German Volume Training (GVT) – day 3 – Kettlebell Squats, Swings, and Windmills

Today was day three of my adventure on Mike Mahler’s GVT section from his DVD training program The Kettlebell Solution for Size and Strength. The workout is one of two that I alternate between every other workout and consists of ten sets of ten kettlebell squats and swings, followed by three sets of kettlebell high/low windmills.

This workout rocks. I must admit that it took my body several hours to bounce out of that post-workout feeling. I’m still fighting to get back into a consistent routine since my schedule got nailed by the holidays. This morning’s workout was a great way to step back into the routine and a wonderful way to start the week.

This phase of the workout is designed to pound the body with more sets than it is used to handling. The approach is designed to build mass and push through plateaus. So far I’ve done three of the twelve workouts of this phase and I love it.

My grip and my lats are feeling the affects from day 2, but my legs were ready for some work.

Kettlebell Training Information

Kettlebells are an incredible tool for building fitness: burning fat, building muscle, building strength. They continue to build a following as they convert more and more followers. For my conversion I turned to Steve Cotter to learn the proper form of each exercise in his
Encyclopedia of Kettlebell Lifting, Vol 1.

This DVD set has proven to be one of the best fitness resources I’ve ever purchased. It isn’t the typical shallow videos of people just going through the movements. In these videos Steve Cotter walks through the fundamentals, the philosophy, the breathing, and the movements in great detail.

I’m sure my form could still use significant improvement, but this DVD set got me moving and has secured my love of kettlebells.

Double Kettlebell Squats

Again I pulled out the pair of 16kg kettlebells, but this time the weight was perfect. By the latter sets I was needing to take longer breaks to recover, but could keep good form through ten repetitions.

Here is a little video I found on YouTube demonstrating the double kettlebell squat:

Double Kettlebell Swings

The Kettlebell swing is probably the most fundamental lift using kettlebells. It taxes your core, your legs, as well as your upper body and cardio – a full-body workout in a single movement. Practically speaking the swing has helped me train for snowboarding. I’ve found that by working the kettlebell swings my legs and back are ready for anything that I can throw at it on the snowboard.

I kept with my pair of 16kg kettlebells for this exercise. I could probably step up to a heavier bell for this, but after ten sets of squats it was just about right. My recovery time was slowing down by the time I was performing the last sets.

Thankfully I was able to find a video from the Encyclopedia of Kettlebell Lifting, Vol 1 to demonstrate the double kettlebell swing. This is an example of the instruction on his DVD set.

Kettlebell High/Low Windmills

The last exercise is performing three sets of ten of the kettlebell high/low windmill. I used a 20kg kettlebell for the low bell and a 16kg kettlebell for the high bell. This exercise really tests your flexibility and strengthens the core; a great way to end the workout.

With some searching I was able to find another video from the Encyclopedia of Kettlebell Lifting, Vol 1 to demonstrate the high windmill. The high/low windmill just adds another kettlebell in the lower hand.

Overall it was a great workout and I can feel it in my legs and core. This series of workouts is going to be great and I’ve only begun.