Beginning Kettle Bell Workouts?

[Heisenberg]

@mvmac , I saw you lost 50 pounds doing mainly kettle bell and dietary stuff.

Can you summarize how someone should get started in kettle bells? I do not have the schedule to make time with a trainer and I live in the sticks and dont think anyone is nearby who could train me anyway. Are there good DVDs? A specific YouTube video? You recommend watching?

If it gets too complicated I will bail, so I want to know how effective doing some Kettle Bell workouts can be and what type of little program I should build. I will not get into weights and bars and stuff as you have. I just need to lose 20 pounds and I know enough to vary my workouts a little.

So there are "swings" and what else? What are the steps? If you can write it out simple like this cool:

1. Start with 100 swings a day using this video. (video)
2. Add 10 per day until you are at 300.
3. Then mix in some of this type of Kettle Bell thing (video).
4. Do that for three weeks. Then add this thing.
5. Here are some other things you can add. Mix them up to keep your workout fresh.

KISS, please!

My diet will basically be to eat less food. I eat "okay" right now, not great, but if I don't have a taste for something I am not going to develop it in my late 40s so it is what it is, it just doesn't have to be as much as I am eating now.

Others can weigh in but I am mostly asking @mvmac and I am asking for almost a complete kind of post on this.

One last thing: @mvmac and others, I hereby recognize that you are not certified fitness people, and are simply offering your opinions on what is good, and will not take it any more seriously than asking Tiger Woods what he thinks about the political situation in Yemen. You are relinquished from any and all accidents or injuries that I may endure, including but not limited to dropping my kettle bell on my foot, throwing it through my TV, hurting my back, overdoing things and being sore as **** the next morning, and denting my subfloor by dropping a kettle bell from my sweaty hands.

[mvmac]

@mvmac, I saw you lost 50 pounds doing mainly kettle bell and dietary stuff.

Can you summarize how someone should get started in kettle bells? I do not have the schedule to make time with a trainer and I live in the sticks and dont think anyone is nearby who could train me anyway. Are there good DVDs? A specific YouTube video? You recommend watching?

Lots of resources online. Here's a great book, as the title says, it's simple.

http://www.strongfirst.com/kettlebell-simple-and-sinister/

If you wanted to keep it real simple, you could just do deadlifts, swings and goblet squats.

If you want to add a couple more movements I would go with the clean and press.

So there are "swings" and what else? What are the steps? If you can write it out simple like this cool:

Start with 100 swings a day using this video. (video)

Add 10 per day until you are at 300.

Then mix in some of this type of Kettle Bell thing (video).

Do that for three weeks. Then add this thing.

Here are some other things you can add. Mix them up to keep your workout fresh.

There will be a lot of effective, simple workouts in the book and videos from Pat Flynn I shared. I would start with learning the deadlift, then the swing, then the goblet squat, it won't take you long. I would get a 16kg bell. Then you can do something like this:

For 5 minutes, perform 20 swings on the minute, every minute.

Another 5 minutes, 10 goblet squats on the minute, every minute.

You could even alternate between swings and squats.

If that becomes too easy, either add more reps, more sets/time or increase the weight.

Example of another workout

10 Swings
10 Goblet Squats
10 Swings

My diet will basically be to eat less food. I eat "okay" right now, not great, but if I don't have a taste for something I am not going to develop it in my late 40s so it is what it is, it just doesn't have to be as much as I am eating now.

It's all about managing your calories and getting in enough protein. I lost the 50lbs eating chocolate and ice cream multiple times a week.

[mvmac]

What do you think of what I posted @Heisenberg ?

Also came across this today if anyone else is interested.

http://breakingmuscle.com/kettlebells/the-top-10-kettlebell-articles-of-2014

[Heisenberg]

What do you think of what I posted @Heisenberg?

Thanks. Appreciate it.

If you were getting 3 kettlebells (Rogue has free shipping after 3 AND the best were the Rogue from the article you listed) what 3 would you get? They list them in pounds.

I am thinking 18 35 53?

Or is 18 just pointless?

I am trying to consider one-arm exercises and not just using 2 arms. What 3 would you get? I want these 3 to last. Maybe the only 3 I would ever buy.

[Ernest Jones]

I was think of getting some soft 5lb kettlebells just to do some golf style swings and workouts. Would 5lbs just be pointless? I'm not looking to bulk up or anything, just something to do over the winter that can increase my flexiblility and keep me somewhat in golf shape. I thought they'd be good for "toss the boulder" type drills.

[mvmac]

I am thinking 18 35 53?

Or is 18 just pointless?

I am trying to consider one-arm exercises and not just using 2 arms. What 3 would you get? I want these 3 to last. Maybe the only 3 I would ever buy.

Yeah the cool thing is they last forever.

If you get an 18lb bell you'll quickly grow out of it. Unless you do want to do exercises like the one below or learn the get-up. If you're going to be sticking with two-hand swings, one-arm swings, squats, presses, cleans, I would go with a 35, 44 (20kg) and a 53. My first bells were a 35, two 44's and a 53.

I was think of getting some soft 5lb kettlebells just to do some golf style swings and workouts. Would 5lbs just be pointless? I'm not looking to bulk up or anything, just something to do over the winter that can increase my flexiblility and keep me somewhat in golf shape. I thought they'd be good for "toss the boulder" type drills.

Do you have golf specific exercises in mind? If you wanted to start doing kettlebell swings, squats, presses, I'd start with a 16kg(35lb) bell.

From my experience 5lbs is way too light to be effective. The only kettlebell exercise I can think of where you go 10-20lbs lighter is a bottom up press.

Also it's really tough to "bulk" with kettlebells, you're just not moving around enough weight.

[iacas]

If you were getting 3 kettlebells (Rogue has free shipping after 3 AND the best were the Rogue from the article you listed) what 3 would you get? They list them in pounds.

I think you misread the "3 ships free" thing. It's only when you choose three of the items on those pages. Not any three items. Shipping is probably fairly expensive since the objects are pretty heavy.

[mvmac]

Just want to add:

If you're going to be sticking with two-hand swings, one-arm swings, squats, presses, cleans, I would go with a 35, 44 (20kg) and a 53. My first bells were a 35, two 44's and a 53.

I think this can work well for progression with swings, presses and squats. You'll progress faster with movements like the deadlift/swing than the press. So after several months you might be doing swings (and low rep squats) with the 44 but still pressing the 35. The three bells I recommended will be effective for a long time.

[trickyputt]

Just remember one special diet thing. Only fat allows you to intake vitamins. While you eat less overall, the balance is important. 30% of your calories from fat is not unreasonable.