kettlebells - tell me more please

I would also like to know. I have seen a few people using kettles bells on here and am very interested.

I find that kettlebells are exactly what you describe. A great mix between cardio and resistance training. I love to get my heart pumping and then have the muscle fatigue at the end of the workout. I have found bob harper has some good workout videos and dragondoor.com has a lot of kettlebell information.

Thanks for confirming what I hoped folks. Also had a look at some vids on youtube as suggested - defo looks pretty much ideal for me - my only concern is I have some knee trouble - might have to moderate some of the stuff to compensate for that I guess.

I haven't had any problems with my knees, but then again I don't have knee problems. But alot the movements for instance the Russian swing, you do bend your knees with a neutral back parallel to the floor, as if your sittng in a chair the kb is 3-6 inches in front of you, you hike it back between your legs. You then press your heels (all your weight) causing you to stand up but your thrusting your hips forward. When you look at it it seems like your knees would take a beating but not really. Power in the hips, weight on the heels. Keep shoulders relaxed and down.

I've been using kettlebells for a few months now and highly recommend them. It's exactly the kind of workout that you suggest.

I'm definitely not an expert on kettlebells and can only give you some tips based on my experience of using them, when I started out and didn't have particularly good form, I had some discomfort in my lower back, thankfully I have a trainer who has managed to improve my form and I no longer have this problem. I only mention this as he advised that this is fairly common, so if you start using them and feel some back discomfort, it might be your form that is slightly out, if you are working out with someone, get them to look at you form.

When it comes to the weight you want to try, I would agree with the other posts, I use a 12kg and 16kg kettlebell when working out, I use the 12kg when I'm trying to do something over a few minutes (i.e. 3 minutes of kettlebell swings) and the 16kg if I'm doing some strength training.

I hope this helps.

Another kettlebell fan here... one of my favourite trainers, Angie Dowds from UK's Biggest Loser, was a great advocate of them.

I love kettlebells too. They are short, intense workouts and seriously deliver! Mine came with a DVD which I use and I also have the "Kettlebells for Dummies" book which is a good resource all-around.

I'm a huge advocate of kettlebell training! Kettlebells are a fun, safe, highly effective fitness tool. There is no plateauing. You can always do more technical lifts, go for longer periods, do more reps, go heavier or work with 2 bells. When used safely and correctly, they address all your requirements for promoting health and fitness as well as improve athletic performance. Training with kettlebells provides total conditioning; strengthens joints, tendons & ligaments, improves balance, coordination, mobility all while building and promoting lean muscle especially through the torso. Kettlebell training is also very effective at BURNING FAT!!!

Well I now have 3 kettle bells sitting on the window sill - only got 2,3 and 4kg and got a dvd coming. It does seem easy picking up the 4kg but I know that when I'm doing a routine it will be too much as I'm quite unfit.

Really looking forward to doing some as its something a bit different.

The kettlebell is probably the best, most versitile piece of training equiment you could buy. I try and use them as often as possible!

There is a Jillian Micheals set that has a 5lb, 10lb and 15lb with it it cost around $30.00. That has worked great for me as I can change the weight depending on the exercise.

it's nothing really inherent in the kettlebell itself since all the same moves that are done with a kettlebell can also be done with a dumbbell or a weight plate

The way a kettlebell disperses the weight is very different than what a normal dumbell does. If you try the same excersise with the two things, you can really feel the difference. A kettlebell is also better for a full body workout, it's very versatile.

Well I'm defo sold on the kettlebells. Now I'm just going to have to get me some. Thanks all for the infos. :happy:

Be sure you get one that's heavy enough but not too heavy... you might need a fairly heavy one and also a moderately light one (for things like one-arm windmills, where a smaller one is all you need).
When you go to buy one, be sure you know proper form for a basic KB swing and therefore you can find the right weight. The KB you use for your KB swing will probably be your "heavy" KB, and also look up how to do a single-arm press or a single-arm windmill and find one that will be your "light" KB. That's really all you need to get started!

Check out the jpg below, if you can blow it up and print it, it works as a great reference to get you started!

http://www.power-systems.com/images/Product/medium/93110.jpg

I've done Jillian Michael's kettlebell workout. I highly recommend that dvd. I'd say that a mix between cardio and weight training is a good description. I would do a search for kettlebell workouts in youtube to check out some moves. If you decide to buy a kettlebell, I would go a bit heavier than you think you can handle. Most of the moves are swinging the kettlebell, so it doesn't feel very heavy.

What weight would you recommend for a beginner? I know as I do the exercises, I will get stronger. But I do have pretty week ARM strength