Hi all,
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. I spent most of it outside in the hot sunshine and with my friend for her Hen Party Weekend. On Saturday we went horse-riding and then had a picnic. That night we went out for a meal and some cocktails. On Sunday morning we went to a 5 Star Spa and had some relaxing treatments (but I had to leave early coz I got sick 🙁 ). Feeling a bit better today though!
The workout for today was one I did on Friday. It was so tough! So much so, I questioned why I put myself though it and I think I even asked God to come and take me – haha, the drama! Anyway, here’s the simple (deceivingly so) breakdown.
The Workout
Firstly, I apologize about the word I say at 1:20! I meant to edit that out, and really REALLY hope my mum doesn’t watch this one – oops! 🙁
Do as many rounds of the following 4 exercises as you like. I did 5 … don’t ask me why! And I had DOMS the next day, which rarely happens.
A couple of suggestions would be to set your Gymboss Interval Timer to “Stop-watch” mode and then keep it to a time you are happy with. Or, just go by how you feel. I used 2 x 16kg for this workout. DEATH!
- Double KB Front Squat x 10 reps
- Double KB Swing x 10 reps (you can keep these single KB swings if you prefer)
- Single Arm KB Snatch (right and left) x 5 reps (feel free to do more, but 5 was enough for me)
- Burpees x 10 reps (this was actually the nice part of the workout LOL)
All in all, this took me about 20 mins (a little over) to complete. My recovery rate decreases dramatically when in the heat, so I was definitely struggling with this one.
I bet you will all do 5 rounds in a breeze and then be like “what was so hard about that Marianne?!” “you call yourself a fitness person” “Dammit Marianne, why did you get me excited about a challenge – shame on you” … all with disappointed facial expressions.
*hangs head in shame* 😉
Just kidding, this is as intense as the effort you put in.
Have a great day!
Marianne
I’ve never seen a better endurance and strength workout than the Kettlebell Swing. I’ve been following this great program that provides you all the information you need. Please read my review here:
http://mikeshonestreviews.com/kettlebell-workout-review/
Thank Mike, will have a nosy 🙂
Hi Marianne, I’ve been doing your kettlebell workouts since christmas but never commented before. I initially found you looking for tips on doing a pullup, which I’m still working towards 🙂 I love your personality and your workouts are a great cross training to my marathon training. I was wondering where you got these awesome leggings you are wearing in this video? They are so flattering I love the patterns.
Thanks!
Thank you so much Bonnie, for your kind comment! I got these pants in Lululemon when I was in Phoenix. I love that store!!! Their pants are amazingly flattering 😀
Hi Marianne,
I’ve been working out with a 20lb Kb for the past month. I’ve been doing 2 rounds of 9 cycles (1 min effort/30sec rest) with some of your beginner routines. It was starting to get easy – I wasn’t really straining until the last exercise in the second set. It wasn’t too hard to do a lot of reps.
I just got a second 20lb KB and did this workout.
HOLY CRAP.
40Lbs is no joke.
I was only able to do 3 rounds, and I did it in about 13 mins.
Thanks for all the videos and your hard work. I am very motivated to get stronger.
Warmly,
Akemi
Great job on the progression Akemi! I’m glad that you have been successfully using my beginner workouts to get good at the basics. But now, it’s time to try something new 😉
Quick question, Marianne.
I’ve noticed small changes in my inches, but almost no change in my weight. It seems as if my distribution is different (waist and hips). I’m confused because my right bicep gained .5 inches.
I feel like I’ve increased strength because I’ve been able to do more reps and more sets.
Also, FYI, I have been following a Primal diet for about 6 months, with only minor body changes.
Again, I’ve only seriously trained kettlebells (2-3 times a week) for about 6 weeks.
Any comments or suggestions?
This is perfectly normal. Remember that it’s not about the food you eat necessarily, but the total calories. What is your goal?
My goal is to lose 3 inches in my abdomen, 2 in my hips and 1 in my waist.
I want to do this by getting stronger 🙂
Akemi, unfortunately you cannot predict the inches your body will lose from different areas of your body. You hips might lose more or less than your abs for example. You are best to stick to wanting to decrease the measurement rather than attaching specific numbers.
Just counted my average calorie intake and it’s 1450. If that helps.
I did only 3 rounds with a single 10kg but I was sweating like crazy.
Thank you!
Good Job Cindy! Thanks for leaving feedback.
Marianne – I have mentioned on your site a few times that I did not have Kettlebells….well, I finally got some – only 15# each, but glad to have them for some things. However, I am developing the most lovely bruises on my arms – in particular my forearms and wrist bones….LOL! Oh well, it’s not all pretty and easy getting in shape, is it!!! Usually I just sweat like a pig, when no one else in the gym except the runners, seem to do the same. Now I am just wet and black and blue!!! ;)!
Thanks for the new workout – looking forward to learning how to do KB snatches now!!! And maybe in a few years I will be as fast as you!!!
Michele
That’s great Michele! Do you like your Kettlebells?
Well done Marianne! I’m looking forward to this one! And I also love the Irish summer! It’s my favourite day of the year! Mourne Mountains – you picked a fantastic place for a weekend, I hiked there myself. Thanks gor sharing :-)) Magda, Dublin
Haha! Nice one Magda 😉
19 minutes 8 secs with 20kg KB’s. A little disappointing but not bad for an old man – I could have done a minute quicker if I hadn’t got a stitch in round 4. The flipping burpees did for me again!
I was in and out of the gym in no time 🙂
Thats an excellent routine Marianne (if not a little sadomasochistic) and one which I shall be attacking again.
Martin
Well done Martin. 20kg!! NICE 😀 Sorry for making you get a stitch 🙁 It’s worth it though!
Marianne, Have you ever tried a circuit called “the 300 Meltdown”?
Nope, it sounds like it might kill me 😛 Have you done it?
I doubt that it would kill you – some of your routines look harder.
Ive done it a few times yes and it a great circuit.
300 reps (all strict form)against the clock:
25 x V-ups
50 x KB swings (2 hand)
25 x push-ups
25 x snatch right
25 x snatch left
50 x Burpees
25 x Clean & press right
25 x Clean & press left
50 x Mountain climbers.
Pick a weight and once you can achieve sub 12 minutes then you go up a weight.
If you want to be super strict; then the rule is once you pick the kb up for the set you cant put it down.
My best is 12’33” with a 20kg.
The best in our class is 11′ 58” with a 20kg by my son Louis – he likes to kick his old mans arse 🙂
OMG! That would kill me!! 25 snatches :/ LOL
Good for Louis!!! 😉
Marianne, I follow your blog religiously but I don’t think I have ever left a comment until today.
What was that???? Holy cow that was tough for me! I did this one after a 12 minute HIIT circuit and I only managed 3 rounds in 13 minutes with 25 lb kettle bells. I did it outside like you cause we are having really warm weather in Indiana and its supposed to get cooler tomorrow. Thought it would be good to enjoy the sun but the muggy weather really zapped my energy quick. I think I used your name and a few bad words in the same sentence especially on my 3rd round of squats…LOL!
Like you, I’m a nurse and I work long shifts in the ER. I absolutely LOVE your blog and want you to know I think your fabulous and I get so excited when you post a new workout. Keep the good stuff coming!
Thank you Sami for leaving your feedback. Good to hear you “enjoyed” it 😉 And, another nurse too – yay!
But … you did this AFTER HIIT?? Oh my! I would’ve died!!!!! LOL
Marianne – I just wanted to say that you are looking better than ever and totally ripped! Congrats!! I CANNOT WAIT to do this routine this evening with my sister!!
Well thank you Christine! Hope you enjoyed this 🙂
all workouts are as intense as what you put forth! you are so right! you can complete 5 rounds easy peasy and think that wasnt hard….well that was your choice to make it that way! I find if you give it your ALL everytime then the workouts are so much more efficient and effetive!
Here here. The 10 front squat were a killer for me each time and I really wanted to stop at 6/7, but really told myself “Marianne, you have done this weight with a barbell and more for 10 reps, so quit gurning” – it worked! 😀
I couldn’t agree more with you about not getting lazy with effort. This style of training is tried and tested on me and many people for over 2 years, and my body comp can handle more or less any short term dietary hiccups … *by hiccup, I mean December!* LOL
Ah, sorry! The link I included was that of Tony Gentilcore’s single-leg RDL. The bodyrock video with their version of a single-leg deadlift is here:
http://youtu.be/72XxLzvjoYQ
Wendy
Wendy, I didn’t see any exercise there that even resembled a DL. Let’s try and focus on promoting great sources of advice, then hopefully this misinformation *etc* will die out. On a side note … WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO LISA!!?? I haven’t been on there in a while and now she’s like … I don’t even have any words to describe my shock! She was fine the way she was before!!! I think I missed all of the exercises because I was trying to work out why she would do all that to herself 🙁 Each to their own I suppose.
Tony Gentilcore is awesome! Impeccable form 🙂
Keep up the great work Wendy. You’re doing really well!
Are you talking about the bodyrock video. First of all i want to say, that i’m completely turned off my her come look at my tits ,,,,,,,,,,,, because it’s very clear that she is wearing a bra that is probably at least two sizes to small for her. Secondly whomever is filming this, or heck maybe its her, the first part of it when she’s speaking is totally focused on her tits. I do like the idea of the bag, and her steps are very high, but i’m just so turned off by her “flaunting”. ok i’m done.
Tempest,
Sex sells. Plain and simple. First time I went to the site (probably last too) and I knew their business model before I even opened any of their blog posts. It’s definitely not appealing to everyone, but MANY people find it addictive to follow (guys and girls).
That site probably makes well over $4000 a month and that’s low balling it.
Thanks Marianne…I do my best and I follow only the best! 🙂 I love Tony too – he’s choc-a-bloc full of good info and wit! As for Lisa, she blogged about her body-altering journey quite thoroughly…it’s not for me either, but oh well. All that craziness is one of the reasons why I stopped following it. I still like the older stuff, though (pre-Lisa). But you provide us with plenty of arse-kicking workouts that I haven’t had to go back to the Bodyrock ones.
So Marianne, rock on!
Wendy
Wendy, I still follow Bodyrock and do a lot of the burn workouts when I’m running short on time cause its a short an effective 12 minutes. I hardly ever do the sculpt portion because I do strength training at the gym and all Marianne’s kettle bell workouts. But I did watch the sculpt video you are referring to and I thought the exact same thing. What was that exercise and how do they call that any kind of deadlift???? I’m glad you “attempted” to correct them but like you said I doubt the comment will make it up.
Marianne, I believe everyone should have the right to do what they want to their own bodies and I don’t want to criticize so all I’m gonna say is that I agree with you. Lisa was “perfect” before her “changes”.
I agree Sami, I was just so shocked at the change in just a few months! Anyway, I shall steer my attention elsewhere 🙂 Each to their own.
I agree Sami, I just was shocked at the change in such a short time. I cannot judge, for I have made a change to my body too. But the difference in her. I’ll let them do their thing, and I’ll quite happily continue to do mine 🙂
Sami – the BR workouts are decent if you’re short on time…I just haven’t been interested in their recent ones. The ones with Zuzana were more interesting with more variety of exercises. Also, I find Lisa a bit annoying to listen to (not to knock her UK accent) – her rapid-fire delivery reminds me of a yappy dog. Plus she has her name tattooed on her tummy in Japanese and it’s incorrectly written (that SOOO irks me!). And I checked BR again today and, no surprise, my comment was not posted. 😛
But Marianne has plenty of workouts archived that keep me busy so I haven’t had the need to go back to BR. Her Irish accent is cuter than Lisa’s UK one anyways. 🙂
Hahaha, there’s nothing like a good old BR rant 😉
I randomly watched some of their new flow videos. I’m afraid these extreme yoga stretches without proper beginner’s instruction may lead to some injuries for the unexperienced ones. Nice to see how yoga can develop one’s flexibility, but for the average follower this is not possible.
Anyway, let’s stick to the good information we have here :))
A deceptively challenging workout! I didn’t think I’d be taxed by the end (and I pushed through 5 rounds; I too had thought of giving up after 3) but I was pooped! I managed to finish 5 rounds in just under 18 minutes, but I was using lighter weights than you, Marianne (2x30lb dumbbells for the front squats, a 45lb dumbbell for the swing and a 12kg KB for the snatch) – I am working on catching up to you! You are my motivation! 🙂 I liked this format; it was a nice change from the usual interval style of workout. Once again, nice job!
On another unrelated note…I don’t like bashing other people’s blogs, but I had to share this because I was shocked at the error! It comes from the Bodyrock website (which I don’t follow anymore because of wrong info like this). They call the exercise a “single leg deadlift” – pft! Even *I* can see that it is clearly not a deadlift of any sort. I posted a comment on their site saying so (and included a link from Tony Gentilcore demonstrating a single-leg RDL) but I doubt they will publish it.
Here is the so-called “deadlift: http://youtu.be/VdsYonXpEfk Be prepared to be shocked! 🙂
Have a great day!
Wendy
Surrey, BC Canada
Good God that workout was tough! I got done with five sets in about 23 minutes and I can see why you used the language that you did! I watch your kettlebell workouts a lot to help get me in better shape. I use them to help supplement the PT I do for the Army and nothing we do compares! Good stuff and keep it up. I look forward to seeing more!
Aw cool! You should get them doing some of the workouts too, see how they like it 😀 Maybe it could be their “myomy-grilling”. Thanks for the feedback! There’s more on the way.
Double 16kg, that’s impressive. Your really progressing with the weight.
Ever thought about kettlebell competitions?
Thanks Jacob. Never even crossed my mind to do a competition – but thanks for asking 🙂 I wouldn’t have the endurance for all those long cycles.
Shocking language young lady! Wash your mouth out :))
Looks like a fun workout – looking forward to giving it a good go!
Martin
oops!
Thanks Marianne, i was looking for something to inspire me more this week work out wise, i do love a time challenge! thanks will try this tomorrow. All my family are from northern ireland so i felt very homesick when i saw your lovely photo of the mournes!
Also thanks for the previous IF advice, i’ve been doing it about 5-6 weeks now, i did feel i had a bit of a gastric irritation for a few days then had a few days of feeling very tired and grumpy, but seems to have all settled now!unfortunately no result on the scales as yet but i’m wondering whether to do body fat measurement instead as although weight not shifting i do feel “leaner?!”. do you use scales are anything? i know some people advise staying away as it tends to breed dissatisfaction, have been taking note on your previous posts about the secret etc
Thanks again for great posts and workouts
Kelly
I tend to avoid the scales at all cost!!! For example, I think I look worse right now and started feeling like I have gained weight, then I got weighed and have lost weight!! Now I’m worried I’ve lost muscle 🙁 It messes with my head every time I step on a scale. I try not to even think about measurements either and TRY to just focus on how I like to look (how I looked before my trip to the USA). I’m still perfecting the secret too 😉
If you feel leaner, then don’t question it – accept and celebrate that you are leaner, without having to confirm it 😀
I love it when you’ve just posted a new workout right when I am looking for one! So, this was my workout this morning –Memorial Day in the US, and the official start of summer. I used 12 Kg bells through out — I still feel awkward using two bells for swings, as I have to hold my legs really wide to accommodate them, and they always seems to clang into each other.
We had frost this morning, so the air was still cold, so I think my workout was easier than yours! I managed 5 rounds in 15:30. I wasn’t sweating much, but my heart was racing, so I know I worked hard!
I am being really careful and doing KB workouts less, as they seem to aggravate my Piriformis/hip pain. I am still anxiously waiting for your post on what you learned from Bret about helping your sciatica problem, as I think that may help me too. Hey, you did see that he posted a vid of you as doing the ‘perfect KB swing!’
~ Gillian
Oh check this out everyone, *drum roll* Gillian did FIVE rounds in only 15:30 – doesn’t surprise me that you rocked this. I bet now you have acclimatised to the mountain air, you have 1/4 more red blood cells and higher VO2 Max. Next time you’re back on “Normal air”, you should retest it!
Well done 🙂
Please don’t anxiously wait the SI routine, I have not had any improvement 🙁 I don’t know what it going on with my body, but all round my hips, SI, glutes adductors and hip flexors are so tight and spasmy. But the pain is 80% worse as soon as I lie down and let everything relax. OMG, I dread going to bed! I have a method on rolling quickly from lying to sitting to reduce the horrible pain, but after I am up a while, things settle. The pelvic tilt exercises and the stretches will be good in the long run, but right now I am exploring another method, which I will report on, when I am given permission by the author. I want all the info in one post, and I want to be able to say that it worked for me, but not yet 🙁
As for the video, yes he asked me to film 2 swing videos for an upcoming article he’s writing. He wanted a hinge and squat style swing to write some intelligent stuff about 😉 It was funny, the day I filmed those, I just couldn’t get myself to unlearn the hinge enough to let me swing look like a squat again. Back in the early days on myomytv, my swing was a squat, because I had yet to learn about the savour of movement patterns (the hip hinge). This is why I move so much better now, because of one main penny-drop along the way. Boy am I thankful that penny dropped 🙂 Anyway, I did so many attempts, I actually got a pretty decent interval workout from all the swings. By the end of it, my hammies, glutes AND quads were burning like crazy. Perhaps the squat style could be part of a metabolic swing routine, because I really felt it. I wonder what Bret thinks about it. I think he said “proper swing”, I say Neghar’s swing would class as “perfect” 😀 She’s awesome on a whole other level!
Hope you had a great day!
Every time I looked at the timer, I thought it was wrong! It was a very cool morning (we had a late frost that killed a lot of my friend’s veggies that she planted too early), and that made it easier for me, I am sure. I can’t accept that I beat your time. I did use 12 Kg bells versus your 16s, so that is a BIG difference!
I didn’t realize you still had such pain issues. My hip pain is intermittent, and is somehow related to lifting weights, so I am very careful. At its worst, the pain wouldn’t bother me in bed, unless I moved… so I tried not to move! My Dad talked about being in pain in bed, and his sleeping became fitful, which I think contributed to his declining health. You need to find a solution or it will start taking a toll on you. I have tried sitting in a figure 4 on a hard ball, and that helps a little, but I haven’t found a solution except to limit the KB workouts. 🙁 I’m not in pain today, so I think I’ll chance it and pick up the bells again tomorrow.
Take Care of yourself!
~ Gillian
Must try not to move too 🙂 Though I think you’re right, I need to find a solution; the last 2 nights it has wakened me at about 4 or 5am – this has never happened before! My mum also had something very similar in her 20’s, but it went away after she had me (her 2nd of 4), so maybe I just need to get knocked-up 😉 LOL – J/K!!!
Hope your workout doesn’t flare things too much!!
Glad you had a fun weekend! I’m glad you posted this workout, I got tricked into babysitting my 15 yr old sister and my 8yr old brother so I can’t go to the gym today because they don’t have child care:( I’m going to give it a shot using my 35lb bells so wish me luck:)
Well, have more fun than I did 😉
uggg i wish i could do this workout. I am having a major elbow issue and i am waiting to go to a dr. I check groceries out for a living and it starting hurting some on saturday,and all day continued to get worse, no redness, a tad sore to the touch, and burning like craZy. it’s on fire. Not sure if workers comp will cover that or not.
Oh dear Tempest, I’m sorry to hear that. Hope it mends soon 🙂