On March 22nd, I completed the Onnit 6 Kettlebells series. I think this program was engaging, fun, and challenging. It whipped my butt while teaching my new techniques to use with my beloved kettlebell. If you’re looking for an at home program during the current pandemic with Covid-19, here’s why I think you should look no further:
The program can be played on any smart tv with a browser. This made getting up and exercising very easy in the mornings. Just flick on the TV, grab my kettlebell, and I was on my way. I tried both small and large screens (a 55” tv, an iPad, an iPhone…) and much preferred the large tv for the easier visibility and sound.
The workouts don’t require much space and I was able to do them in the comfort of my living room. It was perfect timing too with the social distancing and stay at home orders in my area. No furniture, floors, or anyone were hurt in the process of me working out in a common space. Granted, I had to keep an eye out for my 2 year old when she was around, which is one of the reasons why I like to workout before anyone else gets out of bed.
The equipment list is short. 1 kettlebell. To start. As I learned the techniques, I found myself advancing the different moves to harder ones. Then, once I mastered the hardest moves, I increased my weight and dropped back to the most basic move before climbing up the ladder again. So, eventually you’ll want 2-3 kettlebells for when you get so swole you have no choice by to increase weight if you want to increase gains. I started with a 15 lb kettlebell and am currently using a 25 lb during my second run through the program. The “small” difference in weight is a lot in the hands over the time of a workout. If I do this program a third time, I might upgrade to a 35 lb kettlebell, which I’ll have to order (maybe from Onnit?).
Which is a perfect segue to the next benefit of the program: once you buy it, it’s yours to keep. Forever. Do the program once, twice, a thousand times. The program is stored somewhere on the servers Onnit uses to host their site, from which you can stream the videos from, and is also downloadable (in case streaming is a concern for you).
The website that you stream the program allows you to check off each workout and saves your progress, so you never forget your place. There’s also something to do everyday for six weeks, so you’ll be active the whole way through.
Overall, this program has been a great fit for me. I’m currently working from home, gyms are shut down, and I needed something I could do in my apartment’s small living room. Better yet, I love my kettlebells and am so grateful for everything I learned to do from John Wolf in this program.
Oh yeah, the instructor, John Wolf, he’s awesome. Friendly, clear, and has the physics that makes you hope this program will make you look like him.
Speaking of physics, I saw some great results with this program. I lost about 5 lbs of body fat, while gaining about 2 pounds overall. That’s a 7 lb muscle gain. My ability to stretch is far more comprehensive than ever, which means I’m no longer in pain from tight muscles, especially those nasty ones in the back on shoulders that create headaches. Probably my favorite result though is that I’m very confident in my body’s ability to move. Getting from kneeling on the ground while getting a pot out of the lower cupboard or crawling after my toddler to a standing position has never been so easy. I didn’t even know getting to a standing position was any harder before than it is now until it became so easy. Sounds like a small thing, but it’s translating into every move I make all day, every day.
In addition to the program, I added two more elements to help reach some of my physical goals faster (which play into how I got the results above). 1. Cardio. I bought an indoor cycle and rode for 30 min about every 2-3 days. 2. Abs workouts. I followed some of the Athlean-X youtube videos that demonstrate the ab shuffler tool to workout my abs for about 7 minutes everyday. The combination, along with clean eating, helped me drop my body fat amount and exposed some more abs than before.
Conclusively, this program has been great for me. If you think it could be great for you too, I encourage you to give it a try. The price actually sits lower than most other programs I’ve seen out there at $50. Kettlebells typically sit at about a $/lb and can be ordered through Onnit, most exercise retailers, or through Amazon.
In the future, I’ll be trying out other workout programs and will create reviews for those as well. Until then, happy workouts!
