This study is apparently the first one to compare the anti-oxidant benefits of varieties of widely available nuts.

The author of the study, Joe Vinson, Ph.D. notes that nuts account for barely 8% of the anti-oxidants in the average diet.  People wrongly believe that consuming nuts will cause weight gain or that nuts contain unhealthy fats.

Previous studies have indicated that nuts induce a feeling of satiation, and thus help dieters control calorie consumption.

Recently some of the regulars at the gym have been asking questions and one gentlemen has joined us in our kettlebell workout.  He is able to get through about 1/2 to 2/3 of each set but he keeps coming back so that is a good sign.  I'll go into more detail about our routine in a future post.

I suspect that you could perform different kettlebell exercises each day and find something different to do every day of the week.  In our case, we have to deal with the issue of schlepping the kettlebells from the car, as our L.A. Fitness does not have a full set.  Interestingly, however, about six months after workout partner Michael and I used our kettlebells for the first time, a couple of the personal trainers there purchased four or five bells and started using them occasionally.  Right now, there is one 16kb bell, the rest are very light weights – most of the trainer clients are women who do not run through a very intense workout.  We use 16kb and 12kb bells and it is nice to have one available to use in addition to what we bring.

In the mornings at L.A. Fitness at least, most of the regulars are in their 40's and 50's and I doubt that too many of these folks would be able to handle an intense kettlebell workout.  On the other hand, swinging a 2kb kettlebell is not going to do much.  For  us, at this time, two days a week is about right.  I think it is better to run through a solid kettlebell workout once or twice a week, as opposed to a peripheral use of the weights once every two to four weeks.

As I will discuss in a future post, many of our kettlebell day exercises are focused on core strength and now that we are consistent, I am really starting to see some good results.  Not quite ready for photos (although I have several very solid "before" photos!).

About 2 months ago, I changed my vitamin and mineral routine to take my minerals (including the pills with trace minerals) at night instead of in the morning.  About a month after doing so I began noticing some irregularities in my heartbeat and fluttering in my chest.

The chest fluttering was not painful nor did I have any shortness of breath – but it was noticeable enough that I called my doctor.  After I told him about my symptoms and that I had been working out with heavy weights he reassured me that my issue was likely not cardiac in nature and he suggested that I may be experiencing a potassium deficiency.

At his suggestion I ate a bannana prior to working out and a bannana in the afternoon and immediately my heartbeat returned to normal and I have had no issues since.

Now, obviously not ever instance of chest pain or fluttering heartbeat is benign and if you have any questions you should seek medical attention.  In my case, however, it appears that a minor potassium deficiency was at the root of my experience.  This also explains why a number of long distance runners I know carry a bannana with them in their workout bags.

Our bodies don't need a lot of potassium or trace minerals, but take them away and strange things happen.

On "upper arms" days, we do exercises on both stable and unstable platforms.  Stable platform arm work includes work on the bench press and the pull down machines.  Instability work includes kettlebells, dumbbells and bar bells.

Stable platform work allows for more weight, while unstable platform work tends to be more aerobic and tone oriented.  Of all the unstable platform exercises we do, the kettlebells work the stabalizing muscles and they tend to be much more aerobic.

We have not been focusing as much on the kettlebells lately because our gym (LA Fitness) does not have kettlebells and we have to bring our own.   For whatever reason it seems to take too much effort to schlep in the kettlebells on a freezing cold morning.  In addition, I strained my back back in November and again last week and I have been hesitant to carry the kettlebells in from the car before I am warmed up.  As the weather gets warmer, we'll get back to including the kettlebells at least once a week.

Our routine has been to run through three sets of five exercises.  Most of the exercises involve 20 repetitions of the exercise.   Each set takes about 20 minutes so our routine totals about an hour.   We also include a 20 minute pre-workout stretch and sometimes a 30 minute interval training on the eliptical.  There is still probably too much talking going on, but I always work up a good sweat and the routine is a great start to the day.

Recently we changed things up a bit.  Instead of performing three sets of five exercises, with each a break between each set, we are performing two sets of 10 different exercises with increased reps and increased weight.  I like the new approach as it breaks up the routine and involves more muscle groups.  We tend to alternate between upper body and ab work which enhances the whole body benefit of the kettlebells.  As we get used to the increased weights, I expect that we will move to three sets of the ten exercises.

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You really have to know what you are doing when you start kettlebell training. If you do it incorrectly, you can easily injure your lungs. Once you master the techniques, the wrist action of kettlebell exercises will help you develop strong tendons and ligaments in your wrists, elbows and shoulders and thus will increase the strength of your arms.

A basic kettlebell exercise is a one arm swing. To do this lift, you have to swing the bell back between your legs and then over your head. This enables you to use the muscles of your back, hips and legs. When you start kettlebell training you should start with the lowest weight first and work your way up, even if you have done weight training before.

The different technique of the exercise could cause injuries if you are not doing it correctly. Many people think that because the person doing the exercises on the instruction video is not having any problems, that they can easily do the lifting as well. You have to remember that this person spent years of kettlebell training to reach that point.