New(old) type of training for you guys. Kettlebells are F*@#ing unreal!!!
I dont know how many of you know about these but its an awesome workout. They basically give you a total body strength workout and the cardiovascular stimulation it gives you is crazy. There are numerous exercises to be done with these things but the bread and butter(and in my opinion the only needed) are variations of Cleans, Snatches, and Swings. I am by no means an Olympic lifter nor have I ever performed these, only hang cleans and power cleans for sports, but its a lot easier and a lot more natural to perform these exercises with Kettlebells. My form probably isnt the best or the most efficient but it is safe. I feel that it will improve through practice. I also have videos and a book to help learn the form. I plan to hit up a Kettlebell Workshop put on by Mike Mahler or Pavel Tsatsouline sometime in the spring. But I am telling you people, its hard core. You will be breathing hard as if you were running sprints and your body will feel totally whiped. Its awesome and today was my first workout. I can see where this would be an excellent conditioning tool. Its build explosiveness, full body strength, muscular endurance(all kettlebell ballistic exercises are done with high reps), and gives your cardio system a great workout as well. For the next 3-4 months I am going to drop the traditional style of weight training. My workout will revolve around KB's only for the first two weeks while I adjust to them then I will be adding some running and bodyweight exercises(mainly, pushups, pullups, situps). My main goals are to build up my muscular and cardiovascular endurance, drop bodyfat, and build some explosive strength. I am not worried about muscle or the way I look, I am training only for function, health, and bodyfat reduction. I am a police officer so my main concern is just all around physical shape. Plus I am considering throwing an application or two out there for other jobs(US Marshalls, US Prison System, etc) and all of them have pretty good physical requirements. Anyway, just wanted to drop a line or two about a new form of training that I have never seen on this board.
If anyone is interested in learning more about KB's there are numerous sites out there but the best ones I have found are the following.
www.dragondoor.com
www.mikemahler.com
www.redwhiteandbluefitness.com
www.specialtactics.com