The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells Volume 2, with Lauren Brooks

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.

I really enjoy this DVD, I think it is very organized, with the introduction and how she goes into each exercise. Her technique is very precise and impressive. For the life of my I can not pop my hips like she does. I love the 40 minute work out, it is very challenging and if it starts to get easy I can always go up in weight. Right now I am doing 20 pounds and I sweat and my hurt is pounding. I think the 60 second breaks are too long so I take what is needed and skip to the next exercise. The quicker work out is nice too, with different exercises, I chose to do that one twice. I do not find her boring, the DVD has no frills no fancy background no fancy outfits, just two ladies working out. I look forward to working out and the time flies by. My only complaint is not with Lauren it is with the DVD, when stopping I wish it would start from where you left off not from the beginning. Other then that i am very happy with the work out DVD. I will try her other DVDs as well.

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!

I bought 4 kettlebells (varying weight) and Lauren's DVDs Ultimate Sculpt volumes 1 and 2) without having worked out with KB. Having pushed aside any workout routine for the past year, I felt it was time to give KB a try.I began working out to Lauren's Ultimate Sculpt volume 1 DVD for 12 minutes with 5lbs for 4 days the first week and 10lbs the second week to see if I could even perform the moves correctly, as I suffer from regular neck and back pain.I find Lauren's instruction-style to be very user-friendly, especially for a beginner, and as I've progressed to my 4-week point and want something a little more demanding, Ultimate Sculpt volume 2 is fitting the bill very well. Overall, I really like Lauren's more subdued approach to exercise. I have strained my back in the past by performing strength training exercises incorrectly and Lauren's approach is slow but intense enough to make you really focus on each move being performed so that you won't injure yourself. Her exercise demonstrations are great and a must if you're a beginner; her warm-up and cool-down sessions are amazing medicine for your joints. Albeit, there are some moves that I simply cannot perform well yet (Turkish Get-Ups and pushups with KBs for fear they will turn over - I'm a clutz, too. lol!). For these moves, I either lay out or do traditional variations like regular pushups with no KBs.Note: I did purchase a KB workout DVD from Amy Bento to break up the routine and I have to say, I honestly found her style to be almost manic. Although, my heart rate was up during the entire workout and this was great (heart rate is up with Lauren's, too), plus, some of her moves are rather challenging and provide an interesting approach to KB, her style is not my cup of tea. It's like Amy is grasping to come up with some new twisting move just to make the 20-minute mark. Lauren's style is methodic, intense and you can feel the fruit of your efforts the next day.When I want quick and calm, I go to Lauren's Ultimate Sculpt volume 1 for a basic 12 minute workout or do it all again for a total 24 minute workout. In volume 1, Lauren's workout partner is also an inspiration, as she is either in her 40s or 50s and has a super-sculpted body thanks to KB, according to Lauren. There are three things that really appeal to me with Lauren's DVDs: her purposeful instruction, the fact that you can get a 12 minute quickie in or go full throttle with a 20 or 40 minute workout and the time cue included in each session is helpful. Also, the music is actually kind of soothing and is very appropriate to each workout session. I'm getting ready to purchase her US volume 3 today - from her website - [...]. Also, another note to add about KBs - they are great - I'm seeing a difference in only a few weeks and actually look forward to my workout, which are two major accomplishments, in my world! I'm really noticing definition in my glutes, my arms and my waistline is shrinking. I'm able to lift and carry items I was having trouble with and the best part - no more daily back or neck pain!