REVIEW: "The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body"

In an effort to finally begin one my New Year's resolutions for 2009, I tried "The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body" Volume 1 developed by GUIDING LIGHT's Beth Chamberlin (Beth) who highly recommends it.

The following is an overview of the DVD and my review of the workout.

Product Description: "The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body" is a 40-minute workout led by Americas foremost kettlebell expert, Anthony Diluglio and kettlebell enthusiast, actress Beth Chamberlin.

This follow-along workout is turn-key. It contains a tutorial and a forty-minute workout that allows the user to safely and effectively begin using this product right out of the box. The program works for men as well as women. Different sized kettlebells are the differentiating factors between individual users.

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Cost: $49.95

Preview: Round 7 - Clean & Press

DVD Options: The DVD is well put togehter and includes a heartfelt introduction from Chamberlin and an introduction to how the project came to be. Chamberlin financed the DVD and asked Anthony Diluglio to help her with it.

Next there is a Tutorial option to learn the moves before you begin. Then you start the actual workout which begins with a warm up, 14 exercise rounds and a bonus round.

The DVD menu also includes links to both Chamberlin's and Diluglio's websites.

My Workout and Review: One thing I loved about the DVD right away was Beth Chamberlin's introduction. She convinced me that this workout was something worth trying and you only needed to do it twice a week. Only one kettlebell is needed and being able to work out at home is a big plus, both from a time and cost perspective. I have limited time and committing to going to the gym never seems to work for me.

Despite Chamberlin's warning, I initially purchased a kettlebell that was too heavy so I had to return it and downgrade the weight. But the workout isn't focused on the weight of the kettlebell, it's about the motions you are putting your body through and combining cardiovascular and strength training.

The tutorial was very helpful for me. I've heard about kettlebell workouts for a while, but was not familiar with the excercises. Maintaining proper form is very important and something I have struggled with at the gym. When you start the workout, Diluglio does a quick review of the exercises and then he and Beth go through the moves.

During each round of exercises a time bar appears on the left hand side of the screen to let you know how much time remains.

Another thing I like about the workout is that you are moving from one exercise to another and it's easy to stay engaged. If I get on a treadmill, I tend to get bored after a few minutes. That doesn't happen with the kettlebell program.

I will admit it took me a bit longer to do the workout than Chamberlin and Diluglio, mostly because I am out of shape. But I can easily see the benefits of doing the workout and how it would become easier over time.

In summary, if you're looking for a workout program and others have not worked for you in the past, this routine works for both women and men, doesn't require a lot of time and is cost effective and easy to use. If I can do it, you can too.