 Not Just for Pregnant Women |
| Review Date: April 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: L. Carpenter, USA |
| First, let me say I am a newbie to kettlebell work and far from an expert on this subject. This DVD appears to have been designed for pregnant women who wish to keep training, but is probably not meant for a pregnant woman looking to start a new exercise regime. I am not pregnant, but I am not in fantastic athletic shape either, so I purchased this hoping it would challenge me, but not be so killer that I would give up in frustration. This routine is less intense than Lauren's first DVD, or Sarah Lurie's Iron Core I, which are my only other kettlebell DVDs. However, I am not saying that this work out is easy - Lauren is about 6 1/2 months pregnant and still puts me to shame. The DVD is chaptered and includes a joint mobility/warm-up, three workout sections and a cool-down stretch; if you do all of them together, it clocks in around 40 minutes. It is just Lauren, no background exercisers, and she takes you through two sets of various kettlebell and body weight moves in each of the three sections. For many moves, she shows modifications via picture in picture in the corner. She alternates between three different weight kettlebells depending on what move she is doing (but never uses more than one kettlebell at a time). I only own an 18# bell, so I just use that, except I use an 8# dumbbell to do halos for now. She does 2-handed swings, overhead swings, sumo squats, push-ups, lunges, triceps extensions and a lot of other moves I can't remember off the top of my head. If you need form pointers to learn the moves, you should check out Lauren's other DVD (or, ideally, meet personally with an RKC trainer). The music is soft & relaxing; Lauren's demeanor is calm & serious; the production values are very good. I am really enjoying this DVD. There is no dread factor for me and the slower pace allows me to focus on my form, rather than feeling I have to race to keep up and then getting discouraged. I am very happy with my purchase! |
Great Safe Challenge
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| Review Date: February 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Jessy Ko, All Over the, USA |
This is my second pregnancy and I have used Kettlebells before. This is a wonderful and challenging workout for any pregnant person who is familiar with either Kettlebells, crossfit, or body building prior to pregnancy. Proper form during the exercises may be difficult to achieve or understand for those who are new to working out or strength training. Those who are not confidant because they are new to pregnancy or working out may have concerns about trying different exercises, but don't worry it is all safe plus there is a modified version of each exercise shown in the video. Also, I would suggest coupling the video with additional stretching or a prenatal Yoga video. This is a challenging and effective yet safe workout. I am loving it, I will be using it as a postnatal shape up as well. If you like this video or are looking for a video like this but think kettlebells are no right for you might also want check out The Perfect Pregnancy Workout vol. 1.
I would recommend that once in your second trimester or further in your pregnancy you reduce the number of exercises you do with the kettlebell as you follow the video or consider doing just one of the workout segments per workout plus warm up and cool down. As well as, decreasing the amount of weight you use as you progress in your pregnancy. Plus remember to take water breaks and let your heart rate come down in between every circuit in the video.
Do not start this video if you have not been working out, are new to working out, and in your second trimester or further. I would think the combination of the three together would make this video way to difficult for you. |
Fun and challenging workout
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| Review Date: November 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: archaeogal, New York |
I am new to kettlebells and to pregnancy (it's my first time!). I got this DVD on the recommendation of my favorite women's fitness blog and I am very happy with my purchase. I believe that pregnancy is not a time to wimp out on working out. Although there are some obvious physical limitations, it's healthy for you and your baby to stay fit throughout your pregnancy.
We quit the gym to save money and I needed something to kickstart me back into working out at home. I wanted a workout that was somewhat challenging. I also wanted something that was fun to do. The Baby Bells workout is fast paced and the instructor (Lauren Brooks) moves you through the workout in a serious and straightforward manner. It's so great to see her beautiful baby belly too.
If you are into kettlebell training or simply want to try something new and stay fit throughout your pregnancy, I would highly recommend this DVD. This DVD is probably great for beginners and intermediates. Although, she uses kettlebells, she also instructs that each weight lifting movement can also be done with regular dumbbells. Each movement also has an unweighted option if you're uncomfortable with weights. |
So worth it
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| Review Date: May 21, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Jessica A. Tull, Cedar Falls, IA |
| As a disclaimer, I'm not pregnant, but I'll sure save this DVD for down the road. I wanted to get into kettlebells, but I was concerned about my joints. I've had bursitis in my hips and knees, so I looked for a DVD that was low-impact. What I really like about this workout is that there are alternate forms for many of the exercises, which provides me with a way to complete the exercise without straining anything. There are some exercises here I just can't do, even with the alternate forms: the lunges and squats just aren't going to happen, so I'll walk in place until she moves on to the next exercise. I was very pleased with the variety of the exercises, and I thought the instructor was excellent. Even as a complete kettlebell beginner, I felt confident with her instruction. I just wish I could find more of her DVDs on Amazon! |
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