Kettlebell Kickboxing - The Body Series - Talk to Me
 

The title says it all :) Give me your overall impression of the series. I believe it's slower, so it can be modified up for a mostly strength workout. Can you easily substitute dumbbells for a kettlebell? I don't have a kettlebell and have no plans to get one. Also, how is it comparable to Atletica?

Just sent you an email through VF.

I did the Body Series last summer. Here's what I remember.

1) I really liked the set! It's a neat combination of both kickboxing, kettlebell, and body weight moves.
2) The workouts are deceptive. No one thing feels that hard and at the end of the workout I was drenched in sweat and my muscles spent.
3) Despite the workouts being named for body parts (arms, legs, etc. ), all the workouts are more like total body with that body part being emphasized. You might do more squatting moves in legs, more pushing movements in arms, and all workouts will include swings, presses, kicks, punches, sprawls, etc. If you're looking for isolation work this IS NOT the series for you.
4) Dasha does talk NON-STOP! If that bothers you, you will become homicidal during a workout. I found I was working too hard to pay it much mind.
5) While different variations/modifications are shown in the workouts, I don't think this set is good for beginners. Dasha assumes some basic knowledge of kickboxing technique and Kettlebell form. I do think this set is adaptable for intermediates to advanced exercisers.

I purchased the downloads of this set; but, I haven't tried it yet. So, I can't speak to this one per se. But, I don't think you can go wrong with KBKB! I've been doing Scorcher for two weeks and literally can't believe what I'm seeing and experiencing. Her workouts are high cardio. But, your strength gains are out of this world without bulking you (just like she says).

When I started, I couldn't do a single deck squat (Google that torture if you're unfamiliar). After two weeks, I can complete the whole round of deck squats! :eek: My waist has gone down quite a bit - shirts that were tight/unflattering/unwearable fit just right and some are a little loose. Butt is lifted (totally didn't expect that) and I'm feeling like I need to increase my weight already. I hadn't planned on doing that until I completed at least 3 full weeks.

I didn't believe the feedback nor Dasha when they spoke about the rapid results. Everyone wants us to believe their program works the best/fastest. But, KBKB is the real deal. I don't quite understand why it's so effective. But, I don't need to know all of the science. I just know I've never seen my body change so dramatically in such a short time. I wish I had tried KBKB sooner. I've seen it on this board for years and just ignored it. That was a mistake! Ha!

Great series, as mentioned, and Dasha talks about how to sub a dumbbell, but I recommend getting a 15 pound kettlebell for the series. A kettlebell works the core so much more.

May be time to pull out scorcher again! That is a very convincing testimony :)

Bubbles, I am a big fan of this series, I did find it to be "easier" overall, intermediate as far as level in my opinion. This particular series I have done in rotation twice but probably not for the fully prescribed time, and both times it was my way to get back into harder workouts, and both times I found the whole series really enjoyable. I got a good workout but I certainly wasn't slayed at the end of each one. I like the way she sequences moves, and I'm a huge fan of anything kickboxing and that's what she uses for a lot of her cardio moves. I prefer kettlebells for swing moves especially, but nearly everything can be done with a DB.

Thanks everyone for the replies!

That is very cool that you had such dramatic results -- congrats! What size kettlebells do you use?

Holliholli,
Congrats!

I like this series. They are short so I don't dread them.
Dasha talks a lot but I don't mind that.

I use a 14 lb for Longevity and Power (full body/cardio) and an 11 lb for Diversity (abs). I haven't tried Strength yet as I'm following her recommended Intermediate rotation. I didn't buy individual kb's and instead opted for an adjustable kb weight. I wasn't sure how well I'd like KBKB or kb's in general and didn't want 2 - 3 bells sitting in my workout room. But, now, I think I'll be sticking with this for a while!

I'm toying with the idea of moving up to 17 lb for the longer workouts and 14 lb for the ab since the plates increase by 3 lbs. It's my understanding that one of the biggest mistakes people make, next to improper form, is not using an adequately sized weight. Apparently, it can thwart results. But, we'll see.