Before we get to the double kettlebell workout let’s play a little game!

I spy with my little eye….a guy (or four) and the color is gray.

Do you see Mount Rushmore in the background!!!

We made it Mount Rushmore and it was not exactly “amazing” but really fun to see this icon of American history in real life. However, the Black Hills area where Mount Rushmore is located in South Dakota is amazing with endless beauty and so many things to do. As impractical as it was I couldn’t resist finding a place to film my kettlebell workout with the faces in the background. It’s not often that I can find a suitable and safe place to do a kettlebell workout in front of a major landmarks.

Short and Strong Double Kettlebell Workout

1. Double Push Press – 11
2. Jump Squats – 11
3. Double Rows – 11
4. Double Swings – 11

AMRAC (as many rounds as challenging) in 11 minutes.

(Why 11? South Dakota has 11 letters and 11 is more fun than 10. )

This double kettlebell workout could easily be adapted for one kettlebell by alternating sides and add or take away a rep to work each side equally.

Have you ever been to Mount Rushmore or the Black Hills? Where is the strangest place you’ve ever did a workout? Do you prefer single or double kettlebell workouts?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States.

The post Short and Strong Double Kettlebell Workout -South Dakota appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Sometimes I regret choosing to film these kettlebell workout video series. It’s not often but sometimes I wonder, “What in the world was I thinking?” My head fills with doubts about my body, my ability, and my strength. Or it’s hard to find a perfect workout location or the weather is sweltering or freezing. You know, excuses.

But sometimes….

The location is perfect, right outside my front door. And at the foot of bad lands where wild horses roam free, I remember that I am enough as I am. I remember my strength lies not in how many pullups I can or cannot do but in my Creator who loves and guides me.

You Are Enough Kettlebell Workout

Part I

A. Kettlebell Seesaw Presses 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (each arm)
B. Kettlebell Renegade Row 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (each arm)
C. Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (each leg)

Part II

Kettlebell Swings – 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 (6 sets)

Complete A-B as a descending ladder. Once you finish one rep (each arm and leg) of each then move onto part II, the kettlebell swings. Rest as needed.

Note: It looks like I’m rounding my back during the swings in the video. While I do sometimes I have tendency to unpack my shoulders (I constantly have to remind myself to get them down and back), the vest is puffing out at the back. Don’t mistake that as a cue to round your back. Keep it flat with a natural curve!

Alright guys that’s it! I’m not sure what kettlebell workout number this is but I’m making progress through all 48 states and someday hopefully 50. Slowly but surely!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember you are enough just the way you are! 

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States.

The post You Are Enough Kettlebell Workout – North Dakota appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Sometimes I think we make things harder in our head they they are in reality. How many times have you talked yourself out of workout because it just seems like it’s going to be “too hard” or “you don’t have time”.

I know I’ve done that more than I’d like to admit.

Working out isn’t the only thing I put off because it seems “too hard” or “too time consuming”.

Editing my workout videos is another thing that always seems overwhelming in my head but once I start I realize that it’s not that hard. I was reminded of that this morning when I sat down to edit another kettlebell workout for my state series. It took all of two hours instead of the all day job I had envisioned. In hindsight, it would have been easier just to start in the first place instead of keeping it on my to-do list. Kinda of like a workout.

I filmed this kettlebell workout early last fall in Minnesota. It was a beautiful morning on the lake and a perfect way to start the morning before we headed to North Dakota. Before my workout I did a series of mobility drills for warm up.

As usual it’s a simple kettlebell workout that  requires one bell but if you are really advanced it could easily be done with two substituting presses for the reach.

Kettlebell Workout Minnesota

A. Squat Reach 10x
B. Snatch* 10x each arm

AMRAC in 9 minutes. AMRAC = As many reps as challenging.

Most often you see AMRAP (as many reps as possible) used in timed workouts. I have posted AMRAP workouts before but recently I’ve been working on listening to my body more. While I’m not against  AMRAP workouts I no longer think that language is the most beneficial as it encourages people to get in as many reps as possible oftentimes at all cost. Form may be sacrificed (I’ve done this) and when you are racing the clock then it’s easy to forget to listen to your body (I’ve done this too). Of course, it’s absolutely possible to do an AMRAP workout safely but perosnally I prefer the word “challenging” because the goal is to challenge your body not push it to its limits. Every once in a while is fine but to push to your limits all the time is not necessary nor is it smart.

*If you aren’t comfortable with snatches just substitute swings instead.

Do you prefer kettlebell snatches or swings? Do you ever put things off only to find out it wasn’t near as “bad” as you thought? 

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States.

The post Snatch It Up- Kettlebell Workout – Minnesota appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I have one thing to say about last week.

Amazing.

We stayed on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. Our friends who we met up with in Provo the week before, the ones we spent the winter with in Breckenridge, came with us. Not only that but my longtime internet friend, Janetha, who I met on a fitness forum before we both had blogs came for dinner.

Rather than tell you about my week, I’m going to show you. At least I’m going to show you the fitness-y parts. I do a lot more than exercise. I’ll save the details on bison, floating in the Great Salt Lake, and jackrabbits with ears as long as my arm for my adventure blog.

Our campsite was incredible. It was large and open and faced the Great Salt Lake making for the most stunning sunset workouts.

I did a few strength workouts and pulled out my heavy rope for the first time since last fall.

I’ve gotten so strong that I broke my rope into pieces. He he. (If you look closely- I know the photo is kinda small – you can see how the panorama app composited the rope into pieces.)

Brent and I also slipped away for a bike ride.

We started off on this trail which got progressively more rocky, so much so that we were walking and hauling our bikes over rocks more than we were riding. Biking is hard for me especially through rocks. I get really scared especially since my little brother almost died from a bike accident when I was a kid

So we found an easier trail. Much easier for me because while Brent went to the top of that moutain I sat on the side of the road.

We passed a heard of bison on the beach.

To add to an already beautiful week Janetha came to visit along with Marshall, the pups, and Momma B. I had actually met Janetha once before briefly before we left when she came to LA. Our meeting in LA was a short visit and their were a lot of people. I’m an introvert and prefer small groups so this was perfect.

I’ve met a lot of bloggers in person. Most of the time they are as nice in person as they are on their blog. Janetha is no exception. She is every bit as sweet in person as she is online and then some. As are Marshall and Momma B, who I’ve also known and interacted with online for a number of years. I actually did a Girl Heroes feature with Janetha and Momma B a few years ago. Not only is their transformation inspiring but so is their friendship. Wonderful wonderful people.

I was thrilled when she said they would bring the dogs.

I was secretly planning to kidnap Penny but once I met Randy (the basset) I  decided I had to have them both but couldn’t figure how to keep them without Janetha and Marshall noticing. These two were ridiculously sweet and well behaved. They hung out with us inside our RV until 11 pm! Janetha and Marshall told us the funniest stories about Randy  honking the horn and getting into food. Ornery fellow! My kind of dog!

We also ate dinner while watching the sunset.

A bison even decided to cruise by while we were eating!

Thank you so much for visiting Janetha, Marshall, Momma B, Penny, and Randy. It was such a treat! In case you haven’t read Janetha’s blog (you probably have she has quite the following) it’s called Meals and Moves. She wrote about our time together here.

Have you ever met an online friend in person? Any mountain bike tips?  

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States.

The post Fitness, Friends, and Fun on Antelope Island appeared first on Girl Heroes.

This is a kettlebell workout for the outdoors.

Or in the very least a kettlebell workout that shouldn’t be done on your wood or tiled floor because if you are like me you might drop the bell once. Or twice.

Regardless, this is a fun kettlebell workout. Not to mention quick kettlebell workout for those day you…well…don’t want to workout but know you probably should. You know those days.

Yeah, this kettlebell workout is for those days.

Anyway a quick word of caution: don’t fight the bell and pay attention. If you feel it slip let it go and get out of the way. The bell always wins. Always.

Catch Me If You Can – Kettlebell Workout – Michigan

A. Swing-Catch-Squat-Reach
B. Around the Body (Alternate directions)

Set a timer for 30/30 (A/B) intervals and 8 rounds. Feel free to do more or less but I did 8 minutes and it was just what I needed for the time I had. 

Tips: There is point at the top the swing where you feel the kettlebell “float”. This is where you catch it. Also you don’t need to transiotion between moves smoothly. It’s okay to stop the bell after the reach and then start your around the body. It’s also okay to set the bell back on the ground to start your swings after your around the body. You’ll be less likely to bang your knee. Lastly, I noticed near the end I was getting tired and I wasn’t dropping my hips during my squat and instead I was dropping my chest a little. This is easier but it’s also wrong. Be mindful of that.

We filmed this kettlebell workout at Sleeping Dunes National Lakeshore where we climbed the dunes.

It was spectacular.

My moody (now) teenager even enjoyed it. At least for a few minutes.

Well…that’s that. Have you ever dropped a kettlebell during your workout? What do you do when you are having one of those days?  Have you done a kettlebell workout this week?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States.

The post Catch Me If You Can! – Kettlebell Workout – Michigan appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I’ve filmed some kettlebell workouts in some amazing places all the way from California to Maine.

Places like the Florida Keys, near wild horses on Assateague Island and in front of the NYC skyline.

But sometimes it’s the simple unexpected places that stand out.

Places like this park we stumbled upon in Des Moines, Iowa

First of all, I had no idea Des Moines was a cool city!

Second of all, look at these leaves!

Beautiful!

It almost makes me wish for fall.

Almost.

Double Kettlebell Workout – Iowa

Part One

A. Double Kettlebell Clean and Press – 5
B. Double Kettlebell Bent Row – 5
C. Push Ups – 5

Repeat A-C 4x.

Part Two

Tabata Double Kettlebell Swings

Set a timer for 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Repeat 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. (Here is a brief intro to Tabata and its benefits.)

I’m really happy with this double kettlebell workout. My form is better than some of my others (If you ever want to improve your form. Film yourself 4o times and you will get better.) and it is a challenge. Plus it’s over really quick. Gotta love tabata kettlebell drills especially double kettlebell tabata drills! Evil laugh….

Getting Personal

Last week I said I was not motivated. Well I’m still feeling down. Not as down as a few weeks ago but still not myself and I don’t really know what’s going on.

Perhaps it was the long winter? Despite all the snowboarding the four of us were in an RV for four and half months while the temperatures dropped below freezing.

Or perhaps it’s the uncertainty of our life? We aren’t sure where we are going to settle down. Truth be told, I don’t like the idea of settling down at all but my oldest who just turned 13 thinks he may want to go to high school. We want to honor that desire so we are thinking about places to settle. I’ve learned I am a gypsy at heart and this nomadic life feels right almost like finding a soulmate. It will be hard to settle when the time comes.

Or perhaps it’s the stress of being a single income family working freelance. Some of Brent’s biggest clients aren’t giving him the work like they did when we lived in Ventura. It can be stressful as I’m sure many of you understand in this down economy and I realize there are many people in tougher situations. He could look for a normal job but we both agree that being able to live the nomadic life is worth the uncertainty that comes with working freelance.

Or perhaps, it’s the sugar. The sugar. In fact, I’m certain that is a big part of it. I’ve struggled with my sugar addiction for the past year and a half and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that while my mood has gone down my sugar consumption has gone up. Sigh.

Well that’s enough. I’m not going to throw myself a pity party. At least not on my blog. After all life really is beautiful and if you don’t have downs then you can’t have ups.

Do you like where you live? Are there any places we should check out as a possible place to settle? What about double kettlebell workouts? Do you love them as much as me?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States

The post Strength and Endurance Double Kettlebell Workout – Iowa appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I haven’t picked up my kettlebells for weeks. Truth be told, I’m still struggling with motivation in general but watching this kettlebell cardio circuit that we shot in St. Louis Missoris just may change that.

Maybe.

We loved St. Louis and I loved that we unexpectedly found this park the morning we decided to film the kettlebell workout. I had been asking around if there was a good place to get pictures of the arch (it’s hard to get the entire thing in the frame because it’s so tall) and everybody kept saying not really. I considered doing the workout on the busy square  downtown but it was busy. It may not seem like it but I’m really shy and if possible I like to shoot the kettlebell workouts in more low traffic areas if possible. So I looked at the map again and saw Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park right across the river from the arch. It was perfect with a great view of the St. Louis skyline and it was quiet! Why didn’t anyone know about this place!

The is a kettlebell cardio circuit. It’s perfect for non-strength days or on it’s own whenever you need a quick but effective workout. Love kettlebells!!!!

Kettlbell Cardio Circuit – Missouri

1. Down Ups – 8
2. Kettlebell Reach – 8
3. Jump Squats – 8
4. Two Handed Row – 8
5. Swings – 8

As many rounds as possible in 8 minutes.

I was trying the two handed row with an underhand grip and I’m not crazy about it as it can put a lot of pressure on the wrist through hyperextension. So if you do that just be aware of your wrist position and make sure they aren’t bending backwards too much. A lighter kettlebell will help this.

___

We finally left Breckenridge a few days ago. It was a bittersweet goodbye. We had an amazing time snowboarding (you can see all of our best pictures here) and being part of a community for four months. It’s going to take a few days to adjust to moving again and getting back on track with my workouts. I’ll write more about it next week because my grandparents are visiting us right no. They came out for my oldest son’s 13th birthday and we want to spend as much time with them as possible.

Alright well I hope you are having a great week! Do you ever use kettlebells for cardio circuits or do you prefer using them solely for strength?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States

The post Kettlebell Cardio Circuit – Missouri appeared first on Girl Heroes.

This kettlebell workout is only two moves and the sets are based on the 8 letters in the word Illinois. Like most of my workouts, I try to always connect some number in the workout with the number of letters.  Although there have been a few I was running low on creativity and just wanted to get done.

I’m particularly fond of this kettlebell workout for its versatility. Once you have the swing down it’s great for beginners through advanced. It can be easily modified by decreasing reps and/or sets or using a heavier kettlebell.  It works well on its own when you don’t have a lot of time, as conditioning workout for non-strength days, or as a finisher on strength days.

Illinois

A. Swings 
80,70,60,50,40,20,10

B. KB Toss
 80,70,60,50,40,30,10

Start with 80 reps (or whatever you think is a good number for YOU) and the next set reduce reps by 10 until you get to 10 reps of the swing and toss. Red lipstick and dark eyeliner are optional but highly recommended!*

*We were on our way to visit friends and going out that night so I changed in the car in the car to workout. However, I’ve done more ridiculous things like combine leopard heels and kettlebells.

I also want to say thank you to Jen for interviewing me in her Lady Lifter Spotlight last week. I interview a lot of women here on my blog so it was nice to be on the other side. Speaking of interviews would any of you like to be featured or have someone would you like to “nominate” as a Girl Hero? I’m always on the lookout for inspirational women. And inspirational does not mean “super buff” or someone who has lost a lot of weight. (Although that’s fine!) Girl Heroes are women who are doing their best to choose health in our not so healthy culture. Anyway you can email me if you are interested jenn (at) girl-heroes.com

I haven’t been blogging much over here because after Thing One asked me, “Do you think one day I’ll be nostalgic for this trip? For living in the RV?” I started to feel like I really need to catch up on capturing our adventures on my travel/family blog. It’s kinda embarrassing how far behind I am!!!! When we left I imagined being able to keep up on everything (and not be 6 months behind editing workouts!!) but the truth is I only have so much time and energy. My family and life come before the computer. If they didn’t I don’t think I’d have anything to write about or even be on this trip! Anyway, it’s really important to me to catch up on our travels before time starts to scratch away at those memories. Have you ever seen those blog to book things? They look like the yearbooks I got in high school. My desire is to turn our other blog, Newschool Nomads, into a “yearbook” that captures the memories and brief histories of all the places we have gone and give one to each of the boys when they leave our nest. Sniff. So I’m going to do my best to post a few times a week over here but for right now catching up on the memory book for my kids is my top priority.

Alright that’s it….I hope you enjoy this short kettlebell workout and let me know if you know someone (or YOU…don’t be shy!) who would make a good Girl Hero!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

The post A Windy City Workout – Kettlebell Workout – Illinois appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Sometimes you only have time for a 10 minute kettlebell workout.

Other times you only want to workout for 10 minutes.

My kettlebell workout in Ohio was one of those times. We filmed this workout in the middle of July when it was hot and humid and a 10 minute kettlebell workout was about all I could tolerate.

So when I only have a few minutes I want to make it count and this kettlebell workout does just that.

10 Minute Kettlebell Workout – Ohio

1. Double Press  -1
2. Down Up – 1 right, 1 left)
3. Double Row – 1
4. Push Up – 1

AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 10 minutes. 

“As many reps as possible”are not my favorite type of workouts.  They are popular right now but I find them too mentally and physically taxing. I prefer to use them sparingly in my workout schedule for days I only have 10 or so minutes or days I “just want to get it done.”

Do you like AMRAP workouts? What do you do when you only have 10 minutes to workout?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

The post 10 Minute Kettlebell Workout – Ohio appeared first on Girl Heroes.

This is the final workout in my beginner kettlebell workout series as Pennsylvania was the last of the 13 original colonies for us to visit.

I’ve been dreading editing this kettlebell workout for months. It was our last day in Pennsylvania so I was feeling pressure to get the workout done and I had also woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

To top it off, we were having trouble finding a suitable place to workout so we ended up in the parking lot of a little restaurant next to some train tracks. Wouldn’t you know a train would go by during my swings. Of course. I wonder what the passengers thought of the girl swinging the cannonball next to the RV. A girl’s gotta get in her workout, right?  In hindsight, it’s kinda funny. In the moment…not so much but I tried to keep a good attitude.

That’s not to say Lancaster County, Pennsylvania wasn’t wonderful. We hadn’t planned on going there but it’s where a family RV rally was being held. We were all glad we went because it’s the heart of Amish country which was fascinating to experience even if it was on a superficial level. (It kinda makes me want to simplify even more.) We took an Amish buggy ride and found lots good food. It’s hard to tell in the video but it’s a GORGEOUS landscape of rolling green hills dotted with small farms.

I called this kettlebell workout “Begin with the End in Mind” for a few reasons.

First, as I said it’s the last final workout in my beginner workout series. Woohoo!

Secondly, when I teach Turkish Get Ups I like to start by breaking it up into the beginning and the end. This workout practices the end of the Turkish Get Up. (That is if you don’t count going back down into the starting position.) If you are brand new to Turkish Get Ups I suggest practicing them without weight until you feel comfortable with movement and using a lighter weight (and balancing your shoe on your hand) while you practice the different sections separately.

Thirdly, whenever I start something I like to visualize (and pray for) the outcome. Before we headed out on our trip I saw, in my mind’s eye, my family growing closer as we traveled. I think that ha contributed to our success so far. Four people and four animals living together in a small space could have easily ended up a disaster. When I started working out I also visualized how I would feel, goals I would accomplish, and the way I would look. That helped me (and still does) to keep and get back on track when my healthy habits start to slip.

Anyway here my last beginner kettlebell workout…

Begin with the End in Mind – Beginner Kettlebell Workout – Pennsylvania

Part One

A. Overhead Reverse Lunges (Partial Get Ups – Top Half)

12 reps (6 on each side). Do these in whatever way feels comfortable. In other words, alternate sides, by twos, or threes. It’s 12 total. 

Part Two

A. Presses – 12 each arm
B. Rows – 12 each arm

Repeat A-B 3x

Part Three

A. Swings – any type

12 minutes of 30/30  (30 seconds work/30 seconds rest)

If there is one kettlebell workout I could go back and film again it would be this one and not because of the train.

I don’t have a problem with the kettlebell workout itself but my oh my…those swings! I look like I’m falling asleep and where’s my hip hinge? I admit I tend to get lazy with swings because it takes work to do a good swing but this is a perfect example of how our mood can really effect our workout. All that to say, make sure you hinge (load) your hips (and keep your shoulders down and back) while you swing!

Have you ever been to Amish Country? Anyone else love the idea of simplifying life? Anyone else have trouble working out when your in a bad mood? What kind of beginner kettlebell workouts do you like? 

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

The post Begin with the End in Mind – Beginner Kettlebell Workout – Pennsylvania appeared first on Girl Heroes.