Kettlebells.......for working out, not for Cows!

[hiker01]

Just wonder what kind of results you got. It seems pretty intense and maybe good results in shorter workout time compared to just plain cardio!

Thanks for sharing!

[dadog13]

I would like to hear some personal experiences as well..lately they've becoming very popular where I live..

[jkarpas]

Kettlebells are great for strength and give you functionality and balance, its strength training so you cant compare it to cardio.

[maxman]

Not for cows??? I wouldn't be to sure about that Hike. I saw some cows on my uncles farm a few months back, they were absolutely ripped.

[straight_six]

I'm doing it for 18 months now, it's super-cardio if you want it to be. Very versatile, and i'm not visiting gym anymore. Gym is boring. KB has rediculous number of exercises you can do, both cardio and strength. If you combine it with other core excersises using your own weight, it's really showing results quickly. Plus, I'm not staying there longer than 45 mins, otherwise I'd die. Very intensive if you do it by the book. Hope it helps,

Dean

[HauteHippie]

OK, I'm curious about these things too. What's the deal? What do they do for me that dumbbells don't? I guess I don't get it. But I gotta have more cowbell.

[redwatch]

Kettlebell training has been around for a long, long time. It combines strength training, endurance, cardio all in some simple straight forward workouts. I worked out with a personal trainer at a gym for a solid year. At the end of that year, the gym that the trainer worked for wanted to cut the amount of money that they were paying the trainers, and also charge more for their customers (me). My trainer was fed up with their policies so he, and several other trainers abandoned ship. He offered to train me for a discounted rate and we started working out in a park with kettle bells. I can tell you I saw a significant improvement in only a couple of months. It was exponentially greater than any progress I made while working out with regular dumb bells and fitness equipment at the gym.

Kettle bell training is, by far, the best workout I have ever done. My strength increased dramatically!

F, if you are interested in trying it out, I highly recommend you check out Ketteworx DVD's. A big, big warning. This is not your average workout. Do not think that you need a big weight. I would not start with anything larger than a 16 lb kettle bell. You can always up the weight down the road, but I promise you this: the 16lb weight and the Kettleworx DVD Workout will definitely kick your a$$!!!

[redwatch]

One other thing.....I cannot stress this enough. Do not push it too much and do not try to do anything outside of the instructions. You can hurt yourself with these. There is a lot of swinging of the weight and you can throw out your back or pull a muscle if you misuse these weights.

[HauteHippie]

Yes, they've been around for a long time, but I though they disappeared a long time ago too. I've worked out for a long time... since high school (uhh, although I've taken a 2 year layoff recently ), and have never seen them in any gym I've ever trained in. Not once. Not in any Gold's Gym. Not in any 24 Hour Fitness. Not in any college gym. Nowhere. I'm just saying that it seems like all of a sudden they're "back" and in vogue. Hell even Jillian Michaels is marketing a set of adjustable kettle bells. 3 years ago, they were basically nowhere to be found. What gives? And if kettle bells are so great, why did they disappear for so long?

[redwatch]

Not really sure why they were gone for so long, but if I had to guess I'd say that its because newb's drop them and its bad for the gym flooring Also, its a better workout so you'd spend less time at the gym? I honestly don't know, but I can definitely tell you they work and they work well

[HauteHippie]

I'll have to read up on kettle bell workouts. I recently got a Life Fitness bike, a set of Powerblock dumbells, and an adjustable bench. I think Powerblock also has kettlebells.

EDIT: Yes, Powerblock has the Kettleblock 20, 40, or 55 lb. Do you need two? Or is one good for most workouts?

Time to get my ass back in shape!

[PeteM]

Time to get my ass back in shape!

Where would you hang one for that then ???

[HauteHippie]

Where would you hang one for that then ???

Hmmmmmm..... I'm .... trying to get the joke.

[HauteHippie]

OK I'm sold....

[redwatch]

I'll have to read up on kettle bell workouts. I recently got a Life Fitness bike, a set of Powerblock dumbells, and an adjustable bench. I think Powerblock also has kettlebells.

EDIT: Yes, Powerblock has the Kettleblock 20, 40, or 55 lb. Do you need two? Or is one good for most workouts?

Time to get my ass back in shape!

One is more than enough to begin with, but as I mentioned above, you probably shouldn't start with anything bigger than a 16lb kettle bell for now. When I was in really really great shape, I had started working out with a 32kg bell (70.4lbs) which is a beast! Most of my workouts were with a 24kg one, but when I started I was only using an 8kg bell and that one nearly killed me (and that was after a solid year of training with a trainer doing "regular" gym workouts). Trust me, the 16lb one will be just fine to start with.

[redwatch]

Those squat thrusts are brutal!! Great workout but man it is rough!

As for a brand, i highly recommend the Go Fit ones. The handles are nice and smooth and won't chew up your hands to badly.

[hiker01]

Hey Red....and all! Thanks for all the inputs!

All I could say is......wow! These were in a corner in our office building gym (10/15/18/20/25/30/35/40 pounders) and I kinda got curious last week, so I started asking one of our trainers

what they were for and he was kind enough to explain and showed me some exercises (this was Thurs. last week), They looked so easy, so since I just got off the elliptical machine after

45mins of grinding it, I thought I should give it a try (Chief, like that gorgeous you have in YouTube!)........after 8 swings of the 25lb bell, I was winded! Holy crap! This sucker is different all together. Anyho, I did 3 more sets of 16, by last Sat.

my hamstrings, quads, glutes, lats and outer shoulders were sore....and I thought I was in great shape, I mean I do cardio almost daily and weights 4 times a week, and I still feel pain.

Make story short, I change my routine and incorporated these babies 3 times a week, I started last Tues......and I'm sore, baby!

Since I only workout in our office building gym 3 days (that's how often I work in the office) a week, I bought a 10lb bell for shoulder/arm exercise and a 30 pound for the core and everything else

so that I also could do it in my home gym! BTW: I got mine from Sports Authority, they happen to have a 20% off sale last weekend!

Guys, try it......I bet you'd like it specially if you've been doing the same routine week after week after week!

Cheers! F-

[PeteM]

Hmmmmmm..... I'm .... trying to get the joke.

Your ass is your [censored].... "get my ass back in shape.."

or its a donkey

[hiker01]

Pete......you're always good for a laugh! I love you, Man!

[Reginald37]

If you have any questions about KBs feel free to contact me - I'm one of the original SRKCs and have trined Navy SEALS with Pavel. Quoted in a couple of his books.

I don' train people for $$, just offering my experience.

[totalwise]

Yes, they've been around for a long time, but I though they disappeared a long time ago too. I've worked out for a long time... since high school (uhh, although I've taken a 2 year layoff recently ), and have never seen them in any gym I've ever trained in. Not once. Not in any Gold's Gym. Not in any 24 Hour Fitness. Not in any college gym. Nowhere. I'm just saying that it seems like all of a sudden they're "back" and in vogue. Hell even Jillian Michaels is marketing a set of adjustable kettle bells. 3 years ago, they were basically nowhere to be found. What gives? And if kettle bells are so great, why did they disappear for so long?

I believe it's all down to money, gyms can cram a place up with all these isolation movement machines like bicep curls, pec deck, chest press, leg press etc. Trainees can work out just a few metes away from each other. The apparatus prevents accidents and keeps the place in order.

So what end up happening is that multiple trainees can work out concurrently on a machine, basically swap seats between sets, you only have to adjust the seating and the weights by pulling out and re-inserting the pin.

Compare that to kettlebells. Some guy doing kettlebell swings with 30GK. You better keep your distance, at least 3-4 minutes from the front.

As people work out their hands get sweaty and these kettlebell ballistic movements become more hazardous.

Kettlebells are more dangerous to have if people work in close proximity to each other, and utilisies much more floor space than isolation muscle machines. And lets not forget that it's very easy for anyone to buy some kettlebells and use them at home. So the gym is probably reluctant to use them as people get hooked onto kettlebells and decide to spend the years gym membership fee on some home kettlebells.

[hiker01]

I believe it's all down to money, gyms can cram a place up with all these isolation movement machines like bicep curls, pec deck, chest press, leg press etc. Trainees can work out just a few metes away from each other. The apparatus prevents accidents and keeps the place in order.

So what end up happening is that multiple trainees can work out concurrently on a machine, basically swap seats between sets, you only have to adjust the seating and the weights by pulling out and re-inserting the pin.

Compare that to kettlebells. Some guy doing kettlebell swings with 30GK. You better keep your distance, at least 3-4 minutes from the front.

As people work out their hands get sweaty and these kettlebell ballistic movements become more hazardous.

Kettlebells are more dangerous to have if people work in close proximity to each other, and utilisies much more floor space than isolation muscle machines. And lets not forget that it's very easy for anyone to buy some kettlebells and use them at home. So the gym is probably reluctant to use them as people get hooked onto kettlebells and decide to spend the years gym membership fee on some home kettlebells.

+1 ........and so far, so good!

[Marv1nn]

I'm another devotee of the 'bells.

Dropped 80 lbs on a kettlebell program (coupled with diet and cardio).

Compared to my other workout routines, this feels more like "usable" strength results - it helps in your daily activities.

Best of luck!

PS - chalk your hands. I had to do some drywall repair when starting out due to this oversight.

[redwatch]

My fiancee and I have started working out again with my old trainer and he has a totally new kettlebell training program going. It is kicking my ass, but man is it ever effective. 24 minutes, 3 days a week with an 8 minute warm up (and a few minutes in between sets to let my heart rate settle down).

I do not usually endorse anything, but this is by far the best workout you can do. My core strength is vastly improved only after two weeks. We both will definitely be in decent shape for the wedding in May.

Here is a breakdown of the workout:

Left Side Dominant - 30 secs each set - as many as you can do

1. Front loaded squats

2. Clean

3. Flat Back Pull-overs

4. Dead Press

5. Side to Side swings

6. High Windmill

7. Horn Swings

8. Halo

9. One Leg dead lift

10. Lying down arm press

Then you do the whole thing again but Right Side Dominant. Then you repeat both sides once more with a 2 minute break between each set. Every two weeks we increase the kettlebell weight by 5lbs.

If you want a great ass kicking, this will definitely do it!

[hiker01]

Yeay! I'm impressed! Good for you.....keep up the good work!