Newbie kettlebell questions
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htimpaired
Posts: 1,404 Member
I just got my first kettlebell and have been doing some free workouts I found on youtube. I just had some questions about how kettlebells fit into an overall workout program. For example, right now (pre-kettlebell) I usually do two days of upper body traditional weights and two days of lower body, along with five days of some sort of cardio. Would the kettlebells take place of traditional weight training or would I still benefit from keeping a day or two of that in, in addition to a day or two a week of the bells? I don't want to overtrain, but I also don't want to miss any muscle groups...
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Welcome!! I use KBs as part of my cardio and still lift 4-5 days a week. KBs are great in getting your HR up as I am sure you can tell. I would continue doing what you are doing and see how it works out for you!! Best of luck!!0
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Kettlebells have mostly replaced "cardio" for me. I occasionally jump rope for intervals or run hill sprints, but no more treadmills or ellipticals or spinning for me. I get more work done in less time snatching and swinging a kettlebell, and it's more fun, at least for me. Plus, you get stronger with kettlebells. You don't get stronger on a treadmill.
I'm curious what other kind of lifting you are doing. If you are doing heavy deadlifts, squats, presses, etc., then keep doing those. Maybe two days a week of that and two days of kettlebell ballistics. If you are just doing endless biceps curls with small hand weights, I would toss those and do some pressing and squatting and deadlifting with kettlebells. You'll get way more benefit from that.
Since you're a beginner, I wouldn't recommend rapid changes. Kettlebells are an amazing fitness tool, but you need to take the time to really learn how to use them. Start with Pavel's Enter the Kettlebell or Rite of Passage. Master the swing and goblet squat first. Then work on cleans and presses and work your way up to snatches. Turkish get-ups are outstanding for a total body workout, but the form can be difficult to master. Work on it slowly and then build yourself up to heavy get-ups.0 -
Hi, just did an intro to kettlebells. So feeling virtuous (and puffed) tried to enter it into my exercise diary. Could not find any entry for it. Is there something that I missed or do I just keep it as a non entered workout?0
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Hi there-- I do a program consisting of heavy, full body compound lifts two days a week. Squats, deadlifts, bench press, power cleans, overhead press. In addition to that, I train with KBs four days. Even on those days when I do my big compound lifts at the gym, I get in some sort of kettlebell work. I always try to get in a bunch of swings and/or snatches. Turkish Get Ups are my other favourite KB exercise to keep up with. The KB program I am working on includes tons of cleans and presses, so I get plenty of those in throughout the week as well. Like one of the previous posters mentioned in this thread, I also don't do any sort of steady-state cardio training. No treadmills, bikes, ellipticals. I too find that stuff dull and rather pointless when I can get metabolic doing ballistic KB exercises that also strengthen my body.0
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Hi, just did an intro to kettlebells. So feeling virtuous (and puffed) tried to enter it into my exercise diary. Could not find any entry for it. Is there something that I missed or do I just keep it as a non entered workout?
You could search for "strength training" and use that, but it would be more accurate if you got a HRM and observed your calorie burns over a period of time. I burn roughly 10 to 12 calories per minute (aerobically) doing ballistics like swings and snatches. I burn 7 to 8 calories per minute doing grinds (presses, squats, deadlifts, etc.), sometimes more depending on the kind of lift, how much weight I am using, and whether or not I am supersetting. My heart rate gets pretty high when I superset cleans & presses with reverse lunges, for example. Over the course of an entire workout (mine usually include 15 to 20 minutes of lifting, followed by 10 minutes of conditioning), my heart rate usually averages close to 150, including rest periods, so my workouts are fairly intense.
Some people may quote the 2010 ACE study, which found kettlebell snatch training CAN burn as many as 20.2 calories per minute. Beware of using that figure for yourself when calculating your caloric deficit, though. It includes the aerobic burn (estimated by your HRM) and anaerobic burn (which can only be measured by testing the blood lactate), and the participants in that study were advanced kettlebell users who did a 20-minute snatch test, which is a very intense workout. It's simply not reasonable to assume that the average person training with kettlebells (let alone a rookie) burns that many calories doing basic kettlebell lifts or low-intensity swings as they try to master form.
Here is the text of the study for anyone interested in reading it: http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/kettlebells012010.pdf0 -
I purchased Iron Core Kettlebell-I previewed the intructional dvds from that set on youtube and it looked good. I also bought two more kettlebells, though I lift heavy at the gym, I was finding that I was a little too ambitious starting with a 20 lb bell, so I am waiting for 10 and 15 lb bells to be mailed.0
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Thanks jq2122 for that info.
You are as bad as my son...throwing around words I don't know...lol. He is a PT with a heavy leaning towards martial arts ( he's trained a state title winner in KB in 2012) and kettlebells
.As I am in the "older" age bracket I feel a tad dumb at times..tho I do know what Russian Get Ups are ( no not weird clothing )
I think that KB training will take over from anything else I am doing as I felt AMAZING after...and it was only a short session just to try and learn correct form.0 -
You know this group is named after a book that would answer all of these questions, right?0
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I purchased Iron Core Kettlebell-I previewed the intructional dvds from that set on youtube and it looked good. I also bought two more kettlebells, though I lift heavy at the gym, I was finding that I was a little too ambitious starting with a 20 lb bell, so I am waiting for 10 and 15 lb bells to be mailed.
I started using kettlebells last June (replacing a dumbbell routine at the gym) and this is the DVD I used. I started with 15 lbs. and instead of increasing the weight I moved onto the Warrior workouts - using 2-15# bells. Then I took a break to try Stronglifts 5X5 (barbell workout). I know I was lifting more weight, but somehow didn't feel as strong.
Anyway - back to the bells and Bootcamp. Will increase weight soon....
Good luck on your journey!0 -
what is the best size to start out with?? I am very new to KBs. I bought the Kathy Smith Kettlebell Solution with a 5lb and 3lb. I have watched a lot of videos on youtube and most of those women are using a 10lb. Should I start with 10lb?0
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I would not start with less than 18 lbs. Kettlebell ballistics like swings are meant to be done with heavy weights, as they target the large muscle groups of your lower body. Once you learn proper swing form, it should be obvious to you why anything less than 18 lbs is too light. And you should quickly work your way up from 18 to 26 and beyond. My advice is do not waste money on small kettlebells.0
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I would not start with less than 18 lbs. Kettlebell ballistics like swings are meant to be done with heavy weights, as they target the large muscle groups of your lower body. Once you learn proper swing form, it should be obvious to you why anything less than 18 lbs is too light. And you should quickly work your way up from 18 to 26 and beyond. My advice is do not waste money on small kettlebells.
You should check out Kathy Smith on youtube if you haven't already. I think we need a sticky to direct people to, to address the confusion of what we mean when discussing kettlebell training.0 -
I started out with a 12kg bell (about 26.5 pounds). It was pretty tough for me to do anything but swings when I started, but I think that was actually pretty brilliant too, because it kept me stuck on the swing, which is so fundamental to any KB program. I really should have started with a couple of bells--the 12kg bell for swings, and an 8kg bell for presses and other overhead work. So if you can afford it, and feel like you're gonna stick with KBs, you might invest in a couple of different bells to get started.
That 12kg bell is now my light bell and I don't use it for swings anymore. The strength and power come fast if you train consistently and push yourself in a reasonable manner. I've only been using KBs since late July/early August of 2012 and I love them!0 -
Several different workouts DVD's came up on amazon when I searched Iron Core Kettlebell, which would you recommend for a beginner/newbie?0
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I just watched a video of Turkish Get Up and I must say, it looks like a big guy lying on his back, grabbing hold of a very big kettlebell and struggling to his feet using a bunch of different motions.... In other words, I don't get it. It looks like he's making it up as he goes along. Maybe there are better ones...0
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I just watched a video of Turkish Get Up and I must say, it looks like a big guy lying on his back, grabbing hold of a very big kettlebell and struggling to his feet using a bunch of different motions.... In other words, I don't get it. It looks like he's making it up as he goes along. Maybe there are better ones...
Go to youtube and find Breaking Down The Turkish Get Up by Franz Snideman. It's done in 3-4 parts, each only a few minutes long. Very good information and easy to understand.0 -
Kettlebells are a primary workout for me. I do the workout about 5 times per week and the exercises alternate between lower and upper body.
Some people, at the kettlebell studio I go to, use it to supplement a powerlifting program or their martial arts activities. I originally got into it to supplement Bikram Yoga workouts, but now I only go to the yoga studio about 1 or twice per week.0 -
Hi, just did an intro to kettlebells. So feeling virtuous (and puffed) tried to enter it into my exercise diary. Could not find any entry for it. Is there something that I missed or do I just keep it as a non entered workout?
I made up my own entry. I did some research and decided on 11 calories per minute -- i'm sure it varies quite a bit each workout, but i'm at the point where I don't need to be that picky.0 -
I just watched a video of Turkish Get Up and I must say, it looks like a big guy lying on his back, grabbing hold of a very big kettlebell and struggling to his feet using a bunch of different motions.... In other words, I don't get it. It looks like he's making it up as he goes along. Maybe there are better ones...
Look up Neghar Fonooni's Turkish Get Up videos. She is beautiful and amazingly strong, and has a very lovely TGU. She also has a fantastic multi-part tutorial for TGUs which I highly recommend.0 -
I just watched a video of Turkish Get Up and I must say, it looks like a big guy lying on his back, grabbing hold of a very big kettlebell and struggling to his feet using a bunch of different motions.... In other words, I don't get it. It looks like he's making it up as he goes along. Maybe there are better ones...
Look up Neghar Fonooni's Turkish Get Up videos. She is beautiful and amazingly strong, and has a very lovely TGU. She also has a fantastic multi-part tutorial for TGUs which I highly recommend.
I agree, Neghar has great form, and following her progress on YouTube has been a great learning experience for me. Heavy get-ups are one of the best full-body exercises you can do. They are great for your shoulders, your core, your legs, your glutes, etc. This is one of the exercises where I'd recommend starting light (even just bodyweight) and working your way up once you master proper form. Holding a heavy kettlebell overhead is a really bad idea if you're unsure of why you're doing it.0
