Growing up I was always active, playing one sport or another. Up through and out of college I played or coached volleyball. I had the workout bug, if I didn’t get to the gym or do some sort of physical activity every day it drove me crazy.
Then I got older, had kids, and became Tired Mom Tésa.
One of the most shocking things to me about becoming a parent was the level of exhaustion. When Kora & Logan were babies, I couldn’t believe how little energy I had after a day of staying home with them. I told myself that once they got older I would feel more like my active self, but now they’re both in preschool and I’m still searching for my once high energy level.
Even though I’m tired, I still try to exercise as often as possible because I know it’s good for me. I also know it’s good for the kids to see me exercise. I’m really trying to be a healthy role model for them.
As you probably know by know, I’m currently training for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure® but the preparation doesn’t only involve walking. There are cross-training days too.
Since my walking days take up quite a bit of time, I’m always on the lookout for something that is quick, but still effective and I think I’ve stumbled across the answer: KettleWorx.
KettleWorx is an at home kettlebell and DVD program with a 6-week guarantee of total body fitness in just 20 minutes, 3 times a week.
I’ve always wanted to workout with kettlebells because I’ve heard how good they are for overall strength and toning. However, once I heard KettleWorx 20 minute/3 day-a-week claim, I thought it sounded too good to be true.
Then I did Resistance Day 1 of the 6 Week Body Transformation.
It was tough and I had a good sweat going at the end, and I found myself pushing it to get through all the moves. The next cross-training day I did Core and the following was Cardio. After completing Week 1, I was impressed with the program.
In fact, the day after each DVD I have to honestly say I was pretty sore. I was surprised at this. I’ve been training for the 3-Day for the Cure® for a couple of weeks and prior to that I was at the gym lifting weights. I even did P90x for a stint, but it was KettleWorx that really reminded me of muscles I had forgotten I had.
Pros:
- Variety – I used the KettleWorx DVDs 3 times in one week and did different exercises each time. On top of that, each DVD has 6 weeks of varied routines to choose from. While the 6 Week Body Transformation has 3 discs there are actually 9 workout DVDs total, with over 200 exercises.
- Short & Sweet – I’m still astounded by a program that can produce results in 20 minutes, 3 times a week, but at this point I believe it works. As I said above, I was doing P90x regularly before I started training for the 3-Day for the Cure and was therefore dedicating 60 – 90 minutes each morning to intense workouts. I thought I’d breeze through the KettleWorx DVDs, however I’m finding them a bit of a challenge. I’m so surprised to say that I feel I’m getting as good of a workout in that 20 minutes as I did with the 90 minutes of P90x.
- Fun - It is a fun workout. It’s totally different than anything I’ve every done and I’m enjoying it.
Cons
- Lack of exercise instruction – My biggest complaint with the KettleWorx DVDs is there just isn’t enough instruction for each exercise. I feel confident in doing most of the exercises because of my background in sports, however it makes me wonder if people with little or no athletic training could easily injure themselves performing some of the exercises. The trainer tries to be very motivational which is good, but in some instances he could be giving more instruction before or during each exercise. There is an Intro DVD with some details but I really believe these tips need to be spread throughout the workout DVDs.
- Loops - While there is a lot of variety to these workouts it seems that variety is made up of exercises that are connected through editing. The warm-up and cool-down is the same on every DVD which is fine, but the workout routines don’t flow from one exercise to another. They evidently filmed the 200 or so exercises once and then pasted them together into different routines. It’s only a minor annoyance however, but one I hope they improve upon if they make another series.
Overall, I’m really happy I’ve had the chance to review KettleWorx. I’m going to be reviewing it again in the future after using it for a couple of more weeks, so I will let you know my thoughts about it at that point.
While you’re waiting for notes about my Total Body Transformation check out what these bloggers thought about KettleWorx:
What about you? Have you ever done a kettlebell workout?
Thank you to KettleWorx for providing the program for review. No compensation was received for this post.
I have to admit I’m pretty intrigued.
You’ve got me worried now! lol
I’m due in December (in my 2T), and I’m always tired. I actually started losing energy about 2 years ago. Doc ran tests and it wasn’t my thyroid or anything. Since then, I’ve put on weight. Eating makes me more tired, so prior to this pg I was cutting back on getting too much food at a sitting. I wish there was something other than caffeine to do the trick for me.
I was curious about these as well. They might be worth a try (especially when you talk about the time issue!) Thanks.
I really love it! I went from not exercising at all to doing these DVD’s like 5 times a week.
These look very interesting to me – I like that the DVDs have variety to them so maybe I can handle it and not give up like I do everything else :)
I never heard of the Kettlebell before but it looks interesting. I can not wait to hear what you think after using it more. The fact that you are really getting a good workout in twenty minutes sound great :)
I never knew these were called Kettlebells! Isn’t that one of the things they use on Biggest Loser? I think they sound very interesting, I may have to try one out sometime, it would be a good mix to add on the days I’m not going to Jazzercise!