Fitness model and coach Michie Peachie shared a video of her kettlebell workout that hits all the muscle groups. While it’s not as intense as some of the other workouts we’ve seen, the slow pacing aims to build strength and endurance. Nothing too exotic as far as the exercises that are shown which makes it great for a beginner or advanced kettlebell user.
In this roughly 2-minute video, Michie describes the type of exercise she is about to perform in addition to mentioning the muscles that are targeted. There are no swings, jerks, or other fast movements. It’s a slow grind with only 1 of the 5 exercises requiring two kettlebells instead of one. Take a look at her workout video below.
Breaking Down This Kettlebell Workout
As you can see, none of these exercises are designed to make you sweat profusely. It’s a very methodical workout routine. If your goal is to achieve weight loss, you’re probably better off finding another more intense and fast-paced workout. However, if you want to strengthen muscles throughout your entire body without losing your breath, you can certainly accomplish that with Michie’s workout.
Exercises Featured in this Workout
- Push-Press
- Walk & Lunge Pass-Through
- Renegade Rows
- Thruster Progression
- Figure 8
Now, let’s get a little more in-depth with each exercise and the primary muscle group that is targeted. Each of them is suggested to be done in 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
Push Press
The first exercise is the Push Press which targets your shoulder muscles. Many videos show instructors show their non-kettlebell hand extended down and out. In this instance, Michie’s hand is firmly grasping her hip.
There are two interesting observations on this exercise. For one, you typically see a slight dip of the hips in other push press videos. Here, it’s a full-on squat. Nothing wrong with that, as your body is doing more work which will yield even better results.
The second point of interest has to do with the feet. Usually, you’ll see this exercise performed flat-footed. It’s easy to miss, but at the 24-second mark, you’ll notice that Michie extends to her toes while driving upwards. That little extra stress on the lower leg muscles will further help to strengthen them.
Walk & Lunge Pass-Through
Next up, the walk & lunge pass-through targeting the hamstring muscles. Like a swinging pendulum, you’ll notice that the timing between each lunge and pass is very precise. This exercise does require some extra room since you’ll be moving forward with every rep.
Each lunge is not unlike a stretching exercise. Alternating every other leg forward while passing the kettlebell between them also helps with balance. You’ll see that the lower knee is just barely not touching the floor after each progression. There’s no rest for these knees!
Renegade Rows
The only kettlebell exercise requiring two kettlebells, renegade rows focus on the back muscles. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Sometimes trainers will incorporate push-ups during this exercise. Although that’s not the case here, the renegade row is fine without any modifications.
Thruster Progression
The highlight of the video, the thruster progression activates the muscles of the quads, biceps, triceps, and shoulders (oh my!). The progression is very vertical by design. Starting with the kettlebell at chest level in the upside-down position it is as such: Squat, kettlebell curl, rise to overhead press, tricep extension, and then repeat progression. This is our favorite exercise of the bunch as it works out so many different muscles.
Figure 8
Perhaps the most disappointing exercise that is shown is the figure 8 targeting the ab muscles. The technique is solid, we just think it needs a little flair. It’s very stationary. Many other videos of the figure 8 show hinging at the hips after each pass instead of maintaining that lowered position. Does the concentration and strain on those ab muscles benefit more than the flexing and movement they endure when dipping after each rep? It’s your choice!
