conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide a description for a book titled Kettlebells For Dummies about with the genre: Health, Fitness & Dieting, Exercise & Fitness.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Get into the swing of kettlebells and benefit from an all-in-onecardio and strength workout
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide the first five paragraphs for this book.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Kettlebells For Dummies
  What other personal-training or class-training certifications do you hold? Although holding credentials other than the RKC isn't necessary, it's worth asking if your potential trainer has other fitness-related certifications. A certification from a well-recognized fitness organization like the National Strength and Conditioning Association or the American Council on Exercise shows that your trainer has acquired some knowledge about anatomy and the way the body performs.
  One of the first questions your trainer should ask you before teaching you how to use kettlebells is "What's your health history?" To help keep you safe, your trainer needs to know about any previous injuries, surgeries, or any medications you're currently taking. Although this information may seem quite personal to you, you need to tell your trainer anything and everything about your body to help her determine what exercises you need to avoid and what exercises you need to modify.
  One of my biggest pet peeves is when trainers offer specific nutritional advice when they don't have the qualifications to do so. Offering general nutritional advice, like telling you to eat enough protein and carbs and to drink lots of water is one thing. But prescribing a specific diet for you is something else entirely.
  If your trainer tries to prescribe a diet for you and doesn't have the qualifications to do so, you need to take your business somewhere else. If you need nutritional advice, hire a nutritionist to work with you and your trainer to help you reach your goals. Just because your trainer looks good doesn't mean his diet will work for you.
  In addition to asking you about your health history, your trainer should ask you about your personal fitness goals during your first session. (If you don't know what your individual goals are, turn to Chapter 18 for help setting them.) All your training sessions need to focus on helping you reach the goals you set during your first session. For example, if you want to lose ten pounds in eight weeks, your trainer needs to design a workout program that helps you accomplish that goal.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide five more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: If you start your kettlebell practice in a personal-training session, your trainer has more time to focus on you, which means you can learn the five to six basic exercises within one to two one-hour sessions. You simply can't achieve a solid foundation and get off to a good start in less time.
  The kettlebell size that your trainer recommends needs to be the appropriate one for a beginning student. Typically, females begin with a 14- to 18-pound bell, and men begin with a 26- to 35-pound bell. However, your trainer needs to evaluate your individual circumstances before recommending a starting weight. For example, if you're an overweight male who hasn't exercised in a year or more, you need to start with a lighter weight for your first few sessions. On the other hand, starting with a weight that's too light for your personal fitness level doesn't challenge you to move the weight with proper form.
  An experienced trainer knows just the right size weight for you to begin with. However, if you start using a certain kettlebell, and you think it's too heavy or too light, be sure to speak up. Your trainer may need to correct your form to help you use the bell properly or increase or decrease your kettlebell size.
  You don't want to hire a trainer who simply counts repetitions for you. Although counting reps is part of your trainer's job, focusing on your form and technique and instructing you on how to properly do the exercises are much more important. Even if you have good form, your trainer needs to remind you to keep your form solid and give you cues and motivation to get you through your workouts. Simply counting repetitions doesn't do much for you or your form, and it isn't worth the cost of a session or class.
  Are you interested in finding out even more about kettlebells? In this appendix, I provide information on where to find the gear you need and point you toward gyms and instructors in the United States, along with a few other kettlebell-related resources.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Delete the first sentence.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: You simply can't achieve a solid foundation and get off to a good start in less time.
  The kettlebell size that your trainer recommends needs to be the appropriate one for a beginning student. Typically, females begin with a 14- to 18-pound bell, and men begin with a 26- to 35-pound bell. However, your trainer needs to evaluate your individual circumstances before recommending a starting weight. For example, if you're an overweight male who hasn't exercised in a year or more, you need to start with a lighter weight for your first few sessions. On the other hand, starting with a weight that's too light for your personal fitness level doesn't challenge you to move the weight with proper form.
  An experienced trainer knows just the right size weight for you to begin with. However, if you start using a certain kettlebell, and you think it's too heavy or too light, be sure to speak up. Your trainer may need to correct your form to help you use the bell properly or increase or decrease your kettlebell size.
  You don't want to hire a trainer who simply counts repetitions for you. Although counting reps is part of your trainer's job, focusing on your form and technique and instructing you on how to properly do the exercises are much more important. Even if you have good form, your trainer needs to remind you to keep your form solid and give you cues and motivation to get you through your workouts. Simply counting repetitions doesn't do much for you or your form, and it isn't worth the cost of a session or class.
  Are you interested in finding out even more about kettlebells? In this appendix, I provide information on where to find the gear you need and point you toward gyms and instructors in the United States, along with a few other kettlebell-related resources.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide the last five paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Free stuff, special offers, and more: I've created a page on my Web site especially for For Dummies readers (www.ironcorekettlebells.com/dummies); it's packed full of resources to help you further your kettlebell journey.
  Gymboss workout timer: The Gymboss workout timer is your best investment (aside from your kettlebell) because it's easy to use and compact; you can lay it on the floor in front of you so you can see it easily or clip it to your waist for easy access during your workouts. Check out www.gymboss.com for more info.
  Medicine balls: You can mix up your workout routine a lot just by including medicine balls in some of your exercises; squats, the clean and press, and abdominal-specific exercises lend themselves nicely to using medicine balls. Check out Dr. Donald Chu's Plyometric Exercises with the Medicine Ball, Second Edition (www.donchu.com), or go to www.d-ball.com to purchase medicine balls.
  Nutritionist: If you're interested in finding a qualified nutritionist in your area who can help you meet your fitness goals through food (see Chapter 18), check out www.sportsnutritionsociety.org/nutritionist.aspx, a Web site that makes it easy to find nutritionists by state.
  Z-Health: The Z-Health exercise system offers some good exercises for warming up and cooling down for your kettlebell workouts (check out www.zhealth.net for more details; also see Chapter 5).