Geeky Article Time: Improving VO2max with Kettlebells

Set a timer for 12 minutes and do as many kettlebell swings as you can. The men in the study use only a 16 kg kettlebell. The study did not include women, but I would bet that a 12 kg kettlebell would be plenty for this workout. I would bet that you'd see results with an 8 kg KB, especially if you're a beginner.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20300022

Don't be fooled by the light weight (16 kg) and short amount of time (12 minutes). My weightlifting coach once had another lifter who wanted to improve his cardio for hockey do a similar workout. With a 16 kg KB, his goal was to swing continuously for 10 minutes. He could switch hands every minute (two-handed swings tend to be awkward for bigger guys). He made it the whole 10 minutes but was toasted at the end. To put this in perspective, this guy could snatch about 100 kg and clean and jerk probably upwards of 120 kg - and a 16 kg KB did him in. I joined him in the middle of the workout and lasted a whole 4 minutes. The key is to swing continuously for as long as possible. If you need to rest, keep it at a minimum.