Tabatas with kettlebells

[SFGOON]

Kettlebells are too goddamn pricey. Almost $100 for a 50lb one. Not even a damn pair.

****, it's just a ball of iron with a handle.

Sorry. Not trying to derail.

The truth is Phrost, you can't afford not to buy one!

Don't you want super human strength and endurance, ripped pecs, shredded abs, and a dick you can tie around your knee?

Or maybe you're just too weak to handle it. Heh.

Seriously, check ebay. DD sells them there at a discount. A STEEP discount.

Panhinda - once you get good at Turkish get ups, try alternating one minute of swings with one minute of TGUs for (recovery?) - it's one of the most brutal workouts to which I've ever been subjected. Also, once I learn what's behind this whole KB snatch protocol I'll post that, too. That's supposed to be a killer workout.

[Teh El Macho]

I've only got two kettlebells, a 45 and a 20lber. So the two KBs are out of the question. Thanks anyway. :)

No way dude. The load would be asymmetric using both kbs. It could be quite a challenge, but I don't know if it can be sustained for tabatas for some exercises, though.

However, Ross Enamait has some material showing how to do snatches and cleans with one hand while holding another (usually lighter) weight on the other (acting as an anchor.), and IIRC, there is an article on that same subject on t-nation. I've only done this with dumbbells and it's a bitch. I imagine it will be more of a bitch with kbs (due to the thicker handles.)

Another exercise you can try for tabatas using your 45lbs kb (or both for an asymmetric bitch) is sumo deadlift to high pull:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6UujQTJ09w

same exercise using kbs at mark 1:27

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq_aiYLzgk8

Do you think it is possible to do a shallow burpee (burpee without the push up part) while holding the kb handle with both hands? If so, that may be another canditate for tabata hell.

You may not want to use the same exercise for all your tabata sets as they may cause premature muscle failure (not to mention wear and tear if you are using your shoulder for cleaning and pressing). If you can do two (or better yet, three) different exercises between each tabata set (one push, one pull, extensors vs flexors), you may be able to sustain longer tabata rounds.

--- edit --- What's a zipup?

--- more edit --- oh yea, what SFGOON said on TGUs.

Kettlebells are too goddamn pricey. Almost $100 for a 50lb one. Not even a damn pair.

****, it's just a ball of iron with a handle.

Sorry. Not trying to derail.

No prob. But consider that the handles are thicker than a regular dumbbell. An extra inch in diameter makes a lot of difference, specially when you are trying to explosively lift one off the ground.

Little experiment: try curling a 40lbs dumbbell as usual. Then add a piece of pool noodle on the handle (like this) and try again. Compare to the previous attempt.

Then take a 30lbs dumbell, wrap a piece of pool noodle on the handle. And then wrap another piece pool nool over on top of the previous one (won't go all the way around, though.) Then grip the **** out of that and try to curl it. Compare the effort to the previous two attempts.

I'm with you with the price though - I've spent too much right now on equipment right now. I have to wait for a while before getting a pair of them puppies.

but I'm still having trouble figuring out what a Tabata is.

Check this link at Ross' website. It may help explain the concept.

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles...intervals.html

[Teh El Macho]

Anthony, check the starting exercise in this clip. That looks like a good tabata canditate (I must try this tonight with my dumbelz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElnJNYc7dsM

[Cullion]

Kettlebells are too goddamn pricey. Almost $100 for a 50lb one. Not even a damn pair.

****, it's just a ball of iron with a handle.

Sorry. Not trying to derail.

My wife got me a 24kg (53lb) one off e-bay for much less than that.

[Cullion]

Oh and **** alternating swings with Turkish get ups. That sounds like an excellent way to simply throw up/drop kettlebell on self due to diziness. It's like an 'interval' programme where you're just on full-throttle all the time. I like to alternate swings (10 on each arm no break when changing hands) with sweating, taking a sip of water and generally looking like I'm about to **** myself and cry blood.

[SFGOON]

There's a certain level of conditioning and skill implied before that workout is attempted, you know.

[Cullion]

I suppose it depends on the pace you swing at and how many minutes you keep going for.

[jasonmichaels]

the 'pace' of a swing is pretty fixed, unless you try real hard to do the 'american' swing video'ed on crossfit.

it's about 1 per 2.4 seconds, or about 8 per interval. It's good for tabata, but not great. Might work with really heavy swings, but then you'd hit failure. You're first few sets would be great for heart rate/ work load, and then you're muscles would hit a wall. You wouldn't be able to work for the metabolic effect b/c you're legs are jello.

Tabata needs to be EXTREMELY metabolically demanding, turned on and off QUICKLY and it needs to be SIMPLE enough to not **** UP.

That's why Izumi used the stationary bike.

[Yohan]

I've been doing interval kettlebell swings. Last week we did 6 rounds 20 seconds work 40 seconds rest 25 lb KB swings, 2 minute rest, 6 rounds 20 seconds work 40 seconds rest 5 lb medicine ball swings. Good stuff.

I'm working towards tabata workouts.

[SFGOON]

One swing every two and a half seconds? Mine last one - tops, and that's at chin level. I do grip it at the top and force it back down (unless I'm fucking tired,) but 2.5 seconds per rep? Wow.