I have never considered myself a “gym person”. For many years I have primarily looked for ways to escape regular exercise routines. To be honest I can’t remember walking into a gym since high school. Now that I am nearing the age of 30 I have had some recent revelations about health and wellness. In college I started to become interested in nutrition and other wellness information. I have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and have made a habit of sharing tips and suggestions with friends and family. The problem is that I was not implementing any of this information, particularly on the fitness side. After 5 years of working behind a computer in stuffy cubicles I have finally decided it was time to take charge of my health as I realized I was suffering chronic fatigue as well as lacking a feeling of general well being.
About a year ago I read “The 4 Hour Body” by Tim Ferris. This book introduced me to the strange weights called kettlebells. If that is a new term for you, kettlebells are weights that look like a cannonball with a handle on top. The bottom is almost always flat so they can sit on the floor. What interested me most in these mysterious weights was the idea that one could get great results with very quick workouts. Tim Ferris did a very good job of driving in that message with stories of people who worked out once or twice a week for 10-20 minutes and were losing a lot of weight (granted dietary changes were also an important factor as well). The other aspect that interested me so much was the fact that you could get into the kettlebell game with a small investment as many of the workouts only require one kettlebell. They range greatly in price but I was able to find my first kettlebell (20 lb) for about $30 – 35.
So after a year or so of interest in kettlebells and researching routines I finally motivated myself to just go out and buy one. Until that day my biggest limiting belief was that I should research the best brand so I start out right. Like I mentioned, it took over a year of interest until I actually started using kettlebells so my best advice to someone interested is to not get too caught up in what the best brand is as a beginner. Once you decide you want to try kettlebell workouts GO OUT AND BUY ONE.
They have become popular enough that a few calls to your local fitness store should yield quick results in finding your first kettlebell. Otherwise here are a few online retailers that are known for their quality kettlebells:
1. dragondoor.com
2. kettlebellinc.com
3. Powermax (can be found on amazon)
To get started I recommend just learning the Two Handed Swing. This is the most basic kettlebell exercise.
There is a good free guide that includes the Two Handed Swing along with at least 7-10 other exercises on the site listed at the bottom of the page.
I will say for the first month of owning the kettlebell I only knew the swing and did about 20 repetitions every day that I remembered. That exercise took about 3-5 minutes.
Instantly after working out each day I could feel my stomach was way tighter. This was assessed simply by trying to push out my gut as much as possible.
Going on the third week of 3-6 days of working out per week I have dropped 3 pant sizes!
Here is a great link to the site where I have gotten all my kettlebell training info from. This blog as well as their ebooks/videos come highly recommended. KettlebellWorkouts.com
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