I took a peek at the first phase of the RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) and decided it would be fun to give it a try since I am figuring out what to do when phase 4 ends and it’s a slow time around the house and work giving me lots of creative juices to put towards my plan. I discovered that the KB work is not just about the KB but it works in with what is called Active Rest which is another name for Keep Working Comrade! The day looks like this (taken from the RKC Kettlebell Workbook):
As you can probably see, the KB swings are alternated with something else, and as noted, you can swap that out for anything you want as long as you do the 12 minutes of work. I opted to do Jumping Jacks, Pull Ups, Dips, push ups and knees up running at which point the time ran out. That is a good thing because my next three sets were vomiting, passing out and coma.
This workout, 22 minutes total, completely destroyed me but I felt utterly amazed and proud of myself once I was finished.
In case you are curious, the exercises for the warmup are as follows:
Halo.
Halo, Pump, Mountain Climber.
Wall Squat.
For the record, I managed to do 5 sets, that is 5 swings followed by 5 active rests. I felt like my heart was going to explode but I didn’t feel any tweaking in my back and even today, the next day, my back is not sore. I guess my posture must have been good. I do have some tightness in my ITB and hips however which I can only assume is normal given the flexibility and strength that is required through the hips girdle for these exercises.
So am I a convert, we will have to see. All I know is that P90X workouts are fading fast as is Shaun T and much like an ex girlfriend, I don’t hate them, in fact I am grateful to them for getting me to where I am and for helping me become who I am.