[Closed] Weights, KBs and whatnot

unless you're experienced I'd definitely say formal routine

progress will be practically impossible to track otherwise

It would if I train to the same level of perceived knackeredness surely?

Not really that fussed about progress in numbers terms, just want to stay strong, healthy and maybe lose a bit of weight.

Not really that fussed about progress in numbers terms, just want to stay strong, healthy and maybe lose a bit of weight.

have you tried exercising regularly, the iDave diet and tensing your muscles in the mirror several times a day?

Here you go Phil:

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😀

with dedication, hard work and no recovery cans of coke, look what can be achieved!

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(seriously though, sticking to the same size sets make it easy to chart progress but mixing it up keeps the body guessing and stops it getting used to a certain set of exercises)

if you just wanna stay fit and healthy with no specific goal in mind then train for fun, just do what you want. That's pretty much what I've done all my life, I've never followed a training program, ever.

Resistance training encourages weight loss yes? Does that necessarily mean heavier weights, or does it mean any weights?

I've tried sticking to regimented weight training and I just get bored.

I now do my version of intervals/tabatas with various exercises (primarily body weight or with a medicine ball and a 'powerbag').

- Start with a warm up of 10-15 mins on a bike/treadmill (with 1 minute peddling fast and 30 seconds taking it easy)
- 5 minutes dynamic stretching
- 3 rounds of 30 seconds on 10 seconds off x 10 (so 6.40 minutes each round)
- in each 30 seconds choose a particular exercise (such as KB swings, burpees, press ups, squats, lunges etc etc)
- you can alternate between demanding and less demanding exercises so that the less demanding 30 seconds is an 'active recovery' set
- look on youtoob for relevant exercises (search for metabolic cricuits/workouts, HIIT workouts, or look for FunkMMA)
- 5 minutes static stretching

In total about 45mins in the gym.

I enjoy the intervals as it's varied and I am absolutely shattered at the end. The trick is to do each 30 second set as hard as you can, I end up dripping with sweat and knackered when I've done the 3 sets.

any weights will increase your calories out (and we all know its calories out vs calories in lol) bigger weights = bigger muscles = higher BMR = weight loss if used in conjunction with a healthy diet/calorie deficit.

[i]maybe lose a bit of weight.[/i]

Still ?, there'll be nothing left of you.

[i]Resistance training encourages weight loss yes[/i]

I thought resistance exercising encouraged muscle growth ?.

EDIT:
This is all too serious, we need a comedy thre.....

😆

I think starting my weight training over winter helped my weight loss (pretty much all body weight exercises, plyometrics, some using TRX and KBs). Plus I feel so much stronger on the bike too.

No point doing it without a plan and way to progress IMO. FWIW you need to MFTU and lift heavier weights or up the reps/sets - i can easily squat the 24kg KBs you having been doing and i'm a girl! 😛

Resistance training encourages weight loss yes

I thought resistance exercising encouraged muscle growth

i can easily squat the 24kg KBs you having been doing and i'm a girl!

Why do I squat 24kg? Because I have a 24kg KB 🙂

No point doing it without a plan and way to progress IMO

Do you need a plan in order to progress? Could you not just count how many you can do and see if the number goes up?

[i]Could you not just count how many you can do and see if the number goes up? [/i]

course you could, but when you can do 100 you'll be bored stupid so you'll have to think of something to make it harder. Like doing them at different speeds, add a jump squat in every 3 or every 5. Do a squat followed by a military press. make it up, have fun, test yourself, get knackered, enjoy.

[i]Only if you consume more calories than you burn off. To encourage muscle growth you need to eat lots. [/i]

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but when you can do 100 you'll be bored stupid so you'll have to think of something to make it harder

Like buy a heavier KB...?

It would if I train to the same level of perceived knackeredness surely?

Not really that fussed about progress in numbers terms, just want to stay strong, healthy and maybe lose a bit of weight.

Perception, schmeption.

"Perceived knackeredness" is worth approximately nothing. The one thing I can guarantee is that if you just knob around doing what you feel like, you won't progress. What works is coming back repeatedly doing the same [b]kinds[/b] of lift over and over with ever increasing weight. Anything else is window dressing.

Maybe I can make a biking analogy.

What's the quickest way to get faster at riding a bike for a 10 mile TT?

a) riding a bike 10 miles, lots of times, regularly, every so often going all out to measure improvements
b) unicycling

Edit: FWIW McHamish's routine is nice, but is not strength training, it is cardio.

More Edit:

Like buy a heavier KB...?

What works is coming back repeatedly doing the same kinds of lift over and over with ever increasing weight

Works for what though?

As above, what I would do is as many reps as I can, or as many sets of X reps, until I get tired (which is what I meant by perceived knackerdness). Then I would be driven to do more each time obviously.

Bingo. Of course, some time ago (~100 years) it was worked out that a really easy way to sort out the "heavier KB" problem was plates loaded onto a bar..

KB workouts are not the same as bar lifts though are they? I just saw an adjustable kettlebell on Amazon - £250 though 😯

And your analogy to cycling is a bit silly. Is the best way to get faster at a 10 TT doing lots of 10 TT efforts, or doing lots of 30s sprints, or 60s sprints, or 3m sprints, or 6 30s sprints and 6 3m sprints, or....?

It depends what results you want, and how much effort you are willing to put in.

Something like Starting Strength or Wendler's 5/3/1 will give you the best results for outright strength. Strength can be a bigger limiter than you might think, even in endurance sports.

If you find routines or programmes boring, then they might put you off training. If you are just training for the enjoyment and stress relief you may as well find kit and exercises you enjoy and just go for it.

[i]Bingo. Of course, some time ago (~100 years) it was worked out that a really easy way to sort out the "heavier KB" problem was plates loaded onto a bar...[/i]

You are Ann Robinson and I claim my prize cookie !.

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I don't think Molly wants to put in the effort, I think he thinks there's a magic fairy cure which means he can eat sweeties and choccy, ride v fast and be skinny

If your ever in Gloss Molly, feel free to come running with me

Glossop or Gloucester? I am in Gloucester occasionally. Or are you talking about make-up?

I will join you on a bike ride and show you how much effort I put in if you like 🙂

What Molly actually wants is to put his effort into the most effective activity.

thats fightin talk! pick on somebody your own size... emsz is only tiny!

I used to just do random stuff, but recently I have made the workout/excercise plan below for myself with the help of a few guys in work who have been doing weights for a long time. Depends what you want really. Mine is based around strenght and fitness for martial arts, but if your looking to get ARNIE big, then You will need to look elsewhere.

The Physio stuff is to try and help my sore shoulder so ignore that, but have a look at the core excercises. Monday and thursday are the same, but I vary the flat and incline press, and also the ab excercises. Alternate Friday/Sunday as rest days, sometime REST both depending on how hard Karate/last weights session has been.

You want to be doing 8-12 reps* of every thing, the last 2 reps of every set should be a struggle, once they arent then you need to up the weight a little. Simples.. * My squats and deadlifts are based on the 5 x 5 programme (google it). Also Ive only just really started squatting and deadlifting seriously so I have dropped the weight to focus on technique, hoping to add some KG to these in a few weeks.

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most effective.... STW decrees that to the the deadlift/squat.

I should point out that I don't go to a gym, so I have limited opportunity to gradually up the weight. I can't afford a full set of kbs 🙂

[i]What Molly actually wants is to put his effort into the most effective activity.[/i]

The most effective activity ?.... Discipline.
😉

no need for them fancy modern kettleballs

this is the most intense and effective:

I should point out that I don't go to a gym, so I have limited opportunity to gradually up the weight. I can't afford a full set of kbs

Unfortunately if you are going to do this at home, you have to start somewhere. I started with a set of York 20kg dumbells (10kg each).

This has expanded into something a bit silly. But it saves me the gym fees and sitting in someone else sweat!.

Have you looked at body weight excercises? or considered some olympic rings/trx machine?

Wendler's 5/3/1

this works for me. never seen so much progression though the weights. i've actually run out of plates.

What Molly actually wants is to put his effort into the most effective activity

If you can't gradually up the weight, you need to look at things like bodyweight, TRX, plyometrics. I'm stronger but leaner with that sort of stuff, and it KILLS me!

I actually need a smaller kb I think, there's stuff I can't comfortably do with the 24. But then again why don't I just keep trying?

I'll see what happens I suppose 🙂

Do you just have one KB? I use 4/5 different sizes of one at the gym for my workout. One would be restricting. 😕

I have 9, 12 and 24. I could do with an 18 perhaps, not sure.

Of course a full set would be ideal...

Give the stronglifts 5x5 a go, it's a good routine and starts off nice and easy.

I'm not signing up to that weirdo's website...

Works for what though?

Strength, strength endurance, size. Bit of an assumption, but when people ask about weights I always assume that those things are what they want to train for...

As above, what I would do is as many reps as I can, or as many sets of X reps, until I get tired (which is what I meant by perceived knackerdness). Then I would be driven to do more each time obviously.

I'm out of this argument, as my opinion is that perceived tiredness is zero practical use in weight training.

KB workouts are not the same as bar lifts though are they?

They're both simply weights.

Don't believe the advertising bollocks surrounding KBs.

And your analogy to cycling is a bit silly.

No, it isn't.

Unicycling is vaguely related to cycling fast, in much the same way that cardio routines involving weights are only vaguely related to strength training.

Ultimately if you want to mess about with weights to do a cardio session, crack on, but I doubt either will do a lot for your cycling. What will do a lot for your cycling is doing more cycling.

Sorry solo, I'm out of cookies.

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I don't want to get 'strong' as in I don't want to be able to lift big weights.

I certainly don't want to be 'big'

I want to remain generally fit and limber as I get older in my upper body and core - the cycling and running doesn't do a lot

I would also like to do things that help me lose more fat.

They're both simply weights.

Obviously, but you do different things. You have to admit that you can't swing bars and weights around like you do with a KB? They are different because you do diferent things with them, that's not just marketing is it?

I don't have access to gym machines and I haven't the space for a weights bench, so it's limited to KBs, medicine balls, body weight, giant rubber bands, that kind of thing.

What will do a lot for your cycling is doing more cycling.

Stick to weight training advice 🙂

I want to remain generally fit and limber as I get older in my upper body and core

Press-ups, sit-ups, plank, squat thrusts, burpees, mountain climbers etc

renegade rows, suicide press ups, press up variations, yoga and pilates. Go to a boxing gym.

Gym is not an option.

You have to admit that you can't swing bars and weights around like you do with a KB?

No? See, olympic lifts always look quite explosive to me.

I don't want to get 'strong' as in I don't want to be able to lift big weights.

I certainly don't want to be 'big'

I want to remain generally fit and limber as I get older in my upper body and core - the cycling and running doesn't do a lot

I would also like to do things that help me lose more fat.

Ok, well, now we're getting somewhere. In that case I'd suggest exactly what WackoAK is suggesting - starting some plyometrics, bodyweight exercises like chins & pushups of various varieties, stretching, if you're into classes then yoga or pilates has some good core work.

Get a pair of rings if you're feeling like getting serious, basic gymnastic holds (front & back lever) & moves on rings (chins etc) are awesomely good for this kind of goal.

Losing fat is about 100% diet. Exercise contributes to calorie burning of course but diet is key.

Stick to weight training advice

Er, right you are.