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Kettlebell blogs and forums
Dragon Door: http://www.dragondoor.com/articles/kettlebell_articles/ http://kbforum.dragondoor.com/kettlebells-strength-conditioning-forum/ Geoff Neupert, Master RKC (trainer who designed the program I'm currently on): http://www.chasingstrength.com Josh Hillis, RKC: http://www.losestubbornfat.com -- This blog is actually…
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Intros
My name is Casey. I'm 29 years old, and I live in Austin, TX. I first learned about kettlebells about 10 years ago when I was a freshman in college. A friend of mine who had recently graduated from college and started putting on weight began using them to get back in shape. But I didn't make kettlebells part of my training…
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RKC Snatch Test
Has anyone attempted the RKC snatch test? I started one of Geoff Neupert's snatch programs last week, and I hope to be able to complete the test by the time I'm done (it's a 9-week program). Essentially, the requirements are 100 snatches in 5 minutes (20 to 24 kg for men, 12 to 16 kg for women, depending on age and…
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OHP question for the lifting gurus
I am currently doing OHPs in some form 3 times per week: - double kettlebells @ 16 kg X 2/70 lbs (sets of 5 or 6) - standing military in a barbell complex @ 65 lbs (5 rounds, 5 OHP reps per) - standing military in a reverse pyramid set-up, currently with my highest working set being 85 to 90 lbs. The reason for so much OHP…
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30 signs you're a fitness chick
Most of you have probably seen Sohee Lee's "50 signs you're a fitness buff" from last year (and if you haven't, go here: http://www.soheefit.com/50-signs-youre-a-fitness-buff/). Yesterday, she posted one just for women: http://www.soheefit.com/30-signs-youre-a-fitness-chick/ #4, #12, #15, #16, #27, and #30 ... totally me.
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The Internet is full of videos with horrible kettlebell form
I seem to watch endless kettlebell videos online, mostly to learn new workouts from people who appear to be well-educated on kettlebell training and who seem to have achieved the level of leanness for which I am aiming. I am horrified by some of the videos that are out there, and I really hope the people in this group have…
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Videos for women
When I first started out with kettlebells, I was looking around to see what kind of weight women were working with, and I found these two YouTube channels, which have been very helpful for me in learning proper form and also developing workouts. Both of these women are very advanced, but I love that they are not afraid of…
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When to bring up potential dealbreakers
I read an article on one of the blogs that's been linked here before (Evan Marc Katz), and it was about when to discuss things that could cause the person you're dating to walk away. It basically suggested that you should hold off on bringing up divisive issues until you are already fully committed to each other. The…
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I have solved my grip issues and refocused my training
When I first started training with kettlebells, I tried to move toward snatching a 16 kg as quickly as I could. Looking back now, I realize how stupid that was, but at the time, all I could think about was the fact that snatching 16 kg was better than snatching a lowly 12 kg bell. The only problem was that I was tearing up…
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Silliness from celebrity "trainers"
Tracy Anderson, trainer to the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicole Richie, on women using kettlebells and heavy weight-lifting, in general: Excuse me, but WTF? Why do these people get paid for promoting this nonsense? Source (if you want to read more of her BS ... she also goes off on how running marathons can make your…
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Your ideal gym environment?
We have thread after thread complaining about the reality of globo gyms. What would you change if you could build your own gym? I believe that we become the people with whom we spend our time and that if we surround ourselves with people who have real goals and are committed to achieving them, we will be inspired to work…
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Kettlebell finishers
If you train with kettlebells regularly, you know all about the various metabolic resistance training methods and use of "finishers" at the end of strength workouts. I became familiar with this concept when I did Geoff Neupert's program (and I started to hate swings because of it). Lately, I have been using kettlebells…
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Victor Davis Hanson on California
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/314102/there-no-california-victor-davis-hanson Very well-written and enlightening article on California. I think this is where America as a whole is currently headed, and I don't believe we are many years away from the federal government beginning to consider bailouts of states like…
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Beast Tamer/Iron Maiden Challenge
Have any of you trained for or considered training for either of these challenges? For those who haven't heard of them, the Beast Tamer Challenge is for men and consists of doing a pull-up, pistol, and press, all with "the beast" (48 kg/106 lb bell). The Iron Maiden Challenge is for women and consists of doing the same…
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Gym chalk
I have written a lot about having problems protecting my hands, especially when doing snatches. I have no fewer than 6 different kinds of gloves, moleskin, and every kind of tape imaginable, and nothing worked. I finally got some chalk and got the nerve to use it without any other kind of protection. Lo and behold, when…
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Men, would you rather be respected or loved?
I recently read a survey for men, written and conducted by a woman, that consisted of one question: Would you rather: 1. be alone in the world and unloved, or 2. feel inadequate and disrespected by everyone? Most of the respondents didn't really see a difference between the two options (an interesting result in itself),…
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Dating the exes/crushes of friends
Ever done it? Right or wrong? I did it once. My senior year of high school, I went out with a guy my best friend liked. We were all friends, so I didn't think of it as a date. He just wanted to go to the movies. But afterward, we both pretty much knew we wanted more than friendship from each other. We dated for nearly a…
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Sex as a weapon
So as not to hijack the Poll thread about communication, I thought I'd create another one, since we seemed to be getting on the topic of why the woman's POV takes precedence over the man's in a relationship. The answer is obviously sex. Women can withhold it at any time, and most men would rather bow to the woman's POV (or…
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Crossfit
I am not a Crossfitter, but I have friends who are, and I learned fairly recently that Crossfit teaches a different kind of kettlebell swing than the RKC style. Apparently, they float the bell all the way up, almost like a high pull. From what I understand, they teach that this kind of swing offers greater benefit because…
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Favorite lifts
Anybody have a favorite KB lift, complex, etc.? My favorite grind is the Turkish get-up. I like the instant gratification aspect of it because you can feel this all over your body immediately. My favorite ballistic is the snatch. I don't know why, really, but I look forward to snatch workouts, whereas, when I was doing…
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Gloves
Some of you know I have been looking for a solution to the callous issue with kettlebell snatches. I've tried gloves, tape, moleskin, and the sock trick that was posted a few weeks ago. Nothing was satisfactory for me, and I was getting really frustrated. I decided on Monday to start one of Geoff Neupert's snatch programs,…
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Hand care
What does everyone do to protect their hands? I have tried gloves and tape and moleskin, but I still find it difficult to do high rep swings and snatches without ripping callouses. I know a true, hardcore KBer would never use anything but chalk, but I'm a chick, and I don't want man hands. Has anyone solved this problem…
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Kettlebells from the Ground Up
http://www.dragondoor.com/dvs017/?apid=ifs Has anyone checked into this Dragon Door DVD set on the Turkish get-up? I really like get-ups and feel like I have very good form, but I know there are a lot of small things that can be missed with such a complex movement, so I'm interested in learning more. But $80 is quite an…
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Kettlebell swings for conditioning
I'm curious what weight everyone is using for repetitive kettlebell swings. Right now, I'm beginning each workout with 10 minutes of one-arm swing intervals (30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest) with a 16 kg bell, but this is getting too "easy." I used to burn about 110 calories doing this according to my HRM, but now I'm…
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Peanut Butter salmonella recall, per WebMD
ETA: Relates to Smuckers Chunky Natural PB From the article (URL below): "The recalled peanut butter was sold in Washington, D.C. and in 24 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio,…
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Being really hot = longer leash?
One of my best male friends finally got up the nerve to ask out a girl he works with and who is apparently quite beautiful (I've never met her). She said yes but called him on the morning of the day they were supposed to go out and said she needed to reschedule. Then she cancelled on him again. He wants to go for a third…
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Question about kettlebell intervals
I'm doing a kettlebell program designed for fat loss. Basically, it's three 45-minute workouts per week. The first 35 minutes are lifts like Turkish get-ups, C&P, goblet squats, reverse lunges, etc. The last 10 minutes are conditioning. The current phase of the program involves two-handed swing intervals for the…
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What were you eating/doing 1 year ago?
Just checked out my food and exercise logs from 1 year ago. Pretty crazy how much things have changed for me since then. I think tomorrow I am going to do the workout I was doing a year ago and see how much faster I can finish it than I did then. FTR, I was eating a pretty healthy diet. Too many Lean Cuisines and not…
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Things that make a man instantly hotter
proper manners tool belts hats (Don Draper style) wearing suspenders with a tux fresh haircuts skills in the kitchen skills on the dance floor great cologne Girls, anything to add?
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You Brits are so funny
I have to say, as a Texan, I find all the "learnt" and "whilst" talk on here to be exceptionally quaint and charming. And as a woman, I must say, you haven't really lived until you've been called "beautiful" in British. Talk about making a girl blush ... Sometimes I say "whilst" just because I'm a big fan of that word, and…
