Sly Bald Guys Forum
Confidence and Success => Fitness/Diet => Topic started by: buddha on December 12, 2009, 11:21:29 AM
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Has anybody tried these things?
If so, what is your evaluation of them as a fitness tool?
If you use them is there a particular routine that you use, like a dvd program, that you find gives particularly good results?
I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these for a while. I saw a video somewhere that showed what looked like a kicka$$ workout for strengthening the core.
I really want to get some input on these because my employer came across with Visa giftcards for everybody and it's either kettle bells or beer. :px
Also, although I am really considering this purchase what would be the difference between buying a kettle bell and using a dumbell of similar weight?
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I've worked with them a little bit. They really specify in core, balance, and flexibility. If you use them properly they provide some insane workouts. These things are typically used for performance, rather than looks. I gave them a shot for a little while for wrestling, they really did give me some nice core strength and helped me stretch out my legs.
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My trainer works extensively with them. He started using them on his clients, say, 2 years ago. U can buy them at Sports Authority. It works but Im sure that the tendonitis I got from golf, was a direct result of using the 26 lb. bells. Its taken 2 months and alot of pills to get my elbow back together. They do help u with strength. Bells come in 5, 10, 26 and 37 lb weights as far as I know.
20% of all my trainee workouts contain kettle bells somehow.
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You cannot compare the kettlebell and the dumbell ( different holding technique, different workout, etc. ) The kettelbells are all about to build your overall strength and endurance, not to build some specific muscle groups ( dumbells are more suited for that purpose)
I have a 24kg (53lb) russian kettlebell from http://www.russiankettlebells.com/ (http://www.russiankettlebells.com/) and thinking about second one.
When I have a backpain, it always helps :)
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I just read a short article praising the benefits of working out with kettle balls. I'm looking to get some after the first of the year.
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Have any of you seen the adjustable kettlebell from Wieder? They make a 5-20 lb and a 5-40 lb. It has removable/lockable plates and is described as taking the place of 7 bells of differing weights. They are bloody effing expensive, though. $94 at Wally's for a single 5-20 lb bell.
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Have any of you seen the adjustable kettlebell from Wieder? They make a 5-20 lb and a 5-40 lb. It has removable/lockable plates and is described as taking the place of 7 bells of differing weights. They are bloody effing expensive, though. $94 at Wally's for a single 5-20 lb bell.
Thanks for the info Buddha....those are the ones I'll proably opt for...... these things are expensive anyway so...........
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At my local Wally the 5-20 is freakin' $94. They don't even carry the 5-40 but I've seen them on the internet around the $190 range.
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At my local Wally the 5-20 is freakin' $94. They don't even carry the 5-40 but I've seen them on the internet around the $190 range.
OUCH!!
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Anyone know of a good "beginners" workout routine with these things? I go to the gym 3-4 times a week (though you would never think that) and they have kettle bells there in the full range of weights. I've been intimidated from using them mainly because I don't have the first clue how to incorporate them into a workout routine, other than grabbing them by the handles and picking them up.
My routine generally consists of 20 - 30 min on a treadmill or elliptical trainer then it's off to the weight machines. I alternate upper body one day and lower body the next. I finish off with core exercises, planks, crunches, etc.
Any suggestions? Thanks.
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As I mentioned earlier, you can find everything here
http://www.russiankettlebells.com/ (http://www.russiankettlebells.com/)
It's quite unusual training tool, so, IMHO, it's better to stick with guys who invented it :)
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I do them. Kettlebell is a supertool for developing fuctional musculature. They are not ideal for bodybuilding 'cause bodybuilding is basically about overload progression. But for endurance and all-round fitness it's a refreshing fun way to work out. Kettlebell workouts are usually based on fast ballistic movements which work a lot of muscles at the same time, they are not isolation drills (although you can do them as well). If you google for more info about kb's get familiar with the work of Pavel Tsatsouline and Mike Mahler, both well-known authorities on kb's. And on YouTube, if you can find Steve Cotter's instructional clips, they are the most useful.
Which kettlebells to choose? I bought the 24kg cannonball only to find out that I must get the 16 kg one too (I do pull-ups with additional weight of 55 lbs and barbell presses for some reps with 115 lbs). Kettlebell drills are easier to learn with a not too heavy bell.
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OK, so the hospital where I work gave everybody gift cards. I had mulled it over for like 2 weeks and today I went and got the Weider powerbell in the 5-20 pound version. Wally's didn't have the 5-40 and I had read in a few places that it is better, when starting off, to err on the side of being too light. The bell comes with a dvd. In the dvd the instructor, Michael Skogg, lays out 6 basic movements with the bell that just about everything else comes from. I did just the basic moves in one minute increments with a 30 second rest in between as they did it on the dvd. My review:
THIS THING IS ALL O' WHAT THEY SAY!
In the past my regular routine is 4 miles on the treadmill with different dumbell exercises and crunches thrown in. This usually takes me about 90 minutes and I'm tired when I'm done. But this bell thang crapped me out in under 20 minutes. I felt like I really worked. My legs are T-I-R-E-D! I feel like I really worked my upper body, as well but the thing that surprised me the most was how my legs felt afterward.
I am a believer. I'm gonna save up my pennies and get the 5-40 and I figure it will take me that long to really get used to the 5-20 to the point where I can make the transition to the heavier bell.
The locking mechanism on the bell is foolproof and very secure. I dropped the bell once while doing a hand to hand transition and the first thing I thought was "Oh $h!t, I broke it!" But it works like a charm. The grip is wide enough for 2 hands which makes certain movements much easier.
The adjustable weight is a benefit, too. I told my wife about how the workout went and she expressed some interest in trying it but with less weight.
All in all this thing is cool.
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Thanks for the review Buddha! This moves it to the top of my must haves after he Holidays.
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I just started Crossfit. It is crazy and intense, but I love it. Since starting, I just begun to workout with the kettlebells. After one workout, I felt like a boxer hit my in the kidneys about 100 times each side! First starting, your sore and shouldn't just "Jump" in with everything you got. Baby steps at first. You don't have to be in shape to do crossfit. Each workout is scaled to you. Your in competition with yourself to get in better shape. At my gym, we have younger people as well as older people. I have noticed a difference. I bet if I would work on my diet a little I would see more of a difference. Check it out on the web. Just search "Crossfit".
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So here I am at work at 330am central, about 12 hours after my last post. I am
SOOOOOOORE!
OK, so it's that good kind of sore that you get after working out really hard. The point is that I didn't think I was working out that hard while I was doing the KB routine.
I have to keep stretching my shoulders and doing trunk twists to avoid the rigor mortis that has tried to set in most of the night.
I can see where a person would be really strong after doing this routine for a while. I can even see where a person wouldn't be so sore after doing the routine for a while.
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OK, time for a review of a couple of routines that I have done since buying my kettlebell.
First, the Michael Skogg dvd that came with the bell. I didn't mention this in previous posts because I had not progressed beyond the instructional part where Skogg shows the individual exercises. Those are what I did that caused the soreness I reported. Later, when I tried to progress to the actual workout phase the dvd locked up and would not play. I took it out of the player and saw that the disc was noticeably warped. This happened because of the method used for packing. The dvd is sandwiched between a couple of pieces of cardboard and placed in the box under the bell. I called Weider/Icon Fitness and spoke to a humorless young lady on the phone and she told me that I would be sent a new dvd but she had no idea as to when that would be as they were out of stock. (Does this indicate that I'm not the first one with this complaint?). I got the dvd after about 2 weeks, more about the Skogg dvd momentarily.
In the interim Mrs. Buddha and I went back to Wally World and saw some kettlebells put out by a company called Danskin. They make ladies' fitness equipment and apparel but we bought a 5 and a 10 pound bell by Danskin. They also had dvds included that were made by a lady named Gin Miller. I had never heard of her but a little research showed that she was the inventor of step aerobics back in the late 80s and has been a real innovator in health and fitness all over the world.
Her dvd flows seamlessly from one exercise to the next and has stretching mixed in with the bell moves which allows for less soreness afterward. There are 3 seperate workouts on her dvd as well as a warm up prior and a cool down afterward. I have been doing her routines almost exclusively even though I received the Skogg disc about a week ago. If you do the warm up, all 3 exercise routines and the cool down you have about 45 minutes of KB work at the end. Many might think that because a lady is doing the instruction that this is gonna be a girlie workout. Many would be mistaken. I don't think that this is an advanced KB workout, one would need a Pavel Tsatsouline dvd for that, but it is an excellent workout for a beginner like me.
Back to Skogg. He has some kicka$$ moves on his dvd. But the actual workout part of the routine is just the instructional part of the program rerun with a 30 second break between exercises. I was struck by the fact that there is no flow to the workout. You do 1 minute of reps, 30 seconds with the right hand and 30 seconds with the left, then take a 30 second break before the next move. I found it boring and the breaks not only gave me a break from the work, which I really didn't need, but they also broke my concentration. He also has some advanced moves at the end like the "figure 8" and the "windmill" which are kicka$$ as well. I usually do these moves after completing the Gin Miller workout and before the cooldown.
I'm gonna stick with these 2 dvds for a while. I definitely find the Gin Miller more fun and a better workout in terms of flow than the Skogg but Skogg has some moves that are real a$$ kickers. At some point in the future I'll invest in one of Pavel's dvds but for now these two are really good learning tools when used in combination.
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Im getting used to working with kettlebells with my trainer. Theyre not easy.
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Buddha! I loved your latest update! As I said before Christmas... the kettle bells are on my list for purchase VERY soon.
Great info about he Danskin bells/workout. Are you using the original KB that you bought with the Danskin DVD workout?
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Are you using the original KB that you bought with the Danskin DVD workout?
I use the Danskin 10 lb bell for some of the movements which require a trunk twist/bend to complete the move. She has a windmill move with the bell that she describes as being like "starting a lawnmower" where the bell is placed near one foot and you pull it up and back over your shoulder with the opposite hand. This is a real back burner, them ol' muscles scream during that one. As my lower back gets stronger I'll progress to heavier weight for that move. For the rest I use the Weider bell.
Mrs. Buddha alternates between the 5 and 10 lb bells.
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I've been using kettlebells for about four months now. They are great for overall conditioning and strength. They are not for the person who is strictly interested in bodybuilding or how they look in the mirror. I use youtube a lot to see what others, both professional and otherwise are doing. For legs I have been figure eights and walking lunges using similar around the calf movement. The full body effect is great. I have also been incorporating upper body stuff like presses with both the squats and lunges. The one handed snatch and the clean and press are also very effective. I prefer to do those without the swing however instead using a straight upward movement. I have also begun doing both exercises with two hands.
Bottom line, I love them!
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I like the bells too......but they can be awkward to use.
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OK, since the last time I posted here I bought "Enter The Kettlebell" by Pavel from dragondoor.com. In that dvd he shows some stretches but also shows individual exercises to do with the KB. What I figured out from watching the moves is to incorporate a couple of the individual moves into one exercise of which I do 10 reps each side. For instance I do a clean and press, then lower the KB to chest height and rest it on my forearm/shoulder. From there I go into a squat. When I stand back up straight I press the bell overhead then do the swing back down to the rest position. Or I incorporate figure 8s with lunges alternating from one side to the other and finishing with a chop.
I also got a 35 pounder off of eBay for $39.00 plus $10.00 shipping. There are a bunch of them on ebay, some are pretty reasonable but watch the shipping prices.
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I've been doing squats with the kettleball for a bit and worked up to 2 x 15 with a 35lb ball as part of my routine.
My trainer has now started me on doing the swings where you half-squat and thrust up with your legs and swing the ball out to shoulder height in front. Damn my back hurt for days after that. "Only" used the 25 lb for that :o
I have noticed great improvements in my core strength, posture and particularly the tone of my leg muscles from all those squats with the extra weight.