AOS Bulldog Kettlebell

[bladesaint]

Hey Owl,

 I have the kettlebell Bulldog with the clear natural steel finish. I also bought the 75lb bag of steel shot directly from the company Punchgym.com. I thought i could save on buying steel shot on my own but you cant find that stuff in sufficient quantites anywhere at the price if at all! Its also definately worth it to buy the Bulldog and bag of shot as one package. Its a great deal than buying them separately. I've bought cheaper solid iron kettlebells locally to save on shipping costs and they're alright except for the grip in some of them. THese locally made products are just imitations of authentic KBells and the maker doesnt seem aware of why authentic ones need to have a thicker grip and didnt take much time to make the grip as smooth as possible atleast consistantly on each bell. You have to go through the selelction and see which feels best in your hands. The bull dog's handle is nearly as smooth as glass and feels great.  My shoulder has definately benefitted from the Kbell training and feels as strong if not stronger than ever. I would definately start with the first dvd workout Kettlebell clinic vol2 (The 2 dvd set) whcih contains 2 different workout routines name respectively Elevation2 and Pinnacle. I 've also moved to the 2nd dvd Providence.Punch gym also offers their line of regular Kbells as well as the brand new plastic fillable kbells along the lines of a plastic Bulldog. I havnt tried that product but it sounds intriguing if you travel alot.

[NightOwl]

Hi Blade:

I revisited the bull dog site today and am considering their beginners program and one of their kettlebells.  Could you give an up date on your use and experience  with this program and product.?

I'm especially interested in if it has helped your shoulder and if it has increased your overall strength and endurance.

Also which kettle bells or bell do you have / use at present?

Sincerely, NightOwl

[Gi]

Who ever said that "its got to be either or"? But if youre pressed for time, can't make it to the gym, can't afford a garage full of barbells, dumbbells, squat racks, and leg press machines. A pair of 35lbs Kbells and a good workout routine to go with them makes a strong arguement.

yeah I suppose they're  good compromise.

[NightOwl]

I just looked at some by title.  Maybe I'm a purest but it seems like although a handle would give you something between a medicine ball and a kettlebell. I think that it would decrease the effectiveness as a medicine ball. 

But at the expense level of these things, If you want both and can only have one I guess it would be a decent compromise

Sincerely, NightOwl

[bladesaint]

I used to use a friends set when I was in Germany but some how never got back to them.  As you say when combined with a good routine it does not have to be "either or"

Charles Atlas and others like Jack Lalane who also pioneered what later became nautilus equipment did a lot without any weight at all!!

For that matter who remembers medicine or health balls? (another lost and under utilized goody from the past)

Sincerely, NightOwl

Medicine balls are actually enjying renewed interest perhaps sparked by the Kbell craze and their high cost. Some manufacturers are modifying the medicine ball into have hardrubber volley ball orbs some with handles to make them Kbell like so you can enjoy it both ways..

[NightOwl]

I used to use a friends set when I was in Germany but some how never got back to them.  As you say when combined with a good routine it does not have to be "either or"

Charles Atlas and others like Jack Lalane who also pioneered what later became nautilus equipment did a lot without any weight at all!!

For that matter who remembers medicine or health balls? (another lost and under utilized goody from the past)

Sincerely, NightOwl

[bladesaint]

Yeah for sure that's the arguement, but why has it got to be either/or, when you can have both?

 Who ever said that "its got to be either or"? But if youre pressed for time, can't make it to the gym, can't afford a garage full of barbells, dumbbells, squat racks, and leg press machines. A pair of 35lbs Kbells and a good workout routine to go with them makes a strong arguement.

[Gi]

I agree with you that if you want big muscles you need big wieghts and lift accordingly but thats usually not the case with those interested in the kind of benefits KBells offer specifically for the functional MA/combatives community. Wrestlers/grapplers i.e. are looking for that tendon/sinew strength and not built and sized like Mr. Olympia. Chimps for example, they dont look particularly stong but they're 5 times the average strength of your best developed human. I believe standard wieghts training does not duplicate as many of the same motions that Kbells do for the certain movements that are more appealing and functional and thats where Kbells have the advantage

Yeah for sure that's the arguement, but why has it got to be either/or, when you can have both?

[bladesaint]

I can see the benefits of Kbell training and intend on intergrating some more into my own training program but I can't see that it could replace pushing heavy wieghts. I've seen the guys down the gym who swear by them, one guy is a personal trainer who uses them daily and if I were to be totally honest I'm not that impressed with thier physiques and strength. I'm not saying that they aren't good because I think they are. It's just different. If it's big muscles you want it's big weights you have to lift there's no short cuts I'm afraid. The muscles have to be totally annihilated, fed and rested week in week out. Kbell develope a different kind of strength incorporating some of the smaller muscle groups which some might argue is better for MAs but for out and out strength they are always going to be second best in my opinion.

I agree with you that if you want big muscles you need big wieghts and lift accordingly but thats usually not the case with those interested in the kind of benefits KBells offer specifically for the functional MA/combatives community. Wrestlers/grapplers i.e. are looking for that tendon/sinew strength and not built and sized like Mr. Olympia. Chimps for example, they dont look particularly stong but they're 5 times the average strength of your best developed human. I believe standard wieghts training does not duplicate as many of the same motions that Kbells do for the certain movements that are more appealing and functional and thats where Kbells have the advantage

[Gi]

I can see the benefits of Kbell training and intend on intergrating some more into my own training program but I can't see that it could replace pushing heavy wieghts. I've seen the guys down the gym who swear by them, one guy is a personal trainer who uses them daily and if I were to be totally honest I'm not that impressed with thier physiques and strength. I'm not saying that they aren't good because I think they are. It's just different. If it's big muscles you want it's big weights you have to lift there's no short cuts I'm affraid. The muscles have to be totally annihilated, fed and rested week in week out. Kbell develope a different kind of strength incorporating some of the smaller muscle groups which some might argue is better for MAs but for out and out strength they are always going to be second best in my opinion.

[bladesaint]

So many people swear by kettlebells for building muscle and stamina, I will be willing to try, if I had the time. Are they expensive? What weight do you recomend starting with?

 They are taking the world by storm, I love them. Many things come and go, some have so-so results but I have to admit Ive seen consistant results with the Kbells. I reccommended them to a freind who was already working out regularly and she was curious about them, now she's hooked. She tells me she see's nearly immediate results she didnt get with regualr wieght training. The nice thing is.you dont NEED a lont time to train with them the way you do with standard wieghts. One or two sets of Kbells can replace nearly a whole gym room full of equipment too..Most men should start with around 25-35lbs range. Kbells can get expensive (About 2 dollars for every pound of solid iron) but now they are catching on, the prices are coming down on them. THey are also coming out with newer innovations such as steel or plastic hollow kbells you can fill yourself to the wieght you want. You can empty it out and take it with you on vacation and fill it up again when you get to were you need to go and keep up your workout. Look for KBells with the smoothest (To avoid blisters) and thickest but most comfortable handles. The thicker handles activate more ligaments and muscle fibers in your arm when you grip then the thin handles. The body of the bell should rest around the mid forearm muscle area when holding  in the "Rack position" not against the bone of the wrist. You can have the best set of Kbells money can buy but they wont do you any good if you dont have a good workout plan on how to use them. I highly reccommend AOS.com aka punchgym.com. They are the best with the workout dvds and american made products.

[Chihua-ku]

So many people swear by kettlebells for building muscle and stamina, I will be willing to try, if I had the time. Are they expensive? What weight do you recomend starting with?

[Gi]

I see both of your points for me the most important part of my training is the Meditation but that maybe easy for me to say as I also push a lot of weights. If I had to give one up it would be the weights. There is a hell of a lot of training you can do with your own body weight and within your Karate training. What you can get from Meditation can't be replaced. Hey it's nice to have the chance to do everything.

[bladesaint]

I havent used any kettlebells, most of the time i do meditation. it is the most important factor training KARATE.i dont think training using kettle bells are that important

 
Meditation with your karate practice is all you really need, just as long you keep your karate practice to just practice and are not to physically defend yourself. Odds are pretty good as an adult, you may not likely ever need to do so anyway...lets hope so. I live in a city with high crime rate and am a police officer yet the need to actually use my martial arts as an adult has been extremely rare. In the last 19 years only once and that was 17 years before I discovered kettlebells. So I see youre point. Kettlebells just makes things easiar if strength in a combat situation is required.

[thesilentkiller]

I havent used any kettlebells, most of the time i do meditation. it is the most important factor training KARATE.i dont think training using kettle bells are that important