I wanna get big over summer

[Colt McCoy]

Good grief this thread is terrible. Just do Rippetoe's Starting Strength. It's a great beginner strength program and it will be awhile before you need to worry about getting too bulky for breakdancing as a couple of people suggested.

Alternatively, you might check out kettlebells. You can put on some muscle, build endurance and they're great for developing balance and coordination.

[ginko]

How are kettlebells any different from dumbbells ?

[Colt McCoy]

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How are kettlebells any different from dumbbells ?

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Kind of tough to explain but the kettlebell design, with the handle, changes the leverage in a way that allows you to do a lot of different movements and get more benefit from them than you would with a dumbell.

The off-center design changes the center of gravity throughout a movement and forces you to work harder to constantly balance and control it in a way you don't have to with a dumbbell. It loads the muscles differently and forces a ton more work from stabilizing muscles.

You also get a lot of grip work due to the thick handle and the way the kettlebell's center of gravity always seems to be trying to pull away from you.

Also, because of the design the weight can be shifted around out of the way on some exercises to allow for a greater range of motion.

[Blarg]

Yeah, and the off-center nature of the KB's weight also has a pronounced effect that I find a really good one. It makes every movement much more an exercise in balance and controlling your body position and momentum. This, much more than simply lifting the same weight as a dumbbell, actually involves anywhere from just a little to a lot of skill.

That has some great benefits. First, it forces concentration. That makes your work-outs easier to keep intense and at a high level of motivation, as compared to doing things very mechanically, drifting off and getting bored.

Second, skill work can be fun, which makes work-outs something you're much less likely to find an excuse not to do. Kind of like playing pool or bowling or throwing darts, you naturally want to get better at it and master the challenge, even apart from the amount of weight that's involved. Especially with some of the unusual motions like the side press, the windmill, the turkish get-up, and even the swing, you can wind up feeling like the physical effort is just part of the challenge of doing something cool, not something you have to push yourself through indifferently or even not enjoying it.

Truthfully, I usually have to put the kettlebell down before I want to, because the work-out is over. With dumbbells, by comparison, I'm bored off my ass and can hardly make myself keep going. The fun and challenge factors alone really help make KB's and KB work-outs worthwhile.

[ginko]

sorry for the bump I just wanted to say thanks for the clarification. I will look into these kettle balls.

[Blarg]

No problem, hope you enjoy them. They are BELLS, not balls, though. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

If you look online at e-bay, you can get the dragondoor ones direct from dragondoor for substantial discounts, like sometimes 1/3 off or even more. Best to watch the auctions for a few days or a week or so to see what the usual price is, because there will occasionally be some goof paying almost full price. Definitely not necessary to do that.