Kettlebells Workouts

This is what I’d do, step by step .

[1] OWN IT:

About six or seven years ago, one of my colleagues “ abruptly ” dropped about 80 pounds. He was a powerlifter pursuing a BIG squat—800lbs if I recall correctly—but could never get below 260. When he lost that 80 pounds, I hadn’t seen him for a couple of years, so I asked him how he achieved it.

“It was pretty simple,” he said. “I talked to [a mutual friend] and he said, ‘Dude, you gotta own your sh*t.’ And that was it.”

In other copyright, if you have trouble to lose weight, you have to pinpoint your excuses—those stories and lies you tell yourself—and get rid of them. Change your stories.

[2] GET JUNK FOOD OUT OF THE HOUSE:

I’d go through the pantry and remove all cookies, chips, crackers, and soda. Then I’d hit the freezer and clear away pizza, ice cream—any high-calorie “binge-y” food. If it’s not there, I can’t eat it, especially not on impulse when more info I’m feeling anxious .

[3] I'D EAT A "PROTEIN-FIRST" DIET:

The first thing in my mouth each meal is protein. Every meal is built around it , then comes other stuff: carbs (potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice) and, of course, veggies.

Protein:

Reduces hunger

Prevents cravings for sugary and fatty foods

Increases your metabolism

Speeds up your recovery between workouts

In fact, 2015 research by Dr. Jose Antonio, PhD, et al, stated[1]:

“A high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) combined with a heavy resistance training program improves body composition in healthy trained men and women.”

[4] I'D LIFT HEAVY (HIGH FORCE):

I’d use a 4-6RM for my most important lifts, especially if I’d been doing a lot of KB ballistics. Many people who do “lots of Swings” are stunned when they add heavy lifts. Their heart rates skyrocket more than during Swings or Snatches, increasing the body’s calorie demands for recovery.

[5] I’d lift with explosive strength ( high intensity ):

I'd make each rep as intense as I’m able—no more “phoning it in” or just “surviving” my sets. If I’d already been doing “a bunch of Swings,” I’d probably increase my usual rep ranges (or raise them by 50%). For example, sets of 5 become sets of 10; sets of 10 become sets of 20.

[6] I would "bias" my training:

Most people do only what they prefer. But to strip fat off your body like solvent on an antique chest of drawers, you have to do the thing you are worst at—because it requires you to use more energy.

I lean towards low-rep strength work—that’s my bias. The opposite would be higher-rep KB ballistic work, like sets of 10+. That would exhaust me , requiring more energy. For someone who does “a lot of Swings,” it’d be the opposite: a lot of heavy strength work. Again, more energy than normal needed.

[7] I’d sleep more:

Sleeping more burns fat ; sleeping less increases fat storage [2]. Unbelievable, but true. Lack of sleep boosts appetite and makes you lose muscle (“fat-free mass”). I would make sure I get 7-8 hours every night.

[8] I’d breathe more:

Breathing—specifically diaphragmatic breathing—is a stress reliever . Reduced stress lowers cortisol, which reduces belly fat. Diaphragmatic breathing activates the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) system and counters the sympathetic (“fight, flight, or freeze”) system.

High cortisol also lowers anabolic (muscle-building & fat-burning) hormones like testosterone (T) and growth hormone (GH). So, breathing lowers cortisol and normalizes T and GH levels.

[9] I'd train 4-6x week:

Making your body lose fat is no mean feat. It’s like Scrooge McDuck hoarding his treasure: your body wants to hold on to fat. So you have to push it to burn regardless—by making it work more . How you organize your training is up to you. I prefer contrasting training:

Hard sessions followed by easy sessions

Heavy sessions followed by light sessions

That style makes the body work without burning it out . I’d keep sessions efficient and brief—20 to 30 minutes.

[10] I'D PRIORITIZE RECOVERY:

I’d ensure I stayed injury-free by emphasizing restoration/ flexibility work, knowing my body would become tense from extra use. If you’ve ever had an injury from overuse , you know it’s quite painful. Better to head that off early .

So, 5 to 15 minutes of restoration work each session. “Yeah, but won’t that take total workout time up to 45 minutes?” Maybe . Or I could switch between hard training days with easy restoration days and do more restoration work instead.

So How Long Would It Take?

As long as it needed .

But probably, no more than 12 weeks duration. Maybe as long as 16, depending on my recovery.