While you might not initially believe it, Formula One drivers are some of the fittest athletes on the planet. But to reach their peak level of fitness is no easy task since they need to keep their weight relatively light, but muscles strong to help withstand the immense g-force placed upon them during a race.
So, just how does a Formula One racer workout? Well, if you were to look at Max Verstappen’s workout, not very well, so allow Australian Formula One hotshot and current member of the McLaren F1 team, Daniel Ricciardo to reveal a far more beneficial workout with this six-exercise kettlebell circuit.
Completing his workout outside with some friends, Daniel’s six-exercise kettlebell circuit includes the following moves:
- Renegade Row with Push Up: Get into a push up position with a kettlebell under each shoulder. Perform a push up, grab one of the kettlebells and row it up towards your hip. Think about driving your elbow up to the sky to help. Perform another push up and perform a row on the opposite side.
- Step Up High Knee: You’ll need a small step for this movement. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip. Hold them just above your shoulders (they can rest on you if you wish). Step up onto your platform or step with one leading leg, bring the trailing leg up and straight up into a high knee, i.e. don’t put the foot of the trailing leg onto the platform. Step back down and perform the same on the opposite side.
- Kneeling Halos: Get into a kneeling position and hold a dumbbell with both hands. Move the kettlebell around your head in a circular motion.
- Wall Sit Bus Drivers: Put your back against a wall and squat down until your knees are at right angles. From here, hold a kettlebell with both hands with your arms straight out in front of you. Rotate your wrists as if you were holding a steering wheel, turning 90-degrees left and 90-degrees right. Complete 10 reps for each side.
- Reverse Lunge with Twist: Daniel is actually using a weighted medicine ball for this movement, but it can be done with a kettlebell too. From a standing position, step back with one leg and squat down to perform a reverse lunge. When at the bottom position, rotate your body to the opposite side to the trailing leg (if you stepped back with your left leg, rotate your body to the right) twisting at the hips. Return to the starting position and perform on the opposite sides.
- American Swing: This move is similar to a standard kettlebell swing, but sees the kettlebell coming up above the head as opposed to straight up in front of you. Start in a standing position, holding a kettlebell with both hands using an overhand grip. Have it hanging between your legs. Hinge at the hips to push your bum back. Bring the kettlebell under your legs and behind you, and then drive forward through your hips to swing the kettlebell up and above your head.
Perform each exercise for 40 seconds each, and rest for 20 seconds in between each exercise. You can choose to perform for a specified number of sets, 6, for example, or keep working through the circuit for 20 – 30-minutes. Either way, you can be guaranteed of world champion gains.
Check out Daniel Ricciardo’s reaction training in the video below
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