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Sunday, February 7, 2010

Don't Wrap a Kettlebell Around Your Neck Please

Awhile back, I wrote a blog entry about my exercising and what it has done for me, (Just Keep Swimming), and expressed a desire to "mix up my routine" with something else.

That "something else" showed up when a co-worker of mine spoke of kettlebells on Facebook one day. Clueless as to what a kettlebell was, I was intrigued and clicked on his blog site to find out what it was all about. He had all kinds of site references to find out more about his inspiration for his exercise program. I saw pictures of a kettlebell, but could not fathom how one would exercise with it.

 

To me, it looked more like a weapon of mass destruction instead of an exercise tool! I could imagine knocking myself unconscious with one, but exercise? Hmmmmm.....
I clicked on a few of his "favorite sites" and saw some videos of what a kettlebell is and some basic things you can do with one. Lightbulbs went on in my head! Ohhhhh, THAT'S what you do with a kettlebell! My next question was, can I do this exercise without causing injury?

I commented back. Can an almost-retirement-age, suffering from arthritis pain, neck and back injuries, foot injuries woman like me, exercise with one of these things and live to see another day?
His answer was Yes, with the proper training and right technique.

Sooooo, how do I get that? I can show you how, he says. He has converted his garage into a gym full of kettlebells and other exercise equipment. Come on down.

Okay. I convince my hubby to join the fun and off we go to visit the next weekend. I was completely unaware of what could happen next, even with some of his explanations about what we were going to be doing.

We started with a great warm up, hung out on some rings (literally), then we began to receive our basic kettlebell training and safety. I did OK with the basic movement, but when it came to a different move that required me to switch hands grabbing the kettlebell, I was a bit clumsy. Practice will make that better, I'm sure.

The next thing he introduced us to, was a deceptively simple looking exercise using some really large ropes. He warned us it was tougher than it looked. I don't think he warned us enough. Or, maybe I wasn't listening close enough. The ropes were probably the most difficult aspect of the whole exercise. 

Overall, I had a great experience with this visit. Yes, I was sore for the next few days, but I want more. 

Want to learn a bit more about kettlebells? Here is his blog site!

Kettlebellcorner

Or check out this video

Code Zero Kettlebells

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