Happy Friday Fit Fem’rs! Instead of downing a super sweet, full of sugar, margarita for happy hour, why don’t you sneak in a quick kettlebell workout?

What the hell is a kettlebell? If you haven’t seen one or even heard or read about kettlebells, you are truly missing out. Ever go to your local gym and see a small cannonball shaped weight with handles up top? Yup, that’s a kettlebell. Kettlebell workouts are an incredible tool used in strength training and weight loss, especially now as people become so conscious and so obsessed with staying fit and staying healthy. If you have done countless exercises, you could lose hope after some time, especially if you cannot see the desired results within a desired time frame. Kettlebell weights might just be the thing to rattle things up a bit.

Also known as a Russian kettle weight, a kettle bell is a hand weight made of pure iron. They are small and are easily portable and storable. They originated in Russia and it was in 1913 that they gained recognition as weight loss and muscle toning tools. In 1985, kettlebell workouts became a sport, and since then has shined and helped millions of people lose weight and get the body they wanted.

If you are starting with kettlebells and you have a strong goal, remaining consistent with the workouts is relatively easy. Routine exercises could get boring overtime but using kettlebell weights could solve your problem on losing interest on your workout just because of the versatility of the exercises. There are a variety of exercises that you could use to develop your muscles, and all these muscles could be toned and shaped using the kettlebell. The best part about it is that you don’t just focus on one muscle group; you get to use your entire body through one fluid, dynamic motion. Therefore, you are working multi muscle groups. That leads to more calorie expenditure which leads to what?? You guessed it, weight loss!! Hells yea baby! It’s really awesome. And don’t be afraid of this kind of workout. Kettlebells aren’t only for men or for the super strong. Any person can pick up the kettlebell and reap the weight loss benefits; women and beginners!

So what are some of the Fit Fem favorites? Use these exercises to form your own kettlebell workout.

• One Armed Swing: The fundamental and most basic exercise is the swing, and it is meant to build up muscle endurance. So if you want to get started on a kettlebell, make sure you do the swing workouts first to build your muscle endurance before trying out other exercises. It works like this; have one kettlebell held with your arm down in between your feet. Stick your butt back and bend your knees as your starting position. Protect your core by having your abs contracted and back straight. Swing the kettlebell between your legs using some momentum straight up. As your arm comes back down quickly switch directions and get your other arm to hold the kettlebell. Drive though with your hips using explosive movement to take that kettlebell straight up again. Allow for the weight to swing back between your legs and repeat. Keep switching between arms. Remember that the swing is produced by your lower body and you should feel it in your hamstrings and not your shoulders.

• One Armed Clean: Start by standing up and having a kettlebell placed between your feet. Safely bend down keeping your abdominals contracted, sticking your butt out, and looking forward. Swing the kettlebell between your legs and reverse the direction and drive through explosive movement driven by your hips. Bring the kettlebell straight up using body momentum; remember this is not an arm curl. Open your hand and hold on to the handle of the kettlebell to allow it to face the opposite direction. Do not let the bell flip over so to hurt your wrist.

• One Armed Row: Hold the kettlebell in one hand and bend over by hinging at the waist, back straight knees soft, and abs contracted until you are parallel to the ground. Your lower back is protected here. Take that arm and drive your elbow back up to torso level and contract those back muscles. Lower the weight and repeat and repeat on the other side after you are done with your sets.

You can perform so many other push/pull exercises in kettlebell workouts. Pushing and pulling are two main forces at work every ticking second. Push exercises tones the triceps, chest and shoulders while pull exercises give emphasis on the biceps and the upper back. If you want balanced muscles and fat loss, make sure that you perform both pushes and pulls as these are opposing movements. Don’t be afraid to get creative; anything that you do with traditional weighted dumbbells can most likely be done with the Kettle weight.

Kettlebell workouts are actually very easy to do. It might not be such a bad idea to invest time, money and energy into this workout. It’s sure worth the results!