Results matching “Bird”

Despite Sydney being in a severe drought at the moment it seems to have been raining a bit lately. During a brief sunny period I grabbed the kettlebell and raced outside. Having said that, here are a couple of simple KB exercises that can easily be done inside. Safe from inquisitive dogs who haven't yet formed an opinion on the strange black thing with a handle.

One arm kettlebell row

This is just a variation on a standard dumbbell row. To work the left side, start by placing your right foot a pace or so in front of your left. Put the kettlebell just inside the right foot, and grab it with your left hand. Bend at the waist to around 90°, and rest your right elbow on your right knee for support. Pull the bell back and up until your elbow is at roughly torso level (your arm will be bent about 90° by this point).

Alternatives

For a bit of variety (and to slightly alter the difficulty of the exercise), there are a few changes you can make. If you have two kettlebells at your disposal, you can lift these simultaneously (the start position is closer to the low point of a good morning - for balance), or by alternating them.

The overall stance can also be changed, and an option is to begin in a push-up position. Once again, one or two bells can be used; either simultaneously or alternately.

Differences from a dumbbell row

To be honest, there isn't much difference to the dumbbell version. The main benefits - and these apply to every kettlebell exercise, not just the rows - are that kettlebells are slightly harder to grab (they have a curved, thick handle) and that the weight is concentrated in a ball. More hand and wrist work overall.

I'm still working my way through the numerous exercises I've seen, heard about and thought of on the spot - and it'll be a long, long time before I'm anywhere near tired of using this funny-looking black ball.

Finding myself without the weights for a while was more than enough reason to track down a local supplier of Kettlebells. I'm not quite sure why, but everything to do with them - from the bells themselves to training manuals and DVDs - seems to be tucked away in various online stores and auction sites.

If you're looking for them, here are a couple of sources to investigate :

Octogen Fitness (Australia)
Although the shipping is a sizeable part of the cost (I was fortunate here as I live close to part of the team and was able to call and pick it up), this is a great source for the Kettlebells themselves in Australia.

Octogen also offer regular workshops to learn the finer points of Kettlebell training.

Australian Kettlebells
The only difference between these and their russian counterparts is the name which has been stamped on them. The starter sets are well worth considering, combining bells with a Pavel Tsatsouline DVD to get things moving in the right direction.

Mike Mahler (US)

I mentioned Mahler a while ago, and he's still working hard to keep his position at the cutting edge of Kettlebell training knowledge. His Kettlebell manual (.pdf) is a great place to start.

The above manual describes - and has photographs for each - over 40 exercises; covering both single and double kettlebell use. I tried a few of them this afternoon, and once I've been through the book I should have a pretty solid routine worked out. The book also has a couple of routines for those just starting out.

Dragon Door

I'm keen to read some of Pavel Tsatsouline's writings on kettlebell training, and am most interested to hear from anyone who's already added a book or DVD to their own fitness library. For now though, Mike Mahler has ensured that I'll be enjoying a bit of pain.

The home gym just got a lot more interesting.

If you've somehow managed to avoid the Total Gym infomercials featuring the well-known faces of Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley, the photo at left should give you an idea of the basic arrangement. It's essentially an inclined bench (with a sliding pad), and a cable at each side to lift/lower the user along the bench. A very simple setup.

The company was founded in 1974 by Tom Campanaro, Larry Westfall, and Dale Mc Murray - with the product changing little since then. As the height of the incline was soon changeable (with 6 heights available on the 1000 model I'm currently using), adjusting the resistance of various bodyweight exercises became a simple matter and the Total Gym products were taken up largely for rehab use. In that respect they're still ideal.

In the mid-90s the Total Gym was brought to a home-user market, with an advertising campaign featuring the Norris/Brinkley combination in 1996 and a website (totalgym.com) the same year. Several advertising campaigns later, the Total Gym range still boasts large numbers of both home and medical centre users.

I am still surprised at how effective the setup (at least on the 1000) feels; whilst I'm not expecting to build large slabs of muscle with it, I'm experiencing far more muscle soreness than following typical bodyweight workouts. All of the exercises I've tried so far (and there are far more than you might imagine - it's a very versatile setup) have been using the steepest incline, which averages out at around 44% of bodyweight. That may sound quite light, but keep in mind that everything on the Total Gym is a compound exercise, and there's more balance and control involved than in many bodyweight movements.

In addition to its common rehab uses, the Total Gym is also a good intermediate point for a few of the more difficult bodyweight+free-weight exercises; such as chin-ups and handstand push-ups. Neither of these are easy, but using 44% of bodyweight brings them a little closer to attainability.

Overall, think of the Total Gym as another tool that can be used. It certainly isn't better (or worse) than any other form of resistance exercise, but very good at what it does. The only point I'd make on the range available is that many of the optional extras seem quite pointless to me; such as the extra hooks, cables, pins and plates (yes, you can add weight plates to them - but if you really want to lift weights, why start with a Total Gym?). Grab one of the simpler models (usually the lower numbers - which are changing all the time). You'll be surprised.

With the jetlag associated with moving through a dozen timezones in less than two days comes a strong desire to do any sort of strength training available - even at odd times. As it'll be a few weeks before I again find myself with a rack at my disposal, I'm giving my dad's Total Gym 1000 a bit of a test.

If you haven't seen the Total Gym (usually on TV as an infomercial squeezed between various ab machines), it looks similar to an incline bench with a sliding pad, and cables + pulleys to move the pad up and down the guides. Although plates can be added via an optional accessory, the standard for most of the Total Gym machines is body weight.

This machine blends the cardio and strength training components, and seems like a great way of maintaining (or developing in my case) a good level of GPP. As the angle of the slide is adjustable, it's also an excellent way of building up to handstand pushups. Fun stuff.

Big Jim offers a few thoughts on conditioning. Of particular note was this :

Powerlifters and athletes have an on/off switch and nothing in between. You have to learn how to idle.

Yes. I think he's right there.

Covering a blend of kettlebell and more conventional gym training (not to mention a bit of cycling), Paul Makepeace's training diary is definitely another one to bookmark.

If you've ever considered dumbbell swings, you might want to take a look at Mike Bruce's latest article (.pdf) on strongerman.com.

NB : this is definitely one for outdoors. Just in case.

Steve Vaught - perhaps better known as the 'Fat Man Walking' - has crossed the finish line. The outcome? Well, apart from attracting a good amount of media attention, he's managed to lose nearly 7 stone (45kg) since leaving home last year.

Not bad at all.

It looks as though Bud Jeffries - of Strongerman.com fame - has joined the blogging ranks. Welcome aboard.