Return of the Tie Dye Kettlells
Better Scenery!
Humbling Kettlebell Workout..
This one is a killer. Round 2 from Art of Strength is filmed in Newport, Anthony really knows how to put a product together which entices the broader public. Pavel's material, however corny (Pavel really makes me laugh..... a rare comodity) is marketed towards the hardass, or wannabe hardass. Anthony at AOS I assume, draws in the buzz crowd and garners people from "fat loss" market with these somewhat funky kettlebell dvds (wierd music, metrosexual type dress sense & other mainstream malarky). These workouts could easily fit into some gym bunny or angelina jolie look-a-like's no doubt hectic Double Bay schedule. Having said all that, the composition of this kettlebell excercise dvd is really good. Sure i'd prefer a mike mahler styled onslaught with Cro Mags soundtrack, but if you are after bang for your buck and looking to build speed, stamina, flexibility & abdominal strength, then this is really good way to do it.
AOS Newport Preview
Kettlebell Workout Structure
- 8 rounds + Swing Challenge
- Most rounds are 4 mins in duration
- Each KB round is immediately followed by a 1 minute abdominal routine
- The final round is now a 5 minute snatch challenge
- Suggested KB weight: 16kg
This is an absolutely killer KB workout expanding on the format showcased in AOS Providence: Timed Rounds of mixed drill kettlebell excercises. After months of working with the Art of Strength Providence DVD several times a week for a few months, I got hold of Newport. This REALLY builds on an individual's kettlebell skills, with the majority of the drills being done for 4 minutes followed immediately by 1 minute of abdominal excercises. Not only that, but several drills incoporate some great bodyweight/flexibilty excercises.
After regularly practicing the Newport workout, (after the initial soreness...), I realized I'd greatly improved my flexibilty, explosive strength capacity, endurance & overall coordination. Like with Providence, the first through times through the entire workout were absolutely brutal and left me bathed in sweat, often pausing the dvd or skipping certain drills to recuperate.
Personal Reflections & Evaluation
I really like the combination of bodyweight & kettlebell drills with this disk. Anthony's "Punch Matrix" (kind of a lower back, scorpion type excercise) is really good if you suffer lower back tightness like me (considering AOS dvds tend to favour a lot of squat/explosive movements, lower back care is becoming increasingly important when I work these kettlebell workouts).
AOS Improvements
Anthony seems to be a man who learns from his mistakes, moving on from AOS Providence, he seems to have included some a much needed "How to" section: This key instructional information certainly gives a beginner some key points to work with. That is the thing with kettlebells, they can be really damaging if the drills are not performed correctly.
As AOS products tend to favour a lot of swings/squatting movements, the potential to injure one's self is high. It happened to me a few times with AOS providence, particularly as I graduated to a larger sized kettlebell, shoulder damage, aching lower back, stiff knees etc.
If like me, you practice kettlebell work in isolation, learning technique becomes a research oriented task. So far, Steve Maxwells products & Pavel's printed material seem the best places to learn good form. This AOS release provides some "how to" information thank god. Beginners beware!
AOS Sore Points
Those damn fruit tingle kettlebells. They are very hard to look at.
Some excercises are a real pain to get the hang of and complete with good form: example: Round 1: Squat/thrust/snatch - this burpee-snatch combo is pretty damn hard to generate some cohesive tension. Practice I guess.
More Information: Newport by Art of Strength
AOS Newport Overview
Review Afterthought:
I've had some noticeable pain in my knees & hamstrings over the last 2 days after completing a session with newport. Always a challenge, my hamstrings are like steel cables after years of bike riding. In fact, this is becoming a serious problem after losing gains in flexibility done by a few years of various stretching practicing. This is a very good article which seemed to mirror what is happening in relation to high density of swings/explosive hip movement & the knees: S-t-r-e-e-e-t-c-h!"
The back of my knees feel like cement. Not a good thing.
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