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I'm fat and unfit and need to get moving again. I have a few kettlebells kicking around that I can use.
My plan is to do some Caroline Girvan follow-along workouts on YouTube and increase both the weight of the bell and the length of the session over time.
Is there anything better I should/could be looking at? Any apps worth checking out.
I think there are a few kettlebell fans here, as I seem to remember seeing them mentioned on threads previously.
Find some technique videos or go to a session with a PT, some of the movements are not quite what they seem if you just try and follow along with a video/instructor, e.g. a swing is supposed to be pushed from the glutes, it's a leg exercise not a shoulder one.
Ease into it, use a light weight when needed, be consistent.
Don't overthink it, just get stuck in but don't hurt yourself.
Caroline's content is great. Once you try out a few of the others out there you realise it's not as easy as it loooks to make a good training video. She uses tried and tested excercises rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and invent new stuff most likely to result in injury.
Her 30 min superset one is my benchmark I return to most often. It's a good measure of progress doing the same thing over time. I couldn't complete it with a 12kg bell back in 2020, but now I can complete with a 20kg quite easily on a good day.
Pavel Tsatsouline has written some great stuff about kettlebells. The Simple & Sinister programme is excellent as a starting point / foundation.
https://www.strongfirst.com/beginners-start-here/
I'd not heard of Caroline Girvan before, but having just watched her 30min workout her swing technique doesn't seem the best. There's loads of videos on Youtube - I like Mark Wildman, Dan John, Pat Flynn & Louka Kurcer (and Lebe Stark, although Gregory's personality grates a bit).
I'm enjoying doing Simple & Sinister, but Pavel's thing of having only 2 exercises (excluding warmups) for his programmes is a bit odd/limiting so I prefer to add other things too - mainly clean & press and pullups.
Check out Dan John's Easy Strength for Fat Loss ebook for some ideas.
Steve Cotter is very good on technique and breathing with the movements.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY3FK4mfGxAO-XpbuSdEAPw
Dan John is excellent on anything S&C related.
Google “BikeJames”. He’s the MTB specific kettlebell guru.
I use the Fiit app and think its great.