If you have ever worked with Kettlebells before, you know that they can provide a very intense workout in a little amount of time, similarly if you have ever done High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) then you know that it also has the ability to quickly and effectively burn a lot of calories. With this routine we have combined these two powerhouse training styles to create one quick and effective calorie-burning workout.

With this style of workout you need to be sure that you do not overtrain. It's important to be careful that you do not do this routine more often than your body can handle, which would lead to stress injuries that can slow down your progress or even keep you from exercising at all.

Since everyone’s body is different when it comes to it's ability to heal and avoid injury, you will have to listen to your own body when making the call as to how often you can get away with performing this workout. We generally suggest that this style of routine not be done more than 2 to 4 times per week.

Because many Kettlebell exercises are explosive in nature they should never be used as the sole component of a workout regimen unless the routine has been properly built to include non-explosive movements as well, as using only explosive movements will inevitably lead to injury. The same can be said for the HIIT routines as well, so just be sure to incorporate an even amount of moderate, lower impact activity throughout your weekly fitness program.

For this routine we start out with a short 7 minute warm up designed to not only increase blood flow to the extremities but also to open up the joints (increase range of motion) that will be used the most through this workout.

Once your heart rate is elevated a bit and your body is warmed up we will start into the Kettlebell HIIT workout. This portion consists of only three different motions (which are explained in detail below) with a 40 second active period with a 20 second rest in between. As you become stronger you can change this interval to 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off or even 50 to 10. Once the intervals are done we have a short stretching section that targets the muscles most heavily used in this routine. You can stop here or add in a cardio or core workout to extend your calorie burn even more.

The exercises used in the Kettlebell HIIT routine are as follows:

1. Clean and Press: This motion is done with one arm at a time and is a two stage motion. The first motion brings the Kettlebell up to the shoulder and the next presses it over the head. This is a great leg and shoulder workout that primarily targets the quadriceps, glutes, lower back, deltoid and tricep.

2. Full Swing: This full body motion is a double-handed swing that brings the kettle bell directly above your head at the top of the motion. Driven from the legs, back and shoulders this motion is a great totally body exercise that will get your heart pumping and burn massive amounts of calories.

3. Figure 8 Curl: This motion is not only a good calorie burner but it is also great for building core control and overall coordination. This figure 8 motion also incorporates a quick jerk/curl motion to add an extra arm and core component.

This half hour routine burns calories to varying degrees throughout but on average burns around 8-14 calories per minute depending on your height, weight, and muscle content as well as the amount of weight you use for the Kettlebell exercises.