Kettlebells

My brother has recently taken up training with kettlebells. I had never heard about them before so after I got back from his house after Easter I did some research on the internet about them. I thought they looked like a good way for me to get back into lifting weights. I lifted weights religiously from the time I was 13 until I was about 25. Then I just got burnt out and also got married, so my priorities changed. So 50 pounds later I need to get back into shape. I've wanted to start lifting weights again, but just have not had the motivation to since the first thing I think about is how much I hated lifting that last time I did it regularly. Kettlebell training is completely different than anything I've ever done. It is a very old school way of training. There is a lot of technique involved and the movements are very explosive.

Last week I contacted a certified kettlebell instructor (the only one in the area) and arranged for him to come over Saturday to give me a demo and training session. I have to say I was kind of worried about what I was getting into. I haven't lifted consistently for 7 years. So I was worried about how sore I would be the next day and days after. Anyway Eric came over on Saturday and gave me an impressive demo. The types of things you can do with the kettlebells is amazing. Then he showed me the techniques and had me try some of the Olympic lifts. I did cleans, jerks, and snatch. I had issues getting the technique down for the cleans. Once he took me through the technique for some of the lifts he ran me through a short training session. OMG! It absolutely kicked my ass. I don't know the last time I felt that fatigued and out of breath. It felt good and bad at the same time. It is such a weird combination of exercise it's hard to explain. It's like sprinting and lifting to failure at the same time. Eric did a great job presenting kettlebells to me. I'm planning on getting back with him in a few weeks to go over my form.

I ordered a 35# kettlebell last Friday and it will be here on Wednesday. I'll start my workouts that night and continue to report on my progress here. I'm really excited to see how this training will effect my cycling. It really works your whole body but it really works your core muscles. I'm really lacking core muscles and often have a sore lower back after a hard ride. I'm also really bad at hills. I'm hoping the increased strength in my legs (and hopefully weight loss that comes with working out ) will assist me with BRAN and RAGBRAI. Ride On!

The Dude