plum swings! a diary

[daisybell18]

Ooh, the flying superman, you've just made me look forward to week 5 Sue!

And I LOL'd about the chair, my thoughts were pretty similar at the time!

Flying superman! Can't wait. I have had to ease off the past few days as I have a stomach bug. Quite sore and can only imagine it would make it worse. Something to look forward to. The upside is that I haven't eaten much last two days so good for the weight loss.

Does the advanced kettleworx DVD really take you up a notch or is it just different? I am in the UK in October again so am considering buying them. My reward for 4st loss which I should have achieved by then. I would never have believed I would choose exercise as my reward!

 

[Plumfoodie]

Bonus Saturday workout today, I did the kettlworx arms & shoulders routine with my 6kg and 7.5lb bells (smaller one for gunslingers, punches, triceps and those killer single arm holds). It's awhile since I tackled this one and it still makes me sweat!

 

[Plumfoodie]

Flying superman! Can't wait. I have had to ease off the past few days as I have a stomach bug. Quite sore and can only imagine it would make it worse. Something to look forward to. The upside is that I haven't eaten much last two days so good for the weight loss.

Does the advanced kettleworx DVD really take you up a notch or is it just different? I am in the UK in October again so am considering buying them. My reward for 4st loss which I should have achieved by then. I would never have believed I would choose exercise as my reward!

Go Daisy - that's great that you want to reward yourself with more Ryan.

Sue gave me some good advice about KW advanced, although I can't find it now. So far I've found that it's different and also (for me personally) a little bit harder, but apparently in week 4 things will really step up!

 

[Plumfoodie]

Week 3 advanced core done with the 6kg! Today I made a bit of progress as I was able to add my 5lb bell in my upper hand during the disco side bends in addition to the 6kg in the lower hand. I was also able to lift up my feet for the core rowers, woohoo. Other notable points today:

Normal butt elevators - these seemed a little bit (dare I say it!) easy after the one-legged variation!

Wrist-to-knee crunches - new exercise! I couldn't do these properly but this seemed to be more because my arms couldn't hold the 6kg bell in the outstretched position required. I just did the closest I could but next time I think I will try with a lighter bell.

Half get-ups - for some reason I found these really really difficult today (as I'm writing I realise that most of my problems today were to do with my arms and this was quite possibly because of the arms & shoulders workout I did on Saturday! I should pay more attention! LOL!) as it was such a struggle to press the bell up into the air.

Front plank with a twist - again, these were really really difficult today. In set 2 I cheated and just did a normal plank but I did as many rotations as I could in sets 1 & 3.

 

[daisybell18]

Hi Plumfoodie. I just love your kettlebell diary. It is always interesting to hear another persons take on the exercises. Just the names make me shake!

Like you I struggle with the exercises that require one arm lifts - but hey, 8kg is a lot to get off the ground!

Do keep sharing your experiences. Because of you and Cat Lover Sue, I am actually looking forward to the advanced KW although that is still some way off. Currently week 2 with an 8kg bell. Really worked hard yesterday in the resistance session but I just don't seem to get the DOMS I used to. Does this mean it's not working as well? How do you feel after a session?

 

[Cat Lover Sue]

Hi Daisy - for the one-armed lifts I tend to start with my 7.5kg and then if I need to for subsequent sets (especially Core) I drop down to my 6.5kg. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, it really depends how much my arms scream and shake! But then I make up for it by using my 10kg for any two-handed stuff.

In terms of DOMS again it really depends. I find if there have been a lot of squats or a lot of arm stuff in a workout then I tend to feel it in the relevant places, but if there has been a good mix in the workout with no one place being punished particularly, then I don't really notice any DOMS at all.

 

[Plumfoodie]

I agree, I don't get the really bad DOMS as long as I am exercising regularly. I do get some stiffness and aches in the relevant places, but these are mild compared to the 'cannot sit down, cannot walk down stairs' pain I got the first time I did kettleworx! I think the body gets more efficient at processing the waste products of exercise which can contribute to the soreness.

 

[Plumfoodie]

Hi Plumfoodie. I just love your kettlebell diary. It is always interesting to hear another persons take on the exercises. Just the names make me shake!

I forgot to say thank you, I mostly record in so much detail as it's good for me to look back and gauge my progress, glad to hear if others like to read also and hopefully it may be helpful to someone in a similar position to me healthwise.

 

[Plumfoodie]

Deferring resistance to Saturday as I'm just too tired today and my feet/ankles are really stiff and sore from some unexpected outdoor walking. If I feel perkier in the afternoon I'm almost tempted to do a random routine that is less huffy-puffy, maybe chest & back or something. We'll see...

Edit: Nope, too knackered! Roll on Saturday!

 

[Plumfoodie]

Week 3 resistance disappeared into a puff of smoke last week, I wasn't feeling very well. Although I thought I was doing ok until mr plum said 'gosh, you look tired' and when I asked 'why do you say that?' he replied 'because you've just laid down on the sofa and pulled a blanket over yourself'. Which I hadn't really twigged! Oh well. Onwards to this week and week 4 core which I completed with a mixture of bells (6kg, 10lb, 5lb) to accomodate the various exercises.

I maintain that picking a coconut from a tree and the twisty planks are tied for most evil exercise. There was a new one in this routine (can't remember the name, you lift the kettlebell just over your head whilst stepping back) which looked easy but was really quite difficult. I never thought I'd welcome windshield wipers, side butt elevators and disco side bends as a chance for a bit of a breather!! By the end of set 3 I was feeling absolutely everything in my abs, I expect they'll be sore tomorrow.

Week 4 was definitely harder than week 3 so I'm thinking there will be a lot of pausing happening on Thursday when I tackle resistance.

(mr plum is trying to get back into swinging too, he doesn't have much spare time and also runs but last night he tackled the kettlercise for men short programme, which always has me in stitches because of the shirtless lads!)

 

[Plumfoodie]

Not doing very well these last couple of weeks, it's TOTM and today I felt completely drained and had awful pains and faintness every time I stood up (all really unusual for me). So I'm going to hope that Saturday is a go-er (and that the flying supermans are in week 4 resistance!).

 

[daisybell18]

Not doing very well these last couple of weeks, it's TOTM and today I felt completely drained and had awful pains and faintness every time I stood up (all really unusual for me). So I'm going to hope that Saturday is a go-er (and that the flying supermans are in week 4 resistance!).

Poor you. I Find that if I can work through it with a gentle session when I'm not feeling well, it helps me feel better. Doesn't always work of course. Whatever you do don't faint mid swing, you have no idea where the bell will end up! I actually point myself away from the telly and window, just in case!

 

[Plumfoodie]

Thanks daisy, I have to be careful because I have M.E. and so really have to judge whether a gentle sesh will make me feel better or worse each time. Yesterday was definitely a 'worse' day, lol! But I've felt much better today so am hopeful for tomorrow. And I agree, fainting is really best avoided full stop!

 

[Plumfoodie]

Week 3 of level 2 resistance done with a real mixture of bell weights - I decided to go back to week 3 so I wouldn't miss the flying supermans but then they turned out not to be in week 3, LOL. Obviously got myself into a muddle there and suspect they are in fact in week 4 resistance. I've decided that if I finish my last week with wk6 core and wk5 resistance that will be ok, but if I have any extra oomph one Saturday I may try to catch up the resistances.

I enjoyed this one actually! Some of the new exercises look simple but are quite tough, but it suited me as it was more muscle-worky and less huffy-puffy. I still replace one-armed swings with waist twists and side bends from level 1 which means I don't get knackered out too early on.

Really pleased this week as I think this may be the first ever resistance routine I have gotten through without having to pause! Rar!

 

[daisybell18]

Week 3 of level 2 resistance done with a real mixture of bell weights - I decided to go back to week 3 so I wouldn't miss the flying supermans but then they turned out not to be in week 3, LOL. Obviously got myself into a muddle there and suspect they are in fact in week 4 resistance. I've decided that if I finish my last week with wk6 core and wk5 resistance that will be ok, but if I have any extra oomph one Saturday I may try to catch up the resistances.

I enjoyed this one actually! Some of the new exercises look simple but are quite tough, but it suited me as it was more muscle-worky and less huffy-puffy. I still replace one-armed swings with waist twists and side bends from level 1 which means I don't get knackered out too early on.

Really pleased this week as I think this may be the first ever resistance routine I have gotten through without having to pause! Rar!

I am amazed at your staying power. Having ME cant be easy so well done. I think it is Cat Lover Sue who says "make the pause button your friend" Getting through it is more important than the speed at which you do it! I am on wk3 core tomorrow for the fourth time; twice with 4kg bell and once before with the 8kg. Find I can do most exercises with the 8kg although I do have to use my other hand as a prop for the gun slingers. Really enjoyed the ten minute fast burn the other day - will maybe mix it in between once or twice a week. Have you ever used Kettlercise? I have that DVD too and find it a lot harder than KWX. May try that again after 6wk program. Will see.

 

[Plumfoodie]

Aw thanks Daisybell. I do have to be a bit careful because of the ME (that's why I only do KW twice a week when I feel up to it and don't do cardio, plus I modify the routines a bit) but I have seen health benefits both from losing extra pounds and also strengthening my muscles so it's definitely worth it - some weeks that is what keeps me going!

I am definitely old friends with the pause button, LOL. But if it works out that I get through the routine quicker that's definitely a bonus as if it drags on too long I really lose all will to live - I think my worst-ever took 58 minutes or something and by the end I was so fed up! Plus it's a nice indicator for me that I must be making some kind of progress if I can carry on a bit longer before needing to pause.

Mr plum has kettlercise for men and so I've watched that - Guy Noble's style of routine is quite different from Ryan's I think and looks more difficult to me. I don't think it would suit me as it seems to get the heart rate going a bit more and this is what I need to be careful of, but I have highest respect for those who do tackle it!

Great that you're getting on so well with your 8kg bell.

 

[Cat Lover Sue]

Morning Swingers Yep I use the pause button when adjusting from standing to sitting positions and vice versa and also sometimes when I have to wipe my hands and the bell from building up too much of a sweat! Lovely I can get through the routines so much quicker now. When I first started I used to have to get my breath back literally after each exercise as I thought I was going to die on many occasions. Now I take pride in the fact that I can zip through them pretty speedily.

God help me but I've also had a rush of blood to the head (and this was before Cardio this morning ) and am going to look at a treadmill this afternoon that someone is selling. I have been thinking about doing the C25K programme for a while but there is NO WAY I would go running outdoors. I honestly don't know what would be worse - my boobs or belly bouncing around for all to see! So I'm thinking of staying with my anti-social indoors exercise regime and going with a treadmill. Please don't think I'm defecting from my bells - this will be in addition. Ideally I would like to do some level of exercise every day - even if its just a 15 minute fast walk whilst tea is cooking. The treadmill is only 6 months old and Argos are still selling it for £490. The lady wants £350 so I'm figuring that's a pretty good deal. Cannot believe at the age of 43 I am finally getting into fitness!

 

[Plumfoodie]

Ooh Sue that's exciting! I have an airwalker (a no-impact cardio machine basically) and I use to supplement it on days when I haven't done as much walking as I should have done and have definitely seen better results since starting to do this in addition to the bells. Definitely a big fan of exercising at home! Good for you for expanding your collection of stuff, you're going to be a home gym bunny. Have you got a really good sports bra? I think it's much more important for running than it is for something like kettlebells.

 

[Plumfoodie]

Level 2 week 5 core done, with 6kg apart from those blasted coconuts!!! This routine really got me sweating, I must admit. The yellow ribbon wave thing is very like halos, but as my core was already tired by then I could really feel it. Can't believe next week will be week 6, it seems to have flown this time.

That said I do wish core wasn't 3 sets as if it's a hard routine I really dread set 3! All in the mind, I must try to conquer this!

 

[Cat Lover Sue]

Ooh Sue that's exciting! I have an airwalker (a no-impact cardio machine basically) and I use to supplement it on days when I haven't done as much walking as I should have done and have definitely seen better results since starting to do this in addition to the bells. Definitely a big fan of exercising at home! Good for you for expanding your collection of stuff, you're going to be a home gym bunny. Have you got a really good sports bra? I think it's much more important for running than it is for something like kettlebells.

Hi Plum - I had an airwalker many years ago and I really enjoyed using it. Even better though was watching Mr S trying to use it. He was so unco-ordinated it was untrue. Bless him - hardly rocket science!

Got the treadmill and I am delighted with it. Started the C25K programme yesterday morning and so far as good. Plan to do it on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday around the bells which leaves Friday as an exercise-free day (unless you count rushing around Tescos after work ). I was pleasantly surprised that I managed 1.5miles in just over 30 minutes and although my legs were wobbly when I got off which was quite amusing for the cats - I didn't work up nearly half as much sweat as I do with a KW session. That in itself I found really gratifying.

On the bra front, yes I have an Enell bra which looks like something Suzi Quattro would have worn in the middle ages but it is amazing for big boobs. Its the only sports bra I have found that does the job. It fits like a waistcoat and then hooks and eyes up the front. I have to lie on the bed to get it on but its brill - I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Just done Wk 2 Core and I was very pleased that all bar the twists and bends was on the floor. Strangely its just my ankles and tops of my feet that are aching a bit from the running. But I can cope with that!