I need some opinions on kettlebell workouts. Are they effective? I would like to do more with weights and I can't join a gym due to finances.
Which one is the best? I've seen several. I was looking at the Bob Harper ones at Target. Are they any good? What weight is good for a beginner? I don't want something too light so that I'd have to upgrade later, but I don't want something so heavy that I won't be able to get through the workout.
TIA
my brother is a trainer and said they are great... but really recommended a class, he said they are way to easy to do wrong... and you can really hurt yourself
They are pretty cool, most of the workouts target the arms and core. They sort of force your body to swing like a pendulum and most of the work is a superset with shoulders and hips as guiding forces. I'm a big fan of mixing up the routines for overall effectiveness. Doing this once a week while also trying other things will work the best. Our bodies develop a tolerance to one exercise if we do it too much.
I like kettle balls for that reason, I used to do them once a week but a month ago I had to cool it because I'm in my third trimester and need to stay away from working my core. I will be returning to them in a few weeks.
Start with 5 lbs to learn the moves and graduate to 10 lbs. You can buy them hollow and add rings of weight as your workout progresses.
One of the videos I like the most is Jillian's " shred it with weights." It's a 2 level video with different degrees of intensity within each level.
I would see if you could take a class at a gym to learn. They're great, but it's easy to get injured if you don't know what you're doing. I have a Punch gym near me that lets you pay per class. Mine is $15 per 1 hour class or $12 if you pay $120 for a 10-class card. When I was doing kettlebell work outs, I was using 10 lb, 12lb and 17 lb weights depending on the move. A lot of places will let you try a class for free - that will help give you a feel for the kettle bells, how to hold them and use them etc.
The best move (and the one I hate the most LOL) was being able to do squats with the kettle bell. I hate, hate, hate doing squats but by holding the bell, it created a counterweight to the weight of my hips and helped me to maintain my balance to get all the way into the squat in proper form. There is also an awesome move called a Turkish get up that's a great whole body strength, coordination, balance and flexibility test in one move.
I have the bob Harper kettlebell video. Good exercises. I think I have the 10 lb. You will eventually have move up to a heavie size no matter what you start with. If you stick with it, you will get stonger and need a heavier weight.
Kettlebells are, quite simply, awesome. I've got the Bob Harper 15lb kettlebell, the contoured one. I also have a more traditional round one. I much prefer the contoured one - the other one would bang against my wrist and it wasn't comfortable. I also love Bob Harper's kettlebell workout. I don't remember the exact name of it (it's been a while since I used my kettlebell for a number of reasons other than I don't like kettlebells, which I do), but it kicked my a$$ every time I used it. It's a 1hr workout and I could never finish more than 30 mins without feeling like I worked my butt off. It really targets your whole body. The basic move is a squat but then you have to use your entire core to swing the bell and keep it under control. It's not difficult, but it IS a challenge. I started with the 15lb and it was the perfect weight for me. I've since switched to swimming and tennis for my exercise, but one of these days, I'll probably go back to my kettlebell...maybe even tomorrow...
OMG -they are INCREDIBLE!!! I have done everything, and I have never seen results like kettlebells give me! They will do for your abdomen what nothing short of a tummy tuck will -not even Pilates. They are hard-core CORE tightening, and they tone your whole body while burning lots of calories and building lean muscle mass. I'm amazed at how much it's improved my running as well. I heartily endorse taking classes from a trained, RKC certified instructor. It would be VERY easy to really hurt yourself with them if you don't know what you're doing. It's not just like lifting weights. For instance -you lock out your arms for presses, you seriously need to be in good squat position, swing position is not as easy as it looks and you can throw your back out if you're doing it incorrectly. I also use about $1000 in different weight increments, so one weight kettle bell would never work for me.
If you absolutely cannot go to classes, start with a 10lb and a 15 or 20 lb. You need to use different weights for swings, rows and presses, but those two should get you going and keep you working hard for awhile.
