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#15 by buddha on 17 Dec, 2009 02:54
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So here I am at work at 330am central, about 12 hours after my last post. I amSOOOOOOORE!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. -
#16 by buddha on 03 Jan, 2010 10:31
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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. -
#17 by marty22 on 03 Jan, 2010 10:36
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Im getting used to working with kettlebells with my trainer. Theyre not easy.
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#18 by Mikekoz13 on 03 Jan, 2010 12:47
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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? -
#19 by buddha on 04 Jan, 2010 07:19
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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. -
#20 by TGB1 on 30 Jan, 2010 14:46
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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! -
#21 by marty22 on 30 Jan, 2010 15:33
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I like the bells too......but they can be awkward to use.
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#22 by buddha on 09 Mar, 2010 02:05
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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. -
#23 by jr1979 on 04 Apr, 2010 02:42
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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
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.