Edit your Blog
Build a Blog
RSS Feed
View Profile
| « | November 2008 | » | ||||
 |
||||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | ||||||
All topics «
Disclosure Statement
Skwigg
Happy Eaters
Body for Life
Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
BFL Womens Club
FatLoss Troubleshoot
Metabolic Repair
Russian Kettlebells
Workoutpass.com
Eat Stop Eat
Turbulence Training
Red Carpet Ready
Warp Speed Fat Loss
Precision Nutrition
Gourmet Nutrition
John Hussman
Tom Venuto
Alwyn Cosgrove
John Berardi
CrossFit
TightForm DC
Boot Camps To Go
Ross Training
Cute Overload
YogaGirl
Still Waiting for the Runner's High
PastaQueen
The Fitnessista
Alwyn Cosgrove
Rachel Cosgrove
Turbulence Training
Burn the Fat Blog
Leigh Peele
Valerie Waters
Josh Hillis
Kelly Olexa
Girl With No Name
Fun and Fit
Mark's Daily Apple
Vegan Lunch Box
Fit In
Im Not Neurotic
Healthy Simple Living
All-round Strength
Caustic Musings
Brad Pilon
Sanaworld
Journey to the Stage
Julie Berg: Run On
Crazy Dogmama
Bisous Blog
Eat The Damn Cake
Fighter Diet Blog
The Skinny Website
Disclosure Statement
I'm trying to remember the last time I picked up a dumbbell. It's been weeks. Why, you ask? Well, I've gone goofy stupid over kettlebells. Oh, how I love them! Let me count the ways:
1) Nearly every exercise is a total body strength move. Want to pick a heavy kettlebell up off the floor and press it over your head? Well, let's see, you need your quads, your hamstrings, your glutes, your abs, your biceps, your chest, your shoulder, your back, and your triceps. Oh, and your fingers, forearms, feet, and eyebrows are working too.
2) Nearly every exercise is a heart-pounding cardio move. Try swinging a big hunk of iron through the air and using every muscle in your body to control it. It pegs your heart rate and burns a crap ton of calories.
3) It's current. The fitness trends now are about total body training instead of body part splits, big compound movements instead of isolation exercises, standing free weight and body weight training instead of seated machines, high-intensity interval training instead of slow boring cardio, functional power and flexibility instead of isolated part sculpting, time efficiency instead of 90 minute "arm" days. Kettlebell training delivers on all counts.
4) It's old school. It doesn't get more old school than Russian strong men, or more simple than using one weight as your entire gym. If you have a body and you have a kettlebell, you're set. You can do an almost endless array of pushing, pulling, pressing, squatting, lunging, twisting movements.
5) It's time efficient. Because you're training strength, balance, flexibility, and cardio at once, kettlebell training doesn't take all day. You can get a compete and killer workout in a 10-minute blast.
6) It's fun. It's addictive. It's like nothing else. Even though it's possible to do very brief kettlebell routines, you won't. You'll be grinning like an idiot and swinging that thing all over the place. To stop you, someone may need to knock you out and pry it from your hands.
I've included a picture of my babies. I bought the 26lb Russian Red first. It's perfect for swings but was a little heavy for learning single arm overhead stuff. Kettlebell movements can be fairly explosive. I didn't want to rip my rotator cuff and knock myself out, so I bought an 18lb kettlebell (and then a second one) for more variety. I hope to get another Russian Red for Christmas, a 35lb this time!
When people ask me what weight to start with, 15-18lbs is probably good for most women, or 20-26lb if you're freak monkey strong. And of course, you'll move up from there. :-) If you have injuries or are very out of shape, you might start with a 10lb but you will outgrow that weight VERY quickly. Kettlebell training involves the biggest muscles in your body. So, consider what your legs, hips and core can do, not just what you can curl or press.
Wondering where to get these things? Try Target. No kidding, Target! They carry GoFit kettlebells in a variety of sizes. They also have Iron Core instructional DVDs. If you can find your kettlebell at a Target or a local sporting goods store, it will save you a fortune in shipping charges. If you need to buy online or you NEED one of those shiny Russian Reds, I bought my kettlebells from Dragon Door. Amazon also carries a variety of them.
For workouts, I've quickly become a huge fan of Caroline Radway's KettleBelle Body. I bought it and reviewed it a few weeks ago. In spite of the pink and blue color scheme, it is NOT a fluffy program. Her workouts are pure evil genius and would flatten most guys. They're HARD but they're totally modifiable for beginners. The more of them I do, the more I fall in love. Kettlebells, body weight training, and yoga are a simple and beautiful combination. I'm not missing barbells, treadmills and clanky weight machines AT ALL, and I'm not going back to the gym. You can't make me!
If you're interested in getting started with kettlebells and getting in shape for the holidays, Caroline Radway has created a new Ning community for female kettlebell fanatics called Mission Slim-Possible. There is a kettlebell transformation contest starting Monday, November 10th. I'm in! Sorta. I joined the group and I'll be participating and cheerleading. What I won't be doing is giving myself a mental breakdown over photos, calories, measurements and competition. I'm having fun! This is waaay too much fun for me to ruin it by obsessing and being a freako. However, if you're a normal person and actually motivated by a deadline and a little accountability, wooohooo!!! This is a great opportunity to receive kettlebell instruction and support and get in killer shape.
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 12:17 AM CST
Name: "thefightgeek"Home Page: www.thefightgeek.com
I love my kettlebell . . . even more than my new macbook :)
great post Skwigg
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 6:38 AM CST
Name: "Missy"
Ooohh that Russian Red is gorgeous! But I am on thin funds right now! I got an 18 and a 26 lb at PerformBetter. I'd like another 18 for a matching set. I should have gone ahead and gotten a 35 lb while they were on sale, but I may try Target when I get the moola. But one day I want one of those 'spensive ones! I need to get that KettlebelleBody! Maybe she will have more contests once I am able to buy it, it looks realy neat. I thought I read she was doing a DVD - that would be neat too. Oh well, I will be keeping up with the slimpossible contests! Have fun!
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 9:01 AM CST
Name: "Emoore81"If you're really on a budget, they've got cheap kettlebells at Wal-Mart. I didn't really like their handles, though; and they only go up to 20lb.
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 12:13 PM CST
Name: "Diane"Thanks for the info, Skwigg. I just recently purchased my first kettlebell at Target - 15 lbs, but I think I need the 20 lb or more for lower body work. I've only been using it for a week, but I'm getting hooked too!
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 12:24 PM CST
Name: "Glynis"Home Page: glynis-p.blogspot.com
I think I've finally convinced my husband that I *need* two kettlebells for Christmas. I'm freaky strong, but I still think that I'm going for a 18 lb and a 26 lb.
They sell a Weider brand of kettlebell at Walmart now and the prices are cheaper than Target's. HOWEVER, they don't go up higher than 20 or 25 lbs. :(
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 1:46 PM CST
Name: "Matt"Home Page: stillwaitingfortherunnershigh.blogspot.com
Skwigg,
These kettlebells look really neat, and the videos you posted in the next entry are very helpful for me to see how they are actually used. I just have one silly question (to which the answer may become apparent as soon as I try a kettlebell workout): Can't you do most of the same movements with dumbbells? Why couldn't I do a swing and overhead press with a 25 lb. dumbell? It might be a little awkward with two hands, but it seems 1 handed movements would be simliar...
Please enlighten me. Thanks. ;-)
Matt
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 2:04 PM CST
Name: skwiggThere are a lot of KB moves that you can do with a dumbbell. You can also do swings with gripper plates. It feels totally different though. The grip, the momentum, the center of gravity, it's all off when you use a dumbbell. And it really helps to have a handle on any move where you need to pass it, flip it, or switch hands. Still, before I had a kettlebell, I tried a lot of the moves with dumbbells. I had some pretty good workouts because I didn't know how messed up it felt. Now, I'm ruined. :-)
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 2:30 PM CST
Name: "Matt"Home Page: stillwaitingfortherunnershigh.blogspot.com
Hmmm....
What weight do you recommend for guys? (I normally dumbbell press about 50 in each hand, and bicep curl around 30, but my shoulder presses are fairly puny at 15-20 or so.)
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 2:36 PM CST
Name: skwiggGuys tend to start with a 16kg/35lb but you might start with or also buy something lighter if you don't think your shoulders are there yet.
Thursday, 6 November 2008 - 6:36 PM CST
Name: "elissa"I want a kettlebell for my birthday (coming up next week) SO bad! I might go to Target and get myself a present. I've been doing dumbbell swings but my DB is too light. Thanks for lighting a fire under my bum.
Friday, 7 November 2008 - 3:34 AM CST
Name: "Chris - the Rotater"Home Page: therotater.com
I purchased my first kettlebell recently - I love it. Kettlebells offer so many ways to train - the variety of exercises are endless. I'm not going to give up my dumbbells, but I've definitely shifted emphasis to my kettlebells.
Saturday, 8 November 2008 - 7:50 AM CST
Name: "Karen"Renee, how do you mix up your kettlebell workouts, bodyweight workouts and yoga? Do you just do want you're in the mood for? Or is there a method to your madness? :) Thanks!
Saturday, 8 November 2008 - 8:24 AM CST
Name: skwigg
No, that's the the program. It comes with nearly a year of kettlebell workouts, bodyweight workouts, and a basic yoga flow, plus numerous workout schedules. You pick which type of strength workouts you want (KB or bodyweight), how many days per week you want to strength train (2, 3, or 4), and what you want to focus on (strength, cardio, stability/balance, or all of them at once), and there's a schedule for that. :-)
Right now I'm doing multi-focus KB three days per week. On the alternate days I either do the yoga flow or a 10-minute KB blaster. She also tells you how to make substitutions, so if you're scheduled for 40 minutes of kettlebell training that day but won't have a kettlebell, you sub one of the body weight strength workouts instead. Or if you have your kettlebell but only have 10 minutes or 20 minutes, you sub one of the shorter blaster workouts. Or if you're stressed out and exhausted, you go with the yoga flow that day.
There is method to the madness.
Sunday, 9 November 2008 - 4:42 PM CST
Name: "Karen"Oooooh. Got it. It really does sound adaptable .... and perfect for working out at home, which is a new thing for me. Thanks for the info!
Monday, 10 November 2008 - 2:01 PM CST
Name: "Silvia"
I love KBs! We are out in L.A. there is a woman named Missy Beaver yes her real name, who trains all these celebs privately but also teaches an inexpensive and fun class on the beach. Best of all though is that I got my 72 year old, sickly, inactive and increasingly frail looking mother a teensy 9 pound KB, along with Missy's DVD and now my mom who HATES exercise loves her KB workout and she is getting stronger everyday! We exercise together at her home when I visit.
I made the mistake of buying a beautiful Dragon Door 26 pound KB on ebay because I was strong like 15 years ago :) So I found some inexpensive Apollos and Gympacs like the ones Missy has on hand for her classes, at a gym supply store and got an 18 pound one.