Anderson - Kettlebell kickboxing : every womans guide to getting healthy, sexy, and strong

Copyright 2015 by Dasha Libin Anderson

Together with other logos and product names described in this book, the following are trademarks or registered trademarks of Kettlebell Kickboxing LLC, in the United States and other countries: Kettlebell Kickboxing, Kettlebell Kickboxing Scorcher Series DVD, and KBIA Instructor Certifications.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Rain Saukas

Front cover and chapter introduction photos by Amy Jackson

Back cover and step-by-step photos by Natanya Mitchell of B. Mitchell Studios

Front cover photo and photo on , Shutterstock/Deymos.HR

Photo on , Shutterstock/d9000

Photo model credits: Blue Jung and Jenel Stevens

Print ISBN: 978-1-63220-502-5

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63220-870-5

Printed in China

Disclaimer

The fitness and nutritional information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, the advice of a medical, nutritional, and/or fitness professional. Neither the author nor the publisher takes any responsibility for any injury, pain, or other damage related to the use or misuse of this book. It is the responsibility of the reader to be mindful of his or her safety and to know his or her limits. Do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and comfort.

As with any bodybuilding, exercise, fitness, health, or nutrition book, we strongly advise that you get the approval of a qualified medical/health authority before beginning any exercise program or making any dietary changes. The authors, publisher, people featured, or anyone associated with this book in any way shall not be held liable for anyones actions either directly or indirectly.

DEDICATION

First and foremost, I dedicate this book to my family. We are not the largest in numbers, but boy, are we strong when we stand together.

To my husband, without whom none of my milestones would be possible: you are my counterpart, my best friend, someone I look up to daily, and I love you.

I would not be who I am today without the strong women who raised me and led by example in their own lives. My mother is my greatest source of inspiration, followed only by my sister, my grandmother, and my niece. Bella, you are my family too.

Jenel, Blue, and Natanya, I asked and you came and helped me put this book together. You are true friends and women of constant inspiration. I look up to each of you, and I thank you.

Jenny, my editor, you found KB and you foresaw this as a book. Thank you for having that vision.

Lastly, and mainly, I dedicated this book to all of the Kettlebell Kickboxers in my classes and around the world! Those of you sweating with me at home and those I see daily, you are my constant motivation, and this book belongs as much to you as it does to me. Thank you for trusting me with your goals and your bodies. You inspire me, and I value all of you deeply. Now go on and get sweaty!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

MY STORY AND AN INTRODUCTION TO THE KETTLEBELL KICKBOXING PROGRAM

You probably picked up this book for one of three reasons:

One: youve been seeing kettlebells (not kettle-balls) in your gym, on television, at your friends house, and even in home goods stores. Honestly, youd just like to know what the hype is all about.

Two: you feel a bit stuck in your current fitness routine, and youve heard that kettlebells are great for both cardio and strength training, they do wonders for abs and glutes, and they burn triple the calories of other weights. Now you want to know how much of this is really true and how you can get in on the action.

Three: you grabbed this book because you already train with kettlebells, and you are sold on them, but you realize that you are only scratching the surface with all the kettlebell possibilities and workout options. You love the bell; now you just want more!

In the end, no matter the reason, one thing stands true: as women, we all want the same thing out of our workout routines. We want the opportunity to find the very best of ourselves and our bodies. We want to train smart and have fun training, and we want to leave the training floor more energized, clear-headed, and happy than when we got on it. When you dedicate yourself to a healthy lifestyle, you want all the benefits that come with it: a lean, strong, feminine body that is both functional and capable. Luckily, the combination of kettlebells and martial arts is the perfect tool that can be used to accomplish all of these goals. For busy moms and professionals, it is nice to know that a kettlebell workout can function as both strength and cardio, providing a perfectly balanced routine in under an hour. For those of us interested in a fitness challenge, the kettlebell works balance, agility, mobility, flexibility, power, strength, coordination, speed, and breathing; there is always something to strive toward.

Welcome to this wonderful journey of discovering your body and making it fit and healthy for life! Although you might be working toward a specific health or weight goal, I hope this journey far surpasses those first few goals and becomes an integral part of your life pursuit of health and wellness. You may find some of the concepts, facts, and programs here simple, while others may seem challenging. I ask that you rid yourself of any doubt here and now and keep an open mind. You have already taken the most difficult step: picking up a program. This program will help you restructure your understanding of wellness, build a real foundation of health, and achieve incredible, measurable results.

MY STORY

It can be hard to take the advice of a fitness professionalafter all, when its someones day job to stay in shape, their path to fitness isnt exactly relatable. But Im here to tell you that I wasnt always fit and healthy, and I have experienced firsthand the difficulty of balancing school or a nine-to-five job with a health and fitness program. Though my journey to get to this point was not easy, it has resulted in a wealth of knowledge from trial and error, as well as a great deal of research once I found the right pathall of the benefits of which you can reap with this program.

About ten years ago, I lost about forty pounds but that is just a small part of my fitness struggles!

When I turned fourteen years old, almost twenty years ago, I began to gain weight. It came on fast and continued all through high school and then college. It was a tough transition, to say the least, going from being comfortable with myself to feeling like a lazy outcast.