October 4, 2011
Hi everyone! I admit it. It’s been way too long since my last post, and I’ve missed being away. This does not mean that I’ve given up. Far from it.
Life has this strange way of getting in the way of the sights that you set for yourself, meaning that it sometimes takes a lot longer to make any sort of meaningful progress than you’d like. Like many this includes things like work, finances, family, and even laziness at times.
At any rate, I’m back at it!
June 24, 2010
The kettlebell routine is working reasonably well so far. I’m beginning to notice my chest and abs beginning to firm up, though nothing dramatic or photo worthy. The exercises that I outlined in my previous post are what I have been doing three days a week with a 20 lb bell. The diet that I have been maintaining has been fairly reasonable, meaning that it is not loaded with sugar, salt, fats, or super-sized serving portions of food.
In addition, I’ve been looking at the kettlebell training books and fitness magazine articles for ideas, general discussion, and motivation about the topic. The Dragon Door products are probably the best known right now, when it comes to kettlebell training. There is also a series of informercials currently running on television promoting a kettlebell product line of sport equipment and program routines.
The particular product, Kettle Worx, mentions a 6 week period of time where training is supposed to yield visible results. The fine print on the screen mentions that this is so when the exercise and diet recommendations are followed, but this is the case for other exercise products and routines as well. As with any other product that is being considered for purchase, it is necessary to carefully study the claims being made, weighing them against the actual use, and any pluses and minuses associated with the item.
The literature that I have been reading does not state a definite set period of time, though there are charts that list a weekly progression of increased sets and repetitions of kettlebell exercises. It is not unreasonable to use six weeks as a starting point, especially if you are somewhat new to a training or conditioning program. However, it will take more than six weeks of hard and consistent lifting, as well as paying attention to the diet, to begin to build and display the muscled “hardbody” look.
I’m almost at this halfway point, three weeks, and in the next post I’ll list my body weight and measurements.
June 7, 2010
Here we are in a new month, actually almost at the midway point of the year. I'm happy to report to you that my training has resumed, although slowly. This is not because of being overly cautious, just that things at work have been very much different from what was anticipated a few weeks ago. Budget cuts and staff resignations have a way of upsetting the most carefully crafted plans and schedules. As a result, I have been a lot busier and, at times, much more stressed, each day.
To make up for the changes that I was faced with, I have also started a kettlebell training routine. Given the way things have been recently, I’m not sure which program would be the better choice in terms of my available time and energy, P90X or Insanity.
Actually, kettlebell training is a return for me to part of the conditioning program that I used a couple of years ago. The reason that I stopped was because the class that I was taking ended at my gym. At the time, kettlebells were not as easy (inexpensive) to purchase, or as available in the stores as they are now.
The routine that I am starting out with a 20 lb kettlebell is:
Upright Presses
One arm swings
Two arm swings (alternating}
Turkish get-ups
Squats
To start with, I am doing three sets of each exercise, three times a week. Normally, I train in the morning after getting out of bed, only because it is easier for me to do this than at any other time of the day. There are no major changes planned for my current diet, as I am not trying to lose weight or fat. However, firming up and getting a cut physique (concentrating on the upper body) is something that I am working toward, so there may be some additions or deletions in the future to my eating menus.
My starting weight is around 160 lbs, at a height of 5′ 10″. As the weeks go by, I’ll report the changes that are being observed. You can also see what I am doing in the way of muscle training and conditioning at my web site Muscle Conditioning for Men.
March 16, 2010
It has been a few weeks since my last post. During this time, I’ve been under the weather and have not done much in the way of training. I am glad to report that things are much better for me, healthwise, now. My posts about the P90X training program will resume in the next few days, after I am back into a regular workout routine schedule. See you then!
February 16, 2010
February 9, 2010
The hardest part of any exercise program or routine is the temptation to slack off. I have not reached that point, but knowing that it is there is something that motivates me to try and keep trying.
This past Sunday was the day that everyone was watching the Super Bowl, according to news reports. It was also the day that everyone went wild with snack foods, and I am among the guilty. I am more than sure that the P90X nutrition guide frowns on such things – the fitness instructor in one of my classes certainly did.
Right now, I’m glad that I haven’t said anything about my starting up the program… maybe in a month or so. My fitness instructor tends to notice, always notices, when students are improving in their technique and endurance during class sessions. Aerobic, plyometric, and weight resistance exercises are what our class trains in, and sweats to.
But then again, that is what I am doing at home in front of a DVD playing on the television set.
