The debate continues on the Kettleworx DVDs. Are they any good? Is a 10lb Kettlebell heavy enough? Is Ryan certified?

I’ll be honest I don’t know the answer to those questions what I do know however is that many people are happy with Kettleworx. Normally if an Infomercial product is complete rubbish you come across many negative comments both on and off-line. Yes you’ll find a few negative comments mostly from people doing traditional Kettle Bell training who scoff at the 5-10lb weight and who’ll tell you it’s far to light even for women.

I would have to disagree. If you’re already fit and fairly strong and have a history of working out then 10lbs may well be to light – assuming you’ve had the correct training that is. But lets face it who is the target market for this product? It’s going to be middle aged overweight people with little or no workout experience.

Do you really want that type of client hurling a heavy weight around? With poor core stability lets face it they’re going to hurt themselves before long and then they won’t be able to train at all will they?

Let them start with Kettleworx and a light weight. Once they’ve strengthened then they can move up to a heavier weight. If Kettleworx gets people excited enough to workout then that’s fine by me. If someone can show me that the Kettleworx is dangerous then please post your comment below.

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Kettleworx DVD – Is It A Real Kettlebell?

No exercise programme is complete without weight training, but it seems to be the thing that most women prefer to avoid, convinced that they will end up with the bulky muscles of a weightlifter.  This is absolutely not true as women do not have enough of the hormone testosterone to produce muscle bulk like men do and in fact female weightlifters have a really hard job to produce big muscles.

So why do women need to weight train?  Wouldn’t aerobic exercise be enough to lose weight and shape up?  The answer is no.  Muscle tissue is absolutely necessary to the body and the more muscle you have the more calories you will burn at rest when you are not doing anything, even when you are sleeping or relaxing in front of the TV.  Toning and strengthening muscles also stabilises your joints and makes them stronger, making them less vulnerable to damage, and toned muscle gives shapely limbs and a pert butt.

Adding a weights session or two a week to your workouts is quite simple and does not require all the complicated machines in the gym, which can be very intimidating to the uninitiated!  Women don’t need heavy weights to tone muscle so Ladies, you can easily get by with some neat dumbbells at home and all you need to do is lift and lower them a few dozen times or squat down and stand up while holding them to tone your body.

Muscles strengthen and develop according to the strains placed on them, so if you lift weights for a few weeks you will find that it starts to get easier – this is the point where you need to get some heavier weights to keep your body challenged or change your exercises to work your body in a slightly different way and keep it guessing.  If you don’t, you muscle gains will plateau and then eventually reverse as your body has become too used to that particular weight and you will gain no further benefit.

If you want to combine cardio with strength training why not take a look at the Kettleworx?

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Working Out With Weights

The Japanese have always held their senior citizens in high regard, viewing them as an asset to society rather than a  burden.  This still holds true, and now exercise equipment is being placed in parks designed specifically for the use of these citizens, most of whom are well into their 70s.  Rather than cardiovascular exercise, this new equipment focuses on keeping muscles strong and working on balance.  As you age, your muscles waste naturally, and your balance deteriorates as the signals from your brain become muffled.  The good news is the deterioration is not inevitable and muscles can be kept strong and balance improved by specific exercises.

New equipment in one park to the north of Tokyo has proved so popular that over a dozen elderly Japanese at a time make their way there even in freezing temperatures to exercise, socialise and have fun; where once the squeals of children playing were heard there are now peals of laughter from the senior citizens as they do press ups and balance on special equipment.

Life expectancy in Japan is high, with more and more people now living well into their 80s and 90s.  Combined with falling birth rate, this is posing a social problem for the Japanese government as even in Japan it is more common in elderly people to live alone than with their families as in previous generations.  This means there is a high demand for sheltered housing and nursing homes and this is where the idea of the elderly exercising comes into play, as healthy people are able to live independently for longer and are also much happier that way.

One of the major problems with getting older is becoming isolated, and these new senior play parks are also providing important socialisation opportunities for the users; in fact some local residents say laughingly that the oldies can actually become quite boisterous!

Local councils in Japan are delighted with popularity of these parks.  An exercise instructor is on hand to demonstrate how to use the equipment, and then the seniors are left in peace to play, with the instructors commenting how quickly they catch on to ideas and how much easier they are to teach than many youngsters.

Other exercise related posts:

Put the Kettleworx Exercise System on
What on earth is a T-Bow?

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Workout Equipment For Senior Citizens

We get fat for a very simple reason – We eat too much. We take in more energy from the food we eat and drink than we burn by moving around. Put simply, to lose fat we need to eat less and exercise more! That’s it – in one paragraph the secret to losing fat. So why do people find it so hard to follow this simple advice?

There are many reasons:

• Poor eating habits
• Lack of exercise or activity
• Emotional eating (distracting from a feeling you don’t like)Dieting
• Lack of muscle tissue (no fat burning machine)
• No motivation (lots of past failures)
• It’s too damn hard!

We are programmed by nature to seek out and enjoy calorie dense foods. We hate the feeling of being hungry and gain satisfaction by feeling “full”.

This is a very sensible survival trait for people who have a limited food supply (us many thousands of years ago). The problem is we are now surrounded by these calorie dense foods and they are not in short supply! Worse, our food comes packaged and processed, with most of the goodness taken out – it neither satisfies nor nourishes us, so we eat more to compensate.

The supermarkets are full of these foods and to make matters worse, some of the most unhealthy food choices are also the cheapest! A double negative whammy for those with a large family and a limited budget. Combine that with fast food outlets dotted on every street corner and it’s easy to see why as a nation we are becoming fatter and fatter. It is possible to eat healthily on a limited budget but it takes time, preparation and planning.

We don’t need to go back many generations to find activity levels much higher than they are today. Were people obese then? Not many, and only those who could afford to be! Today most of us work at a desk all day. We drive to work, the store, the school, rush from place to place when we’re not working and are mentally drained and physically inert at the end of the day! Where’s the healthy activity that’s going to burn fat and will also make us feel much better?

We even jump in our cars to visit the local store, which may only be a couple of hundred yards away. Combine that with an unwillingness to join a gym or do any exercise at home and is it any wonder we’re piling on fat at an alarming rate?

If you want to learn more about how permanent fat loss is possible if approached the right way, then why not start exercising at home? There are some fantastic pieces of at home exercise equipment available that can really help with your fat loss goals. These include Kettleworx, The Firm Wave and Ultraflex Fitness systems.

Take a look and see what you think it’s a lot easier than you think.

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Fat Loss, Diet And Exercise

These days, I think the major obstacle to exercising regularly is lack of time. So if I ever see good workout ideas that can be done in a short space of time, I jump on them. One of these is the new KettleworX exercise system, which offers varied workouts done using a kettlebell.

Looking like a metal ball with a handle, the kettlebell can be held in one or both hands for swinging, squatting and lifting exercises. A 5lb kettlebell comes with the package – perfect for women. You men go and get your own! (10lb and 20lb kettlebells are also available).

In our modern world there is no lack of ideas and facilities for getting enough exercise. Joining a gym or health club is a great idea, but by the time you’ve got there, got changed, done your cardio on the treadmill, full body workout on all the fixed machines, cooled down, stretched, showered and changed, you’re looking at around two hours.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I haven’t got that much time to spare!

And for maximum calorie burn and shaping your body, you have to combine cardio (pulse-raising exercise) with strength exercises.  In the gym, these are separate; you do your cardio on the treadmill or the cross trainer or the rower and then move on to individual machines for each body part – thighs, chest shoulders, arms and so on.  Even just doing 2 sets of 15 reps on each machine takes forever, and the worst thing is that it’s not the best way to exercise.  Machines lock you into position and isolate the muscle to be used, which means the rest of the body doesn’t have to work at all, so you waste time and don’t get as good results as you would if you worked your muscles freestanding.

The thing about machines is that, even if you are an absolute novice and you don’t know what you’re doing, you can’t get it wrong. You sit on the seat and follow the pictures on the front of the machine – so you’re safe and you will get some exercise.  People feel happy with that; most people I know don’t like exercising with free weights because they’ve no idea what they’re doing. In fact, some of them are downright dangerous to themselves and to others!

The idea behind KettleworX is to change all that. With the KettleworX package you get 10 – yes 10 – DVDs with lots of short workouts on them.  Some of the DVDs are for cardio and general toning combined, and some are specifically aimed at toning your chest, back and so on.  You are shown how to use your kettlebell safely and effectively for maximum inch loss and calorie burn — it’s like having a Personal Trainer standing over you while you exercise.

Compared with most exercise systems, KettleworX is amazing value. For $89.95 you get the 10 DVDs, a healthy eating guide (of course) and a five pound kettlebell — all you need to get started straight away in your own home.  The course promises results in six weeks; if you do these workouts I think you will definitely get great results.

The infomercial burbles happily about how good you will look naked (rather odd selling point, but hey, there you go.)  I’ll settle for looking good fully clothed!  But I agree with the KettleworX team that the changes to your body will amaze you, no matter how out of condition you are, and age doesn’t matter, although it’s always wise to get a check-up from your health professional before embarking on any course of exercise.

Working with a kettlebell, with no gym machine to support you, every muscle in your entire body has to start doing its job properly!  The more muscles you use, the more calories you burn.  The more muscles you use, the more you tone in a quicker time.  So try Kettleworx for great results – fast!

Get Total Body Fitness In Just 20 Minutes, 3 Times A Week!

All the best,

Carol J Bartram
(Personal Trainer & Pilates Instructor)

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Time To Put The KettleworX On – The Kettleworx Reviews

I’m getting a lot of mail asking me if the Kettleworx workout works. I’m assuming they mean will it help me lose weight (fat). Although I’m in danger of repeating myself (it’s my blog so I can if I want) the answer would have to be yes, the Kettleworx system does work.

But – you knew there had to be a but you so could also get results running on the spot while carrying a tin of baked beans in each hand!

The advantage of systems like Kettleworx or The Firm Wave is that they gives your workouts structure. They show you exactly what you need to do at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. You are also shown how to do the exercises safely and in good form which is important if you want to avoid injury.

As a fitness professional I really don’t care what exercise you do (although you can get faster results by picking the right workout) I just want you to do something. Pick a product that you like and use it regularly and I promise you will get results.

Just don’t give up and remember weight loss, getting fit and feeling good requires a lot of small changes over a long period of time. Don’t aim for 4lbs a week instead be happy with 1/2 – 1lb at that rate you’ll be able to live a little and lose a little the best of both worlds.

Get Total Body Fitness In Just 20 Minutes, 3 Times A Week!

Good luck and remember if you don’t enjoy your workouts you won’t do them!

All the best,

Robert E Bartram
(Pilates Instructor)

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Does Kettleworx Work Seems To Be The Question Of The Day

Another Infomercial has caught my attention The Ketleworx. As I love reviewing this type of equipment I’ve ordered one and when I receive it I’ll be posting a complete review.

On the face of it it looks like a fantastic idea. Kettlebells have been around for a number of years and do give great results if you stick with them.

My only reservation on this type of exercise is that for the average out of condition person it can be not only challenging but down right dangerous. If the exercises are not done in good form it’s easy to injure yourself.

I would say it all depends on the quality of the instruction in the supplied DVDs. As long as they are progressive and start at a fairly basic level it should be perfectly safe.

I’m excited about Kettleworx because I think it has the potential to be a great fat burner and will enable you to get great results in a short space of time.

If you were to combine this workout with the Firm Wave or T-Bow your results could be even faster!

Get Total Body Fitness In Just 20 Minutes, 3 Times A Week!

Watch this space as soon as it arrives I’ll give you my opinion.

All the best,

Carol J Bartram
(Personal Trainer & Pilates Instructor

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Kettleworx – Does it Or Doesn’t It Work?