I took a class from Pavel I think it was about 18 years ago. Any of his videos are good. There are a bunch of morons in youtube that have kettle bell videos.
Form is VERY important and most videos on internet don't stress good form and control. You can get injured easily if form is not perfect.
Its a great workout and helps joint stability , balance , heart, flexibility
Goal is a low impact total body work out for male in is early 40’s. Lean muscle, not mass. General weight maintenance.
Past shoulder and knee injuries so low weight, higher reps.
Would be combined with intermittent cardio with bike, elliptical, swimming mostly.
I don't do a lot with KBs but one of the moves I like best isn't a swing, it's goblet squats. Work your way up to the heaviest weight you can use and still do 3-4 sets of 10-12 and you'll feel it. Works a lot of different parts of your body too.
Forgot to mention, I've got one shoulder that'll need surgery in the next year or two, a little arthritis in one knee from a skiing accident, and a fused ankle on the other side. Goblet squats don't tweak any of those, but I do use a plate under each heel to elevate the heels about an inch and a half. That makes any kind of squat easier on the knees.
Check out the "Fitness Blender" site. Lots of free workout videos, including kettlebells, sandbags ect. They also have HIIT, cardio, strength training, stretching, yoga.... The filters on the site work really good. You can select type of gear, length of workout, intensity of work out. It's a husband and wife team and they do a great job.
"There'll be no quitters till we bag some critters."
I use kettlebells all the time and really like it (I’m 51). I combine kettlebells and barbell lifts. If you have shoulder issues I highly recommend Turkish Getups. Lots of good benefits for core stability and strength, but also great for shoulder rehab. They’re apart of every workout for me. Kettlebells are great because it’s a different mindset. You have to practice, you can’t approach it with a goal of just getting a sweat on. I also do snatch's often and double cleans combined with front squats. If you’re going to be avoiding heavier bells, then I would recommend doing more complexes. Where you combine two or three exercises and string them together. eg, two double cleans, 1 overhead press, 3 front squats, rest, repeat for multiple repeats.
Try and find books by Geoff Neupert. He has lots of great info. Also check out strong as hec website. It’s Hector Gutierrez and he has some really good free content with simple programs depending on what your goal is and excellent free instructional videos. He also has a a lot of advanced material to buy, but with kettlebells it takes a long time and lot of practice to get good at the techniques. He has a free ebook download called “kettlebell snacks”. It’s a great website.
If you have an Instagram account, check out jtm_fit. He posts a lot of KB exercises. I've done a few. It doesn't take long to get the legs and lungs burning. He also has a website, www.jtmfit.com. I'm not sure how many videos he posts for free on there, but you can find a lot on Instagram.
Last edited by Pilgs; 03/28/20.
When you are dead, you don't know that you are dead. It's difficult only for the others....It is the same when you are stupid
I use both kettlebells and barbell/plates but if had to choose one only, the kettlebells would stay. I have several of Pavel's books and DVD's and for 'all body' movements, really like the Turkish get up and clean & press ladders. I do have to be careful with clean & press and snatches - they can aggravate tendonitis in my elbows if I over do it.
I've been doing the Strongfirst/Pavel 033C workout (can be found in the latest edition of "Simple & Sinister"). A friend with a serious special operations and alpine climbing background turned me onto it a couple of years ago when I was preparing for a sheep hunt. It's basically a mix of KB swings and push-ups or dips. It doesn't really feel like you're doing much since there is lots of rest built-into the program but, trust me, it works. The best part is that it only takes about 30 minutes and you can do it pretty much anywhere. I add in 1-2 runs a week and, as the Fall approaches, at least one longer hike with a pack and boots. I've done Crossfit, Gym Jones (remotely) and a bunch of other things and this has been the best workout I've ever done in terms of general fitness without risking injury. Pavel was on Rogan a couple of months ago and, the way http he described it, this is the workout that he does personally.
