I have recently done a lot of research re. using kettlebells as a way of getting a great total body workout, and am about to order my first kettlebell and a workout DVD. Am just wondering if there are any (other) kettlebell users here; would you mind sharing your experiences and results with an excited soon-to-be newbie?

Thanks!

Soraya Wrote:
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> I have recently done a lot of research re. using
> kettlebells as a way of getting a great total body
> workout...

I've just done a little research on kettlebells....
it sounds like something I might like. I used to
throw the "hammer" on my own as a teen and loved
the turning motion.. they did not have that event
in school but I was happy doing the shot-put
and discus (more weights and turning motions).

Now I dream about setting up some "rings" every
gymnastics season.. interested in getting
more core and arm strength.

How do you find it?

loeve Wrote:
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>
> How do you find it?


i just saw kettle balls at target yesterday
patty

dewey Wrote:
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> loeve Wrote:
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> >
> > How do you find it?
>
>
> i just saw kettle balls at target yesterday
> patty

Oh, sorry and thanks for the reply dewey,
but I meant how do you like your kettlebell
weights, DVD etc. that is if Soraya has had
a chance to begin.

peace, loeve

loeve Wrote:
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> dewey Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > loeve Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> >
> > >
> > > How do you find it?
> >
> >
> > i just saw kettle balls at target yesterday
> > patty
>
> Oh, sorry and thanks for the reply dewey,
> but I meant how do you like your kettlebell
> weights, DVD etc. that is if Soraya has had
> a chance to begin.
>
> peace, loeve

oops....sorry
patty

Loeve,

I hadn't looked here in a while because no-one ever posted a response before!

I've watched the DVD a few times now; wanted to get a feeling for the workout and also learn the dynamics of each particular exercise - there's an awesome tutorial section which demonstrates and explains how to safely execute each movement. When my kettlebell arrives tomorrow, I'll just take some time to practice the different movements until I am comfortable with them, and then I'll start working out with the DVD.

This workout is so up my alley; you get your cardio and your weight-bearing exercise in one shot AND you work your entire body. I think that you would like working with kettlebells as you definitely work the arms, core - shoot, all of you! - hard!!!

If you want to see some short training videos / tips, check out the site that I got my DVD from, and let me know if it peaks your interest ! [www.artofstrength.com] The DVD I got was "The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body.

Soraya,

I like the "art of strength" site, and the demo "1200" video looks like an intense workout (which I like).. It showed kettlebell AND ropes, ball and other exercises. It's getting me motivated.. I've got my rope out and am going to try some of the moves with some weights on hand to start.

I'm excited for you that yours arrives tomorrow!

Loeve,

Glad that you like it! I'm so motivated as well that it's like I can't sit still! Have fun; I will too!!!

hey soraya, i LOVE working out with kettlebells. i have twp 15lb and one 26lb kettlebell, and i am looking at getting a bigger one soon for swings. and i swear by them in terms of building strength and body shaping. a great cardio workout too! i consumed the www.artofstrength.com site, and bought two of anthony's videos "training clinic' and 'providence' -- both excellent.

Maui_Butterfly, I was SO hoping that you'd drop by! I saw your testimonial on Anthony's site; great job, congratulations! I spend WAY too much time on his site every chance I get: for instance, I've watched every one of the Minute of Strength tutorials ;}

I bought a 13lb and a 26lb bell - the 26lb-er I may just use for swings, though I'm debating returning that one and getting the same weight from a different company; the handle's kinda thick and I have tiny hands!

The DVD I got was the new "Providence" one put out this year; I've worked along with the tutorials for a bit and boy do I feel it - I'm already hooked!

When you first started out, how often did you work out? And how sore were you after the first few times?! :-)

hey soraya... sounds like you are a girl after my own heart! when i saw my first kettlebell video on you tube, i was like THAT'S FOR ME! then i just consumed everything i could find. when i was just getting started with them, i didn't have any videos, just pavel tsatsouline's book 'enter the kettlebell'. and i would add in the "easy" stuff during my other workouts... so swings and cleans, basically. that's what pavel recommends, just mastering those two exercises at first. so i just worked up to like 100 two hand swings, and 50 alternating 1 hand swings. and then do some cleans, like reps of 5/side as long as i could. but i got 'providence' a few months in, and i like to use it 2x/week. because it just smokes me and makes me feel exhilarated after! its still tough enough that i am challenged each time, but not so difficult that i fear getting injured. i also check out the artofstrength.com forum as lots of people post their kettlebell workouts, and i often steal from them just to see how i do! john c at primalhealthandfitness.com also posts his daily workouts, a great resource.

i keep a 15 lb kettlebell on my desk at work, and bust out some bent over rows, some tricep extensions, and some windmills in small breaks.

i just learned this AMAZING technique to counteract muscle soreness after exercise. i've turned a bunch of my friends on to it who are hard core athletes (distance paddlers, open ocean swimmers and marathon runners) and they have experienced great success with it, as have i... this technique is from a post on rawveganfitness.com from michael lloyd billington [alternativepersonaltraining.bravehost.com], who is a longterm rawfoodist and personal trainer. i had asked him for his tips on a speedy recovery from a particularly strenuous workout.

"1. As soon as possible after extreme activity, take contrast showers -- as cold as you can stand for at least a few minutes, alternated with heat, always starting and ending with cold. This helps to flush lactic acid out of the muscles and genuinely speeds recovery. If you really overdid it and have a tub, a cold bath works even better -- and best of all, get a sack of ice from the store ... it's intense, but it genuinely works (there is a reason why athletes do this...).

2. 24 hours after the activity, do a very light version of the thing that hit you -- jog a bit if you killed yourself sprinting or do super-light lifting, perhaps 1/5th the weight and moderate reps. The idea is to have just enough of the same activity to flush out the muscles and avoid fluid stagnation.... (One of the rare cases in which 'hair of the dog' really does work !)

3. Hydrate and eat lots of bananas and greens (separately) -- the potassium in the bananas and the alkalinizing nature of the greens will definitely help promote muscle relaxation. Ideally, try to do this as close to the activity as possible -- post-exercise hydration makes a huge, huge difference, as does glycogen replacement and pH levels....

Hope this helps a bit!

m."

Maui_Butterfly, thanks for all the feedback and the additional information; what a great bonus! I love doing swings too, so I've been doing quite a few of those to begin with as well. I really appreciate your taking the time to share all of this; thank you again!

Soraya,

I've been back to the artofstrength site and am impressed by all the equipment in their gym, the martial arts and boxing apparatus especially, also the weights and ropes. What really helped me through the last eight or so years has been "taebo" (cardio/kickboxing) workouts.. so I have a fondness for such places.. oh, and I loved being in the gymnasium in elementary school and being taught by our wonderful gym teacher.

The artofstrength gym got me motivated to get out my old heavy braided rope and hang it vertically as a climbing rope.. which along with my "hand over hand" horizontal ladder is hopefully going to build my arm and grip strength (you never know when you might be in a "Harold Lloyd hanging from a clock tower" predicament).

I'm still thinking about what to improvise for hand weights.. hmm

cheers, loeve

Loeve, glad you're enjoying the site as much as I have been, and that you've become so motivated...it definitely has had that effect on me. A place similar in equipment to some extent for me is the Krav Maga school that I took classes at a couple years back until my work schedule got a little crazy; one of my ultimate goals is to get my butt back in there!

Is getting hand weights, etc an issue for you? You could use bottles / containers filled with sand or small pebbles, beans maybe??? Depends on what kind of weight you want...

Soraya, I think I saw a program on Krav Maga, one of those fight challenge shows meant to compare martial arts styles.. very interesting.... and know what you mean about balancing work and workouts.

Your ideas of hand weights are right in the tradition of "improvised use of any objects available" (from a quick google of KM). Sand bags ought to do it.... today I tried holding 2 1/2 lb steel plates in each hand while doing a Taebo tape.. felt great but was a little wary of mashing my fingers or socking myself with an errant uppercut.

A single heavier kettlebell type weight held in one hand, like you say a bag of pebbles or sand, is next!

What I love about Krav Maga is that it's "real" fighting, and maybe more appealing to women especially because it may seem more immediately practical as there're not a lot of forms to learn, for example; my first class was spent learning how to defend myself against various standing strangleholds, and the attackers really did apply pressure! And it's so much fun getting down and dirty against guys of all ages, strengths and sizes!

Let me know how your "weight" experiments go; I'm intrigued!

I am officially HOOKED ...

I love working out with my kettlebell! Can't wait to see what transformations occur to my body in a month or two, but I am SO enjoying the feeling of being this active (gives you a wicked cardio workout as well) and alive!

yay!!!!

i just started bringing my kettlebells to the beach for workouts... throwing them up and down the shore, and swinging them UNDER WATER. so amazing! boy am i tired-but-energized the next day.

love 'em. so much!

Maui_Butterfly, that is so awesome - underwater...talk about added resistance! No wonder you're so tired!!! You must be fielding a lot of questions too, no doubt!

I'm loving the kettlebells more and more myself. I'm not as sore as I expected to be at all ( at least, not after my first two workouts!), but am more challenged in the cardio side of things...

Rawk on!

Soraya Wrote:
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> What I love about Krav Maga is that it's "real"
> fighting, and maybe more appealing to women
> especially because it may seem more immediately
> practical as there're not a lot of forms to learn,
> for example; my first class was spent learning how
> to defend myself against various standing
> strangleholds, and the attackers really did apply
> pressure! And it's so much fun getting down and
> dirty against guys of all ages, strengths and
> sizes!
>
> Let me know how your "weight" experiments go; I'm
> intrigued!

Hi Soraya,

My improvised hand weight/taebo workouts have been on hold the last month or so since getting into a couple gardening projects.. moving a privet hedge, building a "green" drainage infiltration basin.. lugging around pails of dirt, rocks and water.... feels good doing it but got to get it done!

loeve

When I was training hard we used kettle bells for strength gains.
It doesnt do much as far as bulk and muscle mass, but it Really gives you more strength..

We used it for MMA training. Give it a try!