Kettlebody by Brook: Cardio Kettlebell

This is a 30 minute cardio kettlebell routine led by Brook in a nice open studio w/ cute lime green curtains in the background. Brook works out w/ 2 backgrounders and provides power or lower impact modifications for many of the exercises. You will only need a kettlebell for this workout (I used a 10# dumbbell).

Exercises include: halo, squat & OH press, side lunge & squat w/ woodchop, walking lunges w/ a pass through, suit case squats w/ a hop, kettlebell swings, 1 arm swings, squat-hop-Mt. climber combo, kettlebell swing & outer thigh raise, swing & travel pliet, etc.

I would rate this a solid to high intermediate workout that has almost NO impact- love that as my knees cant always take a high impact workout but I love high intensity! The pace of this workout is great and it really moves right along. I like the 25 minute time frame- it makes this nonstop workout totally do-able, great as a stand alone or to add on to other workouts. I love Brook- great cuing, great form & pointers, great energy. Will be looking out for more from her!!!! You could easily heavy up and use this as a strength workout- very versatile. I received this dvd to review.

lindseylu8

This workout is part of a 3-DVD set by Brook Benton (produced by GoFit) called Kettlebody. The workout system has a cardio/strength, strength, and yoga workout. Brook works out in a very pleasant open studio with two backgrounders, one who shows advanced modifications. They all worked out with the 10# yellow GoFit kettlebell, which I found was an appropriate weight for me too. This is definitely a hi rep / endurance style workout. The music was driving club music, and synched to the exercises.

The actual workout clocked in at about 31 minutes, but you have to choose the main workout (25 minutes) and cool down (6 minutes) separately from the DVD menu, unless you choose to play all, which would require you to skip through the introduction. Not sure why they did not put the main workout and cool down in the same chapter, and I am thankful that they did not make the warm up a separate chapter too.

The warm up went right into halos, then halos with squats, and halos with lunges. Lots of halos. Then two arm swing, alternating one arm swings, then more squats with bell in a clean position then overhead presses. Then a very, very, very long set of wood chops while doing side lunges and front lunges on the same leg, before doing a walking squat move with kettlebell pass over under the knees, then repeat on the other side. Then a brief plie and outer thigh lift set while swinging the bell. Then a suitcase squat set ensues followed by a slow, explosive mountain climber set while balancing on the kettlebell (I thought the 10# was too small for this, so did it on the floor), stand for a suitcase squat, then repeat on the other side. There were a LOT of mountain climbers and suitcase squats, with an optional jump in the middle. (The jump was optional, and the only high intensity exercise in the whole DVD).

At about the 23 minute mark, you do a quick cool down (within the main chapter) of fluid side to side lunges (like in Ellen’s Yogini) with some Tai Chi inspired arm movements. Then you have to go back to the DVD menu to do the cool down (unless you played all). In the separate chapter, the girls all wear black and you continue a stretch of a low side lunge into a low runners lunge (held for a satisfactory length), then optional inversion pose (hand stand, elbow stand, or roll back – all three are shown), then to the floor for an enjoyable straddle stretch and staff pose.

It was a relief to stop the real work at 23 minutes because those nonstop reps really snuck up on me! I had really worked up a great sweat just in those 23 minutes. The longish cool down was so relaxing after all that hi rep work. For a 31 minute workout, I feel like I really got some good cardio (and some endurance-type strength) in. During the suitcase squat/mountain climber set I even had to drop the bell entirely. I am not the biggest fan of hi rep work, and sometimes I did wonder how much longer those sets would be, but in the end it was very rewarding and I’ll do this workout again for sure. I look forward to the others in the set. She doesn’t really give a lot of form pointers, so I would suggest one has a level of comfort with kettlebell swings before attempting this workout. I would say this is solid intermediate level, but if it had been longer, could have been high intermediate or even low advanced. It was just the right amount of time for me to give it my all and feel energized, rather than wiped, at the end. The workout moved a tiny bit slower than Kettlenetics (since you are swinging a 10 pounder instead of a 4 pounder) but the feel of the workout was very similar to me. Overall production is high quality and I give it an A.

Instructor Comments:
This was my first experience with Brook and I liked that she mirror cued and that her instruction made even this fast paced workout easy to follow. I wasn’t as sold on her demeanor. She mentioned the word “lard” about four times and how we need to work that off. Somehow the word “fat” or “cellulite” or whatever jargon I hear in other videos seems is less offensive than “lard” to me. However, I might have a skewed opinion of Brook because she looks and talks a lot like a mean co-worker! At any rate, I think I can handle her in 30 minute pieces, and if she came out with more shorter workouts like these, I would definitely consider them. I won’t be rushing out to buy her older 60 minute workouts though.

Emily B.