advice appreciated

[dezmond]

In the last month I have begun a lifestyle change. I have transitioned to a low carb high protein diet to dispose of a grief belly I accumulated during my morning process.

My question is about exercise. I was getting zero exercise before. Currently I'm walking 20 minutes a high cardio intensive pace on a treadmill and every time My phone rings (5-7 times a day) I do a rep of 35 varying exercises with a 30 lb kettlebell..(repetitions are going up by 5 each week)

The question is am I wasting my time with the kettlebell.

 

[niagrace]

@dezmond No form of physical activity is a waste of time. Keep at it.

 

[sharon123]

@dezmond Do your best to stay in motion.

 

[roberto1820]

@dezmond You certainly are not wasting your time with the Kettle bell! You're building core and upper body strength and I cannot think of an example where that should be a bad thing. It will help make your workouts more effective.

 

[sobbret]

@dezmond So totally not wasting your time. The older we get, the more important resistance training is (e.g., kettlebells). Congratulations on deciding to get in shape!

 

[michael_sf]

@dezmond First off, sorry for your loss and congratulations on the determination to get back in shape. I put on a lot of weight during my divorce and honestly some of it is still there (damn stress eating). What worked for me was a combo of walking then running as weight came down and heavy lifting. As someone mentions below no exercise is wasted but it’s more effective to use heavier weight in compound moves (squat/bench/deadlift/overhead) with fewer reps (5x5). That cardio/resistance combo seems to do the trick. Something I enjoy when I don’t want to run is rucking. Toss that 35 lbs in a backpack and walk a mile around neighborhood. GoRuck makes bags and weights specific to that use. Whatever you do, a sustainable diet is key to success. Emphasis is sustainable. Congrats again and good luck.

 

[atlantadad]

@dezmond You are doing 5-7 sets of 35 reps each set? Yes, you are wasting your time bcz it sounds like 30 lb kb is WAY too easy for you now. To make more gains, you need to find a way to increase the resistance or add different movements to target other muscles that you haven't yet trained. If you don't want to buy heavier weights, then I'd focus on adding more compound bodyweight or partial bw moves like pushups, deep squats (and when you can do 3-5 sets of 12-15 easy, start single-leg pistols). Basically, up the resistance and halve the reps bcz more than about 3 sets of 15 reps and you are just stressing your joints without adding a whole lot of strength and muscle for the effort. Imho. Good luck!

 

[dezmond]

@atlantadad Excellent guidance thank you