Disease: A term used to describe the health issues associated with prolonged sitting, such as increased risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity.
• Interval Timer: A device or app used to time intervals for exercise and rest periods, helpful in timing kettlebell swing sessions.

What ChatGPT Thinks

"Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings" by Don Fitch is a book that promotes a simple, time-efficient kettlebell workout program designed to help individuals lose weight, improve overall fitness, and combat the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

Some key aspects of the book and program include:

1. Focus on kettlebell swings: The book emphasizes the kettlebell swing as the primary exercise, which is a powerful full-body movement that can help build strength, increase cardiovascular fitness, and burn calories.

2. Time-efficient workouts: The program advocates for just 12 minutes of kettlebell swings per day, making it a convenient option for people with busy schedules who want to improve their fitness levels.

3. Targeted muscle groups: Kettlebell swings work the posterior chain, which includes the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. This focus can help to develop a stronger and more toned lower body.

4. Approachable for beginners: The book aims to be accessible to those who are new to kettlebell training, providing guidance on proper technique and progression.

5. Health benefits: The program claims to help prevent sitting disease, which is the term used to describe the negative health effects associated with a sedentary lifestyle, by promoting regular physical activity.

Some potential concerns or limitations:

1. Limited exercise variety: Focusing primarily on kettlebell swings may not provide enough exercise variety for some individuals or address specific fitness goals.

2. Potential overemphasis on specific muscles: While kettlebell swings are a great full-body exercise, they may not target all muscle groups evenly. Some individuals may need to incorporate additional exercises to address specific weaknesses or imbalances.

3. Individual needs and goals: The program may not be suitable for everyone, especially those with pre-existing conditions or injuries. It's important to consult with a fitness professional to ensure that the program is appropriate for your specific situation and to modify the program as needed.

When evaluating "Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings," consider your personal fitness goals, preferences, and individual needs. While the program may be a convenient and effective way to improve overall fitness and combat the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, it's essential to ensure that the program is appropriate for your specific situation and to consult with a fitness professional if needed.

What Bard Thinks

I think Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings: Just 12 Minutes a Day to Lose Weight, Prevent Sitting Disease, Hone Your Body and Tone Your Booty! by Don Fitch is a great book for anyone who is looking to get started with kettlebell training. The book is well-written and easy to follow, and it provides clear instructions on how to perform the kettlebell swing, which is one of the most effective exercises for burning fat, building muscle, and improving overall fitness.

The book also includes a number of helpful tips and variations on the swing, as well as a training program that will help you progress from beginner to advanced. I have personally used the program, and I found it to be very effective. I was able to lose weight, build muscle, and improve my overall fitness in a short period of time.

If you are new to kettlebell training, I highly recommend checking out Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings. It is a great way to learn the basics of kettlebell training and to start on your journey to a healthier, stronger body.

Here are some of the pros and cons of the book:

Pros:

• Well-written and easy to follow
• Clear instructions on how to perform the kettlebell swing
• A number of helpful tips and variations on the swing
• A training program that will help you progress from beginner to advanced

Cons:

• Some of the exercises may be too challenging for beginners
• The book does not include any information on nutrition or other aspects of fitness

Overall, I think Get Fit, Get Fierce with Kettlebell Swings is a great book for anyone who is looking to get started with kettlebell training. The book is well-written and easy to follow, and it provides clear instructions on how to perform the kettlebell swing, which is one of the most effective exercises for burning fat, building muscle, and improving overall fitness.