Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi folks, just taken delivery of my brand spanking new 16kg kettlebell - I was just wondering if there were any kind-hearted Dakkanauts out there who could recommend a good beginner's circuit?

That's it. Short and sweet!

What are you looking to achieve? What is your starting point (height, weight, experience, etc.)?

Hi Dogma, I was hoping you'd reply actually, given your background in this area, so thanks.

What I'm looking to achieve... is it shallow to say that I want to look impressive with no shirt on?

Basically, I'm looking to drop a little weight and put on a little muscle - nothing too drastic in either category. I'm 6' 3" and a little under 18st, so a few stone overweight - though I'm quite broad and powerfully-built so I don't carry it TOO badly (in other words, I'm not 'bed-ridden' fat, but I have an obvious beer gut). What else? I walk quite a lot, plus I do two hours martial arts training a week. I've dabbled in weights, but found it a little dull, and so didn't really progress past a few basic dumbell exercises. I was lifting 10s, iirc.

I've been losing weight slowly but surely over the last few months, and the Karate has certainly helped - I'm just looking to speed things up a little and tone up a bit, too.


Just got my kettlebell yesterday - was quite surprised by how heavy it was! Tried out a quick little circuit I put together today, and man, it kicked my arse... so intense. Quite shocking, actually.


Good, though.

http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_239_exercise-russian-kettlebell.html

A 17 part series on Kettleball usage and tips.

I had never heard (though I had seen them apparently) of a kettlebell before. In the search there was a picture of a man lifting it by a strap in his mouth. That is the one you want to do.

Mate, it's bad enough lifting with my ARM!

Albatross wrote:
What I'm looking to achieve... is it shallow to say that I want to look impressive with no shirt on?

Not at all, that's why most people exercise.

Albatross wrote:
Basically, I'm looking to drop a little weight and put on a little muscle - nothing too drastic in either category. I'm 6' 3" and a little under 18st, so a few stone overweight - though I'm quite broad and powerfully-built so I don't carry it TOO badly (in other words, I'm not 'bed-ridden' fat, but I have an obvious beer gut). What else? I walk quite a lot, plus I do two hours martial arts training a week. I've dabbled in weights, but found it a little dull, and so didn't really progress past a few basic dumbell exercises. I was lifting 10s, iirc.

I've been losing weight slowly but surely over the last few months, and the Karate has certainly helped - I'm just looking to speed things up a little and tone up a bit, too.


Just got my kettlebell yesterday - was quite surprised by how heavy it was! Tried out a quick little circuit I put together today, and man, it kicked my arse... so intense. Quite shocking, actually.


Good, though.

Alright, you've got the right idea with the circuit training. To get the results you want the best thing, in my experience, is high intensity training. You can achieve better results with general lifting and cardio, but those generally require a much higher level of commitment (an HIT workout will take about 30-45 minute, a full cardio/strength regimen will take 2-3 hours). So, here's a basic workout, repeat each set 3 times:

10 squats. Hold the kettlebell between your legs with both hands, and perform a squat.
10 lunges (each leg). Hold the kettlebell with both hands behind your head, resting it between your shoulder blades, perform a lunge.
Do 10 of each of these, on both arms where applicable. (video because they're difficult to describe)


Crunches to failure. Hold kettlebell to chest, do crunches.
Oblique twist to failure. Hold kettlebell to chest, maintain a crunch position, twist from side to side.

Also, remember the HIT philosophy. Make sure you use slow, controlled movements with emphasis on the negative component of each lift. Additionally, minimize the rest period between sets, the purpose is to maintain an elevated heart rate throughout.

Cool, thanks for replying, mate. Let me tell you where my head's at - I was thinking of more 'kettlebell specific' routines, incorporating the basic KB swing, for example. The exercises you posted, though undoubtedly useful, don't look like they would maximise the potential of the kettlebell, which is intended to work multiple muscle groups with each repetition. From what (little, admittedly) I've read, KB works best with short, intense, sessions focusing on two, maybe three exercises in as many sets as you can do in a given time frame. I can vouch for that, as I only managed a 5 min workout yesterday, and I was completely blown. It was just brutal. In fact, I don't think I've ever been that wiped out, and I'm aching all over today. I felt many times more worked out by that tiny session than I do when I come back from a 2hr Karate class, which is actually fairly shocking!

I think it's the dynamic nature of the exercises themselves - I was only doing KB swing and KB clean and press (both arms) then repeat, but it was great cardio! My heart was racing, and I was pouring with sweat. I think I might actually stick to that for now, and see how I get on. Nevertheless, I really appreciate you taking the time to give me advice, dude.

Thanks.

Out of interest, do you ever use them in your exercise regime? If not, check them out - they're awesome.

Those links above look like they will be useful. I have been thinking about picking up a kettlebell too, actually--a couple of places I have looked at give conflicting advice about weights, though: some places say 16 kg is good to start, others say 24 kg is the standard for men, and some places seem to say a lot lighter.

dogma or others, do you have any thoughts on this? In case it's relevant I am male, about 5 foot 10 inches, averagely fit, and 165 lbs, with similar goals to Albatross.

Albatross wrote:
Out of interest, do you ever use them in your exercise regime? If not, check them out - they're awesome.

I don't, mostly because of the type of strength I've built over the years playing football and rugby, and also due to having separated my left shoulder several times.

What I do use are weight chains, which produce a similar effect in terms of graduated resistance without all the stress caused by the absence of motion control.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Magos Explorator wrote:Those links above look like they will be useful. I have been thinking about picking up a kettlebell too, actually--a couple of places I have looked at give conflicting advice about weights, though: some places say 16 kg is good to start, others say 24 kg is the standard for men, and some places seem to say a lot lighter.

dogma or others, do you have any thoughts on this? In case it's relevant I am male, about 5 foot 10 inches, averagely fit, and 165 lbs, with similar goals to Albatross.

The best way to figure out where to start is by going to a gym, or sports store and testing out different weights. It should be fairly apparent what is and is not too heavy. It should be reasonably difficult to lift, but it also shouldn't make you feel like you're going to bodily tip over if you stand at an odd angle.

Personally, as you're a fairly slight guy, I would guess that 16kg is too heavy for most exercises, though your mileage may vary.

16kg seems like a good weight for those kind of exercises if you're Alby's size, but not Magos' or mine. I weigh about the same as Magos, but am 6'. I haven't worked out in years. Right now I'm just starting to get back into exercising a bit, mostly starting with pushups, crunches, pullups. And when I start getting some weights into it I'm going to start with significantly smaller than that.

Mannahin (and Magos), I would definitely recommend looking into KBs, especially if you're like me, and don't like spending ages working out. A short, sharp workout just suits my personality, plus the efficiency of the exercises is a real plus.

Magos, as far as I'm aware 16kg (or 1 'Pood') is considered the standard starting point for KB training in men, according to the old-school Russian system. However, it's very heavy, even for me - I'd suggest going smaller. You don't want to injure yourself. I read a horror story from a guy who started at 24kg, and who broke his arm when doing a KB snatch - so I'd avoid 24kg, even if you lift weights already...

Hey albatross - a bit off topic here (good luck with the toning up) but with the stances in karate:



is it simply traditional because every time i see a karate martial artist using moves in that stance (mainly focusing on the hand positioning, feet positioning is fine)... just seems inefficient.

anyway - sorry about being off topic, and if the information above is wrong please correct

Yeah, it looks a bit weird when you first start, though I should point out that the picture isn't of a typical 'en garde' stance, it's an oi zuki, or forward punch (iirc). I'm still new at it all, really, so I'm still learning.

The thing is, when you actually fight, you wouldn't stand like that - kumite (sparring) in karate is closer to the way boxers move, so more bouncing from foot to foot. That said, the guard is significantly lower.

Thanks for the heads up, yet then again - i've seen Kung Fu masters absolutely destroy people in traditional stances. OT: since im in a similar position to you, i have noticed that building up the core strength in your body (crunchs, pushups, situps) everyday - or at least after every workout session, either karate or weights - will show positive results in a few weeks/months depending on how consistent you are.

Thanks, guys.