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Kettlebell Lunch Break?

Angela C. — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:38:27 +0000

As I sit here on my lunch break, crunching through a tray of vegetables, I wonder- what’s so hard about working out at work?

I mean, it’s taken me, like, 15 minutes to get through lunch, plus the five it took to heat up my organic frozen indian food. I have a whole hour– where is it going?

I know, I do use my lunch hour for personal errands and phone calls, since I don’t mix my business life with my home life.

I’ve thought about leaving a pair of tennis shoes here and doing a 20 minute walk during my lunch break. I even considered bringing my 12kg kb and hiding in the sales office to complete a pre-determined number of swings.

Are there any other closet kettlebell office workers out there? Or anyone else that manages to squeeze a workout in during lunch?

What do you do? How do you do it? I’d be interested in hearing your strategies. Leave a comment!

Kettlebell Bench Press, Swing and Jumping!

Angela C. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:57:27 +0000

I started working out daily again. It feels great!

I decided to focus on the workout rather than making a great video, or even timing myself. Today’s workout looks like this:

Warm Up
1 mile walk

Circuit (x3)
Bench Press with 12kgs, alternating x 10
20 Swings with 16kg
10 modified burpees (only horizontal jumps)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s6C0_Z9pgY

Here are some random things I noticed: 1) My pants are saggin’. I need some new workout clothes! 2) Although I’m distracted, I also enjoy having my son with me when I’m working out. It makes it more fun! 3) Too much time off from working out in between training sessions makes me slower and less happy.

How ’bout you? How’s your workout going?

Leave me a comment! :)

Jump! Lift! Swing! Kick!

Angela C. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:28:26 +0000

There’s not a lot of fancy titles on this video, since Liz and I went to FitPro Hawaii to get one thing done. Work out!

We started out jumping on the plyometric boxes- alternating 10 jumps. This was the first time we had done this kind of a warm up before, and three sets was quite enough for me!

Next, we did a series of static exercises with the 12kg kettlebells, followed by swings. Our circuit went like this:

15 curls
10 tricep curls
20 swings

To finish, we got to beat up our trainer. I didn’t put that on the video, though. Take a look:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttbYFzzx3uk

[ad]

At the end, we both had raw knuckles. It wasn’t pretty.

If At First You Don't Succeed…

Angela C. — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:44:05 +0000

One thing I’m learning through this process is to stick with it! In other areas of my life, I’ve gotten caught in the “all or nothing” trap. If I can’t do it perfectly, heck, why do it at all?

For example, I might think, ” If I can’t get at least 30 minutes to work out, heck, why do just a little?”

I’m constantly challenging the idea that everything has to be perfect. What is that, anyway? As a working mom, sometimes I need to be satisfied with “good enough.”

The other day, I tried to squeeze a workout in… right before a bunch of people were coming over. After the requisite cleaning and set up, I ran out of time for a full workout. Not to mention, my son wanted my attention.

I grabbed my child, threw him in a stroller, and half-heartedly tried to complete my homework assignment. It didn’t work out that well.

Rather than be defeated, I tried again the next day… and it was good! (Or at least, good enough!) Here’s what that looked like:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tlSq7rkk4w

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I’d love to hear from you! How do you get it done? Leave a comment!

Bite-sized Kettlebell Workout

Angela C. — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:45:21 +0000

I love things that are compact-- bite-sized, if you will. The easier it is to manage, the more likely I will follow through.

Lately, my workouts have been no exception. I don’t have the luxury of spending hours in a gym… all parents know that working out at home comes with the sacrifice of time spent with your children or time spent cleaning up after your children.

My trainer has shown me a number of effective, but not time-consuming kettlebell exercises. In addition to the swing, which requires ballistic and overall body motion, there are some more static exercises, such as the strict press or floor press, which get the job done.

I also intersperse ab and obliques work to give my arms and legs a rest. Sometimes a baby ends up getting put in the mix. Check it out!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf3LXfVUdGU

10 minute workout wind up

Angela C. — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:27:49 +0000

Okay. I haven’t been able to spend a long time working out, especially with little ones (and big ones) at home.

Fifteen weeks into this process, I learned that I need to just set aside a few minutes every day for myself as a priority, otherwise, my workouts won’t get done.

My trainer has been assigning me short workouts to complete, after the cardio of my choice. If done properly, the workouts can be ten minutes of ultimate kettlehell, I mean, kettlebell.

For example, the other day, I went through three sets of jump rope, planks and swings. I added a little bit of ab work, stretches and then practiced with my “perfect” pushups. Without rest periods, the complete workout would be about 10 minutes. Take a look!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwDV3ZsapZs

There are some exciting things happening in kettleworld. Join the e-mail list in the upper right hand corner of the blog to be updated. Mahalo!

Workout Anywhere with a Kettlebell

Angela C. — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:57:38 +0000

Hey, folks!

Yes, I’ve been trying to diversify where and how I workout. Boredom is my enemy.

Today I went to the neighborhood park with my nephew, his best friend, and my 2-year old. It was a clear day, and the playset was empty when we got there. Of course, other kids (and even their parents) wondered what the heck I was doing.

Here’s a brief video of my set, which I did three times: pushups or planks for 30 seconds; jump rope for 30 seconds; and 20 swings.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEXemq5C9Q8

And that’s how you can get a workout in with a kettlebell… anywhere!

Morning Workout Challenge Day #1

Angela C. — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:33:20 +0000

I think I do best when I’m “challenged.” (And supported, of course.)

Yesterday, our trainer at FitPro Hawaii literally sat Liz & I down and challenged us to get active every single day. Although I am definitely happy with my progress thus far, it’s true- my metabolism at age 35 has slowed, and I’m not getting results quickly.

I need to energize my body and have it work even while I’m sleeping! The only way to do that is to exercise and feed my body with proper nutrition.

Liz and I decided to wake each other up at 5:30am for a brisk, 20-30 minute walk in our respective neighborhoods. Bill will then give us a workout to complete, provided we give feedback in the form of a log.

Today’s kettlebell workout included the idea of “max” reps: completing as many reps as possible until form degrades. The following video contains two of those “max” reps, so if you get bored of watching me grimace, you may want to fast forward!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jng7RXIB5uc

The assignment:

BOX SQUAT
-12k x 20
-12k x max
-Plank in between sets

SHOULDER PRESS
-8k x 10/arm
-(2)8k x max
-12k x max/arm

(I ended up taking an elongated break here, since my child woke up.)
THRUSTERS
-(2)8K x 10
-12k x 10/arm
-12k x max/arm

SWING
-12k x 20
-12k x 20
-12k x 20
-Plank in between sets

Woo hoo! Thanks for watching!

Father’s Day Workout

Angela C. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:56:05 +0000

Aloha and Happy (belated) Father’s Day to every dad out there, including grandpas, uncles, stepdads and father-in-laws! You guys ROCK!

I started my day off right… on the scale! Then I took my measurements, just in case they might change after brunch. We honored the fathers in our family, and I indulged in a little bit of dessert.

So, when I got back, I decided to re-do everything- the weigh-in, the measurements, and threw a workout in for good measure.

I started out with some Turkish GetUps with the 8kg kettlebell, being careful not to hurt my right hamstring further. Next, I did the floor press with two 8 kgs and then an overhead press with the 12kg. In between, I stopped to do zercher squats. I did deadlifts with the 12kg and some situps.

I closed with a set of thrusters, pushups and forearm planks, intending to do a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown, but getting stopped along the way. Unfortunately, I was in a rush, so I didn’t get everything on camera. Not that I didn’t try… well.. you’ll see:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjoysdynSEU

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I guesstimate that I worked out for about 20 total minutes, minus all of the “rest” periods. It was a small victory, and hopefully, counter-acted the strawberry shortcake!

The Family that Works Out Together…

Angela C. — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:44:56 +0000

I’m so lucky. I have a wonderful extended ‘ohana here- it’s one of the reasons why I chose to move back to Hawai’i. I even consider the neighbors down the street “Aunties” and “Uncles.”

My nephew plays football for his high school, and his uncle created a gym in the garage for them to train in. Now that my 9-year-old nephew is starting sports, he and his best friend down the street can also train here.

On Wednesday, we all had our turns working out. Mine, as usual, was punctuated by various interruptions including technical difficulties, runaway toddlers, and curious babies. This made it a bit of a challenge to complete the two circuits I was assigned by my trainer for homework.

But-- you know what they say-- The family that works out together stays together! Enjoy:

[ad]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPsMx91w2f0

Just in case you missed it— my homework from my trainer was:

10 -- 15 minutes of cardio, then, using the 8kg kettlebell
Deadlift x12
Pushups x10
Suitcase Squat x12 each side
Orbits x10 each direction
Complete the above twice, then
Double thrusters x5- 4- 3- 2- 1
Swings x 15 in between thrusters set
Complete the above twice, then
I added in a little ab work and lots of stretching at the end!