Updates on this 5/27/09

So in my next-to-last previous entry I mentioned I was flirting with the idea of taking a week-long break away from the kettlebells and all strength-related things. That was incredibly short-lived - actually, just a few minutes after posting that I decided to do my kb stuff anyhow. Go figure!

I''m very happy to report that I'm finally making progress on my kettlebell cleans. I did a few today, and didn't bang the front of my forearm like I normally do!! Thank you, Lauren Brooks, for showing me via YouTube how to properly load the kb's and clean 'em!

I also managed to overcome my fear of performing windmills with my 25-lb. kettlebell. I dunno why this kb size in particular freaks me out; in the midst of my slogging through New Rules of Lifting for Women last year, doing one-armed presses with a 25-lb. dumbbell was a piece of cake. I think it's the whole novelty of it, plus the fact that kettlebells really do feel different from a dumbbell. It's hard to explain, but it feels a little more awkward to hold them. Dumbbells, in comparison, seem more "symmetric" in feel.

Last night's bellydance class was terrific. We got to learn new choreography, this time, a folk dance Egyptian women perform to welcome home their fishermen husbands. It's very tongue-in-cheek and humorous, and a little bouncier than the moves we'd been doing for the last month or so.

Over and out.

Playtime with the Kettlebells

Today was a date with the kettlebells, and I knocked my workout early enough this morning to feel relieved.  I actually wasn't looking forward to it at all - the routine was all high-reps of squats, windmills and farmers walks - but I got it out of the way and felt better knowing that I ended the high-rep phase of this workout program. Hooray for conclusions! 

I'm still working on kettlebell form and it still surprises me how hard moves like the clean and snatch are. They look so deceptively simple, but I still get the tell-tale marks of a KB newbie, i.e., brusing near my wrists. Even the  swing, which I'm usually pretty good at because of my lower-body power, can be a real challenge some days for me to slog through. 

That said, I'm really digging the KB's. I like the fact that they're still a mystery to me, and their versatility. I'm not a big fan of cardio (an odd thing coming from a runner, I know), but doing a cardio routine with the kettlebells is actually... fun! And allow me to make a DVD recommendation, and say that the Kettlebell Goddess workout is a good place to start if you are a femme. 

Above is a pic of my beloved 8 kg kettlebell. I'm slowly working my way up to the 35-lb. RKC KB.