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Summary: The best all-around workout you'll ever do
Review: If you're looking for an effective and efficient way to get stronger, leaner, more flexible, and increase your endurance (both muscular and cardiovascular), you won't find anything better than Pavel's Russian Kettlebell Challenge. The book clearly illustrates both exercises and routines to get you up to speed. You don't need to have a kettlebell (a round weight with a thick handle) to benefit; you can still get 75-80% of the benefits working with dumbbells and get kettlebells later if you're hooked.In six weeks of kettlebell work, I lost an inch off my waist and dropped my heart rate 6 beats per minute, while staying the same weight. I was already working out when I started using kettlebells, so I'm not a novice. There are few ways to lose fat, gain muscle, and improve your cardio fitness all at the same time; I've never seen a better one than this. By simply changing exercises and rest periods - all of which is explained in the book - you can work on just about any attribute you want. Kettlebells were a favorite tool of the Soviet Special Forces, whom Pavel trained in Russia. He is now training the U.S. Marines and similar organizations with kettlebells here. It's great for martial artists, soldiers, and SWAT teams, but you can adapt it to your needs even if you're a housewife who has never exercised before. As long as you have access to dumbbells, you can do this at home, which is where I do my kettlebell work. Give the Russian Kettlebell Challenge a try; you won't be disappointed.
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Summary: An Evil Approach to Training
Review: In this book, Pavel introduces a new form of weight to most westerners, the kettlebell. This encumbersome and awkward device leads can easily lead to strength gains for those who have platued in conventional weight training. Even for those who have seen continual gains, kettlebells will whip you good... I can honestly say, there's nothing like it, and its addictive. No matter what ends you are trying to fulfill, you'll gain an overall strength that will make you more capable than just having a big bench.
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Summary: The Definitive Text on Kettlebell Lifting!
Review: In this book, Pavel introduces the reader to the most effective training tool that most of us had never heard of. I was personally very skeptical about the kettlebell and I waited until I heard others rave about the results that they have achieved with this hunk of cast iron before I purchased this book. Through Pavel's expert guidance (his attention to detail on the execution of the lifts is extraordinary)and the use of the KB, my fitness level has skyrocketed. It is rare to find a workout that will improve your power, strength, strength endurance and cardiovascular functioning but this is what you can expect with KB use. I have experienced the following benefits from the use of the KB: decreased blood pressure and resting heart rate, greatly improved grip strength and an increase in upper and lower back strength. The most practical benefit that I have noticed is the physical endurance carryover to every day physical activities (moving furniture, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow). I highly recommend the Russian Kettlebell Challenge to anyone who would like to move to the next level of physical fitness!
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Summary: HEART POUNDING FUN!...
Review: It amazes me that someone would write a bad review of the book. Buying the book isn't going to do much for you unless you practice what's inside it. I would have to say this is one of the most grueling, fun, satisfying workouts I have done. I enjoyed the history Pavel explained of the origins of Kettlebell lifting and the many stories told of some of the greatest strongmen in world. Pavel's books are to the point and I always learn something new when I pick it up to refresh my memory. If you want an excellent heart pounding workout to add to your arsenal of exercise routines this is a must have. I have put my wife through some routines with a Dumbbell and her overall body muscle tone has improved. She says she has never worked so hard before. This not like her aerobics tapes she has been used to. I would say whoever buys the book and goes through the workout will have a very painfully fun experience. Enjoy!...
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Summary: This book + Kettlebells will whoop you into amazing shape
Review: Kettlebells are without a doubt the most effective strength/endurance conditioning tool out there. I wish I had known about them 15 years ago. I have been using them as described in the book and video "The Russian Kettlebell Challenge" and they are transforming me into a superman. It will take some time before I reach superhuman status, because the kettlebells are an awesome piece of equipment. I am humbled by them, but I am also empowered by them. The strength and endurance gains made from kettlebell training carry over into any other athlltic pursuit and will give you the upperhand from now on. These are definitely the best tools I've ever used to get functionally fit and strong and I will use them for the rest of my life. Thank you, Comrade pavel. "You Da Man!"
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent.
Review: Most of the positive reviews are right on the mark. In fact, only one reallllllly misses the point, and that is the review by Mohamed F. El-Hewie, which is so inconherent and asnine that it's laughable. Anyway, read this book if you are interested in strength endurance and gaining strength without "bulking up". Perfect for military personnel.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Workout
Review: On one hand, I agree wholeheartedly with what some of the critics have to say about the Russian Kettlebell Challenge (and Pavel's books in general). Yes, it's expensive, not a lot of text, and he spends a good deal of time promoting his other products. On the other hand, though, let me say this: if you try this book, chances are good that you'll look forward to giving Pavel a lot more of your hard-earned money. I got hooked on the basic idea of high-rep, ballistic dumbell exercises about a month before I actually shelled out the money for this book, when an issue of MuscleMedia magazine had an article highlighting Pavel's book and a few of the exercises he recommends. It was easy for me to jump right into it based simply on the magazine article because I had a lot of experience with "Olympic" lifts like the clean & jerk and the snatch. But I had never tried them with dumbells before (I'll get actual kettlebells eventually), and in two decades of lifting weights I've never experienced anything like this before. It is incredibly grueling, but the workout really does do everything that Pavel says it does: build explosive strength, burn fat, tone up your muscles. As exhausting as the workouts are, though, and as much as I dread doing them beforehand, it's also surprisingly easy on my back and all the joints that usually ache after a "conventional" lifting workout. The workouts are also very short, due to the fact that they are so intense. So why did I buy the book, if I was already getting great results from a magazine article that I had only read one time? For me it was because the book showed me more great "old school" exercises . . . For example, I had never tried a "bent press" or a "side press" before. Wow. Not too many barbell exercises or "Hammer Strength" machines will work your entire upper body at once, like a bent press will. Why should most people get this book? I'd imagine that very few people know how to do lifts like the clean & jerk or snatch correctly, and most people probably don't even know what a bent press is! There is a lot of technique involved, and Pavel teaches you what you need to know; i.e. how to do these potentially dangerous lifts properly and - equally important - avoid dropping the weights on your head. He teaches them in a way that comes across as very simple, though, and easy to learn - and with a humorous and intimidating, yet oddly motivating, style: "I assure you, ladies and gentlemen," he says in describing one exercise, "it is a puker." Like many of Pavel's devotees, since buying his book, I quit my gym membership, and now get far, far better workouts at home for the price of a heavy set of adjustable dumbells.
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Summary: Pavel's done it again!
Review: Once again, Pavel has written a book that should be read by anyone wanting to improve their conditioning. In this book, Pavel explains why kettlebell lifting is such a great tool in developing strength and burning bodyfat. As the book warns: Be careful, this isn't your spinning or aerobic class. Even the lightest kettlebell (16kg) will give a majority of people a rough time at first. You really want to read and then re-read about proper technique. There are a lot of photos to help with proper form. The sample routines give you a variety of workouts from simple to complex, or you can develop your own workout by following Pavel's guidelines. Once you give kettlebells a try, you probably won't want to go back to your standard workout again because they can be addicting!
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Summary: Great Exercise Book
Review: Pavel again writes a book that is well written. There are some people who reviewed this book that claim that this book isn't clear and KB's are too dangerous. Those people are complainers, just let them complain and never get ahead in fitness. KB's ( just like all forms of exercise equipment) can be dangerous if you fool around when using it. And some people here have mis quoted Pavel as saying there's no magic inside KB's. The only thing inside KB's are the work ethic of a machine & the pain tolerance of a god. KB's have helped my martial arts greatly. KB's are great for everyone, from old to young and can help melt the fat or build muscle or get stronger. I recommend getting the book first, then the video, watch Pavel preform the drills with good form is a valuable training aid. Also there are many KB clubs starting througout the U.S. KB's are a great training tool and I highly recommend all other Pavel books.
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Summary: "Without strength, life is but a gloomy business"
Review: People often get mad at me for recommending this book so much. They say "there's more than one answer for everything!" but I can not think of anyone who would not benefit from this type of training. Young or old, whatever sport or activity you're into, whether you need speed, strength, endourance, grip strength, etc, "The Working-Class Sport" is perfect for you. There's not one area of fitness that kettlebell lifting doesn't cover, as far as I know. Kettlebells can be passed down for generations because they last forever, and nothing else has the same "Dinosaur Factor". They're certainly cheaper than any other exercise machine, and infinately better in so many ways. They don't take up much room, either. I believe kettlebell lifting is ideal for everyone, as an addition to their currant strength training program, or as a whole exercise system on it's own. You may think 36 to 72 pounds isn't much weight. I thought that, because I could lift 400 pounds from the ground to standing (deadlift) when I started. But I got an incredible "butt-kicking" from the 36 pound kettlebell. The forces built up in the ballistic lifts is just awesome. My grip strength has never been better- the thick handles really works the grip and forearms. Speaking of forearms, you might think doing the kettlebell resting on the forearm (as on the cover) hurts, but it doesn't, once you learn how to absorb the shock properly. I can also say that I have never had an injury from using kettlebells, and, if anything, this training toughens you up and reduces your chance of injury. It is really amazing. Wait till you experience what is known as the "what the hell effect"!!! All the claims on the back cover of the book are very, very true. I wish I had been doing it for years.
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