Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells DVD with Lauren Brooks

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I purchased this DVD in December 2008 and have been using it regularly for the past year. When I began, I was totally out of shape and was using only a 7lb bell. I have progressed to a 15lb bell, a 20 and recently moved up to a 25lb bell. Some of the body weight exercises, such as push-ups, squat thrusts and mountain climbers were too difficult at the beginning, but I stuck with it and am now able to do them with no trouble. I have reduced my resting heart rate from a horrible 94 beats per minute down to 67, and have lost nearly 40 lbs, 8 inches from my waist and really firmed up my arms, legs, shoulders and back. I owe it all to this fantastic DVD! Including a 12 minute workout was genius on Lauren's part, because it really gives beginners confidence to learn and practice the moves and get in better condition for the 40 minute workout. I feel so much better physically and mentally since using this workout. Highly recommended!!!

I recently started using kettlebells by purchasing videos from another instructor after seeing his "infomercial" (Kettleworx). Thank God I discovered Lauren Brooks; she is 100 times better than what I already had. Her instructions are clear, her form (and her partner's) is excellent, and the DVD is a great production overall. I really appreciated the detailed guidelines (proper weight selection, etc.) and instructions she provided (for 15 exercises) prior to completing any of the workouts. You can tell she knows what she is doing and her personality is great. I was using a 10 pound bell but I purchased a 15 pound bell prior to attempting Lauren's workout; I was so glad I did--it made the workout much more challenging and I felt wonderful afterwards. I am looking forward to increasing my kettlebell weight and I hope Lauren completes another video soon. (I returned Kettleworx to the manufacturer; I was thankful for the refund.)

I am an avid fan of KB's and believe they are the only workout tool that a person needs. This DVD is FUN and super effective. This DVD contains instructions, warm-up, a short 12-minute workout, and a longer 40-minute workout. I was skeptical that the 12-min workout would be as effective as I had read in other reviews. What I found is that in the first 30 SECONDS your heartrate truly increases so that it is in the optimal range for burning fat, and you are sweating within the first ONE MINUTE. There may not always be time for a proper 45 minute to 1 hour workout during our busy schedules, but there is always time for a measly 12 minute workout (except this 12-minute workout is anything except 'measly'). If you feel that the 12-minute workout is too easy and ineffective, then you are not doing it correctly, or you need to use a heavier KB. You should be thanking Lauren Brooks for all of the breaks that she gives you between each set (it's THAT effective). I love this DVD.

**4/30/11 - Update: I'm still doing this workout. I mix it up with my other videos. I just did my first 50K bike ride and whooped my husband's behind, and I definitely credit kettlebells. The stamina you get from just swinging a bowling ball around is tremendous. - end of update**

This workout is terrific for anyone just starting out with kettlebells, although more seasoned users will certainly get a powerful blast from this DVD. However, this workout is not for beginners to fitness! You should already be working out regularly and have basic cardio and muscular (particularly core) fitness before doing this. I've been doing Jillian Michaels DVD's for close to a year now, and I'm finding this workout quite a challenge. The great thing about it is that once you master your form and build your strength, you can move up to a heavier kettlebell. As of now, I'm doing the 15lb. bell.

I love the demonstration segment. Lauren goes through the moves methodically so you can follow along and get the form right. Then there are 2 workouts: a 12 minute blast, and a 40 minute workout. Both are great. I do the 40 minute one. In between high-intensity segments there is a 60 second rest, which you can use to either really rest and get some water or do some light cardio like jumping jacks or running in place. By the middle of the workout, you'll appreciate the rests!

Some have complained about Lauren's personality. She's very matter-of-fact and she is not here to entertain you, she is here to give you a good workout. Which she does. I personally like not having to listen to the same stupid jokes over and over again or be forced to endure a false bubbly personality at 6 in the morning. Lauren gives you straight-up workout moves with solid form. I appreciate her use of a 50+ yr. old woman as workout buddy, she should be a huge inspiration for any woman, she looks better than a lot of gals in their 20's. Thanks to Lauren and Kettlebells!

My only complaints - It seems I have to restart from the beginning each time I play this DVD in our Playstation. Not a huge deal, as you're not forced to watch a whole bunch of nonsense like other DVD's. Also, I think the brightly colored, scroll-y design used on the DVD wrapper and the graphics in the video look amateur-ish. When I received the DVD, I took one look at it and thought "Oh no, poor production inside!" I'm a designer so I notice these things. I also think the hip-hop music used in the intro is silly. However, the music during the workout proves to not be nearly as annoying.

I spent weeks researching a great kettlebell intro dvd and found out that there are very few on the market. There are even fewer if you are looking for a dvd which utilizes proper Russian Kettlebell technique. I found several "kettlebell-aerobic" dvds, but realized that the majority of the instructors on those dvds are not certified Russian Kettlebell Trainers. Lauren Brooks is RKC certified, has a BS in Exercise Science and is a certified clinical nutritionist.
Some of the critical reviews complain about the cinematography. However, I wasn't bothered by this because I was too busy working up a sweat working out! I was mainly concerned about the workout content. No doubt-Lauren is a great trainer and the workout is awesome!
Others complained about all the "breaks" in-between the movements- this is called HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING. The breaks are on purpose and are proven to increase your metabolism. If you don't NEED a break in-between the movements the weight you are using is too light!
One of the most helpful things on this DVD is the intro. Lauren goes through all the different movements with proper techinique. That is something very important since you are swinging a 15 lb kettlebell with bare feet! Kettlebells should be done on bare feet so that you can stablize better. I am a petite woman and I think a 10lb kettlebell would have been too light. They say you should choose a kettlebell that you can't lift/press more than a handful of times, otherwise it will be too light and the workout wont be as effective.

First, a little background on my fitness level: I hate exercising but force myself to do it for at least 20 minutes a day, 40 minutes max. At my peak, I would jog/walk 2 miles a day and then do some stretching or light weights (5-10lb dumbells)... or I would go on my elliptical for 30-40 minutes. very boring. My BMI was probably around 20. I often tend to have an exercise routine for 3-6 months and then go off of it for 3-6 months.

For some reason I like to read fitness blogs. My favorite is Josh Hillis ([...]) and that's how I learned about kettlebells and Lauren Brooks.

Now for my review. I started with the 12 minute fat blast workout... I couldn't even get through the whole thing. I was seriously dying. There's this one part where you do clean-squat-press and I could barely get that 20lb bell over my head. I really had to thrust it up from the squat. At one point I tried doing the 40 minute workout and you have to do overhead presses... I definitely couldn't do it... so I kept with the 12 minute workout. I would do this 3 x week and go walking. After a few weeks I was able to do this workout twice in a row for a 24 minute workout. I'm always always aaaalways drenched in sweat! After that I decided to go for the 40 minute workout. I would skip using the bell for the squats and lunges sections because otherwise it's TOO killer. I think I've only made it through the entire workout a handful of times. BUT I CAN do the overhead presses now (with ease!) and I can tell that my body is toning up. I think I've gained weight since starting this DVD... but hopefully it's muscle!

I've been doing the 40 minute workout exercises but instead of repeating each one twice, I just skip and do them all just once... its like the 12 minute fat blaster except it's around 20 minutes and more challenging.

When I got the DVD in the mail, it looks like it was made from her home computer. The music, the graphics... it all looks low quality. But the workouts themselves are HIGH HIGH HIGH QUALITY STUFF. I love that timer bar on the side so I know how much I have left to suffer. All in all, it's really fun because I feel strong and it's makes me focus (so I don't go throwing my kettlebell into the wall).

Oh and at one point I emailed Lauren and asked her how many calories are burned in the workouts... she estimated between 400-800 for the 40 minute workout depending on various factors.

For years I've searched for a workout routine I like enough to keep doing. Countless DVDs, many dollars wasted...until now. This one is so fantastic, I want to do it every day, or even twice a day.

Don't let the cover fool you--this is a serious, professional DVD well worth the money, time and effort.

I was looking for something short, 10-15 mins, as I have little time for exercise. This DVD offered a 12-min workout, so I thought okay, I could grit my teeth and get through 12 minutes.

Another thing is having to very carefully watch my knees, as they were seriously stressed teaching figure skating for nearly a decade. Now they're painful going up & down stairs.

Well, the gritting-teeth never happened, and somehow even the squats don't bother my knees. This workout's FUN! Which is not to say it's not hard work, but in a good way. When I finish I feel thoroughly worked-out but it was so much fun I want to do it again. On the off days, since I'm doing an every-other-day schedule, I find myself longing to do the workout again as well.

Lauren's no-nonsense style is just perfect for me. I cannot bear the "cheerleader" types bouncing all over with wide grins on their perky little faces. Lauren encourages without all the gimmicky rah-rah found on so many workout DVDs. Her RKC form is excellent, which is exactly what I wanted. If I'm going to work out with a kettlebell, I want to do it right.

In a separate section of the DVD, Lauren demonstrates every exercise with proper form. Here is where to practice it before trying the workouts. I really love her technique for the clean, which minimizes forearm-banging (read: bruising if you do it wrong). Super.

The music is nonintrusive, very pleasant. The countdown timer in the corner of the screen is really helpful. As other reviewers have noted, having a 50+ year old workout partner in fantastic shape helps encourage those of us no longer in our 20s.

Check out Lauren's blog on her website ontheedgefitness.com and read the story of the young woman with MS who used Lauren's kettlebell program to go from bedridden to doing a 40-min intense kbell workout in TWO months -- truly amazing.

I really cannot say enough about this fabulous DVD. At first I balked at the price, but let me tell you it's absolutely worth it. I've never paid so much for a DVD, but I will definitely be buying her Vol 2 and 3 when I advance that far. This one will keep me busy awhile -- in only a week or so I lost 6 lbs without changing my eating habits. (Except now I do consider more carefully: do I want to negate all that fabulous kbell work by eating this? Nope!) Already I feel firm muscles in my obliques and legs, and overall I feel so much better. This is coming from a desk-job single mom with 50 lbs to shed.

One tip: Try to get the best kbell you can buy. Some have rough handles that will tear your hands, and the concrete or sand ones are pure crap. At the moment I have a kbell from Sports Authority, which is okay, but I'm ordering a Lifeline kbell (recommended by Lauren) because I want optimal results.

Super, super DVD!

I've been interested in Kettlebells for about a year, and was hesitant to try since I was 50 years old. I workout on a regular basis, so already do strength and cardio training, but for some reason Kettlebells looked too scary. I am so happy I got this video. When I first saw Lauren, my thought was "here we go, little miss young georgeous person is going to turn me right off, and I'm never going to watch this again". After putting my jealousy aside, I continued to watch. Lauren was easy to understand, and then introduced a woman who is on the video with her, and is in her 50's. Good move! If she can do it, I can for sure. Lauren is a great instructor, and really cares. I was pretty sore from the first workout, but loved every minute of it. Another bonus, I really liked the fact that you can do it with bare feet, which I prefer since I'm a yoga instructor. Give yourself time to get the moves down right. It does take some coordination. It's a great way to work out the whole body in a very short amount of time. Don't be afraid all you women over 50. Go get a kettlebell (I started with 10 lbs), and this video, and feel empowered!

Sept 2011. I wanted to explore kettlebell since having back surgery (the vertibrae is bone-on-bone). I know it is important to develop a strong core to help from repeating any future back problems.

I am 51 years old, an avid swimmer and I even teach safe exercise to people over 65 years of age. With that said, safety is always a key requirement for me to any DVD exercise video especially to body's that do ultimately change with age.

There were two DVDs on kettlebell that I have tried recently and would like to give a review on both.

Angie Miller's "Kettlebell Bootcamp" was the first that I purchased. It was a good workout that made me sore every time that I did them, but for me there were just too many lunges (bad knees). With safety in mind, I would rate this a 3.

The second DVD I purchased was Lauren Brooks' "The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells". Lauren is a Certified Instructor of Russian Kettlebell and you feel like you are in a private session (no frills to this video). She gives wonderful instruction on what is most important to me proper form and safety. Her DVD is broken up into a 12-minute workout, which can be repeated for a second or third set. Then there is a 40-minute workout. I like Lauren's style and instruction. There are no lunges...just squats. If you want proper form and safety I would recommend this highly. On a scale of 1-5, I would rate this tops.

Update Report 1/2/2012. After doing Lauren's 12-minute and 40-minute DVDs for 4-months, I have to report that I do not feel any athritic stiffness in my back after rising from 8-hours of sleep. My vertibrae is bone-on-bone, and I truly believe that KB is stregthening my multifidus and other stabilizers critical to support a weakend vertibrae. I'm a KB convert for life.

This workout is definitely not for the faint of heart. First, people who are just starting to get in shape, this workout will be too hard for you. This is not to say that it can be achieved with alot of hard work though. First, you must have a relatively strong core and work out regularly. If you have never done kettlebell workouts before then I highly recommend that you watch the instruction segment on the video so that you can do the exercises correctly. The instructions are very good and I felt like if I had not watched the instruction portion then I could have easily fallen into a trap of doing the workouts incorrectly and possibly been injured.

Lauren is not the type of instructor who is jumping up and down and talking nonstop, but honestly, I don't see how a kettlebell workout is designed for that type of instruction. First, it's even hard to talk while swinging a 15-20 pound weight over your head for a minute straight. Lauren is definitely no-nonsense and you can tell that she is not one of these Hollywood type fake instructors. She truly cares about being in shape and helping others reach their goals.

The full workout is about 40 minutes long with one minute breaks in between. Other reviewers have complained about the one minute break being too long. If you are just starting this workout, then believe me, it will not be too long as each segment gets significantly harder. Even so, if you feel like the one minute is too long, then fast forward through it. I usually grab a drink of water and fast foward through the last 30 seconds or so to begin the next segment. As far as the workouts themselves, they are not too difficult (moves-wise) and with practice you will be doing them like a pro.

This is definitely my number one kettle bell workout. I searched for a good kettlebell workout and this is by and far the best, instruction and workoutwise! It has increased my strength and and each segment gets my heart a pumpin'. Also, if you feel that it is getting too easy, increase the weight of the kettlebell and it will be just like starting over - you will be surprised at how much harder five pounds makes the workout. Lauren uses a 35 pound kettlebell - 20 pounds is about all I can handle, but wow, I can't imagine how I would be rockin it if I could do a 35 pound bell. There is always something to work towards with this workout!