Hi y’all;
I’ve been branching out in my DVD purchases lately and am acquiring some kettlebell DVDs.
It was really hard for me to decide whether or not to buy some of these, because (unlike Cathe/Cathe.com), most instructors and websites don’t offer a complete breakdown and preview of the workouts! So, since I’ve just gotten, and tried, the Lauren Brooks kettlebell DVD, I figured I’d post a breakdown of the workout in case it helps anyone else. Here goes:
The reason everyone refers to this as “Lauren Brooks’ DVD” is because the full title is “The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells”. Also, it’s the only one she sells (at her website).
The main menu offers a spoken introduction and conclusion by Brooks, who isn’t totally natural on camera, although that doesn’t really detract from the workout. Besides, it’s her first DVD, so give her a break.
Also, there is a little intro to kettlebell safety and selection of the right size kettlebell.
She has a separate demonstration of each of the fifteen exercises used in the workouts:
1. Deadlift
2. Suitcase Deadlift
3. Two-hand swing
4. One-hand swing & alternating swing
5. Overhead swing
6. One arm clean
7. Front squat
8. Kettlebell push-ups
9. One arm rows
10. Russian twist
11. Pullover crunch
12. Mountain climbers
13. Back lunge
14. Squat thrusts
15. High pull, catch, & squat
These are pretty thorough and her instructions are clear.
Under the workouts menu, there are three choices:
Joint Mobility Warmup
Quick Full Body Fat Blast
Sculpt and Condition in under 40 minutes
The warmup is pretty much a warmup. If I know my fellow Catheites, your questions are about the workouts.
The “Quick Full Body Fat Blast” is about 12 minutes. It seems like it would be a great add-on or warm-up to cardio or total body weights (or the 40-minute session, or whatever), if you’re not content with 12 minute workouts. It consists of several 1-minute sessions (each with 2 exercises from the list above). Each 1-minute work interval is followed by a 30-second rest, during which time the screen offers little tidbits of kettlebell or Lauren Brooks trivia.
The “Under 40 minutes” workout is my favorite. It has two-minute work intervals followed by one-minute rests. During the first fifteen minutes, I felt like the rests were too long, but the workout gets pretty dang intense and I felt worked out by the end.
It’s not as challenging as it would be if Cathe had done it. But it’s a solid introduction to kettlebells, and something I can see using repeatedly. I currently only have an 8KG KB, and I can imagine that this would kick my butt if I upped the weight. Which I totally plan to do.
Lauren’s instruction isn’t as polished and personable as Cathe’s, and the production is less upscale, but Lauren is not annoying (to me), and her instructions are clear. Personally, I'd recommend it even to advanced exercisers who are trying KBs for the first time.
I know others have enjoyed this, and if you search "Lauren Brooks" many threads come up.
Let me know what you think of it if you get it (or if you already have it)!
Lisa/Afreet
I’ve been branching out in my DVD purchases lately and am acquiring some kettlebell DVDs.
It was really hard for me to decide whether or not to buy some of these, because (unlike Cathe/Cathe.com), most instructors and websites don’t offer a complete breakdown and preview of the workouts! So, since I’ve just gotten, and tried, the Lauren Brooks kettlebell DVD, I figured I’d post a breakdown of the workout in case it helps anyone else. Here goes:
The reason everyone refers to this as “Lauren Brooks’ DVD” is because the full title is “The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells”. Also, it’s the only one she sells (at her website).
The main menu offers a spoken introduction and conclusion by Brooks, who isn’t totally natural on camera, although that doesn’t really detract from the workout. Besides, it’s her first DVD, so give her a break.
Also, there is a little intro to kettlebell safety and selection of the right size kettlebell.
She has a separate demonstration of each of the fifteen exercises used in the workouts:
1. Deadlift
2. Suitcase Deadlift
3. Two-hand swing
4. One-hand swing & alternating swing
5. Overhead swing
6. One arm clean
7. Front squat
8. Kettlebell push-ups
9. One arm rows
10. Russian twist
11. Pullover crunch
12. Mountain climbers
13. Back lunge
14. Squat thrusts
15. High pull, catch, & squat
These are pretty thorough and her instructions are clear.
Under the workouts menu, there are three choices:
Joint Mobility Warmup
Quick Full Body Fat Blast
Sculpt and Condition in under 40 minutes
The warmup is pretty much a warmup. If I know my fellow Catheites, your questions are about the workouts.
The “Quick Full Body Fat Blast” is about 12 minutes. It seems like it would be a great add-on or warm-up to cardio or total body weights (or the 40-minute session, or whatever), if you’re not content with 12 minute workouts. It consists of several 1-minute sessions (each with 2 exercises from the list above). Each 1-minute work interval is followed by a 30-second rest, during which time the screen offers little tidbits of kettlebell or Lauren Brooks trivia.
The “Under 40 minutes” workout is my favorite. It has two-minute work intervals followed by one-minute rests. During the first fifteen minutes, I felt like the rests were too long, but the workout gets pretty dang intense and I felt worked out by the end.
It’s not as challenging as it would be if Cathe had done it. But it’s a solid introduction to kettlebells, and something I can see using repeatedly. I currently only have an 8KG KB, and I can imagine that this would kick my butt if I upped the weight. Which I totally plan to do.
Lauren’s instruction isn’t as polished and personable as Cathe’s, and the production is less upscale, but Lauren is not annoying (to me), and her instructions are clear. Personally, I'd recommend it even to advanced exercisers who are trying KBs for the first time.
I know others have enjoyed this, and if you search "Lauren Brooks" many threads come up.
Let me know what you think of it if you get it (or if you already have it)!
Lisa/Afreet
