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Friday, July 19, 2013

kettle bell kraze

I just got home from another edition of the blogger roundtable. As always, we talked and talked and talked the night away. More to come on that hopefully very soon. I have said it over and over again, my very most favorite part of blogging is the connections I make. Who doesn't like to make more friends?!?

Speaking of friends, Jacquelyn is starting a cool new letter exchange program. The thought of a real letter in the mail sounds like all kinds of fun to me. Head on over to find out more.

Speaking of other friends, I have Carrie here today. We met doing the May 30x30 fashion challenge. The whole group instantly connected over fashion, but it got even more fun when we started learning more about each other. Carrie is a runner too, and she lives in St. Louis. We already have plans to get together next time I go visit the parents (whenever that may be). Back in the day, I was a Crossfit die hard, but then I had hip surgery and never really made it back. I first learned about kettlebells there, and I have really missed them ever since. Carrie is giving us the full rundown today.

Kettlebells-Cover
Hi! I am Carrie visiting from Mama's Going to Buy You a Mockingbird and today I am going to share with some basic knowledge on kettlebells. Now, I am a runner by heart and I do run 3-4 times a week on average... But, I wanted to add some weight lighting into my weekly workouts, since running is mainly just cardio. Did you know that kettlebells and running are both forms of ancient exercise? Kettlebells were first used in the 1700's by Russian strongmen and humankind has been running as long as they've been around. Intersting, eh? My goal is to work out with weights a couple of times a week and run 3-4 times a week. I know that sounds like a lot and when I am training for some longer races, I usually do drop my weight lifting workouts first. BUT, I try to make the weight lifting workouts fun and on rough weeks I may just do a 30 minute session, but it is better than skipping them. 

Are you ready to cover Kettlebells 101 with me?

1. What do you do in a kettlebell workout? 

The kettlebell is a cast-iron weight with a handle that you do repetitive exercises with to build strengh and endurance and it works several muscles at once.

2. What do I need in order to do a kettlebell workout?

My-feet-by-kettlebells
Kettlebells. I would buy 2-3 different weights. I started with a 7 and a 10 lb. kettlebell, but realized the 7 is wayyy too light. I think a 10, 15 and 20 would be a good to start with. You only use one kettlebell at a time, so you only need one of each weight (unlike some dumb bell exercises).

Gloves
Grip Gloves. These serve two purposes: (a) they protect your hands from getting sore or developing callouses. (b) it will give you a little extra grip on the kettlebells as you are handling them.

3. What is a good beginner's workout to start with?

Iron-Core-Kettlebells dvd
I highly suggest Iron Core Kettlebells with Sarah Lurie if you love to workout to DVD's like I do. I first read about working out with kettlebells in one of my magazines (can't remember which) and I thought it would be wonderful to workout to something other than dumb bells for a change. 


Back-of-Kettlebells-DVD
I love that this DVD contains 4 different workouts and that one of them is only 30 minutes for those days that I don't have a lot of time. It takes a couple of times doing the videos to get a good rhythm going.

There are also a lot of great websites and you tube videos on how to work out with kettlebells, such as these kettlebell exercises on Womens Health Magazine.


Now for the MOST important kettlebell tip:

The best way to get the most out of your workout is to use the appropriate size weight. If you are using too light of a weight, you won't get nearly as much out of your workout.


Also, remember...

Since the weight is concentrated in the body of the kettlebell, your muscles need to work harder to stabilize and counter the weight’s momentum.  


My-feet-by-kettlebells2
Hope you are all geared up to do your first (or to get back into it!) kettlebell exercise. I love to talk about exercise (oh, and fashion, DIY/crafts, travel, recipes... my babies... ahh, what else?) over at Mama's Going to Buy You a Mockingbird. I would love to see you over there, please stop by soon. :) A big thanks to Aubrey for letting me guest post!

I don't know about you, but I'm dying to get my hands on some kettlebells again. Thanks so much Carrie. Now head on over to her blog and say hello.

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2 comments:

  1. I love kettleball workouts, but I feel so weird doing them at the gym. I feel like I might throw them out the window or something. Thank you so much for posting this. :)

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  2. Thanks Aubrey for letting me steal your blog for one day. :) Also, Jessa... I totally get where you are coming from, I always make sure I have a tight grip on them... would hate to take out the TV. ;)

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