WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING for a different way to ramp up the challenge of your quick-hitting workout, you shouldn’t just opt for more mindless movement. Take the opposite tack and try stillness with a brutal isometric hold. Your heart rate might not spike like it would when you finish off your session with rounds of burpees—but the burn you’ll feel in your lower body will be anything but easy.
That’s the approach kettlebell and mobility specialist D.J. Gibson took when he designed this devilishly-difficult five-minute kettlebell burner. The routine mixes weighted movements like cleans and squats with the isometric holds, challenging you to rip through reps, then stop and contract your muscles for all they’re worth.
The holds are tough, but you shouldn’t discount the more active exercises, either. Gibson structured the kettlebell movements using an alternating ladder setup. In practice, this means you’ll pair two moves, and with each round, you’ll add one rep to one of them, while subtracting from the other. You start being tasked with one clean rep to four squat reps, then work your way through four rounds to flip the script so you finish with four clean reps to one squat rep.
The workout uses an EMOM structure as well, giving you an opportunity for a quick breath—if you can finish your kettlebell ladders quickly. With all the isometrics, there won’t be much time to break.
The 5-Minute Double Kettlebell to Iso Workout
Minute 1
Clean to Squat Ladder
Starting with 1 double kettlebell clean and 4 squats. Add a rep to the former and subtract a rep from the latter for every round, so you end with 4 double kettlebell cleans and 1 squat.
Minute 2
Split Squat Hold
Hold an isometric split squat for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds, then switch your stance.
Minute 3
Clean to Squat Ladder
Starting with 1 double kettlebell clean and 4 squats. Add a rep to the former and subtract a rep from the latter for every round, so you end with 4 double kettlebell cleans and 1 squat.
Minute 4
Split Squat Hold
Hold an isometric split squat for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds, then switch your stance.
Minute 5
Single-Kettlebell Rack Squats
Perform 15 seconds of single-arm racked squats. After this period, switch the load to the opposite arm.
Isometric Squat Hold
Hold a squat for 30 seconds to close out the workout.
Brett Williams, NASM
Brett Williams, a fitness editor at Men’s Health, is a NASM-CPT certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter who splits his workout time between strength and conditioning training, martial arts, and running. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.
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