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Old 05-23-14, 01:40 AM  
missaulnier
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: San Francisco, CA
New to kettlebells - where do I start?

Hi VF'ers,

I am enticed by the butt lifting, thigh sliming, posterior strengthening benefits that folks have been raving about with kettlebells. I don't own any and have never worked out with kettle bells. Where is a good place to start?
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Old 05-23-14, 04:30 AM  
bex
 
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Shanghai, China
I was exactly in your shoes 6 months ago and got lots of good advice here. If you do a tag search for 'kettlebells for beginners' you'll get a lot of good threads.

If you can, I would advise starting with a live instructor. Videos are great but they can't see what you're doing and correct your form.

Any type of exercise has risks, but because of the weights involved and the ballistic swing of kettlebells, you could damage yourself if you're not doing it right.

I had 3 1-hour sessions with a coach and that got me started. And that way you don't need to buy a set of kettlebells before finding out if you're going to like it.

As for videos, I bought a whole bunch and found the best by far to get me started was MB45 Essentials.

For only $15 you get 2 DVDs, one of which has a really complete tutorial of every single move they use, and 2 15-min beginner workouts. The other has 3 half-hour KB workouts that will definitely allow you to work up a sweat but don't involve any fancy KB moves.
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Old 05-23-14, 07:22 AM  
Joni O
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Twin Cities, MN
I second having a session with a certified instructor to go through form pointers. We all know proper form for lifting weights, but this is different and not as easy to 'get' proper form - it wasn't for me anyway.
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Old 05-23-14, 08:52 AM  
deineira
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
I agree with Joni. I booked a few sessions with an RKC trainer before I started working with kettlebells, and it was very helpful. KBs are such a different way of training because of the ballistic movements and safety is so paramount when using them, it's worth the investment.
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Old 05-23-14, 08:53 AM  
bzbnmom
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Wisconsin
I don't have the option of a live instructor because of distance. I love Anthony Dilugio's Art of Strength Kettlebell Clinic! I feel these DVD's are good to grow with and revisit. I have just moved on to his next one with Beth Chamberlin The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body Vol 1 but I can definitely see using Kettlebell Clinic again.

I did the first workout of Sarah Lurie's Iron Core Kettlebell and never went back since, and I borrowed Paul Katami's Kettlebell for Beginners. As soon as I did AOS I knew that's what I wanted to do. So I will train with Anthony for a while - I have a few more of his in my lineup.

Definitely start with a lighter weight until you get comfortable with the moves. The kettlebell has a much different feel than anything I've ever tried before. And I love it!
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Old 05-23-14, 09:53 AM  
BunnyHop
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
The AOS kettlebell dvds are excellent for form pointers.

There's lots of advice online, video clips on how-to, etc, so reading around can teach you a lot.

For a newbie-building strength, I think kettlebell swings are a great way to get started.

When I do a kettlebell rotation, I just do some swings every day, gradually increasing the number. It's easy to just do say, 10 swings as you pause in your day, and easy to do 10 more, then 10 more, etc., as the day goes on.

I keep the number of swings I do in any one session kind of low so I focus on proper form, just to be safe. It's a great way to build stamina.

Oh, and ETA: There are basically two ways to use kettlebells working out. One, is the more traditional kettlebell style, using moves specific to the weighted, ballistic swing that's typical of KB use with a heavier weight.

The other tends to be a more traditional workout style that happens to use a kettlebell, usually the lighter weight ones.

(And yes, that's a huge generalization, but a few years back a bunch of trainers jumped on the trend and put out some 'kettlebell workouts' with questionable form. There are others in this style that handle the moving weight in what I think of is a responsible manner. Nothing wrong with those, but you do need to know what you're getting into. As you search for workouts, it's a good idea to figure out where any specific workout falls in this spectrum.)
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Old 05-23-14, 11:56 AM  
suzannaerin
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Arlington, VA
Which ones should I avoid? I've been doing Amy Dixon's "Raise Some Bell" and I have all of Paul K's KB DVDs.
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Old 05-23-14, 12:24 PM  
momofcha
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Illinois
Quote:
Originally Posted by suzannaerin View Post
Which ones should I avoid? I've been doing Amy Dixon's "Raise Some Bell" and I have all of Paul K's KB DVDs.
I think everybody's different - but I know I prefer heavier, more traditional kettlebells. I avoid: Brooke Benton (too light of a weight and gave me a sore back) and Gin Miller for example. Amy Dixon's preview reminded me of these - but I haven't done it so I don't know for sure.

My "go to's" are: Lauren Brooks, Sarah Lurie, RKS, Zuzka, Skogg, AoS, MB45. That's again, my preference. These focus on heavier bells, slower movements and are more "strength" based - although the huge plus with kettlebells is the cardio factor you get, even with heavy bells.
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Old 05-23-14, 01:03 PM  
suzannaerin
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Arlington, VA
Sue -- Thanks. I've looked at Lauren B's workouts at Mary's, so I will try one those. I might actually have to get heavier bells for hers, based on what I've previewed.

You are right about Brook Benton. I got one of her DVDs and in the first 30 seconds of the Total Body section, she made a comment about being careful not to hit your knee w/the bell or it would ruin your day (it was some lateral lunge swing move, right out of the gate). I didn't have fun doing the LB portion of that workout and stopped completely when she made that comment in the total body segment. Plus the moves just didn't feel safe. I'm going to either put that one on my trade list or offer it gratis SASE.

I enjoyed Amy's but I usually follow the modifier on both her and Paul's workouts. Love the core bonus segments she and Paul include. Those alone are worth the purchase for me. I have to admit that I enjoy watching Toby Massengill in the Katami workouts. haha! Windmills are my new favorite move.
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Old 05-23-14, 01:20 PM  
Eibhinn
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Atlantic Canada
Skogg and AOS Clinic are great places to start for learning form. I also really like Tracy Reifkind's Swing Book for teaching the swing in a progressive way - it's actually a great place to start for someone new to kettlebells - one super effective move that really teaches the most basic fundamentals of kettlebell training.

I'm another who will warn against Brook Benton. Everyone is different, and some people love her, but I've used kettlebell DVDs by Michael Skogg, Anthony Deluglio, Lauren Brooks, Sarah Lurie, Pavel Tsatsouline, Andrea duCane, MBody and Angie Miller with zero problems whatsoever. I did part of one workout by Brook Benton and ended up with a serious, painful, long-term shoulder injury that has never completely healed. Too fast, too light, and not mindful of form or biomechanics in my opinion. I really would caution against hers.
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