A quick Kettlebell Workout to Do NOW - No Excuses!

OK, a quick 'no excuses' workout for you, to stay within the theme of my Ultimate No Excuses 'You Write the Rules' Transformation Contest!

Perform 5 mins of dynamic stretches, plus body weight squats, lunges, side lunges and the stick up before you start.

10 Reps (each side where applicable) of the following, taking as little rest as possible until the end of the min-circuit:

• Clean and Press
• Tactical Lunges, or Racked Lunges (holding the kettlebell in the racked position)
• Press ups (if you want to use one kettlebell on the floor you can do assymetric press ups, one hand on the bell and one on the floor, alternating each rep (which means you have to do 10 each side - ha!)
• Deadlift - you can do any variation here: one kettlebell centre, suitcase deadlift holding one to the side, 2 KB deadlift holding two of the same or uneven weight to the side (if unevem don't forget to swap!)
• Lunge and row (or if you have 2 KBs try the renegade row!)
• Swings x 25 (yes I know I said 10 of each but hey...)

Time yourself if you can find an implement of time measurement, give yourself 1-2 minute break then repeat and see if you can hit the same time!

If you have time for a third set - hit it!

Have a good stretch of tight muscle groups afterwards - and enjoy the feeling of a revved up metabolism!

And next time, try to beat today's time (or go for harder variations or a heavier KB...)

And the Winner Is.... YOU?

Well, the votes have been counted and it was a close one!

The overall winner of the 2009 KettleBelleBody Valentine's Love Your Body Challenge is....

........Nikki Caputa!!!

Yes, again!! For the seecond time running Nikki has cleaned up, CONGRATULATIONS!

If you are reading this and kicking yourself for not entering and letting Nikki win FOR A SECOND TIME, then GOOD!!

(Take that feeling and read on to find out how EVERYONE can win this time...)

Because with these contests, it actually doesn't matter whether you win or not! All those who give it a go and see it through are winners, as they get great results, and definitely better results than the alternative of not taking part!

A challenge is counterproductive if you try to be too perfect and if the focus is only on winning, as the moment you think you may have ruined the chance of winning you are likely to give up altogether!

The next full challenge is not going to be held for a while, but, I have a far more cunning plan to ELIMINATE ANY EXCUSES that have stopped you taking part so far!!!

EVERYONE can win this one - yes, that means YOU TOO!

The winning is the taking part this time, there will be prizes for ALL who see it through (at my discretion & as with all my contests, I let the winner select what they want as a prize at the end)!

So, a different kind of challenge! It is COMPLETELY ON YOUR OWN TERMS!!!

You heard that right - am I crazy? Maybe?

But I have just been through a month of following a kind of challenge and realised that one of the things I most struggled with was feeling like the decision to train / eat in a certain way was made for me... Great for motivation if you need someone to give you a shove in the right direction, but for a programme to be effective in the long term you need to be INSPIRED - the clue being in the word - it has to come from WITHIN.

You have to decide you WANT to make the changes and do them in a way that fits you and your life right now. If you have a weekend away and can't train or want to make that your 'cheat meal' then you need the flexibility to be able to do that. I want this challenge to be the kick start you need to get LONG TERM results too...

One of the major principles of KettleBelleBody and kettlebells in general is reaching your goals ON YOUR TERMS - fitting workouts into a busy life and hectic schedule and still getting GREAT RESULTS.

So, until the next formal challenge starts I have decided to offer up a prize to EVERYYONE who documents their progress with KettleBelleBody and gets great results!

You don't have to beat anyone - apart from all those who are too lazy to bother! All I'm asking for is ACTION on your behalf, combined with ACCOUNTABILITY that comes from setting your goals and logging your progress publically.

The reason - you will get BETTER results this way! And I want you to be USING my programme, not letting it gather dust on your hard drive or a shelf somewhere!

THE RULES:

• YOU CAN START WHENEVER YOU LIKE! This is to eliminate excuses about committments getting in the way / holidays etc.
• You can choose a timeframe too! Some people like the 30 day challenge as you can be super strict for a shorter period and can avoid distractions, others prefer the longer term, so 12 - 16 weeks, as you can allow for the odd slip up...
• You take photos and measurements before starting the workouts and once per week for the duration (this is great for your own accountability and success too, check out: Muscle in a Month for mine!).
• You perform 2-4 KettleBelleBody workouts each week but can also do other activities and workouts - I appreciate we all have things we love to do and don't want KBs to replace all that!
• I would prefer it if you followed the KettleBelleBody Nutrition Plan, but you can also choose an alternative should you prefer. I really reccomend Leigh Peele's Fat Loss Troubleshoot Manual if you need an extra boost.
• You log your progress at least weekly on Mission Slim-Possible - you can also set up a free blog at www.blogger.com but make sure you post at least weekly on the forum to summarise your progress so it is easier for us to follow - I'll set up a single forum thread for us all to enter our updates.

And that is it! Once you have finished your Challenge, you must email me the link to your blog as well as a summary of your before and after measurements and your first / last pics. Winners are at my discretion and depend on the progress you have made towards your goals and the challenges / obstacles you have oversome. You must write 2-300 words on why you deserve a prize! Also, by entering you agree that your comments and pics can be put up here and shared with readers (just so I don't have to ask each time I want to post an extract on the blog!)

Simple, huh?

Comment below if you plan to enter, and if you haven't already joined Mission Slim-Possible then head over and join now!