🏋️‍♂️ 4 best kettlebell circuits to build muscle

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Hairstrong. Save time and stay focused with Hairstrong, your reliable and durable adjustable hair band for effortless hair care.

Here’s what’s going on in this edition:

• How to use kettlebell circuits to build muscle

• Is 10,000 steps really the magic number?

• Recovery tips for hybrid athletes

Workouts

Ring the Bell

In a perfect world, everyone seeking to build muscle would have access to a vast plain of power racks, unlimited bumper plates, and Costco-sized rows of machines that cover every possible angle the body’s 350 joints can move through.

Unfortunately, the real world isn’t exactly suited for everyone owning a sprawling home gym in their garage. There’s some good news, though, because we’re here to show you how access to a couple of kettlebells is all you need for some top-notch, full-body workouts. 

Sure, you have to be a little more creative with kettlebell workouts, but you can still tax your upper body with circuits that combine familiar movements like presses and rows. This is also true for leg days, which focus on goblet squats and modified deadlifts. And as we lay out in the article below, the key is to exhaust your fibers by moving rapidly with low rest. Check out the following four circuit workouts and add a much-needed wrinkle to your fitness routine.

From Our Sponsor

A Student Athlete's Quest to Transform Hair Management in Fitness

In the midst of getting her undergrad, Nicole, a dedicated athlete, faced a recurring issue with conventional hair elastics. With long, thick hair, constant readjustments drained her energy.

To solve this problem, she invented Hairstrong – an adjustable, durable elastic designed for functionality. Featuring an innovative toggle, robust bungee elastic, and sweat-wicking fabric, Hairstrong is the optimal solution for active individuals.

As a CrossFit enthusiast, Nicole can confidently tackle any movement without interruptions. Tailored to various hair types, Hairstrong ensures a secure, custom fit every time.

BarBend readers can get their 3rd Hairstrong band for FREE in the next 48 hours! Just use code "BARBEND24" at checkout.

Health

Walk the Line

If you’ve got a fitness tracker, the number of steps you need to hit to close those rings is often a crisp, clean 10,000. Even if you don’t wear a tracker on your wrist, plenty of smartphones are preprogrammed with an internal tracker with a preset goal of — you guessed it — 10,000 steps a day. But is that really the number of steps you need to take to maintain (and improve) your fitness game?

Part of the recommendation for 10,000 daily steps comes from the CDC’s general health guidelines, which advise 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week (like walking). This advice covers a goodie bag of possible benefits, from heart health to an improved mood. For strength athletes (and anyone who trains more intensely with weights), walking can aid in active recovery and boost your general aerobic health. 

We break down the history of the 10,000-step movement and update you on the latest science-based recommendations in the article below.

Recovery

Plug in and Gas Up

As a hybrid athlete, Fergus Crawley has to be just as concerned with building world-class strength as he is about hitting peak cardiovascular health. But as the age-old adage states, “You can only train as much as you recover.” So, how does Crawley recover from the ravages of heavy weight lifting and intense endurance training?

It turns out he utilizes six tips every day to maximize his recovery, and in the article below, we’re breaking them down for you.

Quality sleep is the recovery foundation for every athlete, and it’s doubly important for two-sport athletes. You probably have a wake-up alarm, but Crawley takes it a step further by adding a sleep alarm to ensure his head is on the pillow at a particular time. Perhaps most important is his advice on the training itself: Check your ego and remember you can’t go all-out on one thing. Even if you’re not trying to push your body to excel in disparate disciplines, Crawley’s advice can help you recover better, train harder, and feel like a million bucks.

Everything Else

Thrust Away

• The hip thrust is a glute-building dreamer's panacea. Learn to load it up heavy with a barbell as you strive to squeeze into a new pair of apple-bottom jeans.

• The Chinese National Weightlifting team has chosen to pull out of the Asian Weightlifting Championships, which is set for this February. How will this impact the upcoming Paris Olympics?

• Men’s Physique Olympia champion Ryan Terry gives the impressively large Stoltman brothers a tour of his new multi-million-dollar, state-of-the-art gym complex.