Now that we’re a little over a week into January, people are starting to hit a wall with their New Year's resolutions, and suddenly the thought of losing 20lbs sounds harder than a quick and chilly climb up Mount Everest. We’d love to promise you that it’s not and type up a cheerful little paragraph about how you can achieve your goals with a smile and a Disney song, but unfortunately it’s not that easy. You have to want it. And more than just cutting back on guac-stuffed burritos and cookie-crumble cheesecake, exercise is a pivotal player in the weight-loss game.
To crank up your diet and help you burn some serious calories in a minimal amount of time, KettleWorX has released a new program called 8 Week Rapid Evolution—an eight week plan to help shed pounds and build muscle. At first glance it sounds like another “get slim quick” scheme which results in us trying a few workouts, realizing it’s impossibly difficult and giving up before we’ve even begun. But this program is different, focusing on getting your body to move and work more so than waiting for the numbers on the scale to drop. In conjunction with a kettlebell it’s designed to mix up your exercises, focus areas and muscle groups to get the most out of your workout.
Trainer Alex Isaly who leads each workout with an adorable smile and straightforward attitude, is one of the most determined workout personalities we’ve ever come across. Certified by both the American Sport and Fitness Association and International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation as well as creating and founding the program R.I.P.P.E.D., Isaly is an expert when it comes to fitness. While he won’t yell or push you into any crazy moves, he does remind you that the motivation has to come from you. He encourages you to take a moment if you need it, to listen to your body and to enjoy the burn. And while 20 minutes can start to feel like a lot after the 30th squat press, it definitely helps to watch a handsome guy run around in tight pants for the duration of that time.
Focusing on three main areas—cardio, core and resistance—allow your muscles to get the most out of each session. Coming in three different weight sets, each program comes with a kettlebell, seven workout DVDs, a healthy eating planner and calendar to follow as a guide map. Each workout is 20 minutes with a 10 minute supercharge after (that you can opt out of if you’re dying) and focuses on the upper, lower or core area of the body. While the American Council on Exercise claims you can burn up to 20 calories a minute while training with a kettlebell, don’t expect these results right away. You’ve got to feel the burn first.
And feel the burn I did. I gave KettleWorX a try, thinking it couldn’t be much harder than the weight and cardio training I was already involved in, and I was terribly, terribly wrong. The workout seriously kicked my ass, but in the best way. With only a 20-30 minute training routine a day it was almost impossible not to work out (and we won’t even discuss the guilt that settled in if I didn’t). Workouts that focused on a specific area left my muscles sore for at least a day or two afterward, but it became easier as I progressed through the program—the lunge presses, Russian twists and swings that had thwarted me so easily on my first try I could almost complete by my 4th week. And while that might not sound like a huge accomplishment, the strength and lack of aches I felt lead me to believe otherwise.
I would love to tell you I lost 30lbs and four dresses sizes using this program, but that’s nowhere near the truth—what happened instead was that my muscles grew stronger, I felt more toned and my body looked and felt more athletic. And while I won’t be handing out tickets to the gun show anytime soon, it’s definitely helped with my personal commitment to fitness and allowed me to realize my full potential—and really that’s half the battle.
KettleWorX 8 Week Rapid Evolution is available online and priced from $99-$130.
