[jenjen]

Here's a thread to discuss our kettlebell use in February. You can set up your individual goals. It can be for swings, total workout time, or whatever you set for yourself.

I think mine will be a total of 3000 swings, plus at least 6 total workouts with kbs (squats, shoulder presses, etc.).

Today I've done 75 swings and 1/2 a kb workout. I'm only counting it as 1/2 since I did more free weights than usual. It was a much different routine.

[Rainy Day]

Thanks for starting this thread, jenjen! I'll join in tomorrow once I get my kettlebell in the mail. I'm super excited. I think I'll start with 1000 swings this month.

[Riddy]

I was reading your older threads, and bought myself an 8lb bell with a DVD yesterday. I did 20 minutes yesterday including the warm up/cool down. I sure feel it in my thighs and shoulders today!

My goal is to make this a new habit. I just started exercising regularly in January with yoga, so this month I want to add something different.

[mellyme123]

Thanks for the thread Jenjen.

I'm in... Tonight I try the kb for the first time. I will have to post my goal (a realistic one once I finish my workout!

[Veela]

I really want to start doing kettle bell swings in the morning before work just to jump start my metabolism for the day. I would also like to get more comfortable using my kettle bells indifferent ways because I am still pretty new to them.

[mellyme123]

Really enjoyed using kb for the first time tonight!
I hope to do 2000 swings this month... looking forward to tomorrows work out.

[moviegrl1737]

My friend and I are doing a 10,000 swing challenge over 30 days but we started late january

[jenjen]

Welcome everyone! I'm glad to see so much excitement about kettlebells. They are a great workout.

I'm sore today & couldn't get myself out of bed this morning to get in a workout. I'll get some swings in tonight for sure. I think it helps workout the soreness in my body after I work out with the trainer (which is what I did yesterday).

Here is a good quick workout to get in a lot of swings. Each round is one minute. In 10 minutes, you'll get in 190 swings.

14 swings; rest for the remaining time
16 swings; rest
18 swings; rest
20 swings; rest
22 swings; rest
22 swings; rest
20 swings; rest
18 swings; rest
16 swings; rest
14 swings; rest

[mellyme123]

thanks for the workout jenjen. Will give it a go tonight!

[Aunt Sheshie]

I'm glad to see this thread... turned out I was unable to do the January 10,000 swing challenge, but maybe I can get started & stick with it this month... doing 100 per day is easy enough for me, plus I like to throw in a few other KB exercises, such as overhead presses, triceps extensions, one-arm curls, etc...

Have fun, y'all...

hugs

[jenjen]

I did 200 swings tonight. It really does help loosen me up and get rid of the soreness.

Aunt Sheshie, good to see you here.

The 10,000 swings in a month is an excellent challenge. 300+ swings a day was a great calorie burner. I know it really helped with my weight loss even though my eating wasn't so great.

Have a great evening everyone.

[Rainy Day]

I started doing kettlebells today. 100 swings. I did about 15, thought, "This isn't so bad." By swing number 40 my heart was racing a mile a minute. I checked my heart rate and it was 160 beats per minute. Mind you, this is only 10 lbs. This wasn't even 5 minutes of exercise. I had to take a one minute break twice to slow down my heart but eventually finished 100. My legs feel like jello right now. Lol. Nothing aches or feels sore but I have a feeling I'm in for a surprise tomorrow morning. Depending on how I feel the next few days, I may even increase my goal to 2000-3000 swings this month.

Something awesome I realized: Doing just 10 minutes of intense exercise completely killed my appetite. Wow.

[melodymist]

Hey friends, I feel like a total geek now hehe. I also want to start with kettlebells. I now have few questions.

- What does your kettlebell weigh?
- How exactly does a "swing" look like? Youtube videos maybe?
- Any injuries I should be aware of? I mean, could I hurt myself in the long run?

Thank you!!

[tdiprincess]

This is a great thread! I started doing some KB exercises in the last couple of months. This month I'd like to count my swings. Usually I just do a routine with one that includes some swings and then other exercises. I do that 2 times a week. I think that I will do the routine that Jenjen so kindly provided as well! Thank you!!

melodymist: I use 10, 15 and 20lb kb's depending on what I'm trying to accomplish. Start at a weight you're comfortable with.
As for swings and injury info, you're on the right track by checking out Youtube. That's where I went when I started KB exercises.

[jenjen]

Hey gang,

Glad to see so many people.

Rainy Day, I know exactly what you mean! Some people say that you can burn up to 20 cals/minute with kettlebells. I don't calculate mine that high, I usually calculated on a weight training level which is usuall 7-10/minute.

melodymist, be careful with youtube videos because some people do not know how to use a kb properly and anyone can post anything to the internet! Look for one that is done by someone with an RKC or AKC certification. Also, I bought 2 books---Enter the Kettlebell by Pavel (he's the one that really brought kbs from Russia to the US) and Kettlebells for Dummies. I was suprised how well the "Dummies" book was written by the person in charge was RKC certified. Both books show the "dos and don'ts" and proper technique. If you do the swings properly, you shouldn't injure yourself, but be sure to start off with a weight you can handle. I started with 15#, but I had done some weight training before. Usually 10 or 15 is a pretty good place the start. I use anywhere from a 15-35#. With swings, I normally do 25 or 30 pounds or one-handed swings with a 17.5 pounder.

tdiprincess, The routine sounds easy, but 1/2 way through I'm dying!! It's a really good booster.

Hope everyone has a great day!