To the overweight/out of shape

**AlexSI** · 04-14-2009, 08:30 AM

As kettlebells gain in popularity an increasing number of overweight and out of shape people will find kettlebells. What they may not realize is that this is no ordinary workout. I am speaking from experience here. I am easily 50 lbs overweight and have poor mobility from the weight and other things. Here are a few things such a person may expect trying to start out with ETK.

1. Let your Doctor know what you are doing. I am sure he or she will be very happy you are doing something for your health but they might have some input as to how much they want you to do.

2. Don't even think about the PM. You need to address a plethora of issues first. Keep doing the face the wall squats, the pump stretch, halos etc. Your world is going to be doing range of motion drills and basic kettlebell handling first.

3. TGU Turkish Get Ups are especially difficult. Get used to doing naked(with out weights) first. Again you want to get your body accustomed to the movements which is diffcult enough with extra bodyweight. To build shoulder strength half get ups are fine.

3. Swings are your friend. Take it easy though. If you can only do a few minutes at first, thats fine. You are using muscles for the first time plus you are also asking your heart to do alot of work. Give yourself time to build up here. Again see #1.

4. RKC's are also your friends. They want to see you succeed with your goals what ever they might be and they want you to like kettlebells. They have definately been doing this longer than you have and can help you with moving with the kettlebell properly and teach methods that will help you in your routines.

And a little more about my own experiences. I ended up getting a 12 and a 16 kg bell just because of my own shoulder problems. I still cannot do a proper get up but I continue to practice naked ones and half get ups with weights. With my developing abdominal muscles it looks like my belly is pushing out a little more since fat and muscle cant occupy the same space at the same time. I am starting to develop some endurance with swings but need alot more strength and practice with snatches.

These things will come with time and I am really excited about it. So don't be discouraged when you read some of these other posts and think wow I am nowhere near that. Because there are a bunch of people just like you that are either just starting out and facing similar challenges. I might not ever press a beast but I would be thrilled just the same in a healthier body.

AlexSI

**FatJon** · 04-14-2009, 09:11 AM

Great post, I have been weight training for a little over 8 months now but decided I wanted to focus on Kettlebell workouts and a lot more cardio going to burn fat. I am seriously overweight IMO and want to use KB's to get down to 210-220lbs from 257. I was originally 270 before I started lifting. I should be getting my first two KB's sometime this week (30 and 55lbs) and am really looking forward to it. Especially seeing how many snatches I can do before my lungs reach the point of near explosion.

I am really glad to be on this forum, hopefully in the near future I can post some videos and get serious critiques of my form from you more seasoned KB folk. I have a few videos that I downloaded from the "Crossfit" website with instructor Jeff Martone to learn some basic technique / form. I plan to get the ETK book and dvd sometime at the end of the month.

Thanks to Pavel and all the RKC's and everyone else who makes this forum run, I and I am sure many others greatly appreciate it.

**Ideal Paradigm** · 04-14-2009, 10:04 AM

AlexSI, I can see how this would be incredibly motivating to those who are overweight and browse these forums.

With your permission, may I put this in the FAQ Megathread? I think it would be a good for some of the members on this forum who are lurkers.

Thanks.

**skyray** · 11-12-2009, 07:49 AM

Read the FAQ before you ask a stupid question. I have been reading all about swings and the implication that they are aerobic exercise. My experience is that they are anaerobic. After twenty five to thirty swings my pulse rate is 150 which is slightly above my Karvonen target heart rate, and I have a slight oxygen debt that takes about 30 seconds to resolve. Having read this thread, I suspect that the problem is the extra weight I am carrying. Anyone got any bright ideas on how to bring the intensity down to the "fat loss" range? I am using a pood (16 Kg) and swinging at natural periodicity (probably two swings a second). Would less weight or slower swinging be more effective?

**Zartan** · 11-12-2009, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by skyray

Read the FAQ before you ask a stupid question. I have been reading all about swings and the implication that they are aerobic exercise. My experience is that they are anaerobic. After twenty five to thirty swings my pulse rate is 150 which is slightly above my Karvonen target heart rate, and I have a slight oxygen debt that takes about 30 seconds to resolve. Having read this thread, I suspect that the problem is the extra weight I am carrying. Anyone got any bright ideas on how to bring the intensity down to the "fat loss" range? I am using a pood (16 Kg) and swinging at natural periodicity (probably two swings a second). Would less weight or slower swinging be more effective?

Are you sure you meant two swings per second?

**skyray** · 11-12-2009, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by Zartan

Are you sure you meant two swings per second?

Merely an estimate. Unfortunately I am forced to work alone and there is no one to handle the stopwatch so it wasn't measured. Time flies when you are having fun.

**skyray** · 11-12-2009, 10:49 AM

More data. I got to thinking about the physics involved and realized that pendulum law says you can't vary the period without involving your arms and blowing your swing form. So I dug out the fifteen pounder that I bought for my daughter and swung it. Heart rate 120 at 25 reps and 130 at 50 reps with no oxygen debt. Now I need to work hard enough to get these same results with the pood.

**Topmaul** · 11-12-2009, 10:57 AM

Don't forget about nutrition you can not out train a bad diet I read that some place but it's true I have tried. Also if you watch what you eat and keep a workout log there is no need to stand on a scale more than once a week. Might set a goal like this on a day off when you're going to be home. Say 300 swings that day. Do a few many times during the day don't do long sets maybe 5 to 10 put it down do something else and in a few minutes do another set. If 300 is unrealistic adjust the number.

Good Luck

**D-Rock** · 11-12-2009, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by skyray

Anyone got any bright ideas on how to bring the intensity down to the "fat loss" range?

Get your diet dialed in.

**skyray** · 11-12-2009, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by D-Rock

Get your diet dialed in.

Normally a consideration, but not in this case because I am already at a low enough calorie intake to be at risk for malnutrition. My last stress test I presented with eight beats of atrial fibrillation on 400 calories per day and my cardiologist told me to knock that extreme diet crap off. Since then I have lost about twenty pounds on 1800 to 2000 calories per day combined with moderate exercise. If the exercise gets too intense, I start to catabolize muscle, if it is not intense enough I gain weight. So I try to maintain it between 50% and 80% of VO2 Max. Be careful with your metabolism; it can become a real problem.