Great links, I've actually printed out 2nd page of the Oregon state one for my own reference in my crop journal.
JL13 wrote:That's inspiring re: kettlebells. My situation is similar, I've always had big legs from skateboarding then running then cycling, but my arms have always been Nintendo-skinny. What is your typical routine with them?
I knew it was important to start super simple. One or two main exercises, not trying to be good at kettlebells overnight.
At first I bought a 16kg kettlebell, usually recommended for males of ok fitness and minimal prior weight training. It's a good weight and my first routine left me very sore for a week. Soreness never returned after that. I got really nice kettlebells. They are "competition style" which means they are all exactly the same size. The handles are steel with a super nice finish. They're never hard on the hands. At my shop they were on sale and barely cost more than the cheap cast iron ones.
For moves I downloaded
this app, just so I could watch video of a guy doing the moves. Then I got rid of the leg exercises because I don't need that shit and it sounds like you don't either. No day is leg day. I also got rid of the "simpler" exercises like the very popular kettlebell swing, because I'm looking more for something that exercises everything all at once.
So the moves I was left with are:
Kettlebell Clean and Press
I'm no kettlebell expert, but if I could only do one exercise, it would be this. It's a multi-stage exercise, and you feel it everywhere. I do one side until I'm to tired to continue "presses" over my head, then I do the other side. More sets throughout the day as I feel like it.
I like to only do 6-8 presses. Once it was too easy and I could do them indefinitely, I upgraded to a much bigger kettlebell. I want to move in 8 kilo increments like the original russian standard kettlebells do. No quarter-poods for me.
I also now do the 2-hand variant of the clean and press, now that I have 2 nice heavy bells. This gets you sweating and struggling much quicker than the 1-hand variant. I still switch the heavier bell between left and right hand.
Kettlebell Swing and Punch?
I really don't know what this one is called but it's in the app and I like it. Maybe someone can remind me what it's called. You start with a kettlebell swing, then cock the bell back with your arm fully bent and parallel with the floor, before punching forward and leading into the end of the swing.
Kettlebell High Pull
This one's great because I can do it sitting down while watching youtube or something. Unlike the lady in the picture I pull all the way up over my head. So let's call it a Kettlebell Super High Pull.
Kettlebell Swing
I still do this one sometimes, but it's not my favorite. I probably just have bad form, but it seems to be the only one that makes my back sore. Many other kettlebell tricks are based on it, so you gotta know it regardless of whether you like it or not.
Total Time Commitment
I spend relatively very little time lifting, probably less than 10 minutes a day. But I am extremely consistent and have worked out daily with very few exceptions since January when I started. I consciously try to keep my daily routine as short as possible, by using tricks such as "it's never leg day" and "of
course I don't stretch."
The kettlebells sit on my stairs landing, by the way. So they are staring at me constantly, when I enter or leave my house, or even go into the kitchen. So my advice is to never let them go "out of sight and out of mind".
The only figures I've measured myself for are weight and body fat. I've hovered between 165 lb and 170 lb with ~11% BF since I was 16. Now all of a sudden I am 190 lb and closer to 15% BF. 190 may sound high but I'm 6'2" so still not overweight according to BMI charts. I've also made a conscious effort to eat more, this is important (see my previous idea about lard fried potatoes
.) It's not too hard to eat extra because all the extra working out will make you hungry. You just need access to food that is actually filling and not junk.