Whooo doggie that is A LOT in one workout session! Love that you are including kettlebell front squats (just make sure you are doing those correctly--no inward bowing knees). Kettlebells are my specialty! Have you tried the kettlebell swing. Done correctly (that's the key!), swings can provide a killer cardio workout. Even just doing sets of 10 swings at a time and making them powerful and purposeful can do a lot to burn body fat and build cardiovascular capabilities.

I'd almost say that you are doing too much! You could cut down to doing swings and plank (even going back and forth between the two) as your workout, and you'd see some amazing progress. So long as your nutrition is on point. It can be a difficult concept to internalize but less is actually more. Quality vs. quantity, you know?

Best of luck! If you have any questions about this, just let me know!

I do Kettleworx and the Jillian Michaels Shred it with Weights!

Kettlebells are pretty awesome, right?? I love how versatile they are. You can improve max strength and then switch in the next minute and increase your strength endurace (i.e. heavy military press, then a swing ladder).

In the end, the kettlebell is simply a tool, but some tools are better than others for strength and conditioning. Other things like resistance bands and dumbbells are fine tools, but when it comes to a combination of strength and conditioning, the kettlebell takes the cake for me. I mean, you wouldn't dig a hole with a hammer, right? You'd use a backhoe. In strength training and conditioning work, the kettlebell is the backhoe.

Kettlebells are my new boyfriend! I'm madly inlove! Hehe

What's your routine?

One of the things I do fitness-wise is write a wellness column for a local paper, and I decided to do a piece on kettlebells. I found a gym that had several RKCs (Russian Kettlebell Certified trainers), walked in...and just stayed. I've been there for almost a year now. I LOVE it!

Typically, my week looks like this:

Monday -- off
Tuesday -- Heavy barbell front squats (1-3 reps so I'm lifting anywhere between 115 and 145 lbs)

Wednesday -- Kettlebell bootcamp run by an RKC (usually, involves a lot of KB swings and other metabolic conditioning work)

Thursday -- Heavy kettlebell military presses (again 1-3 reps so I'm pressing 2 x16 to 20 kg bells)

Friday -- Kettlebell bootcamp #2

Saturday -- Heavy barbell deadlifts (1-3 reps; 245-275 lbs)

Sunday -- Usually a nice long walk with my St. Bernard puppy, Lola!

I'm always on the foam roller, too, to keep limber, and I train clients on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Phew! haha

How about you?

I'm def new to kettle bells so I will check out the swings I always loved squats so I know my form is good (I also catch my reflection at the window to make sure I'm doing all the exercises right....good thing my neighbors are never home My friend said I have to get my time down to an hr flat, which I am struggling with. It takes me longer to do the squats and lunges since I do them slowly per rep. I don't know.

I have been upping my protein and cutting carbs where I can. The problem I always have is that I'm a vegetarian so I do rely on egg whites, fish (a lot of dry tuna for lunch bc it's easy), and soy products. Soy has carbs. Not a ton, but it adds up as does the sodium. I also drink EAS light already made shakes for work.

I def appreciate any help since I'm new to this. I used to use Brad Schoenfeld's books in college, but never got back in the groove after I had the kids.

The most important thing with kettlebells is your form

I recommend checking out this site. Look for the minute of strength videos, there are a lot of short videos on proper form and other stuff.
http://www.artofstrength.com/

(P.S. Jillian Michaels has horrid KB form so try to avoid copying her)

We also have a kettlebell sticky in this form as well.

Hey Nelie, what happened to Mel, Lydia, and the monthly chat thread? Just got back online and can't find it.

Finally got back to Pump class and went with last weight used...I'm not sore  am wrong to be upset? It burned during & I even had to drop 5lbs but not being sore today makes ne feel like I did nothing 

I'll be checking out the sticky!!

Just so you know, DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness--so the soreness you feel the day after lifting) is not correlated to how hard you work at the gym. You might feel sore after a light-ish day; you might not feel sore after a heavy day. Either way, not being sore doesn't mean that you didn't work hard and do lots of happy damage to your muscles.