The Poker Mom goes Kettlebell

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Cliff notes: Middle aged woman tries kettlebells

By way of introduction, if you consider the average 2p2 poster to be about college age, I'm old enough to be your Mom, (hence The Poker Mom title.) I've lost weight in the last year with a carb and calorie reduced diet, and along the way done some pretty basic exercise, walking, biking, a few DVD's, (resistance bands, Abs ball, etc.), though not as consistently as I'd like and decidedly not beyond "beginner" level.

I'd say I've never been "physically fit" in my entire life.

I started looking for something I could do on a regular basis that wouldn't bore me half to death. I'd almost talked myself into buying a Bowflex. (I live in the country and a gym is not an option.)

At my age, my goals are:
- maintaining and building bone mass
- maintaining and building muscle mass
- strengthening my core
- like most women I have almost zero upper body strength

Before going the Bowflex route, I decided to investigate this Kettlebell stuff I'd been seeing on 2p2.

*OFFICIAL* OOT Kettlebell Thread -- Drink the Kool-Aide!
*OFFICIAL* The Gym KETTLEBELL Thread -- Drink the Kool-Aid!
Getting started in kettlebell training

I like the idea that using kettlebells can be both aerobic and strength training. I also like that you're using a bunch of muscle groups all at once. Add that it's a lot cheaper than investing in a Bowflex, and easy to do at home. I decided to drink the Kool-aid.

I bought the 9 lb. to 25 lb. adjustable from US Kettlebells and picked up Steve Cotter's Encyclopedia of Kettlebell Lifting Volumes I and II from Ebay, (my first Ebay purchase ever.)

I'm sure I would have never heard of kettlebells or considered them if not for this site, so depending on how this goes, I have you guys to thank or to blame. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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Day 1: I watched the introduction on Volume One, which basically covers the benefits, rules and safety, grip, breathing, alignment, mechanics, etc.

A note on Steve Cotter's DVD's you aren't going to be watching these for production value. It's basically a guy, (with a somewhat freakish of nature muscle bound build), standing in front of a curtain with one camera on him. Every once in a while thing go wild and the camera will actually Zoom in or out!

On the other hand, for someone with absolutely no experience with lifting, form, etc., the stuff he covers is perfect for me. I need a good foundation on the basics and he does provide that. It's also kind of refreshing that he's the "anti-exercise video smile and hype you up personality." There's even no music!

In addition to the intro, I watched the two arm swing, which seems to be a very basic component of kettlebells. I swing around 9 lbs. a few times, with my first concern being form.

By the last set, I adjust the weight to 15 lbs.

Day 2: Abs Ball DVD

Day 3: I notice on Volume II the first section is "Joint Mobility Warm-ups." This seems like a good idea for someone starting out from scratch at my age. So, I pop in the DVD, quickly realize most of the warm ups are for two kettlebells . I only have one and there's no way I could do them with that much weight anyway.

So, I put on some 1.5 lb. hand weights I have and do the warm ups using them. It's a pretty thorough warm up and I actually hear joints creaking and cracking. I'll probably want to increase weights doing this pretty quickly, but I think it could be a really good part of a routine.

From there, I do 5 sets x 15 of two handed swings with the kettlebell.

Comments and Questions:

I think the next thing to add is some kind of overhead arm lift, a clean and jerk?

However, I lost all strength in m right wrist about a week ago. It's about halfway back, but I'm thinking I want to give it another week before I try to lift with it.

I'm thinking another week doing warm ups and two handed swings every other day.

Suggestions?

P.S. If I can try this, the rest of you have no excuses left. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Blarg]

Take your jewelry off. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Seriously though, take your time with everything, no rush. It takes a while to get in shape, and that's okay and shouldn't bother you. Success is absolutely inevitable, with a little patience and commitment. Meanwhile, be safe. Remember that the number one rule is, when a kettleball is falling, get out of the way. So you might want to do some practices out on the lawn, at least until you get comfy with them. Pay attention to your grip, and if your hands get sweaty or start to feel weak, dry off and maybe do the rest of the work-out outside.

Congrats on your new KB! Starting with swings is a good idea. Remember that the power of the swing comes from your hips, and you should feel the force being directed down through your heels. The arms do almost nothing. This is a great one for your butt, a big plus for the ladies.

When it comes to presses, you might want to stick to some simple ones at first, and get tricky later. But if something is fun, that keeps you motivated, which counts for so much. A tip for presses: keep your shoulder low.

Try to pick a balanced routine. Do at least one upper body push, and one upper body pull, and then supplement as desired for your core and legs.

If you get a little courage and want to try something fun, try the windmill and the turkish get-up. The latter is a great core exercise and works on shoulder stability.

Final tip: Don't be afraid to do a good exercise, even for years. Changing-up all the time is very over-rated and often, seemingly perversely, leads to boredom and abandoning exercise. It becomes hard to measure accomplishment or become truly good at anything, and that saps motivation a lot. Swings, for instance, are an exercise you will never outgrow.

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The only jewelry I ever wear is my wedding ring. Pretty low key when it comes to that kind of thing.

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So you might want to do some practices out on the lawn, at least until you get comfy with them.

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Right now, the living room is my victim. Swinging in the direction of the love seat. Outside won't be an option in the Great White North for much longer.

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Pay attention to your grip, and if your hands get sweaty or start to feel weak, dry off and maybe do the rest of the work-out outside.

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Do I need to get some chalk?

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Remember that the power of the swing comes from your hips, and you should feel the force being directed down through your heels. The arms do almost nothing. This is a great one for your butt, a big plus for the ladies.

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I can feel it in the back of my thighs today, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. A little through the shoulders, but I think that's just from keeping control at the top of the swing. I'd pretty much feel any arm work at this point.

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When it comes to presses, you might want to stick to some simple ones at first, and get tricky later. But if something is fun, that keeps you motivated, which counts for so much. A tip for presses: keep your shoulder low.

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I did get those armbands. Not a fan of the idea of that thing slamming into my forearms.

So what's a simple press to start with, something like a 1 arm military press?

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Try to pick a balanced routine. Do at least one upper body push, and one upper body pull, and then supplement as desired for your core and legs.

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Sorry, I'm clueless. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Would you mind giving examples of what types of lifts would be upper body push and upper body pull?

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If you get a little courage and want to try something fun, try the windmill and the turkish get-up. The latter is a great core exercise and works on shoulder stability.

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I'll look into both of these.

Thanks for the help!

[jqmaverick]

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Try to pick a balanced routine. Do at least one upper body push, and one upper body pull, and then supplement as desired for your core and legs.

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Sorry, I'm clueless. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Would you mind giving examples of what types of lifts would be upper body push and upper body pull?



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Check this out http://www.mikemahler.com/articles/5pillars.html


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Whatever form of weight training you engage in, you want the five above areas covered. Now lets cover each area with kettlebells as the focus:

Press:
KB Military Press or KB Floor Press. This includes all of the variations such as the Sots Press, Double Clean and Press, Alternating Floor press, See-saw Press.

Pull:
Renegade Row, Alternating Bent-over Row, Double Bent-over Row, One-arm Row, Pull-ups with a kettlebell

Squat:
Double Front Squat, Hack Squat, overhead squat, one-legged squat

Lower body pull:
Double Swing, Double Snatch, One-arm Swing, One-arm Snatch, Double Clean, One legged Deadlift

Core:
Windmill, Turkish Get-up, Bent Press, Side Press



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[EricW]

Hi poker mom,

Best wishes to you and your goals! It's good to see that you're incorporating weight resistance training to reach your goals unlike many other women!

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Whatever form of weight training you engage in, you want the five above areas covered. Now lets cover each area with kettlebells as the focus:

Press:
KB Military Press or KB Floor Press. This includes all of the variations such as the Sots Press, Double Clean and Press, Alternating Floor press, See-saw Press.

Pull:
Renegade Row, Alternating Bent-over Row, Double Bent-over Row, One-arm Row, Pull-ups with a kettlebell

Squat:
Double Front Squat, Hack Squat, overhead squat, one-legged squat

Lower body pull:
Double Swing, Double Snatch, One-arm Swing, One-arm Snatch, Double Clean, One legged Deadlift

Core:
Windmill, Turkish Get-up, Bent Press, Side Press

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That helps. Thanks!

I did get progressively more sore last night, which made getting psyched to start today a little intimidating.

It did feel better once I got started. I kept it pretty simple with the joint and mobility warm up and some 2 handed swings.

I'll plan to keep that going alternating days this week and add a turkish get up or press next week. Sound like a plan? Any suggestions?

[Blarg]

Re: chalk: Chalk can be messy. You might want to get away from a rug if using it. Many people use chalk, many don't. If you are doing long routines, it can feel more necessary.

Re: lady hand-care concerns: Try some corn-huskers lotion to keep your hands soft and healed if they get rough. Also, file down any calluses before they get too big, so they don't tear.

Re: presses: Yes, a military press is fine.

Re: push/pulls: igmaverick gives examples below. Basically, you have muscles that work to extend your limbs, and others that bring them in. An obvious extender: triceps. Less obvious: chest. An obvious retractor: biceps. Less obvious: the big back muscle, latissimus dorsi.

For legs: a deadlift pulls weight up off the ground, so it's commonly called a pull. A squat pushes weight, so it's never called a pull.

So, for an upper body push, think military press and bench press. For upper body pull, think pull-ups and rowing.

In general, think also about ignoring the body-builder credo of doing endless sets and repetitions, and working to failure. None of that is very productive, especially if you are not in steroids and eating enormous amounts of food. It can even be counterproductive, in that it can exhaust you and spending all that time working out can make you dread it.

Think of getting your legs involved in at least one major full-body exercise for the legs, like squats(you can do them one-legged too, with just your bodyweight and/or a kettlebell) or deadlifts, and one major upper body push and one major upper body pull. If you get that covered, you will stimulate your whole body very quickly, including the hormonal system that helps you put on muscle(not like Arnold, just normal very nice girly muscle, for ladies) and lose fat. Just stick to doing a few things well and covering the most important bases of legs, push, and pull, and you will be best off.

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I thought I should do an update. Because of travel, work, schedules, I haven't gotten in 3 days a week the last couple weeks, averaging 2.

This is what I'm doing for a workout:

About 3-5 minutes cardio to warm up with some joint mobility
Around the body pass - 15X each direction
Between the legs pass - 15X each direction
Around 1 leg - 15X each direction X 2
1 arm military press - 15x each side
Bent over rows - 15X each side
Swings 15 x 3
Stretches

I did try the Turkish Get Up today. The kettlebell is at 15# and I'm going to have to go down to the lowest weight, 9# on these for now.

I probably did 3-4 on one side and one on the side with my weaker wrist. It does seem like a great exercise for your core.

So, does the above seem balanced for now? Does it have enough leg work? (The day after, I can feel the work out in my shoulders, but legs not so much.)

I have a hard time keeping flat feet when trying to do any squat. I always end up on my toes for balance. Any suggestions for this?

Is a bent over row considered a pull? (I don't have a pull up bar and I've never been able to do them anyway. Of course, I expect that to change!)

[cbloom]

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So, does the above seem balanced for now? Does it have enough leg work? (The day after, I can feel the work out in my shoulders, but legs not so much.)


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Yeah, you're totally lacking leg work. You need to get some more squats in there or something. Turkish Getups are an awesome exercise, that would be a good thing to work up, but they are more shoulder-focused than legs.

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I have a hard time keeping flat feet when trying to do any squat. I always end up on my toes for balance. Any suggestions for this?


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There are a lot of posts on improving squats here. The short answer is STRETCH. Stretch your hammies and hips. Also it's better to just elevate your heels with a board or something than to lift your feet during the motion.

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Is a bent over row considered a pull? (I don't have a pull up bar and I've never been able to do them anyway. Of course, I expect that to change!)

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Yep, it's a pulling motion.