When I got serious about getting healthy years ago I plunged into exercise. I was looking for strength, fat loss, and performance. Initially I trained with kettlebells. They brought great success. Fat started pouring off my body, and I got very strong.
After deciding to run our local race the Volkslauf ( a 10k with mud, walls, ropes, and tons of fun obstacles) I changed my training over to endurance. Weight loss stopped. Running 10k every night halted all my progress. I watched as my body changed again. While i wasn't gaining weight, my composition was changing. Fat was over taking muscle as the running taught my muscles to be more efficient fat burners (the last thing you want if you are trying to lose fat!). I experimented with my diet, no change. Running gave me great endurance, but i was feeling weaker by the day.
After the race, which was too easy I turned to Afterburn. Alwyn Cosgroves plan for strength and fat loss. I saw just how weak running had made my body, and was glad to be putting muscle back on, but the fat never seemed to leave. I gave the plan 3 out the 4 months, 15 lbs heavier, diet still tight, i am officially proclaiming it bunk for those in the long haul.
After a month of intense muscle growth, I am now on Crossfit. I have been watching the program for years now. After the first 2 weeks, i have been pleasantly sore every day. Something I haven't felt since I started with Kettle bells.
I hope that this program is able to get my body whipped back into shape. It's been fun so far, and I love quick, hard workouts. If after 2 months I see no noticeable results, back on a strict diet of kettlebells and sandbags. I could cheat every day and fat was melting off with my workouts. Everything else has been falling short even when my diet is perfect.
Hated the 10k last week because we ran it on treadmills. I will never run on a treadmill again.
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Monday, February 4, 2008
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Kettlebells: Hype or High Performance Tools
A couple years ago I was introduced to Kettlebells by a co-worker. He was also into every form of homeopathy so I dismissed them as a fad. I started to hear the word and decided to take another look at them. Martial Artist were jumping on this "trend" left and right. I decided to try them. I remember ordering my first bell having know idea even how to use them. The information available online was scarce, and the horror stories were in abundance. It took a lot of searching but i finally found enough information to get started. I haven't looked back since.
People around me have dismissed this as a fad for along time. I just show them my results. I lost 88 lbs using these puppies! I felt like an animal. Of the group that began to train with me, all saw phenomenal results whether or not their diets were healthy. I'm missing my bells. I started a program recently that guaranteed me it would drop 2-3 lbs of fat every week. So far i have only gained weight. I can't tell if it's all muscle, but the claims just aren't adding up and I am longing for my bells after 9 weeks of this new program.
kettlebells can be a complete fitness tool. But I still will use a rack to squat and a db's to military press. Learning proper kettlebell form is essential to avoiding problems down the line. There are a few dvd's out there to help but right now they are all so expensive it's hard to bite the bullet. Use all the free stuff you can find. I have heard of some new kettlebell dvd's coming out that should do more than teach form.
What ever your thoughts are, give them a chance. I saw better results with kettlebells than any other program i have tried. Yeah they are weird and ackward in the beginning. Keep using them, before you know it you will have a rock hard core, increased strength, and feel ready to take on the world. Warning, these are addicting. I started with 1 35lb bell (recommended for starting men) I now own 12 ranging from a 5lber(for starting kids) to a 117 lber(only advance and super strong men should attempt). They seem expensive, but now that gofit has released a set they are more available and more affordable than ever before.
Happy swinging
and remember
"Swing with your legs!!!!!"
People around me have dismissed this as a fad for along time. I just show them my results. I lost 88 lbs using these puppies! I felt like an animal. Of the group that began to train with me, all saw phenomenal results whether or not their diets were healthy. I'm missing my bells. I started a program recently that guaranteed me it would drop 2-3 lbs of fat every week. So far i have only gained weight. I can't tell if it's all muscle, but the claims just aren't adding up and I am longing for my bells after 9 weeks of this new program.
kettlebells can be a complete fitness tool. But I still will use a rack to squat and a db's to military press. Learning proper kettlebell form is essential to avoiding problems down the line. There are a few dvd's out there to help but right now they are all so expensive it's hard to bite the bullet. Use all the free stuff you can find. I have heard of some new kettlebell dvd's coming out that should do more than teach form.
What ever your thoughts are, give them a chance. I saw better results with kettlebells than any other program i have tried. Yeah they are weird and ackward in the beginning. Keep using them, before you know it you will have a rock hard core, increased strength, and feel ready to take on the world. Warning, these are addicting. I started with 1 35lb bell (recommended for starting men) I now own 12 ranging from a 5lber(for starting kids) to a 117 lber(only advance and super strong men should attempt). They seem expensive, but now that gofit has released a set they are more available and more affordable than ever before.
Happy swinging
and remember
"Swing with your legs!!!!!"
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