What is a Full-Body Kettlebell Workout

What is a full-body kettlebell workout, or any full-body workout for that matter? First, we have to define what we’re measuring, is it the feeling of having worked the full body or having specifically targeted all parts of the body with movements that recruit the muscles as prime movers? There is a difference, and usually, with generic workouts or programs, the reference is to the feeling.

An example is the kettlebell clean, snatch, and overhead reverse lunge combo. This combo will have you feeling that you’ve worked your whole body, and you have, but not all in the same manner. The lower body will have been used as prime movers, i.e. the muscles that move the weight, and the core and arms will have been used mostly as stabilizers and fixators through isometric contractions.

A workout that does not work the full body is a split workout and it targets specific parts of the body, usually through as much isolation as possible. Meaning, to have the intended muscles do the work and everything around it as little as possible.

What is a Core Workout?

The core is your torso, everything between your limbs. When you perform a squat, the legs are the prime movers, the muscles that action the movement. Your torso needs to be held up, i.e. prevented from falling forward during the movement, the muscles that do this work are in and around the hips and back. These muscles are not working to action the movement but to hold you in position. They will be doing some work, but not as much as when you start adding load to the exercise, i.e. adding kettlebells to the squat.

Even though pretty much all exercises work the core, they’re not really considered core exercises until you feel like you’ve worked everything around that area. Usually, the core is also incorrectly thought of as the area around the midsection, the obliques and the abdominals. When you add load to the squat movement it becomes more of a core workout. When you target the abdominals and obliques as muscles that action a movement, it is considered more of an ab workout.

Is it Really a Full Body Workout?

A lower body workout never really is only a lower body workout. As explained above, when you add weight, you are working the core. If you’re holding on to a weight that’s hanging, then you are working your grip, your trapezius, back, etc. On our website, we’ll aim to categorize our workouts by the body parts that are worked as prime movers. If that’s not the case, we’ll aim to provide more details.

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