It's a new year & a new commitment for me... it's been a couple of months since I exercised regularly, but today that changes... back to kettlebelling & yoga... I've managed to keep losing inches due to my diet, but now I'm just flabby... omg, I hate the way that looks!.. I haven't decided if I want to incorporate cardio yet, but I think maybe I won't for the first month or so... I'm pretty sure most of my exercise success last year came from my KB workouts... I'm ready to see some of that again...

So, I'm starting out today with a routine of 2-arm swings, 1-arm swings, thrusters, triceps extensions, snatches, overhead presses, curls, & halos with the 15# KB... not too many of each, but enough I'll be able to feel it... then after a few days, increase reps & weight... & back to my easy yoga for the first week, then go to a tougher routine next week...

I should be lean & mean in no time!..

hugs

I bought a set of 5, 10 & 15 lb kettlebells at Aldi's (they are on sale for $24.99) a few day ago. I LOVE them. I am starting with the 5 lb and will work my way up. But, oh my, I can sure feel them working already!

I just learned the KB snatch last week, and have been putting it in my warm-ups...fun, if you do it right, lol. I've been doing the 15, 25 and 35# ones in my warm-up...the 35#, I can do about 5 reps before I get tired and start whacking myself in the arm, so last night I did a short workout with the 25# KB:
50 jumprope singles
21 KB snatches (first right arm, then left arm, 21 reps each)
5 deadlifts with the fat bar (2" barbell) @ 143#
50 jumprope singles
15 KB snatches (right and left)
5 deadlifts
50 jumprope singles
9 KB snatches (right and left)
5 deadlifts

Took me 8 minutes, 2 seconds, and was a good sweaty cardio workout. I'll have to look up what a "halo" is...

I am a wimp and use arm guards when I do KB snatches. Even for Turkish Get ups. Just having the bell rest on my arm gives me a big blue bruise!

What I'm doing with my KB training - January 2011.

http://nofearfitness.com/articles/10...-challenge.php

Scared but facing my fear and doing it anyway.

Mel, I haven't learned the TGU yet, but it's on my list for when I need something new to play with. I also want to try again with the 1 arm BB OH squat. Last time I tried was a year or so ago, I just could not get down into the squat without losing it, even with the 15# BB. My trainer is an ace at that one.

RW, going to check out your link now...

Wow, wow, wow! That is a killer challenge, RW!

Hi all,
I am very excited to try kettle bells but have a question for all you experts:
I live in an apartment building with hardwood floors. I fear the wrath of my downstairs neighbor in terms of the noise my workouts could make. If I put down an extra rug or mat of some sort, will the motion/ floor-meets-kettlebell/ sound of me moving about be very intense? How often to exercises require that you move the kettlebell around ON the floor?

Thanks so much in advance-- trying to figure out if this is a feasible "at home" workout without offending my neighbors!

Uhh... during a kettlebell workout, the only time a kettlebell should really touch the floor is when you are taking a break or moving to another exercise

I'd look into some exercise mats, We have some that we bought at an exercise equipment store but they are heavy and can be costly. I did see some cheaper ones at Sears and I know I've seen some at Dick's sporting goods. I have to say that I have almost dropped a kettlebell once or twice but luckily I don't think it has ever happened.

Someone mentioned Bob Harper's DVDs in another thread so I went to collagevideo to see if I could see a clip/see reviews. They both have 3/5 and I watched them both. The first one has him showing the snatch and wow, the kettlebell is way in front of the body, I can't imagine how someone wouldn't be majorly banging their wrists in that one. The swings also look a bit off in the second one but I couldn't pinpoint what. so please Bob Harper, stay away from kettlebells

Actually I decided to watch all the kettlebell DVD clips on collagevideo. Umm.. All of them have extremely bad form, some worse than others. I can't imagine you not hurting your back, wrists, etc doing any of those videos. I think we could do a 'how not to kettlebell' based on those clips

Nelie thanks so much! Looks like I'm going for it. And no, I won't go throwing them around the apartment Just wanted to make sure the overall routines weren't similar to the sounds moving furniture across the floor for an hour each day would make. I appreciate your insight!

Same here... first time I ever did snatches, my forearms were really bruised... I never pick up a KB now without arm guards...

I've dropped my KB a few times, but it was just plain ol' not paying attention on my part... honestly, as nelie said, the noise should be minimal, & you shouldn't worry about annoying your downstairs neighbors...

hugs

When I first did snatches, I bruised my wrists badly. With practice though, I've got it down so I don't bang them. Took me a while though to figure out how to do them.

In another kettlebell forum I've recently started visiting, they're having a 10,000 Swings Challenge this month... doing the math, with 31 days January, that works out to about 323 swings per day... well, I haven't been doing anywhere near that many swings a day, usually I do around 100, along with the rest of my routine... so, I thought maybe I'd do my own private challenge & up my swings to 200 per day... with the 15 days remaining in January, that'll be 3000 more swings this month... sounds pretty intimidating!!!.. but I'm gonna give it a good try...

hugs

Last year sometime I had seen the 10,000 swings challenge but didn't follow through on doing it.

It comes from this site as far as I know:
http://nofearfitness.com/articles/10...-challenge.php

It sounds fun but it currently wouldn't fit into my schedule.