A Nerd Takes on Diet and Weight Loss: February 2020

I had no idea kettlebells were so awesome. Man, I was missing out. They are incredibly fun and so different then strength training with dumbbells are barbells. Who knew?

Mid-December, I was debating about going out and getting some dumbbells just to get some variation for strength training, rather than just doing bodyweight exercises all the time. But I have a young kid who is very curious and likely to hurt themselves if we had dumbbells around the house. I looked it up and soft kettlebells exist. Amazing.

I started out with a ten pound kettlebell, but decided after the second week it was too light. So, got a fifteen pounder which has been magical. Feel the burn. They do make 5 pound kettlebells in the hard version if you want something lighter.

This is the kettlebell I got, not an endorsement or anything. It's the only one I could find at a local store so I could feel get a feel for it. I have little hands so I wear fingerless lifting gloves to help with gripping.

I work out with the kettlebell 3 days a week instead of doing bodyweight exercises. I usually do my kettlebell routine right before a longer cardio workout. Although, sometimes I'll do it at the end of the night but I then make sure to follow it with some good stretching.

If you're new to strength training and are sore after the very first day you start training with weights, I would make sure to workout the very next day with some cardio. Just anything that will get your heart pumping like aerobics or jumping rope, to get blood moving through your muscles and help with muscle repair. And then do some good stretching afterwards.

Here's some fun kettlebell workouts that I've been doing:

Quick Kettlebell Routine with good direction on form.